How much did Twine raise with this deck?

According to the catalogue listing, Twine raised over $1M in funding using this pitch deck. In total, the company has raised $1.1M across seven investment rounds. The deck itself does not state the specific amount being sought in the 2017 round, which is a common omission in decks shared publicly after the close.

What is Twine's primary revenue model?

As stated on slide 9, Twine operates on a marketplace commission model. They take a 20% commission for facilitating the hire and payment process. The platform uses user ratings and project milestones to build trust and specifically to reduce 'platform circumvention,' where users might try to take transactions offline to avoid fees.

How does Twine differentiate itself from competitors like Upwork or Fiverr?

Twine uses a 2x2 matrix on slide 13 to position itself as a 'Social Marketplace.' Unlike Upwork or Freelancer, which they categorize as pure marketplaces, or Behance and Dribbble, which are pure social/portfolio sites, Twine claims to combine the two. This allows creatives to build portfolios and receive credits on projects while also finding paid work.

What was Twine's user acquisition strategy?

Twine's 'Route to Market' (Slide 10) focuses heavily on organic search. They built 41,000 localized landing pages to capture the 2 million monthly searches from small companies looking for creatives. They also target startups in the fashion and tech sectors specifically through content marketing.

Who are the key people behind Twine?

The leadership team includes Founder and CEO Stuart Logan, a second-time founder with a track record of building an ad-tech firm to £1.4m in revenue, and Co-Founder/CTO Damien Shiells, who holds a BEng in Computer Science and has worked with Logan for four years (Slide 11).

Twine Pitch Deck (2017): 15-Slide Seed Deck

See all 15 slides of the Twine pitch deck — a 2017 Seed deck — with a slide-by-slide teardown of what the deck does well and where it falls short.

Twine’s 2017 Seed deck is a masterclass in demonstrating marketplace sequencing. By explicitly dividing their progress into 'Phase 1' (Supply) and 'Phase 2' (Demand), the founders showed a clear strategic path to liquidity. The deck highlights a massive supply of 175,000 creatives across 169 countries, providing a strong foundation for their 20% commission model. While the deck lacks a specific financial 'Ask' slide and detailed unit economics like CAC or LTV, it compensates with strong social proof and a clear competitive positioning that moves beyond simple job boards into a 'social marketp…

Key takeaways

The company identifies a £400 billion annual spend by SMEs on content marketing as the primary market opportunity (Slide 2).
Twine successfully built a supply of 175,000 registered creatives across 169 countries before aggressively pursuing the demand side (Slide 7).
The business model relies on a 20% commission for facilitating hires and payments, using milestones to prevent platform circumvention (Slide 9).
Growth is driven by a programmatic SEO strategy featuring 41,000 localized landing pages to capture long-tail organic search (Slide 10).
The founder, Stuart Logan, brings credibility as a second-time founder who previously built an ad-tech company to £1.4m in gross annual revenue (Slide 11).
Twine positions itself in the 'Social Marketplace' quadrant, distinguishing itself from pure marketplaces like Upwork and pure social platforms like Behance (Slide 13).
The deck reports £12k of project briefs added in September during the early stages of their demand-side growth phase (Slide 8).

The Twine Teardown: A Strategic Approach to Creative Marketplaces

Twine’s 2017 pitch deck is a focused, 15-slide presentation that successfully secured over $1M in seed funding. The deck is notable for its clean design and its emphasis on the 'supply-first' marketplace strategy. By the time this deck was presented, Twine had already solved the hardest part of any marketplace: the cold-start problem on the supply side.

The Market Opportunity and Problem Statement

Slides 2-4 set the stage by defining the scale of the creative economy. On Slide 2, Twine identifies that SMEs spend 32% of their marketing budgets on content marketing, totaling £400 billion per year. They also note that creative freelancing is growing at 25% annually. This provides a clear 'why now' for investors, pointing to a massive, expanding market.

The problem is framed from two perspectives (Slides 3 and 4): companies need high-quality audio-visual content to engage customers, while creative freelancers struggle to build networks and find consistent paid work. This dual-sided problem is the classic justification for a marketplace solution.

