What was the primary value proposition of Ooomf according to the deck?

Ooomf positioned itself as a premium marketplace for the 'future of work.' Unlike broad freelance platforms, it focused on high-quality mobile app development and design. The deck emphasizes a curated experience where 'the single best pro comes to you,' featuring developers with Apple Design Awards and high App Store ratings to justify higher project budgets.

How did Ooomf demonstrate market demand?

The founders used a combination of internal traction and macro market trends. Slide 3 shows a steep growth curve reaching nearly $1 million in bookings in half a year. Slide 6 contextualizes this by showing the rapid expansion of the online contractor billing market, which was expected to quadruple in size within two years.

What specific team credentials were highlighted?

The team slide (Slide 7) focused on '15+ years experience working as independent creative professionals.' Specific metrics for each founder were included: Mikael's blog growth (40k+), Steph's early entrepreneurship (profitable at 16), Angus's two previous startups, and Luke's design reach (25k+ downloads a month).

Is the business model or take rate explained in the slides?

No. The provided slides focus on 'projects booked' and 'contractor billings' rather than the specific commission or subscription model Ooomf used to generate revenue. While the traction is clear, the unit economics and net revenue margins are omitted from this portion of the presentation.

How does the deck handle competition?

The deck mentions competitors like oDesk, Elance, and 99designs on Slide 6, but it does so to define the market size rather than to provide a feature-by-feature comparison. By showcasing high-end projects ($20k+) and award-winning talent, Ooomf implicitly differentiates itself from these lower-cost, high-volume competitors.

Ooomf (now Crew) Pitch Deck (2013): 18-Slide Seed Deck

See all 18 slides of the Ooomf pitch deck — a 2013 Seed/Early deck — with a slide-by-slide teardown of what the deck does well and where it falls short.

The Ooomf pitch deck is a lean, 18-slide presentation that prioritizes data over decoration. Raising $2 million, the company focused on a specific pain point: connecting high-quality creative professionals with mobile app projects. The deck stands out for its immediate disclosure of traction, showing a 30% month-over-month growth rate and $950,000 in projects within just six months. By framing the market through the lens of 'Online Contractor Billings' and showcasing a team with a history of building profitable businesses, Ooomf effectively argued that they were the premium alternative to gen…

Key takeaways

The deck leads with a high-growth traction chart showing $950,000 in projects booked within the first 6 months (Slide 3).
Ooomf reports a consistent 30% month-to-month growth rate between February 2013 and August 2013 (Slide 3).
The product workflow is simplified into a three-step process, starting with 'Pitch Your Inspiration' and selecting app types like iPhone or Android (Slide 4).
The platform targets high-value projects, with UI mockups showing budget ranges between $3,000 and $20,000 (Slide 4).
Market size is defined by 'Online Contractor Billings,' growing from $1B in 2012 to a projected $4B in 2014 (Slide 6).
The team slide highlights specific achievements, such as building a blog to 40,000+ visitors in 3 months and starting a profitable business at age 16 (Slide 7).
A case study ('Meet Milan') demonstrates the platform's earning potential for developers, citing $15k earned in one month (Slide 8).
The company set an aggressive forward-looking goal to be on track to book $100MM in projects by 2015 (Slide 9).

Introduction: The Minimalist Path to $2 Million

The Ooomf pitch deck (the company later rebranded to Crew) is a notable example of the 'traction-first' school of fundraising. In an era where many decks are cluttered with dense text and complex diagrams, Ooomf opted for a dark-themed, high-contrast aesthetic that allows their growth metrics to take center stage. The deck consists of 18 slides, though the core narrative is contained within the nine slides analyzed here. This teardown examines how the founders leveraged early momentum and a clear product vision to secure $2 million in capital.

Slide 1: Title and Positioning

The cover slide is remarkably sparse. It features the Ooomf logo, the tagline "The future of work," and the name of the founder, Mikael Cho. By including the URL (ooomf.com), the slide immediately directs investors to the live product. The tagline is broad, positioning the company as a macro-trend play rather than just a niche freelance site.

