Crafting your startup's pitch deck to raise funds? 5 important points to consider

Are you looking to raise funds for your start-up but wondering how to make a pitch that is exciting yet achievable? Are you confused with the plethora of advice available to help you craft the perfect business plan? Don’t worry. You are not alone. Most first-time entrepreneurs face this challenge. We spoke to seasoned investors and tried to ascertain what they look for in a pitch deck. Some of our key takeaways that will be particularly helpful for all start-ups are summarised below.

The Core Team

Ceteris paribus, the core team is the difference between success and failure. In fact, a skilled, dedicated and cohesive team can even ensure the success of average ideas. And that is what investors look for when they fund start-ups – a team whose members bring complementary skills to the table, a team that is motivated, energetic and focused on execution and a team will stay together at least through the initial years.

The Offering

Whether creating or improvising a product or service, it is critical for the investor to be convinced that the proposed offering (if your start-up is at the ideation stage) or the prototype (if you have already put together the MVP – Minimum Viable Product) addresses a perceived or real need or want of the intended consumer. Needless to say, if the offering is not articulated properly or the plan to transition the offering from paper to reality is not available, the pitch is a non-starter.

The Go To Market

While this term is overused, it can’t be stressed enough. There are some important questions that investors will need answers to with respect to the go to market.

• What is the total addressable market as it stands today? If the market does not exist, how has the team arrived at the market size that intend to create?
• What is the possible growth rate of the addressable market?
• What is the competitive landscape? How much of the addressable market can your offering capture?
• What is the proposed CAC (Customer Acquisition Cost) over the first few years?

The Technology and Digital Angles

Even if the business is not technology-intensive, addressing how the start-up intends to leverage technology and digital channels for not only ensuring growth but also remaining relevant is key.

For technology-intensive start-ups, this point doesn’t need to be elaborated.

The Metrics

Both the company and proposed investors will need quantitative measures that can be used to track the performance of the start-up over its lifecycle. Key metrics are Net Burn, Unit Economics, CAC, GMV (Gross Merchandise Value), Active Users and Lifetime Value among others. Metrics in the pitch deck must be chosen basis the stage in which the start-up is – growth or early stage and the industry.

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