Anonymous Pitch Data: What Founder Scores Reveal About Startup Fundraising

We see a lot of pitches on Gatekeep. Here is what the aggregated data tells us about founder readiness and sector performance.

The sectors that score highest

AI and infrastructure startups consistently score above average. Investors understand these sectors well, so AI personas ask sharper questions, and founders who prepare for those questions do well. Consumer startups score lower on average because traction is harder to convey in conversation.

Where founders struggle most

Go-to-market strategy is the lowest-scoring dimension across all pitches. Most founders can explain what they're building. Few can explain exactly how they'll acquire customers at scale with specific unit economics. Competitive positioning is the second weakest area.

The improvement curve

Founders who pitch multiple times improve fast. Average score increases by 1.4 points between a founder's first and third pitch. The biggest jumps happen in the first two weeks. Pitch an AI investor and start your improvement curve.