You don't need to have your pitch deck finished to start looking for external funding. You just have to be ready before you need it. Running out of money is the second biggest reason why most startups fail.
We do train for, and recommend bootstrapping. But many times an external source can help you significantly to get you where you want to be.
You've probably seen our funding diagram on the Why page. Funding sources align well with the stage of your startup.
However, finding the right funding partner is not an easy task.