What is Day One Ventures' core investment thesis?

Day One Ventures operates on a hybrid model where they provide both capital and high-level communications/PR services. Their thesis is that in a market where venture capital is a commodity, the best founders will choose investors who provide tangible value-add services that help them attract customers, partners, and talent without traditional advertising spend.

Which industries does the firm focus on?

According to Slide 6, the firm focuses on three primary areas: AI/ML (citing a market growth to $6.1 billion by 2022), VR/AR (projected to reach a combined $94 billion by 2023), and Fintech (noting that global funding exceeded $31 billion in 2017).

How does the firm prove its track record as a new fund?

The firm uses an 'Angel Portfolio' slide (Slide 4) to show the founder's previous successes. It highlights NtechLab specifically, showing a 10.5x return in under 18 months. It also lists other recognizable names like Truebill, Chatfuel, and MEL Science to demonstrate access to high-quality deals before the fund was officially launched.

What specific PR metrics does the deck mention?

Rather than just listing 'press hits,' the deck connects PR to business outcomes. For example, on Slide 4, it mentions that PR efforts for Piper led to 100+ publications and 4 new investors, while NtechLab's PR resulted in 600+ international B2B inbound leads.

Who are the key people involved in the firm?

The firm was founded by Masha Drokova. The deck also highlights a strong advisory board (Slide 5) including Joel Englander (Google Cloud), Ilya Zubarev and Serguei Beloussov (Acronis/Runa Capital), Riccardo Di Blasio (DXC Technology), and Luis A. Navia (Verizon).

Day One Ventures Pitch Deck (2017): 26-Slide Seed Deck

See all 26 slides of the Day One Ventures pitch deck — a 2017 Seed deck — with a slide-by-slide teardown of what the deck does well and where it falls short.

Day One Ventures' 2017 deck is a masterclass in differentiation for emerging fund managers. At a time when capital was becoming a commodity, founder Masha Drokova positioned the firm as a strategic partner that solves the most expensive and difficult problem for early-stage startups: visibility. The deck leans heavily on social proof, featuring a 10.5x return from an early angel investment (Slide 4) and extensive testimonials from founders who credit the firm with high-impact press coverage (Slide 12). By framing PR as a tool for customer acquisition and talent recruitment rather than just 'b…

Key takeaways

The firm highlights a specific 10.5x return on NtechLab, invested in May 2016 and exited in October 2017, to prove investment acumen (Slide 4).
Day One positions itself against the 'spray paint' approach of other VC funds, arguing that capital has become a commodity (Slide 9).
The deck identifies three core investment pillars: AI/ML, VR/AR, and Fintech, citing specific market growth projections for each (Slide 6).
A dedicated slide on dealflow metrics claims the firm evaluates 200-250 opportunities per month to make 1-2 investments (Slide 8).
The 'Value of PR' slide uses Tesla and Robinhood as case studies to show how communications can replace traditional advertising spend (Slide 10).
Founders from Domuso, DigitalGenius, Home61, and Lvl5 provide direct testimonials regarding the firm's active role in their growth (Slide 12).
The firm's 'Big Vision' involves expanding beyond PR into product, go-to-market, recruiting, and design services (Slide 13).
The deck lists five high-profile advisors, including the Head of Google Cloud startup program and the co-founder of Acronis (Slide 5).

The Hybrid VC Model: A Teardown of Day One Ventures

Day One Ventures launched at a pivotal moment in the venture capital ecosystem. In 2017, the rise of Initial Coin Offerings (ICOs) and the massive scale of the SoftBank Vision Fund were beginning to reshape how startups viewed capital. This deck is a strategic response to those shifts, positioning a new firm not as a source of money, but as a source of growth through communications.

Introduction and Track Record

The deck begins by establishing immediate credibility through association. Slide 2, titled WE WORKED WITH , displays a grid of 20 logos including major names like Houzz, Wework, Lemonade, and Baidu. This slide serves to show the breadth of the team's network and previous professional engagements before diving into the specific investment thesis.