The Solution: A Social Marketplace Hybrid

Slides 5-6 introduce Twine. The company defines itself as a marketplace connecting companies to a network of freelancers in design, music, and film. A key differentiator mentioned on Slide 6 is the 'audio-visual portfolio platform.' Unlike generic freelance sites, Twine allows 'creatives behind the scenes' (producers, vocalists, crew) to be credited on projects. This feature is designed to incentivize freelancers to stay on the platform to build their professional reputation, not just to find a one-off job.

Traction and Marketplace Sequencing

Slides 7-8 are the core of the deck's credibility. Twine uses a 'Phase' approach to explain their growth. Slide 7 shows 'Phase 1' as complete, having grown the supply side to 175,000 registered creatives across 169 countries (30% US, 10% UK). This is a significant number for a seed-stage company and proves they can attract talent.

Slide 8 introduces 'Phase 2,' which focuses on the demand side (SMEs). They report £12k of project briefs added in September. While this revenue figure is modest compared to the supply numbers, it demonstrates that the transition from a community to a commercial marketplace has begun. The line graph shows a clear upward trend in demand from May to July.

Business Model and Growth Strategy

Slides 9-10 detail how the company makes money and how it plans to scale. Twine takes a 20% commission on transactions (Slide 9). They explicitly mention that 'project milestones create trust and reduce platform circumvention,' acknowledging a common investor fear in the marketplace sector.

The growth strategy (Slide 10) is highly tactical. Twine claims to have 41,000 localized landing pages designed for organic search. This programmatic SEO approach targets the 2 million monthly searches from companies looking for creative talent. This is a sophisticated, low-cost acquisition strategy that suggests the team understands digital marketing at scale.

Team and Social Proof

Slide 11 introduces the team. Stuart Logan (CEO) is highlighted as a second-time founder with prior success in ad-tech (£1.4m revenue). Damien Shiells (CTO) provides the technical backbone with a Computer Science degree and a long-standing working relationship with Logan. The slide also prominently features logos from existing investors like Seedcamp, Creative England, and AXM VC, which provides significant institutional validation.

Competitive Landscape and Vision

Slides 12-15 wrap up the deck with market positioning and mission. Slide 13 uses a 2x2 matrix to place Twine in the 'Social Marketplace' quadrant. They position themselves as more 'social' than Upwork or Fiverr, and more 'marketplace-oriented' than Behance or Dribbble. This is a standard but effective way to visualize a unique value proposition.

Slide 14 provides 'Feedback' from a multi-platinum award-winning music producer, adding a layer of high-end industry social proof. The deck concludes on Slide 15 with a simple mission statement: helping creatives find success and giving buyers a quality service.

What Works in This Deck

Clear Sequencing: Dividing the business into Phase 1 (Supply) and Phase 2 (Demand) shows a sophisticated understanding of marketplace dynamics. It tells investors exactly where the company is in its lifecycle. · Massive Supply Proof: 175,000 registered users is an impressive figure for a seed round. It proves the product has 'gravity' for the creative community. · Specific Growth Levers: Mentioning the 41,000 localized landing pages is much more effective than saying 'we will use SEO.' It shows the work has already been done. · Founder Track Record: Highlighting the CEO's previous £1.4m revenue milestone reduces the perceived risk of the investment.

What Is Missing

The Ask: There is no slide detailing how much money is being raised, the valuation, or the specific use of funds. While often removed for public versions, its absence makes the narrative feel incomplete. · Unit Economics: There is no mention of Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC) or Lifetime Value (LTV). For a marketplace, understanding the cost to acquire an SME versus the commission earned from them is vital. · Burn Rate and Runway: The deck does not show the current financial health of the company or how long the new capital will last. · Detailed Financial Projections: While they show current project brief volume, there is no forward-looking projection of where the 20% commission model leads in 3-5 years.

What a Founder Should Copy

The 'Phase' Slide: If you are building a marketplace, copy the way Twine separated supply growth from demand growth. It prevents you from being judged on low revenue if you can show massive supply-side traction. · Competitive Quadrant: The 2x2 matrix on Slide 13 is a perfect example of how to define a 'middle ground' that combines the best of two existing categories. · Localized Landing Page Strategy: If your business relies on search, be as specific as Twine was about your SEO infrastructure. It proves you have a 'machine' for growth, not just a hope. · Crediting System: The focus on 'credits' for behind-the-scenes workers (Slide 6) is a great example of building a 'moat' through user-generated data that makes the platform sticky.

