They tried to make me put advisors in my seed deck, I said “no, no, no”

Research shows that 5 out of every 6 experts, wear glasses.

Should seed-stage startups include advisors in their pitch decks? It depends. On the surface, listing a well-known industry figure as an advisor can signal credibility: this founder knows the market, has gotten in front of the right people, and earned their support. That kind of validation can be helpful in a noisy early-stage environment.

But here’s the tension: most credible advisors have also done well financially. At the seed stage, cheque sizes are relatively small, and industry insiders often have asymmetric insight—into both the market and the founder. So if this expert believes in the company enough to advise it, and the investment is financially feasible, the natural question is: why aren’t they investing? It’s a fair question, and one most investors will ask.

The rule of thumb: if your advisors are also investors, put them in the deck—it’s a strong signal. If they’re not, leave them out. Better to avoid raising questions than trying to explain away someone else’s lack of conviction.