What is the primary problem Runrun.it aims to solve?

Runrun.it targets the inefficiency of corporate work environments. According to slides 3 and 4, while 60% of a company's budget goes to payroll, 40% of that effort is wasted. The deck characterizes current management methods as 'Clumsy, Costly, and Unreliable' (Slide 6), positioning their software as the solution to reclaim that lost productivity through better tracking and AI-driven predictions.

How much traction did Runrun.it have when this deck was used?

At the time of the 500 Startups Demo Day in November 2018, Runrun.it reported $2 million in Annual Recurring Revenue (ARR). Additionally, the company stated it had over 1,000 paying companies using the platform (Slide 12). This level of traction is high for a typical accelerator graduate, reflecting their Series A stage and established presence in the Brazilian market.

Who are the founders and what is their background?

The company was founded by Franklin Valadares (CTO), Patrick Lisbona (CFO), and Antonio Carlos Soares (CEO). Their pedigree includes experience at Deloitte Consulting and mobile carriers, with education from institutions like PUC-MG, IBMEC, USP, and FGV. Crucially, slide 7 highlights that they 'Successfully founded, scaled and exited Aorta Mobile to Grupo RBS,' establishing them as serial entrepreneurs.

What role does AI play in the Runrun.it platform?

Slide 9 explicitly states 'AI Learns & Predicts.' The deck suggests that the software goes beyond simple task tracking by using machine learning to forecast project timelines and delivery dates. This is reinforced by the product screenshot on slide 8, which shows a dashboard with metrics for 'Tasks behind schedule' and 'Projects with delay,' presumably powered by these predictive algorithms.

What is missing from this pitch deck?

As a Demo Day deck, it is intentionally light on detail. It lacks a slide on unit economics (LTV/CAC), a detailed competitor matrix, a roadmap of future features, and a specific financial 'ask' (how much they are raising and the terms). It also omits a breakdown of their go-to-market strategy or how they plan to expand beyond their initial 1,000+ customers.

Runrun.it Pitch Deck (2012): 13-Slide Series A Deck

See all 13 slides of the Runrun.it pitch deck — a 2012 Series A deck — with a slide-by-slide teardown of what the deck does well and where it falls short.

Runrun.it’s Series A deck is a masterclass in Demo Day efficiency. Spanning 13 slides, it eschews dense paragraphs for bold, singular metrics and high-quality photography. The narrative centers on a core problem: 40% of corporate payroll is wasted on inefficient task management. By the time the deck reaches the traction slide, the company reveals a robust $2M ARR and a customer base of over 1,000 paying companies. The founders leverage their previous successful exit of Aorta Mobile to establish immediate credibility. While the deck lacks detailed unit economics and a specific 'ask' for the ro…

Key takeaways

The deck identifies a specific pain point: 40% of payroll is 'wasted' due to inefficient management (Slide 4).
The global market for team management solutions is valued at $21 billion (Slide 5).
The founding team has a proven track record, having successfully exited Aorta Mobile to Grupo RBS (Slide 7).
Runrun.it was recognized as a G2 Crowd Leader in Summer 2018 (Slide 8).
The product uses AI to 'Learn & Predict' workflow outcomes (Slide 9).
Customer testimonials claim significant efficiency gains, such as reducing processes from 4 days to 6 hours (Slide 10).
Traction is significant, with $2M in ARR and 1000+ paying companies at the time of the presentation (Slide 12).
The Serviceable Addressable Market (SAM) is estimated at $2 billion (Slide 12).

The Demo Day Format: Impact Over Information

The Runrun.it pitch deck, presented at the 500 Startups Demo Day in Miami on November 01, 2018, is a textbook example of a presentation designed for a live audience. With only 13 slides and minimal text, it relies on the speaker to provide the nuance while the visuals drive home emotional and statistical anchors. The deck focuses on the massive scale of corporate waste and the proven capability of the team to solve it.

Slides 1-4: The Hook and the Problem

Slide 1 is a standard title slide featuring the Runrun.it logo and the event details. It establishes the brand immediately with its signature red background.

Slide 2 shows a busy, open-plan office. There is no text on this slide, serving as a visual backdrop for the founder to describe the chaos of modern work. Notably, the top right corner of this and subsequent slides contains contact information: founders@runrun.it and an AngelList link.

Slide 3 and 4 introduce the core 'villain' of the pitch. Slide 3 highlights that 60% of company costs are 'Payroll.' Slide 4 adds a second box stating that 40% of that is 'Wasted.' This is a powerful framing technique; it doesn't just say 'work is hard,' it attaches a specific, massive dollar value to the inefficiency Runrun.it intends to fix.

