Validate & Process Startup Pitch Decks with Email Verification & Google Drive

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 Real-time email validation** using VerifiEmail API Checks for RFC compliance, MX records, disposable emails, and spoofed addresses Automatically rejects invalid submissions before file storage Prevents spam, fake entries, and temporary email addresses

Automated File Management Downloads pitch deck PDFs from provided URLs Uploads to organized Google Drive folders with automatic naming Creates two permanent archives: Original pitch decks in /PitchDecks/ Generated summaries in /Submission Summaries/ Maintains clean folder structure with timestamp-based filenames

Professional PDF Reports Generates beautiful, branded PDF summary reports Includes company info, founder details, email verification status Professional gradient design with interactive elements Links to Google Drive documents for easy access

Smart Email Notifications Admin Team Notification**: Comprehensive email with all details and clickable document links Founder Confirmation**: Professional thank-you email with next steps and timeline Invalid Submission Alerts**: Immediate notification for failed verifications with detailed reasons

Intelligent Routing Conditional logic based on email validation results Valid submissions proceed through full workflow Invalid submissions trigger admin alerts and stop processing No wasted resources on fake submissions

Error Handling Comprehensive error detection at every step Admin alerts for failed email verifications Graceful handling of file download failures Detailed logging for troubleshooting

Perfect For

Startup Accelerators** (Y Combinator, Techstars, 500 Startups style programs) Incubators & Innovation Hubs** Venture Capital Firms** (deal flow management) Pitch Competitions** (local, national, international events) Investment Rounds** (seed, Series A applications) Government Innovation Programs** Corporate Accelerators** University Entrepreneurship Programs**

Workflow Statistics

Total Nodes**: 11 Complexity**: ⭐⭐⭐ Medium Processing Time**: 15-30 seconds per submission Setup Time**: 15-20 minutes Code Required**: None (no-code solution) Maintenance**: Minimal (set and forget)

Requirements

Required Services & APIs

VerifiEmail API Purpose: Email verification Sign up: https://verifi.email

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

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

HTML to PDF API (pdfmunk.com) Purpose: PDF generation Sign up: https://pdfmunk.com

Optional Integrations

Typeform** - For frontend submission forms Google Forms** - Alternative form solution Webflow** - For custom landing pages Airtable** - For additional database logging Slack** - For team notifications

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

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

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

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 Download the JSON file In n8n: Workflows → Import from File Select: startup-pitch-deck-validator-template.json

2. Configure Credentials (15 minutes)

A. VerifiEmail API Sign up at https://verifi.email Get API key from dashboard In n8n: Credentials → VerifiEmail API → Paste key

B. Google Drive OAuth2 Go to https://console.cloud.google.com Create project → Enable Drive API Create OAuth 2.0 credentials In n8n: Credentials → Google Drive OAuth2 → Follow flow

C. Gmail OAuth2 Same Google Cloud project Enable Gmail API In n8n: Credentials → Gmail OAuth2 → Authorize

D. HTML to PDF API Sign up at https://pdfmunk.com Get API key In n8n: Credentials → HTML to PDF API → Paste key

3. Create Google Drive Folders

Create these folders in your Google Drive: /PitchDecks/ (for original pitch decks) /Submission Summaries/ (for generated reports)

Then select them in the workflow nodes.

4. Update Email Addresses

Replace placeholder emails in these nodes: Notify Accelerator Team**: Change accelerator@yourdomain.com Alert Admin - Invalid Email**: Change admin@yourdomain.com Founder confirmation template**: Update support@youraccelerator.com

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

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

Step 2: Google Cloud Project Setup

Create Google Cloud Project Go to https://console.cloud.google.com Click "New Project" Name it: "n8n Startup Workflow" Click "Create"

Enable Required APIs Go to "APIs & Services" → "Library" Search and enable: "Google Drive API" Search and enable: "Gmail API"

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

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

Open Google Drive in browser Create folder: "PitchDecks" (note the folder ID from URL) Create folder: "Submission Summaries" 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

Sign up at https://pdfmunk.com Get API key from account dashboard In "HTML to PDF" node, create new credential Paste API key Test with sample execution

Step 5: Email Customization

In "Notify Accelerator Team" node: Line 7: Change recipient email Update company name in footer (optional)

In "Send Founder Confirmation" node: Line 69-70: Update support email Line 72: Update company name and year

In "Alert Admin - Invalid Email" node: Line 3: Change recipient email

Step 6: Test & Validate

Test with Valid Email: Use your own email address Valid pitch deck URL Verify you receive confirmation email Check Google Drive for files

Test with Invalid Email: Use temporary email service Verify admin receives alert Confirm no files are stored

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):

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

Total: 15-30 seconds

For Invalid Submissions (FALSE Branch):

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

Total: 4-6 seconds (saves resources!)

Customization Options

Easy Customizations

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

PDF Template Edit HTML in "HTML to PDF" node Add custom styling Include additional fields Add company logo/branding

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

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

Advanced Customizations

Add Duplicate Detection Check if email already submitted Prevent multiple submissions Create whitelist/blacklist

Implement Scoring System Add rating fields to PDF Create evaluation criteria Automate preliminary screening

Multi-Stage Workflow Add approval process Create interview scheduling Implement status updates

Analytics & Reporting Track submission metrics Generate monthly reports Monitor email verification rates Analyze industry trends

Troubleshooting

Common Issues & Solutions

1. Email Verification Fails Problem**: All emails marked as invalid Solution**: Check VerifiEmail API key and quota

2. Google Drive Upload Error Problem**: "Insufficient permissions" error Solution**: Re-authorize OAuth, ensure Drive API enabled Check**: Folder exists and is accessible

3. PDF Generation Fails Problem**: PDF not generated or broken Solution**: Check HTML to PDF API key and quota Verify**: HTML template syntax is valid

4. Emails Not Sending Problem**: Gmail node fails Solution**: Re-authorize Gmail OAuth, check API quota Check**: Email addresses are valid format

5. File Download Fails Problem**: "Cannot fetch file from URL" Solution**: Verify URL is publicly accessible Check**: File exists and is not behind authentication

6. Webhook Not Triggering Problem**: No workflow execution Solution**: Check webhook URL is correct Verify**: Workflow is activated (toggle ON)

Performance & Scalability

Current Capacity

Concurrent Submissions**: Up to 10-20 simultaneously Daily Volume**: ~500-1000 submissions (depends on API quotas) File Size Limit**: Up to 100MB per pitch deck Storage**: Unlimited (within Google Drive quota)

Scaling Considerations

For High Volume (1000+ submissions/day): Upgrade to paid API tiers Use queue system for processing Add database for tracking Implement rate limiting

For Large Files (>100MB): Use direct file upload to Drive Skip PDF generation for large files Add file size validation

Security & Privacy

Data Protection

Email verification via secure API Encrypted file transfer (HTTPS) OAuth2 authentication for Google services No data stored in n8n beyond execution logs

Compliance

GDPR compliant (data minimization) No sensitive data retention Secure credential storage Audit trail via execution logs

Community Support

n8n Forum: https://community.n8n.io Discord: https://discord.gg/n8n GitHub Issues: https://github.com/n8n-io/n8n

📄 License

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