Slide 2: The Philosophical Hook

Slide 2 contains only three words: "Average is over." This serves as a psychological anchor for the rest of the presentation. It suggests that the existing solutions for hiring talent (the 'average' platforms) are no longer sufficient for the high-quality demands of the modern economy. It sets the stage for a premium solution.

Slide 3: The Traction 'J-Curve'

This is arguably the most important slide in the deck. Ooomf does not wait until the end to show results. Slide 3 displays a growth chart from February 2013 to August 2013. The figures are explicit: "$950,000 in projects in 6 months" and "30% month-to-month growth." By leading with these numbers, the founders validate the business model before they even explain how the product works. If a company is growing at 30% monthly, investors are primed to listen to the 'how' and 'why.'

Slide 4 & 5: Product Simplicity and Curation

Slide 4 introduces the user interface, titled "1. PITCH YOUR INSPIRATION." The mockup shows a simple slider for budget (ranging from $3,000 to $20,000 ) and icons for iPhone, iPad, and Android. This indicates a focus on high-ticket mobile development rather than low-cost micro-tasks. Slide 5, titled "3. THE SINGLE BEST PRO COMES TO YOU," highlights the curation aspect. It features a profile for 'Edward Scherf,' a UI Designer with an Apple Design Award and 10,000+ reviews . This reinforces the 'Average is over' theme by showing that the platform attracts top-tier talent.

Slide 6: Market Contextualization

The market slide uses two circles to represent "Online Contractor Billings." It cites a $1B market in 2012 growing to $4B in 2014. Interestingly, it lists oDesk, Elance, and 99designs in parentheses. This is a strategic move: it acknowledges the giants in the space to prove the market is real, while the previous slides have already established that Ooomf is targeting a higher-value segment of that market.

Slide 7: The 'Doer' Team

The team slide emphasizes execution over pedigree. While many decks lead with Ivy League degrees, Ooomf leads with "15+ years experience working as independent creative professionals." The individual bios are metric-heavy: Mikael built a blog to 40,000+ in 3 months ; Luke built a product to 25,000+ downloads a month ; Steph started a profitable online business at 16 . This tells investors that the team knows how to acquire users and generate revenue.

Slide 8: The Case Study

Slide 8, "MEET MILAN," provides a concrete example of the platform's value to the supply side. It shows an iOS developer earning "$15k in one month." This is a powerful proof point for the health of the marketplace; if developers can earn significant income, the platform will naturally attract and retain the best talent without high acquisition costs.

Slide 9: The Visionary Goal

The final slide in this set is a bold projection: "On track to book $100MM in projects by 2015." Placed over a cityscape, this slide shifts the conversation from what the company has done to what it will become. It provides the 'venture scale' outcome that investors require to justify a $2 million seed or Series A round.

What Works in This Deck

The Ooomf deck is a masterclass in brevity and impact . By using a dark background and bright blue accents, the data points pop off the screen. The decision to lead with traction (Slide 3) is the strongest element of the deck. It eliminates the 'does this work?' question immediately, allowing the investor to focus on 'how big can this get?'

The focus on quality is also a recurring and successful theme. By showing project budgets of $20,000 and developers with Apple Design Awards, Ooomf differentiates itself from the 'race to the bottom' pricing seen on platforms like Fiverr or early-stage Upwork. This positioning justifies a higher valuation because the take-rate on a $20,000 project is significantly more valuable than on a $50 project.

What Is Missing

Despite its success, the deck leaves several critical questions unanswered in these nine slides:

Business Model: There is no mention of the company's take-rate or how they actually make money. We see 'projects booked,' but not 'net revenue.' · Unit Economics: The deck does not disclose Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC) or Lifetime Value (LTV). While the 30% growth is impressive, investors would eventually need to know if that growth is profitable. · The 'Ask': The specific amount being raised and the intended use of funds are not present in this selection of slides. · Retention Metrics: While we see new bookings, there is no data on repeat customers or developer churn.