Slides 5-6: Market Size and Emotional Pain

Slide 5 defines the opportunity. Against a backdrop of a confused man and a chalkboard of tangled arrows, the deck claims a '$21 Billion Global Market.' This positions the startup as a player in a high-ceiling industry, essential for a Series A pitch.

Slide 6 shifts to the emotional toll on managers. A photo of a frustrated man screaming is paired with three words: 'Clumsy, Costly, Unreliable.' This slide validates the daily experience of the target customer, moving the pitch from abstract market data to relatable human frustration.

Slide 7: The 'Proven Team' Credibility

Slide 7 is one of the most important slides in the deck. It introduces the three founders: Franklin Valadares (CTO), Patrick Lisbona (CFO), and Antonio Carlos Soares (CEO). Rather than just listing titles, the slide features a prominent banner: 'Successfully founded, scaled and exited Aorta Mobile to Grupo RBS.' For investors, this significantly de-risks the investment, proving the founders know how to build a company to an exit. Their backgrounds at Deloitte Consulting and various Brazilian universities (USP, FGV, IBMEC) further bolster their professional standing.

Slides 8-9: The Solution and the Tech

Slide 8 showcases the product across multiple devices: a laptop, tablet, smartphone, and smartwatch. This demonstrates a mature, cross-platform ecosystem. A 'G2 Crowd Leader Summer 2018' badge is included, providing third-party validation that the product is already well-regarded in the market.

Slide 9 introduces the technological edge: 'AI Learns & Predicts.' In 2018, this was a significant differentiator. It moves the product from a passive recording tool (like a basic timesheet) to an active management assistant that can forecast delays before they happen.

Slides 10-11: Social Proof and Case Studies

Slide 10 and 11 use LinkedIn-style profiles to present testimonials. Slide 10 features Bruno Baldo, who claims the tool moved his processes 'From 4 days to 6 hours.' Slide 11 features Renato Oliveira, who states the tool 'Slashed costs by 40%.' By using real names and photos, the deck makes these efficiency gains feel concrete and achievable rather than theoretical.

Slide 12: The Traction Slide

Slide 12 delivers the 'knockout' metrics. It lists three key figures: a '$2B SAM' (Serviceable Addressable Market), '$2M ARR' (Annual Recurring Revenue), and '1000+ Paying Companies.' For a startup in an accelerator program, $2M in ARR is exceptionally strong traction. This slide confirms that the product-market fit has been found and the company is ready to scale.

Slide 13: The Summary

Slide 13 concludes the deck by reiterating the three pillars of the investment thesis: 'Product Leader,' '$2B Market Opportunity,' and 'Proven Team.' It leaves the G2 Crowd Leader badge on the screen, ensuring the final impression is one of established success.

What Works in the Runrun.it Deck

Extreme Clarity: The deck follows the 'one idea per slide' rule perfectly. There are no crowded charts or small fonts. This ensures the audience stays focused on the speaker while the slide reinforces the message.

Focus on Waste: By quantifying inefficiency as '40% Wasted Payroll,' the founders create a compelling financial reason for a CEO to buy their software. It transforms the product from a 'nice-to-have' organizational tool into a 'must-have' cost-saving engine.

Team Pedigree: Highlighting a previous successful exit is the strongest possible signal for a Series A founder. It tells investors that this team knows the full lifecycle of a startup.

What is Missing from the Runrun.it Deck

Unit Economics: While $2M ARR is impressive, the deck does not explain how much it costs to acquire those customers (CAC) or what their lifetime value (LTV) is. For a Series A, investors usually want to see the 'money in, money out' engine of the business.

Competitive Landscape: The project management space is notoriously crowded (Asana, Monday.com, Trello, Jira). The deck does not explicitly state how Runrun.it wins against these incumbents, other than a brief mention of AI predictions.

The Ask: The deck never mentions how much money they are looking to raise or what the milestones for the next 18 months will be. This is common in Demo Day decks where the goal is to start conversations rather than close a deal on the spot, but it leaves the narrative incomplete for a standalone read.

What Founders Should Copy

The 'Villain' Slide: Founders should copy the way Runrun.it identifies a specific, quantifiable enemy (40% wasted payroll). It makes the problem feel urgent and expensive.

Visual Testimonials: Instead of anonymous quotes, using real photos and professional titles (as seen on slides 10 and 11) adds a layer of authenticity that text-only testimonials lack.

