How can first-time founders craft a one-page growth thesis that convinces seed investors in 90 minutes?

When I coach first-time founders, the single most common request I hear is: "How do I explain our growth plan quickly and convincingly to seed investors?" Investors don't want a 40-slide deck full of buzzwords; they want a crisp narrative that shows you understand the problem, the market, the unit economics, and a realistic path to momentum. Over the years I've helped entrepreneurs reduce complicated strategies into a one-page growth thesis that can be drafted in 90 minutes and refined afterward. Here’s the exact approach I use and teach—clear, practical, and investor-focused.

What a one-page growth thesis needs to achieve

In one page you must do three things simultaneously:

• Explain the core insight: Why customers will adopt your product.
• Show scalable traction mechanics: How you will grow repeatably and cheaply.
• Provide credible metrics and milestones: What success looks like at 6, 12, and 24 months.

If you can do those three things with clarity and numbers, you increase the odds an investor will read on, ask smart questions, and imagine the upside.

How to spend your 90 minutes

Break the 90 minutes into three focused blocks:

• 0–20 minutes: Define the narrative and the core growth hypothesis.
• 20–60 minutes: Fill in mechanics, unit economics, and the acquisition funnel.
• 60–90 minutes: Add milestones, risks, and a one-liner for the ask.

Work with a timer. Commit to raw honesty—don’t pad numbers or hide assumptions. Investors reward clarity and realism.

The template I use (one page)

Here’s a compact structure you can copy into Google Docs or Notion. Keep each section to one or two lines where possible.

• Company Snapshot (1 line) — What you build and for whom.
• Core Insight (2–3 lines) — Why customers adopt; the leverage point.
• Growth Engine (3–4 bullets) — Primary acquisition channel(s) + activation and retention hooks.
• Unit Economics (table) — CAC, LTV, payback period, gross margin.
• 3 Key Metrics & Targets — Month 6 / Month 12 / Month 24.
• Top Risks & Mitigations — Be candid with 2–3 risks and your counterplays.
• Ask & Use of Funds (1 line) — How much, and the three top uses.

Filling each section: my playbook

Company Snapshot: Keep this surgical. Example: "Mobile checkout SDK for mid-market e-commerce stores struggling with cart abandonment." That tells investors what you sell, your form factor, and the problem domain.

Core Insight: This is the beating heart of your thesis. Avoid generic claims like "we have better UX." Instead, tie the insight to a measurable behavior: "Merchants using embedded checkout reduced time-to-purchase by 40% and re-engaged 25% more returning customers via one-click offers." If you have customer quotes or pilot metrics, include one short line.

Growth Engine: I frame growth as a system: acquisition → activation → monetization → retention → referral. For each stage, choose one dominant tactic and a credible KPI. Example:

• Acquisition: Content + SEO targeting "reduce cart abandonment" (target 1,200 organic sessions/mo in 6 months)
• Activation: One-click demo + 48-hour integration guide (goal: 25% of trials convert to paid)
• Retention: Built-in loyalty credits (target: 80% 30-day retention)
• Referral: Merchant referral program with revenue share

Investors want to see you've prioritized channels that can scale and be measured. Mention unit costs where possible.

Unit economics (make it concrete)

Investors will zero in on CAC, LTV, contribution margin, and payback period. If you’re pre-revenue, use realistic assumptions and show how you’ll validate them quickly.

Even rough tables like this communicate that you've thought through economics. If your payback is long, explain why—e.g., repeat revenue or strategic partnerships justify it.

Metrics and milestones investors expect

Pick three metrics that map to the growth engine and be obsessive about them. For example:

• Monthly recurring revenue (MRR) or ARR
• Net new customers per month
• Conversion rate from trial to paid

Then translate those into milestones: "By month 6: 200 merchants onboarded, $30k MRR. By month 12: $180k MRR with 70% gross margin." Concrete targets make your ask credible.

Risks and mitigations: be transparent

Rather than hiding risk, name the top 2–3 and show how you will address them. Investors appreciate founders who can see blind spots. Examples:

• Risk: Dependence on Shopify ecosystem. Mitigation: Build a plug-and-play version for BigCommerce and native API connectors within 9 months.
• Risk: High acquisition cost via paid ads. Mitigation: Shift budget to content and partner channels while running A/B tests on landing pages.

Pitch-ready language: one-liners that land

At the top of your page have a 10–12 word thesis that makes the investor pause. Examples:

• "The Stripe for SMB cross-border payroll — simplifying payouts for 100M freelancers."
• "An AI assistant that reduces B2B SDR time to first meaningful lead by 3x."

Short, bold, and specific. If you can include a traction data point (e.g., "10 pilot customers, $12k MRR"), do it.

Common pitfalls I see and how to avoid them

• Too many channels: New founders try to be everywhere. Focus on one repeatable channel first.
• Vanity metrics: Page views are great, but conversion and revenue matter more.
• No payback story: If your CAC is high, show the path to reduce it or increase LTV.
• Vague competitive landscape: Name direct competitors and explain your defensible edge—be it data, distribution, or product integration.

I often tell founders: imagine you're in the elevator with a seed investor who has 60 seconds. If your one-page thesis makes her ask "Tell me more about your CAC and pilot customers," you've won. Draft it in 90 minutes, then iterate with 2–3 trusted advisors or founders who have raised seed rounds. That feedback loop will expose weak assumptions and help you sharpen your numbers—turning a rough draft into a fundraising weapon.