Auterion’s 2018 deck is a specialized recruiting tool designed to capitalize on the momentum of a $10M seed round. Rather than focusing on traditional investor metrics like CAC or LTV, the deck emphasizes the company's role as the underlying software infrastructure for the drone industry. By showcasing logos of major partners like Intel, Sony, and Amazon Prime Air, Auterion builds immediate technical credibility. The deck is light on financial data but heavy on culture and team composition, featuring two separate slides dedicated to headshots and group photos. It serves as a case study in how…
Key takeaways
- The deck explicitly states a $10M seed round was recently raised, providing financial validation to potential hires (Slide 9).
- Auterion positions itself as the 'operating system for commercial drones,' a high-leverage software play (Slide 5).
- The company claims to be 'powering millions of drones worldwide' through its software platform (Slide 3).
- Significant industry partnerships are highlighted through logos including Intel, Sony, Qualcomm, and Amazon Prime Air (Slide 3).
- The investor roster includes Lake Star, Mosaic Ventures, Costanoa Ventures, and Tectonic Ventures (Slide 9).
- The deck relies heavily on visual team representation, with 37 individual headshots shown on a single slide (Slide 7).
- There is a total lack of revenue figures, market size (TAM), or competitive analysis, which is typical for a recruiting-focused deck.
- The call to action is strictly for talent, directing viewers to a jobs page and a specific talent email address (Slide 16).
The Recruiting Deck as a Strategic Asset
Auterion’s 2018 presentation is a distinct departure from the standard investor pitch. Labeled as a "recruiting" deck, its goal is not to secure a check—they already did that, to the tune of $10M—but to secure the brains necessary to deploy that capital. In the high-stakes world of robotics and drone software, talent is often scarcer than capital. This deck serves as a billboard for the company's stability, technical reach, and cultural vibrancy.
Slides 1-3: The Vision and the Ecosystem
Slide 1 sets the stage with a bold claim: "Meet the software platform that is powering the drone industry." By dating the deck October 2018, the company establishes a clear timestamp for its growth phase. The imagery is aspirational, featuring a drone silhouette against a mountainous backdrop, signaling the rugged, real-world applications of their tech.
Slide 3 is the "credibility slide." It features a grid of logos and drone hardware. The headline, "What we do is powering millions of drones worldwide," is a massive claim for a seed-stage company. The inclusion of heavyweights like Intel, Sony, Qualcomm, and Amazon Prime Air suggests that Auterion isn't just a hobbyist project; it is integrated into the supply chains of the world's largest technology firms. For a prospective engineer, this slide answers the question: "Will my work actually ship?"
Slide 5: The Product as Infrastructure
Slide 5 defines the product category. Auterion isn't building drones; they are building the "operating system for commercial drones." This is a classic "picks and shovels" strategy. Instead of competing with hardware manufacturers, they provide the software layer that makes the hardware useful. The slide shows a hardware drone alongside a tablet and a MacBook Pro. The MacBook displays an Analytics Dashboard with metrics like "Overall Flight Hours: 159h 6m" and "Total Vehicles: 15." While these numbers are modest, they demonstrate a functional, data-driven product that is already in the hands of users.
Slides 7-9: Team, Culture, and Capital
Slide 7 is a dense collage of 37 headshots. This is a deliberate choice to show the scale of the team. It humanizes the company, showing a diverse range of faces, some in offices, some in the field, and one even holding kittens. This slide communicates that the company is already a significant organization, not just two founders in a garage.
Slide 9 is the most important slide for a recruiting deck. It announces: "Auterion just raised a $10m seed round." In 2018, a $10M seed round was exceptionally large. By listing top-tier VCs like Lake Star, Mosaic Ventures, Costanoa Ventures, and Tectonic Ventures , Auterion is signaling to potential hires that the company has passed the most rigorous due diligence processes. The mention of investors who backed Airbnb and Facebook adds a layer of "blue-chip" validation to a relatively young startup.
