Draft a why-now section for an investor deck

"Why Now" Decides Most Investor Meetings

Investor decks routinely have strong products and weak "why now" arguments. Paul Graham's writing on startup ideas argues that the dateable shift — what specifically changed in the last 12-24 months — is the load-bearing question for timing. Andreessen Horowitz's writing on market timing and the Y Combinator library both emphasize that "AI is big" is not a why-now; a specific cost-collapse or behavior change is.

How the Draft a why-now section for an investor deck Prompt Works

The prompt produces a tightly structured why-now with the specific shift, evidence with dates, why last year was too early, why next year is too late, and why us specifically. The "invalidating incumbent move" output is the fragility check — good why-now arguments should be robust to obvious incumbent responses.

When to Use It

• A fundraise is in progress or starting.
• Investor meetings produce polite interest but no term sheets.
• A board member is asking about market timing.
• A new CEO is preparing a first investor pitch.
• An existing investor is asking for updated market thesis.

Common Pitfalls

• Generic "AI is big". Investors hear it 50x a day. Name the specific primitive or shift.
• No dates. Why-now requires specific timing. Without dates, it's why-someday.
• Weak "why us". Timing + great team beats timing alone. If you're not the obvious choice, explain why you are.

Sources

• How to Get Startup Ideas — Paul Graham
• Andreessen Horowitz AI — Andreessen Horowitz
• Y Combinator Library — Y Combinator
• How to Do Great Work — Paul Graham