🎣 Validate & process startup pitch decks with email verification & Google Drive

⚡ 99 views · 🎣 Lead Generation & Enrichment

Description

Startup Pitch Deck Submission Validator & Auto-Processor

Overview

A comprehensive n8n workflow template that completely automates the startup pitch deck submission process for accelerators, incubators, VC firms, and startup competitions. This workflow validates founder emails, stores pitch decks securely, generates professional PDF summaries, and sends notifications to both your team and the founders—all in under 30 seconds per submission.

Key Features

Email Verification & Spam Protection

Automated File Management

Professional PDF Reports

Smart Email Notifications

Intelligent Routing

Error Handling

Perfect For

Workflow Statistics

Requirements

Required Services & APIs

  1. VerifiEmail API

  2. Google Drive

    • Purpose: File storage
    • Setup: Enable Drive API in Google Cloud Console

  3. Gmail

    • Purpose: Email notifications
    • Setup: Enable Gmail API in Google Cloud Console

  4. HTML to PDF API (pdfmunk.com)

Optional Integrations

What Gets Created

Folder Structure in Google Drive

My Drive/ ├── PitchDecks/ │ ├── TechVenture_JohnDoe_PitchDeck.pdf │ ├── AIStartup_JaneSmith_PitchDeck.pdf │ └── GreenTech_MikeJones_PitchDeck.pdf │ └── Submission Summaries/ ├── TechVenture_Summary_20251012_143025.pdf ├── AIStartup_Summary_20251012_145532.pdf └── GreenTech_Summary_20251012_151147.pdf

Email Notifications

  1. Admin Team Email (to: accelerator@yourdomain.com)

    • All startup details
    • Founder information with verified email badge
    • Clickable buttons to view pitch deck and summary
    • Email verification breakdown (RFC, MX, disposable check)
    • Google Drive folder structure overview
    • Document IDs for reference

  2. Founder Confirmation (to: founder’s email)

    • Personalized thank you message
    • Submission confirmation checklist
    • Detailed submission summary table
    • Clear next steps with timeline (5-7 day review)
    • PDF summary attached for records
    • Contact information for questions

  3. Invalid Email Alert (to: admin@yourdomain.com)

    • Failed submission details
    • Email verification failure reasons
    • Timestamp for tracking
    • Option for manual review

Quick Start Guide

1. Import Template

2. Configure Credentials (15 minutes)

A. VerifiEmail API

B. Google Drive OAuth2

C. Gmail OAuth2

D. HTML to PDF API

3. Create Google Drive Folders

Create these folders in your Google Drive:

Then select them in the workflow nodes.

4. Update Email Addresses

Replace placeholder emails in these nodes:

5. Test the Workflow

Send a test webhook:

curl -X POST https://your-n8n.com/webhook/startup-submission 
-H "Content-Type: application/json" 
-d '{
"name": "Jane Smith",
"email": "jane@example.com",
"startup_name": "TechVenture AI",
"website": "https://techventure.io",
"industry": "Artificial Intelligence",
"pitch_deck_file_url": "https://www.w3.org/WAI/ER/tests/xhtml/testfiles/resources/pdf/dummy.pdf"
}'

6. Activate Workflow

Click the toggle in top-right corner to activate!

Detailed Setup Instructions

Step 1: VerifiEmail Configuration

  1. Visit https://verifi.email and create account
  2. Navigate to API section in dashboard
  3. Copy your API key
  4. In n8n workflow, click “Verifi Email” node
  5. Create new credential → Paste API key
  6. Test credential to ensure it works

Step 2: Google Cloud Project Setup

  1. Create Google Cloud Project

  2. Enable Required APIs

    • Go to “APIs & Services” → “Library”
    • Search and enable: “Google Drive API”
    • Search and enable: “Gmail API”

  3. Create OAuth Credentials

    • Go to “APIs & Services” → “Credentials”
    • Click “Create Credentials” → “OAuth 2.0 Client ID”
    • Application type: “Web application”
    • Add authorized redirect URI from n8n
    • Download credentials JSON

  4. Configure in n8n

    • In workflow, click any Google Drive node
    • Create new credential → Google Drive OAuth2
    • Upload credentials JSON or paste values
    • Complete OAuth flow and authorize
    • Repeat for Gmail nodes using same project

