What does 500 Global look for in a startup pitch deck?

Founders who think like growth operators. Real channel testing, working CAC and LTV math, and an explicit plan for which channel will scale next. 500 invests broadly across geographies and weights global market opportunity highly.

How does the 500 Global pitch deck framework score your deck?

The 500 Global rubric weights distribution clarity, channel-level metrics, retention, and global market potential. Strong decks contain at least one slide of cohort or retention data and a candid view of which channels are working today.

What are common red flags in a 500 Global pitch deck?

Vague go-to-market plans, missing CAC or LTV numbers, decks that ignore retention, and founders who treat marketing as a hire-later problem rather than a current responsibility.

Distribution

500 Global

500.co

"Invest early, help with growth"

500 Global focuses on startups with clear, scalable distribution strategies. They believe that great products fail without great distribution, and they invest in founders who understand their go-to-market motion deeply. With a global portfolio, they particularly value startups that can expand internationally.

Founded

2010

Location

San Francisco, CA

AUM

$2.7B+

Stage

Pre-seed to Series A

"Distribution is the true competitive advantage. Great products fail without it."

Dave McClure

Founding Partner, 500 Global

Key Investment Principles

Distribution First

Great products need great distribution. GTM strategy is as important as product.

Global Mindset

The best opportunities often come from emerging markets or cross-border plays.

Unit Economics

Scalable businesses require healthy customer economics from early stages.

Growth Loops

Sustainable growth comes from systems that compound over time.

What They Look For

Clear, repeatable distribution channels
Strong unit economics (LTV/CAC > 3)
Scalable go-to-market strategy
Global expansion potential
Growth loops and viral mechanics
Capital-efficient customer acquisition
Founders with growth mindset

Red Flags

No clear distribution strategy
Unsustainable customer acquisition costs
Overreliance on single channel
No path to international markets
Burn rate without growth efficiency
Founders focused only on product, not distribution

Scoring Dimensions

Distribution Strategy

30%

Clarity and scalability of customer acquisition channels

Unit Economics

25%

Customer lifetime value vs. acquisition cost ratios

Global Potential

20%

Ability to expand internationally

Growth Loops

15%

Viral and compound growth mechanics

Capital Efficiency

10%

Burn multiple and runway management

Look up these terms in the glossary

Plain-English definitions for the jargon 500 Global investors lean on most.

Glossary terms that point to this page

Other glossary entries link back to 500 Global through their related terms, jump straight to the definitions that reference this framework.

AARRR (Pirate Metrics)

Pitch deck pillar pages

How 500 Global weighs each of the slides investors weigh hardest, long-form deep dives.

Pitch Deck Traction Slide

Build a traction slide that proves the business is working: stage-appropriate metrics, the chart shape investors expect, and three failure patterns to avoid.

Pitch Deck Market Slide

Build a pitch deck market slide investors trust: TAM, SAM, SOM defined, the bottom-up calculation that beats top-down quotes, and the wedge narrative now.

Investment Profile

Ideal Founder

Growth-minded founder with proven distribution expertise and global ambitions

Typical Check Size

$150K-$500K (accelerator), $1M-$5M (follow-on)

Notable Portfolio Companies

Canva

Credit Karma

Grab

Talkdesk

Udemy

GitLab

Pitch Deck Audit Kit · One-time

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Use the framework, slide template, self-audit worksheet, and fully scored example to rebuild your deck. One-time purchase, no subscription.

Slides Template with 14 investor-ready layouts
Self-Audit Worksheet with 10 checkpoints
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New to fundraising terminology? Look up any term in the Startup & VC Glossary - 175 plain-English definitions with formulas and pitfalls.

Want to see exactly how these framework scores are calculated? Read the full Deckmetric methodology - dimension weights, evidence patterns, and the four-stage scoring pipeline.