Countdown to Launch
A beautiful pitch
won't fix an ugly business.
The 1:1 Investor-Ready Intensive builds a business investors can fund first... then the pitch that proves it.
Apply for the Intensive$1,800 · Selective · Full refund in the first month if we're not making progress
“If you are setting out on the journey of starting your first company, this is absolutely what you should be doing.”
The Intensive ends with you pitching active investors for an honest evaluation of your business's investability... the kind of real assessment investors won't give you in a meeting.
Sound familiar?
You're getting ready to raise. You've rebuilt the deck four times. New slides. New fonts. New opening story.
But there's a question that keeps Founders frozen in place, tinkering with their deck, not making the progress they imagined... if an investor looked under the hood, would they actually fund this?
Here's the myth: a better deck closes that gap. It won't. A perfect flight plan won't fly a broken plane.
Investors don't fund slides. They fund venture-scalable businesses.
“I had a pitch before I spoke to Dan. It's way better now. I can see the difference.”
Four questions every investor is waiting on
The Intensive is where you clarify the answers to these four questions... when they're clear, the pitch is clear. When they're not, Investors get confused... and confused Investors always say ‘no’.
01
Who exactly do you serve?
Not “everyone who...” A customer specific enough that an investor can picture them.
02
Why will they pay?
The pain you solve for your customer in a way nothing else on the market can.
03
How does it get big?
A believable path from first customers to a business worth a venture bet.
04
Why you?
Why you, specifically, are the one who wins this market.
“These pitches are very legible. We understand the business. The only thing we are commenting on is: is the business viable? That's what you want.”
Three Founders. Three different problems.
These Founders in the Countdown program didn't just need better slides... they needed stronger businesses.
Too narrow
Her vision was too small to be venture-fundable. We expanded it into a business investors could see growing.
Too complex
A deep-tech team was selling two different things. We cut it to one clear line. Suddenly, the pitch was fundable.
Told “not investable”
Investors said his model wouldn't work. We restructured the business into one that is investable.
See if you're a fit“Dan helped us simplify so much. We were miles away before.”
How the Intensive works
One-on-one. No cohort calendar. No equity. We keep going until your business is investable.
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01
Apply.
A few questions about where you are and what's in your way, plus your current pitch in whatever shape it's in. About ten minutes.
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02
Get a personal review.
Every application is read by a person, not a filter. If it's a fit, you're in. If it's close, you get a call where you pitch, get real feedback, and get an honest answer on fit.
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03
Make the hard decisions.
Working sessions to help you define, clarify, and communicate your customer, your value, your scale story, and your edge. Some Founders finish in two months. Some take longer. Either way, we finish.
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04
Take the final exam.
You pitch active investors who give you honest feedback. Then you walk into your real investor pitches with confidence... and a solid deck, a five-minute script to practice, an investor one-pager, and a best-bet list of investors who fit your company.
$1,800, one flat price. Not making the progress you expected in the first month? Full refund, no questions asked. (BTW, no one has ever asked.)
Apply for the Intensive“Dan, thank you for getting these founders into such a position where we can talk deep about business fundamentally, rather than just ‘you should put this slide before that slide.’”
The finish line is a real room.
The Intensive ends with you pitching active investors, including Gust's leadership and David S. Rose, a prolific angel with 100+ investments. You get an honest evaluation of your business's investability... the kind of real assessment investors won't give you in a meeting.
Access is earned, never bought. Paying doesn't get you a meeting. Being ready does... and when you're ready, the door opens.
“I've had the pleasure of listening to the pitches of founders who have gone through [the program] with him, and they are head and shoulders above what I usually see.”
It's not tough love.
It's just love.
A lot of programs are proud of how hard they are on Founders. Harsh isn't the same as honest. A Founder who leaves defensive doesn't change anything.
You'll hear the truth about your business, fast, because your runway is short. And you'll hear it in a way you can actually use.
“It's given me confidence in being able to say what I want to say. That's probably the most important part.”
Dan Manning
A-10 pilot and flight instructor, where giving the right feedback, at the right time, in the way someone can receive it, is a skill lives depend on. Retired Air Force Colonel, Pentagon speechwriter, and defense attaché who negotiated with the Russians.
Dan has helped companies raise millions, from early rounds through Series A and IPO. He studies how people actually make decisions, so your pitch gets past investor bias to clarity. Author of The Story-Stage Founder's Guide to Startup Pitching.
Connect with Dan on LinkedIn“Dan is one of the best startup storytellers I know, and he does an incredible job of helping founders get to ‘yes.’”
The book behind the method
The Story-Stage Founder's Guide to Startup Pitching
The same framework you'll work through in the Intensive, written down for Founders everywhere.
What readers say
“A brief, well-written and highly practical book about building a better story for your startup idea.”
5 stars
Pavel A. Fomitchov, Amazon review
“An easy framework to start pitching what's in your head, even if you're not ready for the big leagues just yet.”
5 stars
Richard C., Amazon review
“I feel 100%, honestly, much, much better about the story and that I can make a better pitch.”
5 stars
Charles, Founder, Delverify
Selective by design
We only accept Founders we're confident we can get to investable. That's what lets us promise to keep going as long as it takes.
This is for you if...
- You're building a scalable, venture-fundable business.
- You have more than a good idea... you're moving toward building a business.
- You're ready to hear the hard truth... and move on it.
Not the right fit if...
- You're raising for a business that isn't built to scale, like a film, a farm, or a single factory.
- You have an idea, but nothing behind it yet.
- You want slides made without anyone questioning the business.
Questions Founders ask
Is this a pitch deck service?
No. You get a professional, investor-ready deck at the end, but if you just need to polish slides, this isn't what you're looking for. The Intensive makes sure your business is investable first, then we build the deck to prove it.
Is this an accelerator? Do you take equity?
It's a one-on-one service, not an accelerator, and not an investment in your company. No equity. One flat price.
Does paying guarantee an investor meeting?
No. This isn't a pay-to-play scheme. When your company is ready, we'll help you connect with the right investors, but that comes from being ready... not from paying a fee.
How long does it take?
As long as it takes to get you investable. Some Founders finish in about two months. Others need longer, and we keep working at the same price.
What if it isn't working?
If you're not seeing the progress you expected in the first month, you get a full refund. No questions asked. (BTW... no one has ever asked for a refund.)
Have Founders from the Intensive raised money yet?
This program is still early, and raising takes time. Founders in the program have been accepted into accelerators and entrepreneur-in-residence programs after improving their pitches. Dan has helped Founders raise millions and consulted with Founders all the way to IPO. As this program builds traction, the price will increase.
The 1:1 Investor-Ready Intensive
Stop Tinkering with the Deck.
Fix the Business.
“You were pivotal for my pitch and I still apply what you've taught me.”
$1,800
One-on-one · As long as it takes · First-month money-back guarantee · Ends with a pitch to real investors
Apply for the IntensiveApplications open through Nov 9. About ten minutes. Every application gets a personal review.
Not ready for the Intensive yet? How to Build a Pitch 101 is a $250, four-hour workshop on what it takes to be investor-ready, section by section.