If you’re an entrepreneur, you’ll know what a pitch deck is. Let’s get straight to the point. The purpose of a pitch deck is to get investors excited about the opportunity of working with you and your business. Besides having a great idea, you’ll need to know what slides are absolutely essential so that you can keep them interested without drowning them in information. Design a winning deck with this framework of 9 must-have slides:
Keep this slide simple with your name, logo and business name. The focus should be on what you have to say. Avoid adding any distracting graphics or designs on this slide.
Describe the pain point that you’re addressing. Frame the problem in a way that’s relatable. This should feel like a real world problem that exists and requires a solution. Being able to explain this well shows that you’re passionate about your project and can help you connect with the investors you’re pitching to, even if they aren’t your target audience.
Describe your solution to the problem. How does it alleviate the problem? Do you have a secret sauce or a technology that’s more superior compared to whatever is available in the market? Your pitch should be hyper focused to a specific niche to solve a specific problem. This is your gateway into the market and into the hearts of your investors. If you have a prototype or demo, this is the time to show it. Be as brief as you can because information overload at this point will be a downer. Don’t sell your product, sell the solution.
This is a very important slide because businesses can only go so far with investor funding. At one point in time, investors will be expecting an ROI (return of investment). Explain your proposed business model. Whether it’s an upfront payment, monthly subscription or pricing tiers, tell them everything you have in mind. Investors want to know that you’re good at managing your finances and have a plan to attract, monetize and retain your customers.
Dive into the details about how you plan to reach your prospective customers. There’s no point having a great plan or product if you can’t get to your customers. What marketing strategies are you going to employ? How would that change as you start scaling your business?
If you have competitors in the market, show them the data. Getting a good understanding of the competitive landscape would be helpful because you’ll have the opportunity to get a leg up. It’ll be great for you to reiterate your solution and why it’s better.
Investors don’t just want to hear what you plan to do when you start, they want to see where you’re at. You don’t have to be profitable at this point but showing them the milestones would validate your product. Show them momentum and presales to reassure your investors that the market is willing to pay for your product. Key metrics including user growth, revenue and traffic are great to be included.
You’ll think that a great product will sell itself but that’s really not how it works. Before there’s any real traction or interest in the market, all the investors have is the management team. That’s where the money is going. Knowing that a skilled, experienced team is executing the plan would ease their mind. Give a brief biography of the management team and strategic partners that’ll play a part in the project. Present relevant accomplishments to convince them that they can place their bets on you.
Tell the investors what you’re expecting. How much money do you plan to raise? Explain exactly how you’ll be spending the funding and the result you’re expecting to see. If you’re willing to share equity, tell them how much you’ll provide in exchange for their partnership.
You can download the pitch template here. This framework should work as a foundation when you’re building your pitch deck. Remember that the main purpose of your deck is to help you raise money. The presentation should speak for itself with or without your presence. Keep it as simple as possible and stick to the main points. Good storytelling with emotion is important when pitch day comes and getting good at that comes with practice. Put in the solid work ahead of time because winging it really won’t cut it.
Design doesn’t come naturally to everyone. If you’re struggling and need help from a presentation design company, Mad Creative Beanstalk is here to help. We’ve been working on creative business presentation designs for a decade now and would be available to assist with your needs.