Slide 3, INVESTING IN PRODUCTS PEOPLE LOVE , uses a collage of social media posts and Product Hunt screenshots. This is a visual representation of 'customer obsession.' By showing real users tweeting about portfolio companies like Truebill and Octi, Day One demonstrates that they invest in companies that generate organic word-of-mouth—a key prerequisite for their PR-heavy strategy to be effective.

The Angel Portfolio and Advisory Board

For an emerging manager, the 'track record' slide is the most critical. Slide 4, ANGEL PORTFOLIO , provides specific data points. It highlights NtechLab , noting an investment in May 2016 and an exit in October 2017 with a 10.5x return . Crucially, the slide links this financial success to PR activity, stating that Masha Drokova managed all PR efforts, generating 100+ publications which led to 600+ international B2B inbound leads . Other companies listed in the angel portfolio include DigitalGenius, Truebill, Chatfuel, and MEL Science.

Slide 5 introduces the ADVISORS . The firm surrounds its founder with deep enterprise and cloud expertise. Notable names include Joel Englander (Head of Google Cloud startup program and early Instacart investor) and Serguei Beloussov (CEO of Acronis). This balances the founder's communications background with heavy-duty technical and operational experience.

Investment Strategy and Market Thesis

Slide 6, INVESTMENT AREAS , breaks down the firm's focus into three sectors: AI/ML, VR/AR, and Fintech. For each, the deck provides a market growth stat (e.g., the global AI market growing to $6,141.5 million by 2022 ) and lists current portfolio companies in those spaces, such as Knowhere in AI and Arcus in Fintech.

Slide 7, WHAT WE LOOK FOR , outlines the firm's investment criteria. These are standard VC benchmarks: potential for a $1+ billion valuation , TAM of at least a few billion, and high LTV/CAC. However, the final point, Fits Our Vision (Day One culture), suggests a qualitative filter that allows the firm to be selective about the founders they partner with.

The 'Why Now' and The Value Proposition

Slide 9, LANDSCAPE IS CHANGING , is the 'Why Now' slide. It argues that VCs are becoming 'unnecessary middlemen' unless they bring value beyond a check. It cites that startups raised $5.6B via ICOs in 2017 and that the $100B SoftBank Vision Fund has made the market extremely competitive. This sets the stage for Day One's unique value proposition.

Slide 10, VALUE OF PR , explains why their specific value-add matters. It claims PR agencies are expensive ( $10-30k per month ) and that most founders lack PR experience. It uses Tesla and Robinhood as examples of companies that reached massive valuations (Robinhood at $5.6 billion ) with little to no traditional advertising, relying instead on high-quality communications.

Social Proof and Future Vision

Slide 11, FUND'S COVERAGE , showcases press quotes from TechCrunch, Reuters, WSJ, and VentureBeat. The Reuters quote is particularly strong, quoting Serguei Beloussov saying, "Masha knows a lot of people... She is good in that she gets access to very good startups." This reinforces the idea that the firm's PR expertise is a magnet for top-tier deal flow.

Slide 12, WHAT OUR FOUNDERS SAY , provides testimonials from four CEOs. Damian Langere (Domuso) and Mikhail Naumov (DigitalGenius) both emphasize that Day One provides "results," not just advice, specifically citing "high impact press coverage" and help with "critical points in the company's growth cycle."

The deck concludes with Slide 13, BIG VISION . It reveals that while they started with communications, the plan is to expand into Product, Go-To-Market, Recruiting, and Design services. This positions Day One not just as a PR-focused fund, but as a full-service platform for early-stage companies.

What works in this deck

Tangible PR Outcomes: Instead of vague promises of 'help,' the deck cites specific numbers of publications and inbound leads generated for portfolio companies. · Strong Social Proof: The combination of high-profile advisors and enthusiastic founder testimonials makes the 'hybrid model' feel proven rather than experimental. · Clear Differentiation: By calling capital a 'commodity,' the firm forces the investor to look at their service offering as the primary asset.

