Pitch Deck Guide

When it comes to fundraising for your startup, the investor pitch deck can mean the difference between a yes or a no. It should be designed to sell the investor, not just a method of conveying the information. A great pitch deck is one that efficiently and effectively communicates all of the relevant information needed for a business to be successful. There are 10-12 essential components of a pitch deck. Furthermore, the order in which the information is presented is just as important as the information itself. Let's take a look at what investors/VCs are looking for in pitch decks.

Cover / Title slide

The first slide should contain your logo, name of the company, high-level concept (10-15 words) and purpose of presentation. If you are participating in a pitch competition, make sure you bring your slides up as fast as possible every second counts. 

Problem / Opportunity

What is the problem which you are solving? Why are you solving this problem? 

Solution

What does your startup do? What is your product/service and how does it solve the problem you mentioned? If you can, include here a demo (live or video) in the pitch.

Traction (if you have)

What progress did you made to date? How many (paying) customers do you have? How much revenue (ARR) have you made? How much is in the pipeline? Strategic partnerships? Awards? Relevant/well-known investors? 

I recommend you show your traction early. The attention level of the investor/VC will instantly increase and change the conversation.

Business Model

How do you make money? Who is the target customer? How much do they pay for your product/service/platform? What is the underlying model (subscription, bundling, freemium, franchise etc.)? Is it B2B? B2C? B2B2C? B2G? 

Market Size

How large is the market? How has the market developed the last few years and what are the predictions? What are your total available (TAM), serviceable available (SAM) and serviceable obtainable market (SOM)?

Go-to-Market

How do you acquire your customers without breaking the bank? Which channels, touchpoints, tactics are you going to use and why?

Competitive analysis

Who are your major competitors? Provide a comprehensive view of the competitive landscape. How are you better/different?

Finances

How much money are you making, and what is your projected revenue for the next 3-5 years? How do you intend to become profitable? What are your main costs? What is your burn rate? Use graphs, charts etc., to show this information.

Team slide(s)

Who is on the founding team and what is their relevant experience? Make one slide for the founding team and one for the board members and advisors. 

The ask, use of funds and next steps

What are the milestones for the next 6, 12 and 24 months? How much money are you trying to raise? What is your current valuation? What do you offer in return for the investment and how do you offer it (equity, options, SAFE etc.)? How do you intend to spend the raised money (break it down into, e.g. marketing, R&D etc.) ? 

Optional: Executive Summary (1 page)

It gives the main idea of what your business is about, including previous, current and future milestones. I recommend adding a summary if you have to send the pitch deck upfront (otherwise, attach it to your follow-up email). It helps the investor to get the key information in a short period of time. A short 30s executive summary video would be another option.

Extra:

A pitch is a two-way conversation. Therefore, ask the VC/investor questions as well. In case you receive a no, ask for the reason and feedback. If you are just too early stage for the VC/investor, keep them updated about your progress via email and try to get another pitch opportunity once you achieve a few more strategic milestones since your business might be at a completely different stage in 3-6 months.

I hope this article was helpful to you. Drop me your feedback and/or reach out to me. Happy to have a chat and see if I can help.