Minimalism for Live Pitches: If you are pitching on a stage, your slides should look like this. They are designed to be seen from the back of a room and understood in three seconds. Save the spreadsheets and dense text for the follow-up data room.

Final Analysis

Runrun.it’s deck is a high-signal, low-noise presentation. It relies heavily on the company's existing momentum—specifically its $2M ARR and the founders' track record—to do the heavy lifting. While it leaves many operational questions unanswered, it succeeds in its primary goal: proving that the company is a serious, professional outfit tackling a massive market with a product that users already love.

Frequently asked questions

What is the primary problem Runrun.it aims to solve?: Runrun.it targets the inefficiency of corporate work environments. According to slides 3 and 4, while 60% of a company's budget goes to payroll, 40% of that effort is wasted. The deck characterizes current management methods as 'Clumsy, Costly, and Unreliable' (Slide 6), positioning their software as the solution to reclaim that lost productivity through better tracking and AI-driven predictions.
How much traction did Runrun.it have when this deck was used?: At the time of the 500 Startups Demo Day in November 2018, Runrun.it reported $2 million in Annual Recurring Revenue (ARR). Additionally, the company stated it had over 1,000 paying companies using the platform (Slide 12). This level of traction is high for a typical accelerator graduate, reflecting their Series A stage and established presence in the Brazilian market.
Who are the founders and what is their background?: The company was founded by Franklin Valadares (CTO), Patrick Lisbona (CFO), and Antonio Carlos Soares (CEO). Their pedigree includes experience at Deloitte Consulting and mobile carriers, with education from institutions like PUC-MG, IBMEC, USP, and FGV. Crucially, slide 7 highlights that they 'Successfully founded, scaled and exited Aorta Mobile to Grupo RBS,' establishing them as serial entrepreneurs.
What role does AI play in the Runrun.it platform?: Slide 9 explicitly states 'AI Learns & Predicts.' The deck suggests that the software goes beyond simple task tracking by using machine learning to forecast project timelines and delivery dates. This is reinforced by the product screenshot on slide 8, which shows a dashboard with metrics for 'Tasks behind schedule' and 'Projects with delay,' presumably powered by these predictive algorithms.
What is missing from this pitch deck?: As a Demo Day deck, it is intentionally light on detail. It lacks a slide on unit economics (LTV/CAC), a detailed competitor matrix, a roadmap of future features, and a specific financial 'ask' (how much they are raising and the terms). It also omits a breakdown of their go-to-market strategy or how they plan to expand beyond their initial 1,000+ customers.

Cover slide of the Runrun.it pitch deck — Series-A 2012 — Runrun.it pitch deck, slide 1 (2012)

Runrun.it pitch deck: the facts

Company: Runrun.it
Year: 2012
Stage: Series-A
Slides: 13
Sector: Team Management / SaaS
Deck type: Demo Day
Outcome: Raised $4,800,000
Headquarters: São Paulo, Brazil

Runrun.it pitch deck PDF

The full Runrun.it 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 Runrun.it pitch deck was used for

This deck is a **2012 fundraise presentation** for Runrun.it, a Brazilian SaaS work‑management platform that helps managers track employee time, tasks and productivity. The deck (13 slides) was reportedly used to raise **US$500k in seed funding in August 2012** for the company’s early expansion. It precedes Runrun.it’s later growth‑stage deck presented at **500 Startups’ Miami Demo Day in November 2018**, which highlighted $2M ARR and over 1,000 paying companies. Runrun.it positions itself as a solution to reclaim wasted payroll by tracking work time and leveraging AI‑driven insights into workflows.

Business model: Cloud-based work and team management SaaS focused on **time‑centered work tracking**, task/project management, performance evaluation and AI‑enabled reporting for service companies.

Round: Seed (this specific 2012 deck).
Year: 2012
Raised: US$500,000 seed round closed on 1 August 2012.
Investors: Seed: Investors not fully disclosed publicly, but later rounds include **Monashees Capital**, **500 Startups/500 Global*
Founded: 2012
Founders: Franklin Valadares, Antonio Carlos Soares, Patrick Lisbona
Headquarters: São Paulo, Brazil
Industry: Work management / Team management SaaS

Total funding: Runrun.it has raised approximately **US$4.4M–US$4.8M** in total funding, according to different databases.

What happened after the Runrun.it deck

Runrun.it used its 2012 seed‑stage deck to raise US$500k and subsequently attracted Monashees, 500 Startups and other investors, scaling to a multi‑million‑dollar ARR SaaS recognized in multiple markets before ultimately reaching a completed merger/acquisition transaction in 2024.

