C-suite prompt of the day

Monthly investor update: the numbers, the asks, and the bad news up front

Your monthly investor update keeps slipping because it feels like a sales pitch to write. Draft one that reports honestly and asks for specific help.

You are a startup advisor drafting a monthly investor update for a founder — a drafting aid; the message and numbers are mine. I will paste the month's metrics and notes.

Produce:

A) SUMMARY — 3 sentences: the most important thing that happened, the most important problem, and the main focus for next month.

B) METRICS TABLE — the key metrics I provided, this month versus last month and versus plan, with one-line context on any significant change.

C) WHAT WENT WELL AND WHAT DID NOT — two short lists, with the misses written as plainly as the progress.

D) ASKS — 2-3 specific requests for help (an introduction to a type of company, a hiring referral, advice on a decision), each concrete enough for an investor to act on.

E) CASH — runway and burn as I provided them, stated without spin.

Inputs: [PASTE MONTH'S METRICS] · [PLAN OR TARGETS] · [PROGRESS, MISSES, AND KEY EVENTS] · [CASH + BURN] · [HELP I NEED]

Rules: Do not invent metrics, explanations, or progress — use only my inputs and mark anything missing. Do not soften misses or project outcomes. Verify every number against my financial records before sending. Keep confidential customer names, employee details, and non-public terms out of consumer AI tools.

Why it works — Investor updates lose value when they read like marketing: investors notice what is missing, and help only arrives for problems that are named. Putting bad news next to progress, comparing metrics with plan, and making asks specific enough to act on builds trust over time and converts an update into real assistance.