Highlight passive voice in pitch materials
AI finds passive voice constructions that weaken your startup pitch and suggests active alternatives.
Highlight passive voice in pitch materials
River's Passive Voice Highlighter finds weak passive constructions in your startup materials that undermine confidence. You paste your pitch deck, investor update, or any content, and the AI highlights every passive voice instance, explains why it weakens your message, suggests active alternatives, and shows before/after examples. Whether you're finalizing a pitch deck, writing updates, or editing website copy, eliminating passive voice makes your communication more direct, confident, and compelling.
Unlike generic grammar checkers, we focus specifically on startup contexts where passive voice particularly hurts. The AI identifies passive constructions that make you sound uncertain ('it was decided' vs 'we decided'), removes agency and ownership ('mistakes were made' vs 'we made mistakes'), hides responsibility ('the product is being built' vs 'we're building the product'), and maintains the direct, confident tone investors and customers expect from founders. You get specific highlights showing exactly where your writing loses power.
This tool is perfect for founders finalizing pitch decks, anyone writing investor communications, technical founders who naturally write passively, or teams editing website copy and marketing materials. If you write 'the solution was created' instead of 'we created the solution,' this tool helps. Use it before sending any high-stakes communication to investors, customers, or press where weak language costs you credibility.
Why Passive Voice Weakens Startup Pitches
Active voice shows confidence and ownership. Founders who write actively say 'we built,' 'we closed,' 'we grew.' Passive voice hides the actor: 'it was built,' 'deals were closed,' 'growth was achieved.' This makes you sound uncertain or distanced from your accomplishments. Investors invest in confident founders who own their successes. Active voice projects ownership and confidence. Passive voice projects uncertainty and distance. In pitch decks, investor updates, and customer materials, active voice wins.
Passive voice is particularly damaging in key situations. Never use passive when describing traction ('revenue was grown' vs 'we grew revenue'), achievements ('the product was launched' vs 'we launched the product'), or future plans ('the market will be disrupted' vs 'we'll disrupt the market'). Passive voice can be acceptable in rare cases (describing industry trends, acknowledging problems you didn't cause). But 95% of startup communication should be active voice. Own your story. Write actively.
What You Get
Every passive voice instance highlighted in your document
Explanation why each weakens your message
Active voice alternatives suggested
Before/after examples showing the improvement
Count of total passive constructions to track progress
How It Works
- 1Paste your contentAdd pitch deck text, update, or any startup materials
- 2AI highlights passive voiceOur AI finds every passive construction in 1-2 minutes
- 3Review suggestionsSee active alternatives for each highlighted instance
- 4Make it activeReplace passive with active voice throughout document
Frequently Asked Questions
Is passive voice always bad or are there times it's okay?
Passive is fine in rare specific cases. Acceptable: describing industry trends ('the market is being transformed by AI'), acknowledging problems you didn't cause ('customers are frustrated by existing solutions'), or when the actor is truly unknown/irrelevant. Unacceptable: describing YOUR actions, achievements, or plans. Never write 'our product was launched' or 'revenue was grown.' Always write 'we launched our product' or 'we grew revenue.' In startup communications, 95% should be active voice. You're telling your story. Own it actively.
Why does passive voice sound worse in pitch decks specifically?
Pitch decks require confidence and conviction. Passive voice sounds uncertain. 'The problem was identified' sounds weak. 'We identified the problem' sounds strong. Passive removes the actor (you), making it unclear who did what. Investors invest in founders who confidently own their achievements. Passive voice makes you sound like an observer, not the builder. In conversations, emails, or documentation, passive might slide by. In pitch decks where every word matters and confidence is critical, passive voice kills credibility.
What's the fastest way to check if I'm using passive voice?
Look for 'was/were/is/are/been' + past participle (verb ending in -ed, -en, -t). Examples: 'was built' (passive), 'were closed' (passive), 'is being developed' (passive). Ask: can I add 'by zombies' after the verb and it makes sense? 'The product was built [by zombies]' = passive. 'We built the product [by zombies]' = doesn't work = active. Or: does the sentence hide who did the action? That's passive. If you can clearly see who's acting, it's probably active.
Should I fix ALL passive voice or just the worst instances?
Fix all instances in pitch decks and high-stakes materials. Every passive construction weakens your message. In longer documents (data room materials, detailed reports), fix at least 90%. Occasional passive is acceptable in those contexts. But in pitch decks (15-20 slides, ~500 words total), investor updates (~500 words), or website hero copy, eliminate 100% of passive voice. You're not writing that much text. Make every sentence powerful. Zero passive voice should be the standard for pitch materials.
Can passive voice make me sound more professional or formal?
No, it makes you sound uncertain. Some founders think passive sounds more 'business professional.' Wrong. Confident business writing is active. Compare: Passive: 'It has been determined that growth is being achieved.' Active: 'We're growing fast.' Which sounds like a confident founder? Passive sounds like corporate committee-speak. Active sounds like an owner. Investors want founders, not corporate drones. Write like an owner. Own your achievements. Use active voice everywhere.
What is River?
River is an AI-powered document editor that helps you write better, faster. With intelligent writing assistance, real-time collaboration, and powerful AI tools, River transforms how professionals create content.
AI-Powered Writing
Get intelligent suggestions and assistance as you write.
Professional Tools
Access specialized tools for any writing task.
Privacy-First
Your documents stay private and secure.
Ready to try Highlight passive voice in pitch materials?
Start using this tool in 60 seconds. No credit card required.
Check for Passive Voice →