Founder Takeaways: What to Copy

Founders should emulate Ooomf's metric-driven team bios . Instead of just listing titles, list what you built and how many people used it. This builds immediate credibility. Additionally, the three-step product simplification (Slides 4 and 5) is an excellent way to explain a complex marketplace without getting bogged down in technical details. Finally, if you have a growth chart that looks like Slide 3, put it at the beginning . Don't make investors wait for the good news.

Frequently asked questions

What was the primary value proposition of Ooomf according to the deck?: Ooomf positioned itself as a premium marketplace for the 'future of work.' Unlike broad freelance platforms, it focused on high-quality mobile app development and design. The deck emphasizes a curated experience where 'the single best pro comes to you,' featuring developers with Apple Design Awards and high App Store ratings to justify higher project budgets.
How did Ooomf demonstrate market demand?: The founders used a combination of internal traction and macro market trends. Slide 3 shows a steep growth curve reaching nearly $1 million in bookings in half a year. Slide 6 contextualizes this by showing the rapid expansion of the online contractor billing market, which was expected to quadruple in size within two years.
What specific team credentials were highlighted?: The team slide (Slide 7) focused on '15+ years experience working as independent creative professionals.' Specific metrics for each founder were included: Mikael's blog growth (40k+), Steph's early entrepreneurship (profitable at 16), Angus's two previous startups, and Luke's design reach (25k+ downloads a month).
Is the business model or take rate explained in the slides?: No. The provided slides focus on 'projects booked' and 'contractor billings' rather than the specific commission or subscription model Ooomf used to generate revenue. While the traction is clear, the unit economics and net revenue margins are omitted from this portion of the presentation.
How does the deck handle competition?: The deck mentions competitors like oDesk, Elance, and 99designs on Slide 6, but it does so to define the market size rather than to provide a feature-by-feature comparison. By showcasing high-end projects ($20k+) and award-winning talent, Ooomf implicitly differentiates itself from these lower-cost, high-volume competitors.

Cover slide of the Ooomf (now Crew) pitch deck — Seed/Early Stage 2013 — Ooomf (now Crew) pitch deck, slide 1 (2013)

Ooomf (now Crew) pitch deck: the facts

Company: Ooomf (now Crew)
Year: 2013
Stage: Seed/Early Stage
Slides: 18
Sector: Freelance Marketplace
Deck type: Investor Presentation
Outcome: Raised $2 million
Headquarters: Montreal, Canada

Ooomf (now Crew) pitch deck PDF

The full Ooomf (now Crew) 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 Ooomf (now Crew) pitch deck was used for

This deck is the 18‑slide investor presentation shared publicly as “The investor presentation we used to raise 2 million dollars” by Mikael Cho, for Ooomf, the freelancer marketplace that later rebranded as Crew. It was used around 2013–2014 at the seed/early stage to raise approximately $2.1 million and is positioned as a minimalist, traction‑driven marketplace pitch. At the time, Ooomf had pivoted from an app discovery platform into a curated marketplace for web and mobile projects. The deck emphasizes rapid project volume growth and a premium positioning versus low‑cost freelance sites.

Business model: Online marketplace connecting vetted freelance designers and developers with web and mobile app projects, positioned as a higher‑quality alternative to low‑cost bidding sites.

Investors: Atlas Venture (lead, via partner Fred Destin)., Naval Ravikant (founder of AngelList)., Real Ventures., BDC Venture Capital., iNovia Capital., Boldstart Venture Capital., Undisclosed angel investors associated with earlier seed capital.
Headquarters: Montreal, Canada.
Industry: Freelance marketplace / talent marketplace for web and mobile product development.

Round: Seed / early‑stage marketplace round associated with the Crew rebrand.

Year: 2014 for the $2.1 million round linked to the Crew rebrand; the prior $500,000 seed round was in 2012.