Frequently asked questions

How much did Twine raise with this deck?: According to the catalogue listing, Twine raised over $1M in funding using this pitch deck. In total, the company has raised $1.1M across seven investment rounds. The deck itself does not state the specific amount being sought in the 2017 round, which is a common omission in decks shared publicly after the close.
What is Twine's primary revenue model?: As stated on slide 9, Twine operates on a marketplace commission model. They take a 20% commission for facilitating the hire and payment process. The platform uses user ratings and project milestones to build trust and specifically to reduce 'platform circumvention,' where users might try to take transactions offline to avoid fees.
How does Twine differentiate itself from competitors like Upwork or Fiverr?: Twine uses a 2x2 matrix on slide 13 to position itself as a 'Social Marketplace.' Unlike Upwork or Freelancer, which they categorize as pure marketplaces, or Behance and Dribbble, which are pure social/portfolio sites, Twine claims to combine the two. This allows creatives to build portfolios and receive credits on projects while also finding paid work.
What was Twine's user acquisition strategy?: Twine's 'Route to Market' (Slide 10) focuses heavily on organic search. They built 41,000 localized landing pages to capture the 2 million monthly searches from small companies looking for creatives. They also target startups in the fashion and tech sectors specifically through content marketing.
Who are the key people behind Twine?: The leadership team includes Founder and CEO Stuart Logan, a second-time founder with a track record of building an ad-tech firm to £1.4m in revenue, and Co-Founder/CTO Damien Shiells, who holds a BEng in Computer Science and has worked with Logan for four years (Slide 11).

Cover slide of the Twine pitch deck — Seed 2017 — Twine pitch deck, slide 1 (2017)

Twine pitch deck: the facts

Company: Twine
Year: 2017
Stage: Seed
Slides: 15
Sector: Marketplaces
Deck type: Seed Pitch Deck
Outcome: Raised $1.1M total
Headquarters: Manchester, UK (implied by UK investors and currency)

Twine pitch deck PDF

The full Twine 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 Twine pitch deck was used for

This is Twine’s 2017 seed-stage pitch deck, a 15‑slide presentation used to raise a substantial seed round that contributed to the company’s total funding of roughly £1.1–1.2M reported at the time. Twine positions itself as a marketplace connecting companies to a large network of creative freelancers in design, music and film, with companies posting project briefs that creatives pitch on and a platform commission of around 20% on completed work. The deck emphasizes supply‑side scale (175,000 registered creatives) and a portfolio‑centric user experience to attract and retain creative freelancers while progressively developing the demand side among SMEs.[source_page] It was used after Twine’s initial funding rounds, as the company evolved from a collaboration platform into a marketplace model in 2016.

Business model: Online marketplace connecting companies with freelance creatives (design, music, film and broader creative roles) who pitch for posted project briefs; Twine takes a commission on completed projects.

Round: Seed
Year: 2017
Investors: Angel investors including Chris Mairs, Jeremy Silver and Stephen Pankhurst, Greater Manchester Combined Authority, Other private business angels referenced in later follow‑on rounds
Headquarters: Manchester, United Kingdom.
Industry: Freelance marketplace / creative recruitment platform.

Raised: Around £400,000 in seed funding reported in 2017, contributing to a cumulative total of approximately £900,000 or $1.1M at that time.

Total funding: Approximately £1.2M in total funding reported as of 2020–2024.

Use of funds as presented: Funding was reported to be used to fuel continued growth of the creative freelancer marketplace, including expanding the team and scaling the platform’s marketplace operations.

What happened after the Twine deck

Following the 2017 seed deck, Twine continued to grow its marketplace and funding base, raising multiple investment rounds that brought total disclosed funding to roughly £1.2M and expanding its freelancer network beyond 350,000 creatives while maintaining its focus on connecting companies with creative talent.

