Raising investment isn’t about having the perfect slide design or saying the right buzzwords.
It’s about showing investors that you truly understand your business.
That’s where most founders struggle.
They jump straight into a pitch deck — before they’ve done the thinking that makes the pitch credible.
And investors feel it immediately.
The Startup Playbook was written to fix exactly that.
This book is not about theory.
It’s about making better decisions – and then presenting them clearly.
By the end of the book, you will be able to:
– Clarify the real problem you’re solving (not just describe a feature)
– Explain your solution in a way non-technical investors can understand
– Present your team honestly and convincingly – including gaps
– Size your market realistically (without inflated numbers)
– Explain how you make money
– Decide how much money you really need – and why
– Build a roadmap investors can follow and believe in
– Understand what each investor document is for:
pitch
investor deck
one-pager
business plan
If you’ve ever been asked by an investor
“Why now?”
“How did you get to these numbers?”
“What will you actually do with the money?”
– this book is for you.
This book is written for:
→Early-stage founders (pre-seed, seed, early Series A)
→First-time founders preparing for their first serious raise
→Founders who already pitched — and felt something wasn’t landing
→Startup teams who want one clear framework everyone can align around
If you’re looking for shortcuts or hype — this is not that book.
If you want clarity and structure — it is.
The book is built around the questions investors are silently asking while you present.
Among other things, we cover:
→How to think about choosing the right investor
→Defining the problem and why it matters now
→Presenting the solution without over-explaining
→Positioning the team in a credible way
→Market sizing: TAM / SAM / SOM, done properly
→Competition and timing – without fear-mongering
→Business models investors understand
→Funding needs tied to milestones, not guesses
→Building a clear, realistic roadmap
→What marketing materials investors actually expect to see
Throughout the book, I use a fictional startup (SolarAdvance) as a running example — including a full investor deck — so you can see how everything comes together in practice.
There are plenty of books that explain what a business plan or pitch deck is.
This one shows you how to think.
Each chapter includes:
Clear explanations
Practical guidance
Questions and exercises you can actually work through
It’s written the way I work with founders in real life — step by step, asking the uncomfortable questions early, so you don’t get stuck later in front of investors.
Many founders are intimidated by financials.
They shouldn’t be.
The book includes access to a startup-friendly P&L template, with clear explanations of:
what investors really look for
which assumptions matter
and which numbers are less important at early stages
No finance background required.
Jude Barak is a business consultant and presentation expert who has worked with over 100 startups across different industries.
She helps founders build the thinking behind their investor materials — not just the slides — so that when they pitch, they sound credible, prepared, and trustworthy.
Her approach is practical, structured, and grounded in real investor expectations.