Raising: Seed/early‑stage capital to scale the curated freelancer marketplace and support the rebrand from Ooomf to Crew.

Raised: Approximately $2.1 million in the 2014 round associated with the Crew rebrand, on top of a prior $500,000 seed round in 2012.

Lead investor: Fred Destin of Atlas Venture led the $2.1 million funding round tied to Ooomf’s transition to Crew.

Total funding: Ooomf/Crew raised a $500,000 seed round for its original app discovery platform in 2012 and later raised an additional $2.1 million when rebranding as Crew in 2014, bringing known funding to at least $2.6 million.

Use of funds as presented: TechCrunch reports that the additional $2.1 million was raised to support Ooomf’s transformation into Crew and to grow the freelancer marketplace connecting mobile and web developers with projects.

What happened after the Ooomf (now Crew) deck

Ooomf evolved from an app discovery platform into a curated freelancer marketplace, rebranding as Crew and raising at least $2.6 million across seed and a subsequent round, before the marketplace business was acquired by Dribbble and a spin‑off product, Unsplash, achieved its own scale.

Ooomf raised a $500,000 seed round in 2012 for its original app discovery platform, led by Real Ventures with participat
In 2013, the company shuttered its app discovery product and relaunched as a freelancer marketplace for web and mobile p
In 2014, Ooomf rebranded as Crew and raised an additional $2.1 million led by Fred Destin of Atlas Venture, with partici
The Crew marketplace for designers and developers later grew and was eventually acquired by Dribbble in 2017.
A side project launched by the founders, Unsplash, spun out and became a large standalone photo platform.

What the Ooomf (now Crew) deck got right

Exceptional early traction clearly showcased. Analyses of the deck highlight exceptionally strong early traction, including nearly $950,000 in projects within six months and high month‑over‑month growth, which made the marketplace story compelling for seed investors.
Minimalist, focused design that amplifies key signals. Commentary describes the deck as minimalist but high‑impact, using clean visuals and a small number of slides to focus attention on key metrics and the premium marketplace positioning.
Clear differentiation from incumbent freelance platforms. The deck effectively positions Ooomf/Crew against low‑cost freelance sites like Elance and oDesk by emphasizing curated, higher‑value projects and better outcomes for both clients and freelancers.
Strong, coherent narrative flow. External breakdowns note that the narrative progression—from problem, to curated solution, to traction and vision—is tight and easy to follow, which likely helped investors quickly grasp the opportunity.
Ability to attract high‑quality investors. Later coverage shows that the fundraise brought in respected investors such as Atlas Venture and Naval Ravikant, suggesting the deck successfully conveyed credibility and opportunity to top‑tier backers.
Leveraging prior investor support as social proof. The deck builds on Ooomf’s prior seed backing from Real Ventures and BDC, providing social proof that experienced investors already believed in the team and its evolving product vision.

What could have been stronger

Limited visibility into unit economics and profitability path. External breakdowns of the deck note that while the presentation is strong on marketplace positioning and traction, it provides limited detail on long‑term unit economics and margins, leaving investors to infer the sustainability of the business model.
Operational scalability and curation mechanisms are under‑explained. Analyses of the deck point out that the marketplace story is heavily focused on GMV and growth rates, with less concrete detail on how supply quality is maintained at scale or how project matching is operationalized, which might prompt scalability questions.
Customer acquisition and competitive moat not deeply developed. Commentary on the deck highlights its minimalism and strong narrative, but also notes that certain aspects of customer acquisition strategy and competitive defensibility versus incumbents like Elance and oDesk are only lightly touched upon.
Sparse financial forecasting beyond traction metrics. Because the deck is designed to be highly visual and concise, some investors might perceive a lack of detailed financial projections or scenario analysis beyond headline GMV and growth metrics.