What is missing from this deck

Fund Structure and Terms: The deck does not specify the total fund size being raised, the management fee structure, or the expected deployment timeline. · Detailed Team Slide: While the founder is mentioned in the description and advisors are listed, a slide detailing the full-time investment team and their specific backgrounds is absent from the provided 13 slides. · Exit Strategy for the Fund: While it mentions a 10.5x return for one angel investment, it does not provide a broader view of how the fund intends to return capital to LPs across the entire portfolio.

What a founder should copy

The 'Landscape' Slide: If you are entering a crowded market, use a slide like Slide 9 to explain how the macro environment has changed and why the old way of doing things is no longer sufficient. · Case Study Format: Slide 10's use of Tesla and Robinhood is a great way to use 'industry giants' to validate your own business model. · Founder Testimonials: Don't just list your portfolio; get quotes that specifically address the unique value you provided. It is much more convincing than a list of logos.

Frequently asked questions

What is Day One Ventures' core investment thesis?: Day One Ventures operates on a hybrid model where they provide both capital and high-level communications/PR services. Their thesis is that in a market where venture capital is a commodity, the best founders will choose investors who provide tangible value-add services that help them attract customers, partners, and talent without traditional advertising spend.
Which industries does the firm focus on?: According to Slide 6, the firm focuses on three primary areas: AI/ML (citing a market growth to $6.1 billion by 2022), VR/AR (projected to reach a combined $94 billion by 2023), and Fintech (noting that global funding exceeded $31 billion in 2017).
How does the firm prove its track record as a new fund?: The firm uses an 'Angel Portfolio' slide (Slide 4) to show the founder's previous successes. It highlights NtechLab specifically, showing a 10.5x return in under 18 months. It also lists other recognizable names like Truebill, Chatfuel, and MEL Science to demonstrate access to high-quality deals before the fund was officially launched.
What specific PR metrics does the deck mention?: Rather than just listing 'press hits,' the deck connects PR to business outcomes. For example, on Slide 4, it mentions that PR efforts for Piper led to 100+ publications and 4 new investors, while NtechLab's PR resulted in 600+ international B2B inbound leads.
Who are the key people involved in the firm?: The firm was founded by Masha Drokova. The deck also highlights a strong advisory board (Slide 5) including Joel Englander (Google Cloud), Ilya Zubarev and Serguei Beloussov (Acronis/Runa Capital), Riccardo Di Blasio (DXC Technology), and Luis A. Navia (Verizon).

Cover slide of the Day One Ventures pitch deck — Seed 2017 — Day One Ventures pitch deck, slide 1 (2017)

Day One Ventures pitch deck: the facts

Company: Day One Ventures
Year: 2017
Stage: Seed
Slides: 26
Sector: Venture Capital / Other
Deck type: Fundraising (Fund)
Outcome: Raised Seed Fund
Headquarters: San Francisco, CA

Day One Ventures pitch deck PDF

The full Day One Ventures deck is embedded on this page and can be read slide by slide in the browser — no download or account required. Each slide is covered in the breakdown above.

What the Day One Ventures pitch deck was used for

This deck is a 26‑slide fundraising presentation for Day One Ventures Fund, L.P., an early‑stage venture capital firm positioning itself as a VC that also leads PR and communications for its portfolio companies. It dates to around 2017, when the firm was launching its first seed‑stage fund with a thesis about the commoditization of capital and the need for value‑add communications support. The deck appears to be used to raise Day One Ventures’ initial fund, later reported as nearly $20 million closed by October 2019, targeting pre‑seed and seed investments in areas like AI, VR, and consumer marketplaces with US and European market focus. It presents advisors with backgrounds at Google Cloud, Acronis, and Verizon, and emphasizes a geographic and sector focus on emerging technologies where communications can materially impact outcomes (as reflected in the investment focus slide text).

