Sebastian Scheplitz
Founder of Shepard&Young. Author of the Deckmetric methodology.
Operator, founder and advisor. Europe, MENA and APAC.
Narrative x Positioning x Monetization. The Shepard&Young operating claim.
Who is Sebastian Scheplitz?
Sebastian Scheplitz founded Shepard&Young and wrote the Deckmetric scoring methodology. In 25+ years in marketing and leadership he founded and sold two companies, Translation Royale/WeGotGame and Hotcopy, worked on 100+ brands including Betfair, Betsson, Telefonica and SAP, and led distributed teams across Europe, MENA and APAC. He has reviewed 350+ pitch decks across Europe, the GCC, Singapore and the US, and mentors founders at the Dubai accelerators Ignyte and FRWRDX.
- Role
- Founder of Shepard&Young. Author of the Deckmetric methodology.
- Background
- Operator, founder and advisor across Europe, MENA and APAC. Two companies founded and sold.
- Authored
- The CVM pitch deck framework and the Deckmetric scoring rubric.
- Writes
- The Deckmetric fundraising blog and the monthly market digest.
Background and highlights
Founder
Shepard&Young
Commercial diagnostics and growth roadmaps for 30+ companies across SaaS, e-commerce, consumer goods, healthcare and professional services in Europe, the Gulf and Asia.
General Manager and CMO, interim turnaround
The Coinomist
Relaunched a 30-person media business in four months: new identity, new platform, new editorial system, output up 300% at lower cost, and its first monetization model.
Co-Founder and CMO
Hotcopy
Built an AI content SaaS to 10,000+ trial users across 10 APAC markets and 10 languages, then sold the codebase and customer base.
CEO and Co-Founder
Translation Royale / WeGotGame
Bootstrapped a seven-figure international marketing and localization business from zero across two brands, then ran the trade sale personally from first approach to completion.
Marketing and leadership roles
Brand, commercial and campaign mandates at SAP, Betsson, Telefonica and HL komm, plus agency work on Betfair, Bruno Banani and Samsung, across Germany, Malta and the United States.
Coached basketball from 2000 to 2010 alongside studying and early marketing work, winning county and state championships as player and coach.
Articles by Sebastian
The most recent posts from the Deckmetric fundraising blog, sorted by last-updated date.
What investors need to see in a startup financial model
6 Sep 2026startup financial model for investors: Connects forecast assumptions, unit economics, and deck evidence to diligence questions.
The investor update that keeps a fundraising conversation moving
3 Sep 2026investor update after meeting: Separates a useful proof update from a follow-up that merely asks for attention.
CVM Teardown: Transfyr and the $25M Bet on Lab Science Data
2 Sep 2026lab science startup pitch deck: Deckmetric scores Transfyr's public narrative against the Captivate/Validate/Motivate framework after its $25M seed round led.
The Secondaries Surge: How Late 2026 Liquidity Shifts Change Your Raise
31 Aug 2026secondary market fundraising strategy 2026: Secondary market activity is reshaping how founders raise in Q3 2026. Learn what the liquidity surge means for yo.
The Reference Check System: Flip Investor Due Diligence in Your Favor
27 Aug 2026investor reference checks for founders: Turn investor reference checks into a closing tool. Step-by-step scripts, contact sequencing, and templates founders.
CVM Teardown: Rillet and the $1B Bet on Continuous Close
26 Aug 2026accounting software pitch deck analysis: Deckmetric scores Rillet's public narrative against the CVM framework after its $100M Series C at a $1B valuation. O.
The Vertical AI Pitch: Winning Domain-Specific Investors in Late 2026
24 Aug 2026vertical AI pitch deck investors: Vertical AI is reshaping how investors evaluate deals in August 2026. Learn how to pitch domain-specific AI startups to inv.
The Cold Outreach System: Get Warm Intros From Cold Starts
20 Aug 2026how to get warm introductions to investors: Step-by-step system to turn cold investor outreach into warm intros. Templates, sequencing tactics, and real scri.
CVM Teardown: Wispr Flow and the $2B Voice Layer Bet
19 Aug 2026voice AI startup pitch deck: Deckmetric scores Wispr Flow's public narrative against the CVM framework after its $280M Series B at a $2B valuation. Here's th.
The AI Governance Wave: Pitching Compliance-Native Startups in August 2026
17 Aug 2026pitching AI compliance startup to VCs: AI regulation is reshaping investor appetite in August 2026. Learn how compliance-native startups are winning term she.
The LP Sentiment Shift: What August 2026 Capital Flows Mean for Founders
13 Aug 2026LP sentiment 2026 venture capital: LP appetite is shifting in August 2026. Here's what new capital flow data means for founders raising now and how to positi.
CVM Teardown: Simile and the $2B Bet on Synthetic Humanity
12 Aug 2026AI pitch deck teardown: Deckmetric scores Simile's public narrative against the CVM framework. $300M raised in six months. Here's what the story gets right a.
What he writes about
Sebastian writes the Deckmetric fundraising blog, the monthly market digest sent to Premium subscribers, and the editorial pages that document the CVM framework and the 9 VC benchmark frameworks. His writing focuses on what investors are actually scoring against, not on motivational founder advice, and on the cross-border differences in how a single deck reads in San Francisco, Berlin, and Dubai.
Read the Deckmetric fundraising blogThe methodology he authored
"Captivate gets you read. Motivate gets you a meeting. Weak Validation kills the deal."
That distinction is the core of the methodology. Sebastian weighted Validate the heaviest (40%) because validation is the only dimension an investor cannot rationalize past in diligence. The CVM framework is his structured answer to the question every advisor gets asked: "why did my deck not work?"
Read the full Deckmetric methodologyWhere to find him
Sebastian publishes through Deckmetric, Shepard&Young and Contour. For data and processing details, see the Trust page, or email hello@deckmetric.com. Founders who want a live read on a pitch before partner meetings book the Investor Readiness Intensive.