How an investor would read this deck

What draws attention

Early traction metrics such as nearly $950,000 in projects within six months and high month‑over‑month growth rates, which external breakdowns identify as central to the deck.
The positioning of Ooomf/Crew as a curated, premium marketplace that avoids race‑to‑the‑bottom bidding, addressing dissatisfaction with generic freelance platforms.
Evidence of strong demand from both sides of the marketplace, with project values significantly above industry averages, supporting the case for a differentiated vertical.
The quality of the founding team and backers, including prior seed funding from Real Ventures and BDC and the later involvement of Atlas Venture and Naval Ravikant.

Risks that stand out

Marketplace two‑sidedness inherently created execution risk: failure to maintain balance between project demand and freelancer supply could stall growth or harm user experience.
Competition from established freelance platforms posed a risk that Ooomf/Crew’s premium positioning might not be sufficient to defend against better‑funded incumbents.
Reliance on high‑value projects meant that any downturn in startup or digital product spending could disproportionately impact GMV.
The pivot from app discovery to marketplace introduced strategic risk; investors needed confidence that the new model leveraged, rather than discarded, prior learnings and relationships.

Questions this deck invites

How sustainable were the reported GMV levels and month‑over‑month growth, once marketing spend and seasonality were accounted for?
What were the key drivers of customer acquisition on both the client and freelancer sides, and what were the associated CAC and payback periods?
How did Ooomf/Crew ensure consistent quality and timely delivery across vetted freelancers as the marketplace scaled beyond the initial cohort?
What was the long‑term plan for defensibility against larger horizontal marketplaces such as Elance and oDesk, including product, brand, or data moats?
How did the pivot from app discovery to a freelancer marketplace affect existing investors, product roadmap, and organizational capabilities?

What founders can take from the Ooomf (now Crew) deck

Strong, concrete traction metrics (such as total project value booked and month‑over‑month growth) can materially strengthen a seed‑stage marketplace pitch when presented clearly and prominently.
Positioning a marketplace around curation and premium quality, rather than lowest price, can differentiate it in crowded categories and resonate with investors frustrated by race‑to‑the‑bottom dynamics.
A visually minimalist deck that focuses on a few compelling data points and a clear problem–solution narrative can be effective, as shown by Ooomf/Crew’s ability to close a multi‑million dollar round with this presentation.
Demonstrating a thoughtful pivot (from app discovery to a freelancer marketplace) and then tying prior investor support into the new story can help maintain credibility during major strategic shifts.
Including investors and advisors in the deck, once relationships exist, can provide social proof that may ease concerns about marketplace execution risk.
Publicly sharing a successful deck, as Mikael Cho did, offers a reference template for other founders and shows that transparency about fundraising tactics can build brand and community.

Ooomf (now Crew) pitch deck: common questions

What did Ooomf / Crew do at the time of this pitch deck?

Ooomf (later rebranded as Crew) was a freelancer marketplace that connected vetted designers, developers, and other product talent with web and mobile app projects, focusing on higher‑value, premium work rather than low‑cost bidding.

What fundraise was this Ooomf (Crew) pitch deck used for?

This 18‑slide deck, shared as “The investor presentation we used to raise 2 million dollars,” was used around 2013–2014 to pitch Ooomf’s curated freelance marketplace and helped the company close about $2.1 million in funding.

Who invested in the funding round that this deck helped Ooomf / Crew raise?

According to TechCrunch, the $2.1 million round associated with Ooomf’s transition to Crew was led by Fred Destin of Atlas Venture, with participation from Naval Ravikant, Real Ventures, iNovia Capital, Boldstart Venture Capital and others.

How much funding did Ooomf / Crew raise overall around this period?

TechCrunch reports that Ooomf initially raised $500,000 in seed funding in 2012 for its app discovery platform; later, after pivoting to a freelancer marketplace and rebranding as Crew, the company raised an additional $2.1 million in 2014.

What happened to Crew after this seed‑stage pitch deck?

After the marketplace grew under the Crew brand, the company was eventually acquired by Dribbble in 2017, while a side project launched by the founders, Unsplash, grew into a large standalone platform.