Twine raised multiple funding rounds prior to and after this deck, including a reported £350k investment in 2015 and a £
By 2020, Twine announced that it had secured further investment from GC Angels, the Greater Manchester Combined Authorit
External profiles note that Twine participated in Seedcamp and has continued to operate as a creative freelancing market

What the Twine deck got right

Substantial creative freelancer supply. Twine’s deck highlights a **large, existing network of 175,000 registered creatives**, which serves as strong social proof of supply‑side traction and positions the marketplace as immediately valuable to companies seeking creative talent.[source_article_excerpt]
Clear and simple monetization model. The business model slide clearly states that companies post project briefs with a budget and Twine takes a **20% commission** for facilitating hiring and payments, with user ratings and milestones to build trust, making monetization and value capture straightforward for investors to understand.[source_ocr_slide9]
Focused vertical positioning. The deck introduces Twine as focused on **creative audio‑visual content** for SMEs—design, music and film—rather than being a generalist freelancing site, which sharpens differentiation and suggests deeper product fit for a specific customer segment.[source_ocr_slide5]
Thoughtful marketplace sequencing. Slides describing growth phases note that Twine started by building the supply side and then moved to **Phase 2: growing the demand side – SMEs**, showing a deliberate marketplace strategy of first establishing a strong talent base before investing in client acquisition.[source_ocr_slide8][source_article_excerpt]
Explicit mitigation of trust and disintermediation risks. By highlighting user ratings and project milestones as mechanisms to create trust and reduce off‑platform deals, the deck proactively addresses a classic **marketplace risk** and demonstrates awareness of operational and behavioral challenges in freelance platforms.[source_ocr_slide9]

What could have been stronger

No explicit funding ask visible in the shared deck. In the publicly accessible slides and commentary, the deck does not clearly state the *exact* amount Twine was seeking to raise in this 2017 seed round, which can make it harder for investors reviewing the shared deck alone to understand the capital ask and funding plan.
Demand‑side traction is less quantified than supply. While the deck highlights a network of 175,000 creatives, there is limited externally visible detail on the corresponding demand‑side traction (e.g., number of paying clients, GMV, or repeat usage), even though one slide notes they were “currently growing the demand side – SMEs,” which may leave investors wanting more proof of balanced marketplace growth.[source_ocr_slide8][source_article_excerpt]
Limited visibility on marketplace economics in the shared content. The deck’s emphasis on creatives in design, music and film and a 20% commission model is clear, but there is little public information in the deck itself about unit economics such as customer acquisition cost, payback period, or cohort behavior, which many investors expect at seed when a marketplace is live.[source_ocr_slide9]

How an investor would read this deck

What draws attention

Strong **supply‑side traction** with 175,000 registered creatives, which signals marketplace readiness and provides a defensible asset if engagement is high.[source_article_excerpt]
Clear **business model** where companies post project briefs, freelancers pitch, and Twine takes a 20% commission while handling payments and trust features like ratings and milestones.[source_ocr_slide9]
Focus on a **specific vertical** (creative audio‑visual content for SMEs) rather than a generic freelancing platform, which can increase perceived product–market fit and differentiation.[source_ocr_slide5]
Evidence from external coverage that Twine had already attracted multiple funding rounds, including angel investors and regional funds, which may reassure investors about prior validation.

Risks that stand out

Marketplace **imbalance risk** if supply vastly outpaces demand, which can lead to disengaged creatives and lower platform liquidity despite a large headline user number.[source_ocr_slide8]
Potential **disintermediation** if creatives and companies move off‑platform after making initial contact, even though the deck notes milestones and ratings as mitigants.[source_ocr_slide9]
Competitive pressure from established freelance platforms and other creative marketplaces that might undercut fees or offer broader services, making it harder for Twine to defend a 20% take rate long term.

Questions this deck invites

How does the 175,000‑creative figure break down by active vs. inactive users, and what are the monthly active usage and job application rates per creative at the time of this deck?
What concrete metrics describe the demand side in 2017 (number of paying SME clients, project volume, GMV, and repeat client rate) and how fast were these growing?[source_ocr_slide8]
How sustainable is the 20% commission level in the face of competition from other freelance marketplaces, and what is the rate of off‑platform circumvention despite milestones and ratings?[source_ocr_slide9]
What were Twine’s historical and projected unit economics in 2017 (customer acquisition cost on both sides, contribution margin per project, and payback period on SME acquisition)?
How did Twine plan to defend its niche against larger horizontal freelance platforms beyond focusing on creatives (e.g., network effects, specialized tools, or exclusive talent)?