Business model: Early-stage venture capital firm that integrates public relations and communications support directly into its investment model, positioning itself as both a VC and a PR/communications leader for portfolio companies.

Round: Early-stage venture capital fund (pre-seed and seed focus).
Investors: Executives from Barclays, Salesforce, and Goldman Sachs, as well as founders of Parallels, Acronis, and ePayments, were
Founders: Masha Bucher (née Drokova).
Headquarters: San Francisco, California, United States.
Industry: Venture Capital

Year: Fund launched around late 2017 and formally announced/operational by 2018, with the first fund closing near $20 million by October 2019.

Raising: Seed-stage early-stage venture capital fund targeting approximately tens of millions of dollars, later reported as nearly $20 million.

Raised: Nearly $20 million closed for Day One Ventures Fund I as of October 2019.

Founded: 2017–2018 (firm launched in late 2017 and formally founded/announced as a fund in 2018).

Total funding: Day One Ventures closed its first fund at nearly $20 million as of October 2019, and later raised a $52.5 million second fund and a $150 million Fund III.

Use of funds as presented: To invest between roughly $100,000 and $500,000 per company from the first fund into early-stage technology startups while providing integrated PR and communications support to accelerate their growth and visibility.

What happened after the Day One Ventures deck

The specific 2017 seed-stage deck supported the launch and fundraising for Day One Ventures’ first early-stage venture fund, which was later reported to have closed near $20 million with a distinctive model combining capital and PR leadership; the firm has since expanded to larger subsequent funds while preserving its communications-driven thesis.

Launch of Day One Ventures as a communications-led early-stage fund in late 2017 and formal announcement of the PR-integ
Closing of the first fund at nearly $20 million by October 2019, with check sizes reportedly between $100,000 and $500,0
Raising a second fund of approximately $50–52.5 million around 2020, effectively more than doubling the size of the firs
Securing a $150 million Fund III by 2024, indicating substantial scaling of the original model and continued LP confiden

What the Day One Ventures deck got right

Distinct hybrid VC–PR value proposition. Clear, differentiated thesis built around the commoditization of capital and the idea that leading PR and communications for portfolio companies provides non-commoditized value to founders, which is later reinforced by external coverage of Day One Ventures’ PR-centric model.
Strong founder-domain fit in communications and tech. Founder Masha Bucher’s background in communications at Acronis and Runa Capital, and her prior PR studio work with technology companies, directly underpins the fund’s promised value-add, making the deck’s narrative credible and aligned with documented experience.
Coherent sector and geographic focus. Investment focus slide (AI, VR, consumer marketplaces, US and European markets) presents a coherent early-stage technology strategy that matches later descriptions of the firm’s sector and geographic priorities, helping LPs understand where the fund intends to deploy capital.
Credible advisory bench with relevant networks. Inclusion of advisors with notable roles—such as the Head of Google Cloud’s startup program and the co-founder/chairman of Acronis and senior founding partner of Runa Capital—signals access to established networks and operational expertise that can support both deal sourcing and portfolio companies.
Demonstrated fundraising traction following the initial deck. Subsequent reporting that the first fund closed near $20 million and that Day One Ventures later raised larger funds validates that the initial deck’s model resonated with LPs and translated into successful fundraising outcomes.

What could have been stronger

Limited disclosure of fund economics and terms in the deck itself. The deck, based on the provided slides, emphasizes thesis, advisors and investment focus but does not show externally verifiable fund terms such as target fund size, specific LP commitments, or a clear vintage year, which may leave investors with unanswered questions about the vehicle’s structure until corroborated by later reports that the first fund closed near $20 million in 2019.
Sector focus presented without concrete pipeline or traction evidence. Slide 10 lists broad areas like artificial intelligence, virtual reality and consumer marketplaces but—based on the OCR excerpt—does not provide specific pipeline examples, portfolio references, or quantified traction from Day One’s angel activity, which could weaken perceived deal flow visibility despite later reporting that Bucher had notable angel investments before launching the fund.
Heavy confidentiality language may reduce shareability and external validation. The disclaimer slide explicitly stresses trade secret protection and strict confidentiality, which may make it harder to share the deck widely with potential LPs or ecosystem partners and could limit external validation of claims compared to more transparent fund pitches.

