I Judged 5 Startup Pitches and Only 3 Got Funded | Building a VC Ep. 14

What does it actually take to win CHF 40,000 at one of Europe's top startup accelerators? I spent a full day on the Venture Kick Stage 2 jury of investors, evaluating 5 startups across 15-minute pitches and 15-minute Q&A sessions. Three walk away with 40,000 Swiss Francs of startup funding. Two go home empty-handed. In this video I break down: How Venture Kick works (Stage 1 → Stage 2 → Stage 3 → 1M+) The framework used to evaluate early-stage startups What separated the winners from the rest What founders get wrong in live pitch sessions Why the Q&A matters more than the pitch itself I can't name the companies, but I share everything I observed: product demos, co-founder dynamics, presentation structure, and what the jury was really looking for. If you're a founder going through Venture Kick, an investor trying to understand Swiss deeptech deal flow, or a finance professional curious about how early-stage investment decisions actually get made, this one is for you. Want inside access to the deals I actually pursue? Join my newsletter: https://deal-by-deal.beehiiv.com/ Watch my full Venture Kick explainer: https://youtu.be/6CxGpOzN9FM?si=Rh3YbmN_VXAzOu_f Chapters: 0:00 intro 0:45 How Venture Kick Works 2:27 The Judging Framework