Slides 11-16: The "Day in the Life" and Call to Action
Slide 11 and Slide 13 are purely cultural. Slide 11 shows a group photo of 20 team members in matching Auterion polo shirts, while Slide 13 is a montage of "behind the scenes" photos: testing drones in fields, working at standing desks, sailing on a boat, and attending trade shows (specifically mentioning NXP and AirMap ). This is designed to sell the lifestyle of an Auterion employee—a mix of high-tech office work and outdoor field testing.
Slide 16 concludes with the specific call to action. It provides a URL (auterion.com/jobs) and a direct email (talent@auterion.com). There is no mention of a "Series A" or a "funding ask," confirming that the entire narrative arc of this deck was built to convert viewers into applicants.
What Works in This Deck
The "OS" Positioning: By calling themselves an operating system, they claim the highest-value part of the drone stack. Software scales better than hardware, and this slide makes that value proposition clear. · Logo Soup: The use of Intel and Amazon logos on Slide 3 provides immediate industry weight that a startup of this age would otherwise lack. · Funding Transparency: Stating the exact amount raised ($10M) is a powerful recruiting tool. It removes the "runway anxiety" that often prevents top talent from leaving stable jobs for startups. · Visual Density: The team slides show a company that is already "real." The sheer number of people pictured suggests a collaborative environment rather than an isolated one.
What Is Missing
The "Why Now": While the deck shows what they do, it doesn't explicitly explain why 2018 was the tipping point for the drone industry. An investor deck would need a "Market Opportunity" slide. · Competitive Landscape: There is no mention of DJI or other proprietary software ecosystems. A recruit might want to know how Auterion wins against the dominant Chinese hardware/software vertical. · Technical Deep Dive: For an engineering-focused recruiting deck, there is very little information about the tech stack (e.g., PX4, ROS, C++, etc.). It stays at a very high, conceptual level.
Founder Takeaways
Use your funding as a marketing tool: If you raise a significant round, don't just put out a press release. Create a deck that explains what that money allows you to build and who it allows you to hire. · Sell the "Infrastructure" play: If your startup provides a platform for others, emphasize the logos of the people using your platform. It’s the fastest way to build trust. · Humanize the company: Especially in deep tech or robotics, founders often focus too much on the machines. Auterion’s use of two full slides for team photos and "fun" activities makes the company look like a place where people actually enjoy working.
Frequently asked questions
- Is this a fundraising deck or a recruiting deck?
- This is a recruiting deck. While it mentions a $10M seed round, the primary call to action on the final slide is for job seekers to visit their careers page or email the talent team. It uses the prestige of its investors and partners to attract high-quality candidates rather than to solicit new capital.
- Who are Auterion's main investors?
- According to slide 9, the company is backed by Lake Star (Zurich), Mosaic Ventures (London), Costanoa Ventures (San Francisco), and Tectonic Ventures (Boston). The slide also notes these investors have backed major tech giants like Airbnb, Facebook, and Spotify.
- What is the core product described in the deck?
- Auterion describes its product as a software platform that acts as an 'operating system' for commercial drones. Slide 5 shows a user interface on a tablet and a laptop, including an 'Analytics Dashboard' that tracks flight hours, vehicle counts, and fleet health.
- What kind of traction does the deck show?
- The deck shows technical traction through partnerships. Slide 3 displays logos for Yuneec, Intel, Sony, Qualcomm, and Amazon Prime Air. Slide 5 shows a dashboard with '159h 6m' of overall flight hours and '15' total vehicles, though these appear to be placeholder or example metrics for the software interface.
- What is missing from this deck that an investor would need?
- Because this is for recruiting, it lacks a business model, revenue projections, unit economics, and a competitive landscape. It does not define the Total Addressable Market (TAM) or explain the specific go-to-market strategy beyond general industry 'powering.'