US$500k seed round closed on **1 August 2012**.
Subsequent investments from **Monashees Capital and 500 Startups** totaling just over **US$1M (R$2.1M)**.
Selection for **500 Startups’ 2018 Miami Growth Program**, with a demo day deck reporting **$2M ARR and 1,000+ paying co
Total funding reaching approximately **US$4.4M–US$4.8M** according to public sources.
A merger/acquisition event recorded in **December 2024**, indicating a completed M&A outcome after the company had reach

What the Runrun.it deck got right

Compelling, cost‑anchored problem framing. The deck’s narrative centers on a **large, easily understood pain point: wasted payroll**, stating that 60% of budget goes to payroll and 40% of that effort is wasted. This framing directly connects the problem to a major cost line item, making the opportunity feel substantial and urgent.
Clear linkage between time tracking and profitability. Runrun.it offers a **concrete product solution**—time‑centered work tracking with Smart Time Tracking®, automatic timesheets and AI‑enabled dashboards—that ties employee time to client and project profitability. This makes the pitch more credible than a purely conceptual workflow story.
Visually strong, live‑presentation‑optimized design. External commentary highlights the deck as **high‑impact and low‑text**, optimized for live demo day delivery, which helps maintain audience attention and allows the founder to drive the story visually. This style is well‑suited to environments like 500 Startups’ demo day.
Thesis validated by subsequent ARR and customer growth. The company later demonstrates **substantial traction**—$2M ARR and 1,000+ paying companies by 2018—built on the same core thesis and product line presented in the early deck. For investors evaluating the historical deck today, this validates that the original problem and solution translated into real market adoption.
Strong investor and accelerator validation. Runrun.it secured backing from **experienced regional VC Monashees**, global accelerator **500 Startups/500 Global**, and **Startupbootcamp**, signaling that the opportunity resonated with multiple sophisticated investors and giving the deck additional external credibility.
Balanced founding team with technical and business experience. The founding team combines **product/technical leadership (Franklin Valadares)** with experienced business investors/co‑founders (Antonio Carlos Soares and Patrick Lisbona), creating a balanced profile for a B2B SaaS platform. This mix typically appeals to early‑stage SaaS investors.

What could have been stronger

Over‑reliance on verbal explanation and minimal on‑slide detail. External descriptions emphasize that this 2012 deck is extremely **low‑text and optimized for a live demo**, which may reduce clarity for investors reviewing the deck without the founder’s verbal narrative. Important details like pricing, funnel metrics and implementation specifics are not clearly communicated in text and must be inferred from narration.
Limited early‑stage usage and unit‑economics detail in the deck. For a **seed/early Series A productivity SaaS**, investors typically look for concrete evidence of active usage—daily/weekly active users, retention cohorts and productivity gains by customer segment. Public commentary on the 2012 deck highlights strong narrative about wasted payroll but does not cite quantified usage metrics or unit economics from that period, limiting its ability to demonstrate behavioral stickiness at the time.
Early monetization strategy risk not clearly addressed. The company later reports **significant price increases and a pivot away from freemium**, suggesting that early pricing and go‑to‑market assumptions were not sustainable. There is no clear indication that the 2012 deck surfaced these risks or alternative monetization strategies, which would make it harder for investors to assess the robustness of the business model at that time.
Product differentiation not fully articulated in early deck. While later materials emphasize integrations, AI features and Smart Time Tracking®, externally available commentary on the 2012 deck focuses more on the problem (wasted payroll) than on specific **technical or product differentiation** versus other time‑tracking and project‑management tools. This may have made the early deck seem less defensible on the product side, especially in a crowded SaaS category.

How an investor would read this deck

What draws attention

Evidence that corporates waste a large portion of payroll due to inefficient work management, with the deck citing that **40% of payroll is ‘wasted’** and positioning this as a large, quantifiable pain point.
The existence of a **measurable, time‑tracking‑centric workflow product** that ties employee hours to client and project profitability through Smart Time Tracking and automatic timesheets.
The presence of **credible early investors and accelerators**—US$500k seed in 2012, followed by backing from Monashees Capital, 500 Startups and Startupbootcamp—indicating validation from experienced SaaS and LatAm investors.
Later‑stage traction proof in the same product line (though in a different deck): **$2M ARR and 1,000+ paying companies by 2018**, showing that the thesis around wasted payroll and time tracking translated into real revenue growth.

