A Success Story: From “Too Technical” to Clarity

One of my recent projects was with a deep-tech founder developing next-generation chip interconnect technology.

He was preparing for a $25M funding round. The feedback he kept getting was that his pitch was “too technical” - which is code for it isn’t landing.

With a PhD in physics, this founder - like many deep-tech leaders -believed the way to win investor confidence was through logic.

The chapters in his presentation were framed as five rational questions:

• Who we are

• Why now

• Who has the problem

• What is the problem

• What is the solution

This is a classic logic-first structure. Slide after slide was filled with detailed bullet points designed to leave no question unanswered.

It assumes the audience would stay focused for the entire 40 minutes - piecing together facts, graphs, and numbers into one “bulletproof” logical conclusion: this startup will succeed!

That’s an unrealistic expectation - and it fell flat.

From Proof to Belief

The version we ended up creating didn’t focus on logic.

Instead, it reflected his natural way of telling the story, in three connected steps:

1. Network cables are the bottleneck for AI infrastructure.

2. They need to be replaced with optical fibers.

3. We have the technology to make that possible.

The first approach made investors work hard to piece everything together. The second let them sit back and enjoy the ride.

The goal wasn’t to cut information - most of the same facts appeared in this version too. What changed was the ease of digestion.


Like with food - would you rather be handed five bins of raw ingredients, or one dish prepared by a chef? The ingredients are the same, but the experience - and what you remember - is completely different.

When a message is coherent, clear, and interesting, our brain tends to accept it as true. A belief is formed first, and the logic that follows is often just our mind explaining that belief to itself.

Belief comes first. Logic follows.

The transformation

1. Confidence


Within weeks, his confidence improved. The new narrative felt natural to him. Where he previously hesitated, he was now eager to share his pitch.

2. Clarity


In the old version, parts of the pitch didn’t align and some claims conflicted. That’s unavoidable - because it’s not really possible to build a flawless logical case for investment. The unknowns are infinite.

Released from the burden of “logical proof,” he was free to speak authentically about how he sees the future, and the contradictions disappeared. With that clarity, he decided to double his funding target- and later achieved it.

3. External Validation


As he began pitching, the feedback was overwhelmingly positive. Not only from investors - the pitch became his go-to presentation for industry experts. He used it in professional conventions with audiences of hundreds, and was praised for making complex industry issues clear.

4. Results


And finally - the measurable outcome: he secured the investment he was aiming for.

The Long-Term Impact

While I was delighted with the success of our engagement, I believe the long-term effects matter even more. By helping this founder shed the false belief that “logic alone convinces,” we reshaped how he communicates- not just with investors, but across his entire company.

As his role evolves and the company grows, the benefits will ripple outward, boosting the company’s chances of success at every point of contact.