Most founders think they're not getting investment because their pitch deck isn't good enough. Sam Marchant says that's almost never the reason.

As a VC partner who's backed north of 100 companies, he's pretty clear on what actually kills a raise before it starts.

In this episode we cover:

• Why VC is purely growth capital and why judging your business by whether you can raise it is a mistake most founders make
• The bar Sam's fund 21 Ventures actually sets before writing a cheque. all four of their last investments came in at over £1 million ARR with exited founding teams
• Why 90% of founders reaching out for investment have a skill gap problem, not a funding problem, and why giving them money doesn't fix it
• How Sam decides whether to back a founder in the first 30 minutes of a call and why the rejection is almost always about the person, not the product
• The one thing that can never be outsourced, no matter how early or how big the business is

Sam Marchant is a partner at 21 Ventures, a venture capital fund.

He's also co-founder of Scaling MENA, a media company covering the startup ecosystem in the region.

He previously co-founded and exited a CPG business and has been investing at angel and fund level ever since.

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