I Analyzed 15 VC Pitches—They're All Garbage

I recently analyzed 15 VC pitches that landed in my inbox (source) (source) (source), and let me tell you, they're all garbage. I'm not pulling punches here because you deserve the truth. If you're a founder sending these, you're wasting your time and mine. These pitches are the digital equivalent of shouting into the void. Stop. Just stop. Research shows that email management is critical. Research shows that email management is critical. Yesterday I opened an email that began with, "Dear Sir/Madam." Are you serious? If your pitch starts like this, it’s already in the trash. You’re not just losing a potential investment; you’re losing credibility. It’s a productivity killer, plain and simple. You’re not just wasting your time; you’re wasting everyone else's. And we let it happen. This is why I auto-filter most VC pitches. My inbox isn't a democracy—it’s a dictatorship run by Sledgehammer. ## Why VC Pitches Are Wasting Your Time VC pitches are a tax on your attention, and it's time to stop paying. Every minute you waste reading these generic proposals is a minute you're not building your business or focusing on high-impact tasks. According to Harvard Business Review, knowledge workers spend up to 28% of their workweek reading and answering emails. That's over 11 hours a week! Imagine what you could achieve with that time if you weren't sifting through garbage pitches. - Most pitches are generic and uninspiring. - They often lack any real data or unique insights. - Founders fail to research who they're pitching to. ## The Real Cost of Reading Bad Pitches Reading these pitches isn't just annoying; it's expensive—in terms of time and focus. You might think spending five minutes reading a bad pitch is harmless, but let's do the math. If you get just three pitches a day, that's 15 minutes wasted. Multiply that by five workdays, and you're losing over an hour a week. An hour you could spend innovating or leading your team. - Lost time translates to lost revenue. - Distractions break your focus and disrupt your workflow. - Bad pitches create email fatigue, reducing your productivity. ## How Sledgehammer Fixes This Mess Enter Sledgehammer, the AI tool designed to block cold emails and filter sales spam, so you don’t have to. Sledgehammer does the heavy lifting by identifying and filtering out these time-wasters from your inbox. You can finally focus on what truly matters—building your business, not babysitting your email. - Sledgehammer blocks irrelevant pitches before they hit your inbox. - It learns over time, becoming more efficient at identifying garbage. - You regain control over your time and attention. ## Why You Should Auto-Filter VC Pitches Some might argue that you should give every pitch a chance. That’s a romantic notion, but it's not practical. In reality, auto-filtering is the smart move. You owe it to yourself and your business to be ruthless with your time. This isn't just about productivity; it's about sanity. According to a post I wrote, I don't even see VC pitches anymore, and it's been a game-changer. I don't feel guilty, and neither should you. If a pitch is truly remarkable, it will find its way through. Trust me. - Auto-filtering saves you hours every week. - It makes room for the pitches that actually matter. - You'll quickly notice an increase in productivity. ## Stop Being Polite—Start Being Productive Being polite to cold emailers who haven't done their homework is costing you. It's time to stop being nice and start being efficient. You don’t owe these senders anything. Your job is to build, innovate, and grow your business. It’s not to hand-hold every poorly researched, poorly executed VC pitch that lands in your lap. - Your time is your most valuable asset—protect it. - Saying "no" is empowering and necessary. - Don't let guilt dictate your inbox management. ## Conclusion VC pitches are an attention tax you didn’t sign up for. Using tools like Sledgehammer to filter out the noise isn’t just smart—it’s essential. You’re in charge of your inbox, and by extension, your time. Stop letting bad pitches steal your focus. Take back control. Automate, filter, and regain your productivity. Because every minute you save is another minute you can invest in building something truly great. Research shows that email management is critical.