You've built something real. But investors keep saying "not our thesis."
In a private 90-minute diagnostic, I identify exactly what's blocking your fundability - the positioning gap that makes VCs pass, even when your metrics are solid.
Left undiagnosed, you'll burn months chasing warm intros that go nowhere while competitors with weaker products close rounds.
This is for you if:
You'll recognize yourself here...
- ✕ You keep hearing "love the product, not our thesis" - which really means they can't see how you fit their portfolio story
- ✕ Your pitch deck is 30 slides of features, and investors' eyes glaze over by slide 8 - because you're explaining what you built, not why it matters
- ✕ You can build anything technical, but you can't explain your company in one sentence that makes an investor lean in
- ✕ You've had 20+ investor meetings and still can't predict which ones will move forward - because the pattern isn't clear
- ✕ Competitors with worse products are raising at higher valuations - because their story is tighter and their positioning is clearer
- ✕ You're caught between multiple narratives - AI play? Vertical SaaS? Platform? - and investors sense the indecision
- ✕ You're generating $300K-$3M revenue but can't articulate why you'll 10x - so VCs see you as a lifestyle business, not a venture bet
- ✕ You've revised your pitch 15 times based on investor feedback, and now it's a Frankenstein that satisfies no one
Your problem isn't your product. It's your positioning.
The real issue:
You're technical. You can build anything. You're generating real revenue.
But you can't see how investors see you.
That's not a failure. That's proximity. You're too close to your own product to see the positioning gap that's killing your fundraise.
You need someone who's been on both sides of the table - who's raised $75M+ and reviewed hundreds of pitches - to tell you exactly what's broken in 90 minutes.
Here's exactly what you get:
This is what $997 buys you. Line by line.
90-Minute Private Diagnostic Session
A focused, one-on-one session where I pressure-test your fundraising positioning. We examine how you're framing your company, your market story, your competitive narrative, and your investment thesis. I identify the primary positioning gap that's causing investors to pass - not just the surface objections they give you.
Written Diagnostic Memo
A clear, written memo that captures exactly what's broken in your positioning and why it's making you unfundable. Not generic pitch advice. A specific diagnosis of the gap between how you see your company and how investors need to see it.
Your Fundable Wedge Identified
We identify the specific angle that makes your company a venture bet - the fundable wedge that fits how VCs actually think about portfolio construction. This is the positioning shift that turns "not our thesis" into "tell me more."
One-Sentence Investment Thesis
You'll leave with a clear, defensible one-sentence articulation of why your company is a venture-scale opportunity. This becomes the anchor for every investor conversation, every pitch deck, every follow-up email.
Investor Objection Map
We map the likely objections investors will raise and build your responses in advance. No more getting blindsided by "how do you think about defensibility?" or "what's your path to $100M ARR?"
Stop-Doing List
Explicit guidance on which narratives to kill, which slides to cut, and which investor targets to deprioritize. For many founders, this alone saves months of misdirected effort.
Follow-Up Review
A short follow-up to clarify open questions, pressure-test your revised positioning, and confirm next steps. The sprint ends with no ambiguity about your path forward.
Who's doing the diagnosis
My name is Mash Bonigala.
I've spent 30+ years building, scaling, and exiting businesses - including an acquisition by Adobe. I've raised $75M+ for startups and worked both sides of the fundraising table as a founder and angel investor.
What founders bring me in for isn't pitch polish or deck design.
It's diagnosis.
I'm usually called when:
- investor meetings happen but nothing moves forward
- the feedback is vague ("not our thesis," "timing isn't right")
- the product is strong but the story isn't landing
- competitors with weaker metrics are raising at higher valuations
This diagnostic is how I deliver that clarity privately and directly - without turning it into a long engagement or a pitch deck rewrite.
Before → After
Here's what changes after the diagnostic:
"We had 23 investor meetings. Every single one said 'love the product' then ghosted."
Frustration. Wasted months. No idea what's actually broken.
"I know exactly why they were passing. Fixed the positioning, closed a $2M seed in 6 weeks."
Clarity. Momentum. Term sheet.
"My 45-slide deck tried to cover every feature. Investors kept asking 'but what do you actually do?'"
Confusion. Skepticism. Polite passes.
"12 slides. One clear thesis. VCs started reaching out to me after demo day."
Inbound interest. Competitive term sheets.
"I kept saying we're an 'AI-powered platform for X' - same as everyone else in the market."
Blending in. No differentiation. "Come back with more traction."
"Found my fundable wedge. Now investors immediately get why we're different - and venture-scale."
Clear category. Obvious bet. Partner meetings.
This is NOT for you if:
I'm selective about who I work with. Skip this if any of these apply:
Come back when you have paying customers.
I diagnose positioning gaps. I don't do design work.
I fix your positioning. I don't open my investor network.
I tell you what's broken, even if it's uncomfortable.
This is for founders in the middle of a raise who need to fix their approach now.
This is a one-time diagnostic. We're done after the sprint.
This is for technical founders generating $300K-$3M who are stuck in fundraising and need to know what's actually broken.
What Founders Say
Real results from founders who got clarity and closed rounds.
"I'd done 18 investor meetings. Every single one ended with 'interesting, let's stay in touch.' Mash listened to my pitch for 10 minutes and told me exactly why they were passing. Changed my opening, tightened the narrative. Closed my seed round five weeks later."
"I kept getting 'love the product, not our thesis.' Mash showed me I was pitching a feature, not a company. He helped me find the angle that made us a venture bet instead of a nice business. Two VCs who'd passed came back after I re-pitched."
"My deck was 38 slides. I thought I needed to explain everything. Mash cut it to 12 and made me pick one story. Felt risky at the time. But investors actually started asking follow-up questions instead of checking their phones."
"I couldn't figure out why competitors with worse products were raising at better valuations. Mash pointed out my positioning made us sound like a services business. One shift in how I framed the market and suddenly VCs got it."
"I was stuck between three different narratives - AI company, vertical SaaS, marketplace. Investors could tell I wasn't sure. Mash made me pick one and commit. Uncomfortable but necessary. The next pitch went completely different."
"Honest feedback: I almost didn't want to hear what Mash had to say. But he was right. My pitch buried the most fundable part of my business on slide 22. We rebuilt around that. Got my first term sheet a month later."
A note on the framework behind the diagnosis
The diagnostic process used in this sprint is grounded in BRANDEM™ OS - a strategic framework developed and refined across 1,000+ startups and organizations worldwide.
You don't need to learn the framework or adopt any system.
It simply ensures the diagnosis isn't opinion-based.
It's pattern-based - informed by repeated exposure to how real companies become fundable, and why others stall.
One-time payment. 90-minute diagnostic. Private 1-on-1.
Only 8 spots available for January. First come, first served.
Apply Now →Apply Here
Tell me what's blocking your raise. If I can help, I'll reach out within 24 hours.