John Donboli

The First Raise Series › Module 5 of 6

Your Story and a One-Page Summary

How to explain your company clearly in one page, and the structure that makes investors want to read more.

Before you can pitch, you need to be able to explain your company in a way that someone can repeat to a colleague. A one-page summary forces that clarity, and it is often the first document an investor reads.

A simple structure

  1. One sentence: "We help [customer] do [thing] by [how]."
  2. The problem: who has it, and why it matters enough to pay to solve.
  3. The solution: what you built, in plain language, no jargon.
  4. Evidence: customers, usage, revenue, or pilots, with real numbers.
  5. The market: who the customers are and why now.
  6. The team: who you are and why you can do this.
  7. The ask: how much you are raising, what it funds, and the milestones it reaches.

Write for a busy reader

Investors read many of these. Use short sentences, put the most important point first, and avoid superlatives such as "revolutionary." Specific facts persuade; adjectives do not.

Be accurate

Every claim in a pitch should be one you can support if asked. Overstating traction or implying relationships that do not exist damages trust and can create legal problems. Honesty is both the ethical choice and the practical one.

Your task for this module

Write your one-page summary using the structure above. Then cut it by a quarter and see if it gets stronger.

General education only. Not investment, legal, or tax advice, and not an offer or solicitation to buy or sell any security. Fundraising is regulated; talk to a qualified securities attorney before raising money.


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