DocSend Newsletter - The Startup Index: November 10, 2023

This week, we'll be taking a closer look at how to craft a winning pitch deck with investor engagement analytics, surprising ways to save time and boost productivity with DocSend, and how a boutique creative studio collaborates across the continent.

Get x-ray vision into which VCs are actually interested

During fundraising, new investors can enter the conversation unexpectedly.Knowing who’s actually taking the time to view your shared content is a critical step to strategic investor follow-up and securing funding faster.

In our blog, we share what you can track with DocSend, and how to apply those insights to prioritize investor communication.

Read now

Pitch deck interest metrics

Founder activity rose last week while investor deck-viewing times dropped again as the fall fundraising season entered November.

VC activity held steady, dipping by just 0.81%, but the average time on deck fell by 4% and now stands at 2 minutes, 24 seconds.

Founder activity rose by 3.96% and is up nearly 12% year-over-year: founders who want to capture limited VC attention will have to tell compelling stories to cut through the noise and make those stories as concise as possible.

We expect founder activity to continue rising over the next several weeks, but do not expect investor activity to respond in kind.

Check back in the next installment to see if rallies in the public equities markets spark any late-fall enthusiasm among VCs.

Save time with these three DocSend & Zapier integrations

Build automated, hassle-free workflows between DocSend and your most commonly used tools in just a few clicks.

Send an email when someone visits your virtual data room, instantly add new visitors to mailing lists, keep projects updated, and more—all without lifting a finger.

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Recommended reads:

The water pitcher that makes its own water. Yes, you read that right. Spout is a slim, 3D-printed pitcher that can make 2.5 gallons of filtered, alkaline water from thin air. Learn how this innovative company is addressing the future of clean water access, with the help of Dropbox and DocSend.

For those early in their career, AI can change the way you learn. The emergence of AI has disrupted hundreds of categories as we know them. The way we learn and develop on the job has struggled to keep pace. Learn how AI may reshape workplace training for entry-level professionals.

Learn how this creative studio collaborates across the continent. Designer Nifemi Marcus-Bello is developing an open-source archive of contemporary African design on Dropbox—starting with Lagos, but with plans to expand across the continent through collaborations with photographers, videographers, and the artisans and laypeople who make these products.