Risks that stand out

Early **freemium and low‑pricing strategy** that later proved unsustainable, requiring significant price increases to fix unit economics, which could have introduced churn and slowed growth.
Operating in a **crowded SaaS category** (time tracking, project and task management) with many global competitors and high switching costs once entrenched tools are adopted.
Dependence on convincing managers and employees to consistently **adopt time‑tracking workflows**, which can face resistance and may impact engagement or perceived surveillance if not positioned carefully.
Macroeconomic and regional risk associated with scaling a B2B SaaS originating in Brazil and Latin America, including currency volatility and differing corporate purchasing behavior compared to US/EU markets.

Questions this deck invites

What were Runrun.it’s **key usage metrics** (active users, retention, expansion within accounts) at the time of the 2012 deck, and how did they evolve in the first 18–24 months after the seed round?
How did the team ultimately **resolve the broken unit economics** associated with the initial freemium and low‑pricing strategy, and what evidence existed in 2012 that customers were willing to pay significantly more per seat?
Which **customer segments and verticals** produced the strongest adoption and ROI signals (e.g., agencies, consultancies, BPOs), and how clearly were these ICPs defined and prioritized at the time of the seed round?
What was the concrete **product roadmap for AI and predictive features** when they were first introduced, and how much of this was already envisioned or in development at the time of the 2012 pitch versus added later (by the 2018 demo day)?
How did Runrun.it plan to compete against global and regional **task/project management and time‑tracking incumbents**, and what specific capabilities (e.g., payroll inefficiency focus, financial reporting, AI) were expected to provide dura

What founders can take from the Runrun.it deck

Anchoring a SaaS pitch around a **large, quantifiable waste figure (e.g., 40% of payroll)** can make the pain point tangible and memorable, especially when tied directly to a concrete line item like salaries and corporate productivity.
A **high‑impact, low‑text deck** can be effective for demo days and live presentations where the founder narrates the story, but it trade‑offs clarity for asynchronous review; investors reading the deck later may miss key metrics or logic that were only spoken.
Demonstrating later‑stage traction (e.g., **$2M ARR and 1,000+ paying companies**) built on the same core product vision reinforces that the initial thesis around wasted payroll and time‑tracking can translate into a scalable SaaS business.
Early decisions on **pricing and freemium** can break unit economics; Runrun.it’s later need to raise prices ~12x shows the importance of presenting robust monetization thinking and sensitivity analyses even in an early‑stage deck.
Aligning with **credible regional VCs and global accelerators** (Monashees, 500 Startups, Startupbootcamp) can significantly strengthen a pitch, signaling external validation and access to networks beyond the founder’s home market.
A clear narrative connecting **time tracking, cost allocation and profitability reporting** helps position a work‑management tool not just as a productivity app but as a financial performance and decision‑support system, which can justify higher willingness to pay.

Runrun.it pitch deck: common questions

What does Runrun.it do?

Runrun.it is a **cloud work‑management and time‑tracking platform** that helps companies manage tasks, projects and team performance while automatically tracking where employees’ time goes. Users click “Play” on tasks, and the system logs hours, allocates costs to clients/projects and generates timesheets and budget‑control reports.

Who founded Runrun.it and when?

Runrun.it was founded in **2012 in São Paulo, Brazil** by Franklin Valadares, with investment and co‑founding roles from Antonio Carlos Soares and Patrick Lisbona. It focuses on helping service companies and other organizations improve productivity and visibility into project profitability through structured time tracking and workflow management.

How much funding has Runrun.it raised and who invested?

Runrun.it raised **US$500k in a seed round on 1 August 2012**. Subsequently, investors **Monashees Capital and 500 Startups** backed the company with investments totaling just over **US$1M (R$2.1M)**, and overall funding disclosed by different sources is in the **US$4.4M–US$4.8M** range.

Which Runrun.it pitch deck is this, and how is it different from the 2018 demo day deck?

The 2012 deck you are researching is a **13‑slide seed‑stage presentation** used to raise around **US$500k** for Runrun.it’s early growth. A later, distinct deck was presented at **500 Startups Demo Day in Miami on 1 November 2018**, showcasing $2M ARR and over 1,000 paying customers at that time.

Is Runrun.it associated with 500 Startups or other accelerators?

Yes. Runrun.it participated in **500 Startups’ Miami Growth Program in 2018** as a time‑centered work‑tracking solution for service companies. 500 Startups (now 500 Global) is also listed as an investor in the company alongside Monashees and Startupbootcamp.