Step 3: Folder Setup

  1. Open Google Drive in browser
  2. Create folder: “PitchDecks” (note the folder ID from URL)
  3. Create folder: “Submission Summaries”
  4. In workflow, select these folders in the respective nodes:
    • “Upload Pitch Deck to Drive” → PitchDecks folder
    • “Save Summary PDF to Drive” → Submission Summaries folder

Step 4: PDF API Setup

  1. Sign up at https://pdfmunk.com
  2. Get API key from account dashboard
  3. In “HTML to PDF” node, create new credential
  4. Paste API key
  5. Test with sample execution

Step 5: Email Customization

In “Notify Accelerator Team” node:

In “Send Founder Confirmation” node:

In “Alert Admin - Invalid Email” node:

Step 6: Test & Validate

  1. Test with Valid Email:

    • Use your own email address
    • Valid pitch deck URL
    • Verify you receive confirmation email
    • Check Google Drive for files

  2. Test with Invalid Email:

    • Use temporary email service
    • Verify admin receives alert
    • Confirm no files are stored

  3. Test Error Handling:

    • Use invalid file URL
    • Check error messages
    • Verify graceful failure

Workflow

DiagramStart → Webhook Trigger
↓
Email Verification (VerifiEmail API)
↓
Conditional Check (Valid?)
↙️           ↘️
TRUE          FALSE
↓             ↓
Download PDF   Alert Admin
↓            (end)
Upload to Drive
↓
Generate Summary PDF
↓
Download Summary
↓
Save to Drive
↓
Notify Admin Team
↓
Confirm to Founder
↓
Done! ✅

Processing Flow Details

For Valid Submissions (TRUE Branch):

  1. Webhook receives data → ~0s
  2. Email verification → ~2-3s
  3. Download pitch deck → ~3-5s
  4. Upload to Google Drive → ~2-3s
  5. Generate PDF summary → ~5-8s
  6. Download PDF → ~1-2s
  7. Save PDF to Drive → ~2-3s
  8. Send admin notification → ~2-3s
  9. Send founder confirmation → ~2-3s

Total: 15-30 seconds

For Invalid Submissions (FALSE Branch):

  1. Webhook receives data → ~0s
  2. Email verification → ~2-3s
  3. Send admin alert → ~2-3s

Total: 4-6 seconds (saves resources!)

Customization Options

Easy Customizations

  1. Email Templates

    • Modify HTML in Gmail nodes
    • Add your logo
    • Change colors and branding
    • Adjust text and messaging

  2. PDF Template

    • Edit HTML in “HTML to PDF” node
    • Add custom styling
    • Include additional fields
    • Add company logo/branding

  3. Folder Structure

    • Create subfolders by industry
    • Add year-based organization
    • Implement custom naming conventions

  4. Notification Preferences

    • Add Slack notifications
    • Set up SMS alerts
    • Create calendar events
    • Log to Airtable/database

Advanced Customizations

  1. Add Duplicate Detection

    • Check if email already submitted
    • Prevent multiple submissions
    • Create whitelist/blacklist

  2. Implement Scoring System

    • Add rating fields to PDF
    • Create evaluation criteria
    • Automate preliminary screening

  3. Multi-Stage Workflow

    • Add approval process
    • Create interview scheduling
    • Implement status updates

  4. Analytics & Reporting

    • Track submission metrics
    • Generate monthly reports
    • Monitor email verification rates
    • Analyze industry trends

Troubleshooting

Common Issues & Solutions

1. Email Verification Fails

2. Google Drive Upload Error

3. PDF Generation Fails

4. Emails Not Sending

5. File Download Fails

6. Webhook Not Triggering

Performance & Scalability

Current Capacity

Scaling Considerations

For High Volume (1000+ submissions/day):

For Large Files (>100MB):

Security & Privacy

Data Protection

Compliance

Community Support

📄 License

This template is provided as-is for commercial and personal use.

🔗 Nodes Used

HTTP Request, Webhook, Google Drive, Gmail

📥 Import

Download workflow.json and import into n8n: Workflow menu → Import from File

📖 Importing guide · 🔑 Credential setup