How an investor would read this deck

What draws attention

Evidence that the model of combining VC and PR has proven durable over time, given that Day One Ventures subsequently closed its first fund near $20 million, a $52.5 million second fund, and a $150 million Fund III while maintaining the communications-led thesis.
The founder’s prior track record in communications and venture—such as serving as VP of Communications at Acronis, Head of Communications at Runa Capital, and running a PR studio for technology companies—which supports the credibility of PR as a core value-add for the fund.
The focus on early-stage technology sectors (AI, fintech, climate, VR, consumer marketplaces) and geographies (US and Europe), and how this aligns with macro trends and the firm’s later portfolio in areas like Lithic, Truebill, and other notable startups mentioned in profiles of Bucher.

Risks that stand out

Dependence on communications and PR as a primary differentiator means the fund’s value-add is closely tied to the founder’s and team’s personal expertise and relationships; scaling this model across larger fund sizes and more portfolio companies may present execution risk.
The thesis around commoditization of capital presumes that founders will systematically choose investors based on PR value-add, yet this may vary substantially across sectors like deep tech or infrastructure where other forms of support (technical networks, follow-on capital) are more critical.
The initial fund, as later reported, was relatively small at nearly $20 million, which could constrain diversification and follow-on capacity; while subsequent funds increased in size, early LPs in the first fund took vintage and concentration risk in a novel hybrid VC–PR model.

Questions this deck invites

What were the exact target and hard-cap sizes of Day One Ventures’ first fund at the time this 2017 deck was presented, and how did the final close near $20 million compare to those initial goals?
Which specific LPs committed to the first fund (beyond later-reported executives from Barclays, Salesforce, Goldman Sachs and founders of Parallels, Acronis, and ePayments), and what lock-up and governance terms were offered to them?
How did Day One Ventures measure and report the impact of its PR and communications work on portfolio outcomes (e.g., customer acquisition, follow-on funding, media reach), and what case studies from early investments demonstrate this in qu
What was the firm’s initial deployment strategy from the first fund—average check sizes, ownership targets, reserves for follow-on—and how did actual deployment between 2017 and the 2019 close align with those planned parameters?
How did the geographic and sector focus articulated in the deck (US and Europe, AI, VR, consumer marketplaces) evolve in practice, given later emphasis on AI, climate, fintech/crypto, and enterprise software in subsequent funds?

What founders can take from the Day One Ventures deck

A clearly articulated thesis about the commoditization of capital, paired with a differentiated value-add such as leading PR and communications, can help an emerging manager stand out in a crowded VC landscape and secure LP commitments, as illustrated by Day One Ventures’ subsequent successful fundr
Anchoring the fund’s story in the founder’s prior domain expertise—in this case, deep communications and PR experience at Acronis, Runa Capital, and a PR studio—provides credibility that the proposed value-add is executable and not merely theoretical.
Defining a focused investment stage (pre-seed and seed) and clear sector/geographic priorities, such as emerging technologies in AI, VR, and consumer marketplaces targeting US and European markets, can make a fund’s strategy more legible to LPs and align the deck with later measurable outcomes.
Including well-known advisors with relevant backgrounds, such as leaders at Google Cloud’s startup program and founders of Acronis and Runa Capital, can reassure LPs about network reach and sector insight, especially for a first-time fund manager.
Subsequent reporting on Day One Ventures’ first, second, and third funds shows that a novel hybrid fund structure can scale if early execution matches the promises made in the initial deck, suggesting that fundraising narratives grounded in genuine operational capability are more likely to sustain o

Day One Ventures pitch deck: common questions

What is Day One Ventures and who founded it?

