Investor Questions Practice

Write your pitch, answer the questions investors ask at your stage, and check yourself against clear criteria. 20-30 minutes - and at the end, a readiness picture and a prep file.

💬 Why I built this tool

There’s another tool on this site, the “Ready to meet an investor?” quiz, which teaches how an investor thinks - using a sample startup. But in a real meeting they ask about your startup, and that’s where it becomes clear what’s really ready.

So I built a practice tool for your own startup. The questions and criteria are based on my experience from hundreds of meetings with investors - what they ask at each stage, and why meetings end early. You can bring the file you download at the end to a prep session.

- Aviv Ratzman

Step 1 of 5

Investor Questions Practice: how will you answer the hard questions?

The questions are based on my experience from hundreds of meetings with investors - what they ask at each stage, and why meetings end early. Answer in writing, check yourself against the criteria, and get a readiness picture and a list of priorities.

  • 1Stage and investor
  • 2Your pitch
  • 3Readiness checklist
  • 4Question practice
  • 5Readiness picture
What stage is the company at?
Who are you meeting?
What's the field?

Your answers are saved only in your browser. No one else sees them.

Step 2 of 5
Step 3 of 5

Readiness checklist

Investor meetings usually fail not because of the idea, but because of poor preparation. Mark what's already ready.

${esc(title)}avivratzman.com
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`); w.document.close(); const go=()=>{w.focus();w.print()}; if(w.document.fonts&&w.document.fonts.ready) w.document.fonts.ready.then(()=>setTimeout(go,300)); else setTimeout(go,800); } function download(list,total,cp,qp){ const d=new Date().toLocaleDateString('en-GB'), P=Q.find(x=>x.pitch), C=checks(); const verdict=total>=75?'Ready for the meeting':total>=45?'Almost ready - a few answers to strengthen':'Not ready yet - prepare before the meeting'; const miss=q=>q.cr.filter((c,j)=>!(S.crit[q.id]||[]).includes(j)); const fill=q=>(S.crit[q.id]||[]).length/q.cr.length; // Weakest first, and questions that are a must at this stage before the rest. const qs=list.map(q=>({q,core:q.core.includes(S.stage)})).sort((a,b)=>(fill(a.q)-fill(b.q))||(b.core-a.core)); const weakChecks=C.filter(([k])=>S.check[k]!=='2'); const todo=[...weakChecks.map(([k,t])=>(S.check[k]==='1'?'Finish: ':'Not done yet: ')+t),...qs.filter(x=>fill(x.q)<1).slice(0,3).map(x=>`Strengthen your answer to "${x.q.q}" - missing: ${miss(x.q).join('; ')}`)]; const blank='> ✍️ My answer:\n>\n> ______________________________________________\n'; let md=`# Investor Meeting Prep Sheet\n\n**${ST[S.stage]} · ${INV[S.inv]} · ${d}**\n\n**Where you stand:** ${verdict} (${total}%)\n\n_The score is based on what you marked yourself - in the readiness checklist and in each answer\'s criteria. The tool doesn\'t check the content of the answers you wrote._\n\n`; md+=`This sheet is built from your answers in the tool. The questions are ordered from weakest to strongest - work from the top down, write an answer to each one, and say it out loud.\n\n`; md+=`## What to do before the meeting\n\n`+(todo.length?todo.map((t,i)=>`${i+1}. ${t}`).join('\n'):'Everything is ready. Now practice your answers out loud, with someone who knows what investors ask and how to answer.')+'\n\n'; md+=`## Your pitch\n\n**Why it matters:** ${P.why}\n\n`; md+=(S.ans.pitch||'').trim()?`> ${S.ans.pitch.trim().replace(/\n/g,'\n> ')}\n\n`:`You haven't written a pitch yet. You can start from this template:\n\n> [Who the customer is] struggles with [the problem], and it costs them [time, money or risk]. We [what you do]. We've already [a fact or number: customers, pilot, experience]. We're raising [amount] to reach [the next milestone].\n\n`; md+=`**What your pitch needs:**\n\n`+P.cr.map((c,j)=>`- ${(S.crit.pitch||[]).includes(j)?'✅':'☐'} ${c}`).join('\n')+`\n\n**Example of a strong pitch:** ${P.g}\n\n**Avoid:** ${P.w}\n\n`; md+=`## The questions - weakest first\n`; qs.forEach(({q,core})=>{const a=(S.ans[q.id]||'').trim(), tags=[core?'A must at your stage':'',q.trap?'⚠️ Trap question':''].filter(Boolean).join(' · '); md+=`\n### ${q.q}\n\n${tags?`_${tags}_\n\n`:''}**Why they ask:** ${q.why}\n\n`; md+=a?`> ${a.replace(/\n/g,'\n> ')}\n\n`:blank+'\n'; md+=`**What your answer needs:**\n\n`+q.cr.map((c,j)=>`- ${(S.crit[q.id]||[]).includes(j)?'✅':'☐'} ${c}`).join('\n')+`\n\n**Example of a strong answer:** ${q.g}\n\n**Avoid:** ${q.w}\n`;}); md+=`\n## Readiness checklist\n\n`+C.map(([k,t])=>`- ${({2:'✅',1:'🟡',0:'❌'})[S.check[k]]||'☐'} ${t}`).join('\n')+'\n'; md+=`\n## What you must know at ${ST[S.stage]} - and what not yet\n\n**Must know:**\n\n`+MUST[S.stage].map(t=>`- ${t}`).join('\n')+`\n\n**Don't need to show yet:**\n\n`+ALLOW[S.stage].map(t=>`- ${t}`).join('\n')+`\n\nEvery fund is different - this is a framework, not a rule. And "I don't know, I'll check and get back to you" is a legitimate answer.\n`; md+=`\n## Questions to ask the investor\n\nFundraising is a two-way process. These questions show maturity:\n\n`+REVERSE.map(r=>`- ${r}`).join('\n')+'\n'; md+=`\n## Next step\n\n1. Write an answer to every question that's still empty, and complete whatever is marked ☐.\n2. Say each answer out loud until it takes less than a minute.\n3. Practice with someone who knows what investors ask and how to answer - and who will stop you when an answer isn't convincing.\n4. Once you've fixed things, come back to the tool and check again: avivratzman.com/en/pitch-practice\n\nWant to go over it together? Book an intro call: avivratzman.com/en/contact\n\n---\nCreated with "Investor Questions Practice" - avivratzman.com\n`; const a=document.createElement('a');a.href=URL.createObjectURL(new Blob([md],{type:'text/markdown;charset=utf-8'}));a.download='investor-meeting-prep.md';document.body.appendChild(a);a.click();a.remove(); } })();

Why answer the questions before the meeting?

In the meeting there’s no time to think. The investor asks, and expects a clear answer. When you answer the questions in advance, you find out what isn’t settled yet - for example, that you can’t explain where a certain number came from, or that you don’t have a clear answer to how much you’re raising and why. Better to find out here than in front of the investor.

Two more tools to help you prepare

All the tools are on the Founder Tools page.