Astitva

Stories

Stories for founders

On building a brand of your own and walking into investor meetings prepared. Practical, researched and sourced.

1. PositioningWho is this for, and why you?2. AudienceWho exactly, and what do they believe?3. Tone of voiceHow do we sound?4. ColourWhat do people remember us by?5. TypographyHow do our words look?6. LogoHow do people recognise the name?7. Brand bookHow does anyone else get it right?Decide from the bottom up. Each layer depends on the one below it.
Branding · 7 minWhy your startup needs its own brand from day onePeople judge a company in seconds, long before they try the product. Why founders should set their brand early, what a brand actually is, and what waiting costs.
1A week beforeDeck in investor orderNumbers checked twiceResearch the investor2Two days beforeRehearse out loudHard questions listOne-line answer ready3In the meetingProblem before productAnswer, then stopWrite down questions4Within a dayThank-you emailAnswers you owedUpdated deck if needed
Pitching · 8 minDon't go to an investor meeting unpreparedInvestor meetings are short and first impressions stick. A practical checklist for the week before, the meeting itself and the follow-up, from the deck to the numbers.
Decks that went on to raise (2020)4.2 minDecks that did not raise (2020)1.5 minAverage deck, Q3 20212.7 minAverage deck, 20222.9 minApproximate minutes spent per deck, from DocSend research summaries. Figures differ by year and sample.
Pitching · 7 minHow investors actually read your pitch deckWhat the data says about how long investors spend on a pitch deck, which slides they linger on, and how to make every slide survive a three-minute read.
LogoWhat people seeWhat makes it workPositioningAudienceTone of voiceColour and typeRules and examplesEvery touchpoint
Branding · 6 minBrand vs logo: what founders get wrongA logo is the visible tip of a brand. What a brand includes beneath it, why the logo should come later, and how to brief a logo that carries real meaning.
50 msa visual judgement of a page3 scover slide read for what you dounder 3 minaverage deck review (DocSend 2022)30 minthe meeting, if you get oneNot to scale. Each stage decides whether you reach the next one.
Pitching · 6 minHow a weak first impression costs startups fundingPeople judge how something looks in about 50 milliseconds, and investors give a deck a few minutes. How first impressions shape funding and what founders can fix cheaply.
Fortarget customerswhohave this problem,your companyis thecategorythatmain benefit, unlikethe alternative.
Branding · 7 minHow to write a positioning statement for your startupA simple positioning formula for startups, the five components behind it, worked examples, and how one sentence shapes your logo, website and pitch deck.
01
Vague one-liner
Fix: Say what you do in words a stranger understands.
02
A problem with no person
Fix: Name who has it and what it costs them.
03
Huge market, no maths
Fix: Build it bottom up: customers × price.
04
Traction without dates
Fix: Show numbers by month.
05
Features, not outcomes
Fix: Say what the customer gets.
06
"We have no competitors"
Fix: Show what customers use today.
07
No business model
Fix: Who pays, how much, how often.
08
A team slide of titles
Fix: Say why this team will win.
09
No clear ask
Fix: Amount, use of funds, months of runway.
10
Walls of text
Fix: One idea per slide, takeaway in the title.
11
Mismatched design
Fix: One brand: colours, type, logo.
12
Too many slides
Fix: 10 to 15, plus an appendix.
Pitching · 8 min12 pitch deck mistakes that lose investor meetingsThe pitch deck mistakes founders make most often, why each one costs you, and the fix, with examples and links to sector-specific guides.
01
Cover and promise
02
Positioning
03
Audience and voice
04
Logo and clear space
05
Colour palette
06
Typography
07
Imagery
08
Examples in use
Branding · 6 minWhat to include in a startup brand bookA startup brand book checklist: the eight sections you need, what goes on each page, how long it should be, and how to keep it useful.
Main#E85D2A · 30%
Ink#1F2A44 · 15%
Paper#FFFBF5 · 45%
Accent#2FA37A · 10%
Aa
Ink text on paper13.8:1 · passes
Aa
White text on the main colour3.5:1 · large text only
Aa
Main colour text on paper3.4:1 · large text only
Aa
Accent text on white3.2:1 · large text only
Branding · 7 minHow to choose brand colours for a startupA simple method for picking startup brand colours: four roles, rough proportions, standing apart from competitors, and real contrast checks so text stays readable.
neela
Wordmark: the name alone
nela
Name with a built-in symbol
Neela
Symbol and name
Emblem or app icon
Branding · 6 minWordmark, symbol or emblem: choosing a logo typeThe main logo types (wordmark, a name with a built-in symbol, symbol and name, emblem) explained, with when each suits a startup and how to test yours.
TAM · ₹2,400 crall clinics in India × price (context only)SAM · ₹51 cr8,500 clinics in six cities × ₹60,000SOM · ₹6 cr1,000 clinics won in three yearsIllustrative numbers for a fictional clinic software company. Build yours from real counts and prices.
Pitching · 7 minHow to build a market size slide investors believeTAM, SAM and SOM explained simply, why investors trust bottom-up sizing over a big top-down number, and a worked example you can copy.
One brand1Websitethe first visit2Productevery day use3Pitch deckinvestors4Socialthe feed5Packagingthe shelf6Email and SMSreceipts and updates
Branding · 6 minHow to keep your startup brand consistent everywherePractical rules to keep your brand the same across your website, product, pitch deck, social posts and packaging as your team and agencies grow.

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