Day One Ventures is an early-stage venture capital firm founded and led by Masha Bucher (née Drokova) that differentiates itself by integrating PR and communications leadership into its investment model, investing at pre-seed and seed and actively spearheading communications for its portfolio companies.

What was Day One Ventures raising for with its 2017 pitch deck?

The 2017 seed-stage deck was used to raise Day One Ventures’ first fund, later reported as nearly $20 million, focused on early-stage technology startups where PR and storytelling can materially impact growth, particularly in areas like artificial intelligence, virtual reality, and consumer marketplaces targeting US and European markets.

What is Day One Ventures’ unique value proposition compared to traditional VC firms?

Day One Ventures positions its differentiation around ‘commoditization of capital,’ arguing that in an environment where money is abundant, founders will choose investors who provide concrete value-add; in their case, leading PR, communications, and narrative-building as a core service bundled with capital.

How big was Day One Ventures’ first fund and what check sizes did it write?

According to later reporting, Day One Ventures’ first fund size was nearly $20 million, with investments typically ranging from about $100,000 to $500,000 per startup from that vehicle, raised from LPs including executives from Barclays, Salesforce, Goldman Sachs and founders of Parallels, Acronis, and ePayments.

What investment focus and sectors does Day One Ventures target according to this deck and later sources?

The deck and subsequent coverage indicate a focus on early-stage companies in emerging technology domains like AI, fintech, climate, enterprise software, crypto, VR, and consumer marketplaces, with an emphasis on US and European markets and mission-driven, customer-obsessed founders.

Sources

Funding and outcome facts on this page were researched on 2026-08-21 from the pages below.

Day One Ventures pitch deck slides

Day One Ventures pitch deck slide 1 of 26 — Day One Ventures pitch deck — slide 1 of 26

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Day One Ventures pitch deck slide 6 of 26 — Day One Ventures pitch deck — slide 6 of 26

What each slide of the Day One Ventures pitch deck says

Slide 2

DISCLAIMER The information set forth in this presentation (including any written materials provided herewith) is proprietary and shall be maintained in strict confidence. Each recipient hereof acknowledges and agrees that the contents of this presentation (i) constitute proprietary and confidential information that Day One Ventures Fund , L.P. (together with its affiliates, "Day One Ventures") derive independent economic value from not being generally known and (ii) are the subject of reasenable efforts to maintain their secrecy. The recipient further agrees that the contents of this document are a trade secret, the disclosure of which is likely to cause substantial and irreparable competit…

Slide 6

Acquired io, Saas product for mobile marketers, has been acquired + SCQUIRED.IO by Adjust, a company that offers a unified mobile marketing ® adj ust platform. Feastly, a global marketplace for chefs, has been acquired by {fi FEASTLY ChefsFeed, a media company focused on food and drinks that is A CHEFSFEED = frequently cited as the “Anti-Yelp” for its expert food reviews. = =

Slide 9

ADVISORS JOEL ENGLANDER Head of Google Cloud startup program. Investor at Blumberg Capital and Redlpoint, He has invested in over 50 startups across sectors and has over 8 decade of seed stage investing and operations experience. He was one of the lirst investors in instacart SERGUEI BELOUSSOV A serial entrepreneur, the co-founder, CEQ and chairman of the bosrd of Acronis, a global data protection company; and the senior founding partner of Runa Capital, a technology investment firm. LUIS AL NAVIA Luis has served on Verizon's Cantent Strategy and Acquisitions Team focused on emerging technology and digital media, He also has worked for Fortune 50 Companies; as a primary delegate manager for…

Slide 10

INVESTMENT FOCUS STAGE We focus at the investment stages when we can bring the massive impact with our expertise. AREAS We lock for the hard-to-imitate projects in the emerging technology fields. LOCATIONS We invest in companies focused on the US and European markets. ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE VIRTUAL REALITY CONSUMER MARKETPLACES

Slide text above is read directly from the Day One Ventures deck PDF embedded on this page.