Top 5 Elements of Winning Pitch Deck
Whether it’s your first time raising capital for your business or your twentieth, preparing for an investor presentation is no small feat. How will you win over your audience and land the investment? By hooking them with a rocking pitch deck.
With the limited amount of time given for your pitch, it will be critical to communicate your message with simplicity and clarity. These elements of a winning pitch deck will provide a roadmap for your presentation and will help answer the questions that investors want answered:
1. Identity: The first thing that investors will want to dig into is who you are and why you’re there. Capture the journey of your founding team with your personal and professional history as well as that of the company. Investors really want to know what kind of person you are, and whether you can be trusted with their hard earned money.
- Slide 1: Cover – Show off your brand with your logo and tagline.
- Slide 2: Elevator Pitch – Present a brief snapshot of your business and what it does. Keep it simple and captivating.
- Slide 3: Team – Highlight your killer team and the talents and skill set they bring to the table. This slide could also be placed at the end of the deck. At Founders Firm we believe the best investments are in people, so we encourage placing the “Team” slide at the front.
2. Problem: What frustrations are your target customers facing? Why does it matter to you? Most investors care at least as much about the “Why” behind what you are doing as they do the problem you are addressing.
- Slide 4: Problem – Illustrate the pain points of the market and why it matters.
3. Solution: In a simple way, explain how your business is solving this problem, and how it’s doing it better than anybody else.
- Slide 5: Solution – Explain what your company is doing to tackle the problem, and how. What product or service are you offering, and whom are you serving?
- Slide 6: Business Model – Break down the process for investors, from the development and operations to the customer experience and pricing.
4. How: How does your company generate revenue? How do you plan to grow? Investors will want to know the upside of your vision, and money and results will talk!
- Slide 7: Company Timeline – Show the milestones and progress your company has made. These are key indicators of future performance that investors will want to see.
- Slide 8: Current Customers – What is your market size? Who’s interested in your product, and where do you foresee growth?
- Slide 9: Competition and “Secret Sauce” – Who are your current competitors, and what is their share of the market? What’s the secret ingredient that sets your company apart from the rest?
- Slide 10: Financial Information – Showcase your key financial metrics in an easy-to-understand way for a quick reference for investors. Present your projections for growth. Make sure those projections are reasonable!
5. The Ask: Ultimately, potential investors want to know how you plan to use the capital they invest, what you can accomplish with it, and what they will get for their investment.
- Slide 11: Financing Details a.k.a. “Capital Needs” – Present the amount of capital needed, how it will be used by category, and what the company will build with it. Include a summary of the investment terms, e.g. “Convertible Debt with a $3mm premoney valuation cap and a 20% conversion discount.”
After creating a winning pitch deck with this formula, remember that your pitch is really about the people in the room. Play to your audience, and consider how the tone you set and the great content you present will win over your investors. Reach out to a trusted expert with experience working with investors who can advise you on your pitch deck before it goes “live.” Thoughtful feedback will give you the insight and confidence you need to give an irresistible pitch!
Written by: Judson Sutherland, Managing Partner