What founders can take from the Twine deck

Anchoring a pitch deck around a compelling **supply‑side milestone** (such as 175,000 registered creatives) can effectively signal marketplace readiness and help compensate for less mature demand‑side metrics.[source_article_excerpt]
Clearly explaining a straightforward **revenue model**—companies post project briefs, freelancers pitch, and the platform takes a fixed commission—helps investors quickly grasp how the startup makes money.[source_ocr_slide9]
Focusing on a **specific vertical segment** (creative audio‑visual content for SMEs) rather than being a generalist marketplace can make the value proposition more concrete and differentiate the company from bigger horizontal competitors.[source_ocr_slide5]
Using **user ratings and project milestones** as built‑in trust mechanisms is a persuasive way to address investor concerns about quality assurance and platform circumvention in marketplace pitches.[source_ocr_slide9]
Sharing a pitch deck publicly after a successful raise, as Twine did, can be a powerful signal of confidence and provides a case study for future fundraising efforts, though sensitive details like exact raise amount need not appear directly in the deck.

Twine pitch deck: common questions

What is Twine?

Twine is an online marketplace that connects companies with creative freelancers in design, music, film and related creative disciplines, where businesses post project briefs and freelancers pitch to win the work.

How much did Twine raise with this pitch deck?

Twine’s 2017 seed deck was used to help raise a seed round that formed part of the company’s reported total funding of around £1.1–1.2M; public teardown sources state that this deck was associated with raising over $1M, though the exact round size shown in the deck is not disclosed.

How does Twine make money according to the deck?

The deck describes Twine’s model where companies post project briefs with a budget and Twine takes a 20% commission for facilitating hiring and payments, relying on user ratings and project milestones to build trust and reduce off‑platform circumvention.[source_ocr_slide9]

How many creatives were on Twine when this deck was used?

According to the deck and accompanying materials, Twine had a network of around 175,000 registered creatives at the time this pitch deck was shared publicly, which it used to demonstrate marketplace readiness and supply‑side strength.[source_article_excerpt]

What does Twine’s 2017 seed pitch deck focus on?

The deck was created around 2017 at the seed stage, focuses on supply‑side growth and a portfolio‑first product for creatives, and presents Twine’s marketplace model, traction metrics such as the creative network size, and a commission‑based revenue model, but does not explicitly show the target raise amount on the slides that are publicly available.[source_article_excerpt]

Sources

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

Twine pitch deck slides

Twine pitch deck slide 1 of 15 — Twine pitch deck — slide 1 of 15

Twine pitch deck slide 2 of 15 — Twine pitch deck — slide 2 of 15

Twine pitch deck slide 3 of 15 — Twine pitch deck — slide 3 of 15

Twine pitch deck slide 4 of 15 — Twine pitch deck — slide 4 of 15

Twine pitch deck slide 5 of 15 — Twine pitch deck — slide 5 of 15

Twine pitch deck slide 6 of 15 — Twine pitch deck — slide 6 of 15

What each slide of the Twine pitch deck says

Slide 2

Opportunity 1. SMEs spend 32% of their marketing budget on content marketing - oil 2. Freelancing in the creative industry is growing at 25%

Slide 3

Problem Content is essential to the success of companies. They need audio-visual content to engage and

Slide 4

Problem Creative freelancers struggle to build a network and find paid work

Slide 5

Introducing Twine Twine is the marketplace that connects companies to a huge network of creative freelancers in design, music and film Companies post project briefs for audio-visual content that our community can pitch on

Slide 6

Introducing Twine 3 An platform makes hiring creatives easier than on other marketplaces Creatives behind the scenes (producers, vocalists, crew) can be and build their portfolio TE — ~ » 16 CREDITS

Slide 8

Phase 2 ® Started Currently growing the demand side - SMEs £12k of project briefs A added in September e Our existing creatives fulfilling the demand 28 May 9 Jul

Slide 9

Business Model Companies post project briefs with a budget Twine takes a 20% commission for facilitating the hire and payment process User-ratings and project milestones create trust and reduce platform circumvention

Slide text above is read directly from the Twine deck PDF embedded on this page.