Whether preparing for an initial or subsequent raise, gearing up for partnership discussions, or refreshing materials ahead of a conference or board presentation, the public-facing story needs to be clear, consistent, and professionally presented.
Professional materials ensure the presentation supports the science rather than undermining it. Companies that get this right improve how they're perceived from the start.
This service focuses on translating your strategy into investor decks, websites, and supporting documents. That includes navigating FDA constraints on what can be said about investigational products and positioning against competitors without creating legal exposure.
For companies that need help developing the underlying business case or financial model, this work connects with Alacrita's business planning and fundraising and investor support services.
The Evaluation Process
How VCs and BD&L teams evaluate opportunities, from first look to close.
Initial Screening
- Does this fit our mandate?
- Is the team credible?
- Is the company serious and organized?
- Are there obvious red flags?
Non-confidential deck, website, team backgrounds
Worth a meeting or pass
Active Evaluation
- Is the science valid and differentiated?
- Is the commercial opportunity significant?
- Is the development plan realistic?
- Is the team capable of executing?
Confidential deck, data, financials, multiple management meetings
Move to formal due diligence and term sheet, or pass
Due Diligence
- Does everything hold up under scrutiny?
- Are the IP positions defensible?
- Are there undisclosed risks or gaps?
- Is the regulatory path realistic?
Data room, IP review, legal and financial audit, expert consultations
Proceed to close or walk away
For pharma BD&L teams, the process follows a similar structure: initial contact and screening, evaluation of both the product and the potential partner, term sheet negotiation, and final agreement.
Where It Gets Complicated
Investor materials for development-stage companies have constraints worth getting right.
Stage-Appropriate Claims
FDA has expectations about what can be said publicly about investigational products. Messaging should reflect the evidence you have, positioned appropriately for your stage.
Competitive Positioning
When you're not first to market, how you position against the innovator or other entrants matters. Differentiation that's defensible and doesn't create unnecessary legal exposure.
What to Hold Back
Not everything belongs on the website. Part of the work is determining what's public-facing versus what stays in the deck or data room.
Getting these right requires understanding of the regulatory environment, competitive dynamics, and what investors look for when evaluating early-stage opportunities.
What Gets Delivered
Website
The most public piece of your story — and a first check for credibility. Investors and BD&L teams check the website. The messaging, the claims, the competitive differentiation all have to hold up. Getting this right means stage-appropriate language, defensible positioning, and a clear articulation of the science and opportunity.
Pitch Decks
Two versions for different stages of the process. The non-confidential deck is for initial outreach — what you can share broadly without an NDA to get the first meeting. The confidential deck is for active evaluation — includes data, financials, and competitive positioning that requires protection. Both need to tell a consistent story, with the confidential version going deeper on the details that matter once there's real interest.
Consistent Messaging
Core positioning and differentiation statements that work across every touchpoint. Language your team can deploy in investor conversations, partner meetings, and written materials.
Supporting Materials
Executive summary, one-pager, team bios, corporate overview. The documents that round out the package and give investors what they need at each stage of the process.
Recent Work
Fundraising Deck for Preclinical Oncology Company
Preclinical biotech with a novel chemotherapeutic mechanism, preparing for first institutional raise in a crowded oncology landscape. The team, led by a biotech financing specialist and including an oncologist, worked with client leadership to sharpen the value proposition, define the clinical development path, and restructure how the science would be presented to investors.
Situation
Preclinical stage, preparing for first institutional raise in competitive therapeutic area
Core Challenge
Translate complex mechanism into clear investment thesis; differentiate against established approaches; identify and address gaps in the investment case
Outcome
New investor pitch deck with sharpened positioning on what makes this mechanism different, restructured scientific presentation that led with clinical relevance rather than basic science, and clear articulation of the development path. The process surfaced gaps, including the need for additional preclinical experiments, which the client prioritized before going out to investors.
Market Framing for Pain Management Startup
US biotech with a non-opioid analgesic drug and delivery device, preparing for first external round. The challenge was a large addressable market with multiple potential entry points - the story needed focus. Led by a consultant with direct experience commercializing pain management products in the US market, the work prioritized patient segments by type of pain and setting of care.
Situation
Pre-fundraise, needed to articulate commercial opportunity clearly
Core Challenge
Multiple credible market entry points; needed to prioritize and frame a focused story for investor audience rather than trying to address everything
Outcome
Defined go-to-market priorities with the client, then translated into an investor deck that framed a clear, focused commercial opportunity. Segmentation by pain type and care setting, with value proposition mapped to specific unmet needs rather than a broad market size claim.
Common Questions
What's different about working with Alacrita on this?
+Built-in scientific and regulatory context. Alacrita works across drug development daily, understands what investors and partners evaluate at different stages, and knows where the lines are on claims and competitive positioning. That means fewer review cycles and messaging that's accurate from the start.
What materials do I need before a Series A?
+At minimum: a pitch deck that frames the opportunity clearly and a website that holds up when investors check you out. Beyond that, an executive summary or one-pager for follow-up, and consistent messaging your team can deploy in conversations. The specifics depend on your stage, competitive situation, and how much is already in place.
What can I say publicly about my drug before FDA approval?
+FDA has clear expectations here. You can discuss the science, mechanism, and development pathway. You can reference published data and clinical trial designs. What you can't do is make efficacy or safety claims that go beyond your evidence, or position an investigational product as if it were approved. Getting this right is part of the work - ensuring messaging is compelling without crossing regulatory lines.
Do you work with preclinical companies or only clinical-stage?
+Both. The materials and positioning look different at each stage, but the need is the same: a clear, credible story for the audience evaluating you. Preclinical companies often need to emphasize the science, the team's track record, and the development path. Clinical-stage companies can point to data but need to frame it appropriately for where they are in the process.
How long does a project like this take?
+We can typically move fast when timing is tight for an upcoming investor meeting or partnership discussion. The overall timeline depends on scope, how much exists already, and how quickly feedback cycles move.
How does pricing work?
+Projects are scoped with fixed fees upfront or an estimate on hours, depending on the work. Reach out to discuss your specific needs and timeline.
We're already working with Alacrita on strategy. How does this connect?
+Directly. When Alacrita is already involved in development strategy, regulatory planning, or business development work, the story and positioning are understood. Communications work builds on that foundation, more efficient and more consistent than starting from scratch with an outside resource.
Get in Touch
Reach out to discuss timing and scope.