What Investors Really Want to See in Your Go-To-Market Strategy

If there’s one part of the pitch deck that consistently gets skimmed, misunderstood, or quietly picked apart at Seed or Series A stage, it’s the go-to-market strategy.  

Founders often focus on the product story: the problem, the demo, the tech.   

But investors? They’re looking for something else entirely: “Can you sell this, and can you sell it repeatedly?”  

A great go-to-market strategy gives them confidence you can.  

A weak one raises doubts faster than a shaky revenue forecast.  

And when investor standards are tighter and burn-efficiency is scrutinised, a credible GTM strategy isn’t optional. It’s a funding requirement.  

Here’s what investors want to see and what most founders miss.  

Clarity on who you’re targeting (spoiler: it’s not “everyone”) 

At Seed and Series A stage, investors expect you to be painfully specific about exactly who will buy from you first.  

Not eventually.  

Not theoretically.  

Not “anyone who does X.”  

Your early adopters.  

A 2024 Crunchbase analysis found that 44% of Seed-stage startups that failed cited “no market need or unclear customer definition” as a top factor. Investors know this, which is why they want your Ideal Customer Profile (ICP) to be laser-focused, evidenced, and grounded in real customer behaviour, not founder assumptions.  

What they’re looking for:  

• A single, narrow ICP – that’s one, not three  

• Clear pains, triggers, and buying criteria  

• Proof you’ve spoken to them and understand their world  

• Early signals of willingness to pay  

Unsure if your ICP is right? If it feels too broad, it probably is. Tighten it.  

A compelling value proposition that you can defend  

Investors aren’t evaluating your product on features. They’re evaluating whether the customer will care enough to change behaviour.  

Your unique value proposition should answer three questions quickly:  

1. Who is it for?  
2. What problem does it solve?  
3. Why is it better than the current alternative?  

The last point matters most.  

Most founders pitch against competitors they wish they had. Investors compare you to the default customer behaviour you’re actually replacing, whether that’s spreadsheets, manual processes, workarounds, or other priorities.  

The more grounded your positioning is in the customer’s current reality, the more investable you become. That's true competitive advantage. 

Build your narrative and tell a compelling story 

Investors aren’t just buying your product; they’re buying your story. A strong narrative shows how your startup exists to solve a real problem, why your team is uniquely suited to solve it, and how you’ll win in a competitive landscape. 

Your messaging should clearly communicate: 

• The problem: Why it matters, and for whom 

• The solution: How your product solves it in a unique, defensible way 

• The market opportunity: Why now, and how big the potential is 

• Your differentiation: How you stand out from competitors 

For Seed and Series A, investors expect a dedicated slide in your deck that positions you against the competition. This isn’t about knocking competitors down, it’s about showing: 

• You understand the competitive landscape 

• You know your unique value relative to alternatives 

• You have a clear plan to capture your target customers 

A crisp competitor overview might include a simple table or 2x2 positioning chart, highlighting where you excel. Coupled with your company narrative, it makes your GTM strategy tangible and believable. 

Remember: your story ties together your ICP, your value proposition, your early traction, and your repeatable sales process. Without it, investors struggle to connect the dots, even if all the numbers look good. 

Evidence of early traction (even if it’s tiny)  

You don’t need explosive revenue at Seed or Series A. But you do need evidence that your go-to-market approach works.  

Investors are looking for:  

• Highly-engaged beta users  

• Early paid pilots  

• Repeatable inbound patterns  

• A sales cycle that is shortening, not lengthening  

• A handful of customers who passionately love the product  

The benchmark isn’t perfection… it’s momentum. Even a small number of true fans is more powerful than a big number of lukewarm users.  

A repeatable, founder-led sales engine  

Until Series A, investors know two things:  

1. You, the founder, are the best salesperson  
2. You must prove the sales motion before hiring a team to scale it  

Repeatability is the keyword. Investors want to see that you can run the same sales motion twice and get similar results.  

That means documented steps like which channels move fastest, what objections you’ve overcome and what the expected sales cycle length.  

If you don’t know your sales process, you can’t scale it and investors know this.  

A realistic, resource-aligned marketing channel strategy  

If your GTM strategy depends on a marketing and sales team you don’t have, a brand budget you can’t afford, or channels you can’t execute, it’s waving a red flag. Seed and Series A investors expect tight resource alignment.  

Your marketing channel strategy should be:  

• Focused (1–2 priority channels, not 7)  

• Proven through small tests  

• Budget efficient  

• Tied to real customer behaviour  

• Deliverable with your current team  

The strongest GTM strategies are simple and evidence-based, not overly complicated and filled with hypotheticals.  

Realistic metrics and milestones that show you understand growth  

Investors expect you to know the key go-to-market metrics that matter at your stage. For seed-stage ventures, this includes activation rate, early retention, customer acquisition cost and payback, sales cycle basis. For those approaching series A, it’s early revenue consistency, lifetime value vs. customer acquisition cost ratios, pipeline visibility, repeatability and signs of efficient growth.  

Crucially, your metrics don’t need to be perfect, they need to be understood.  

A GTM plan that shows how £1 turns into £3  

At Series A especially, investors want to know: “If we give you £5m, what engine are we pouring it into?”  

A credible go-to-market plan shows:  

• Where the next customers come from  

• How your cost to acquire improves  

• How you scale the motion without losing quality  

• What systems or hires will unlock the next stage  

• What you’ll stop doing as you grow  

You don’t need a huge team. But you do need a logical, evidence-based path to growth.  

So, how do you build a GTM strategy investors actually trust?  

Most startups don’t need a complex go-to-market strategy. They need a clear one, grounded in evidence, shaped by real customer conversations, and designed to be repeatable before it scales.  

That’s where Freshbat comes in.  

The biggest reason founders delay sharpening their GTM strategy is because they think it requires a three-month deep dive. It doesn’t. We can help you achieve this in just one day.  

Using our tried and tested methodology, we help you:  

• Define your sharpest early target customers 

• Craft a unique value proposition investors can’t argue with  

• Understand how to create a repeatable sales engine  

• Identify the marketing channels worth prioritising  

• Create a crisp, investor-ready go-to-market narrative  

• Clarify the next 90 days of action so you build momentum immediately  

Simple, focused, and evidence-led, exactly as investors expect.  

If you want a GTM strategy that strengthens your pitch, accelerates your traction, and gives investors confidence in your ability to scale, we can help you build it fast.  

Learn more about our Marketing Strategy In a Day workshops.