Pitch Deck, First-time Review
How to spark curiosity with your pitch deck
By Robin Anderson
You have a great idea, and a few friends who are helping realize your dream. While you are busy developing your product, an opportunity pops up where you need to have your pitch deck ready to share.
You may only get one chance, and for that reason alone, you know how important it is that your pitch deck needs to be as solid as possible. Every chance is a missed opportunity when you are not prepared.
Investors are looking for ideas that solve problems. They review hundreds of decks over time and likely spend very little time with each one. Because of this, how do you break through the noise, and capture their attention?
Tell a story.
It’s easy to fill out the standard pitch deck template with the information needed for each recommended slide. But that doesn’t really tell your story. And it is likely not very compelling. To draw interest, add the element of storytelling to your presentation.
Just as it is important for you to revise your resume to align with a job that you are applying for, when putting together a pitch deck, it’s important that you tailor the deck to the intended goal at the time. The deck you send via email to an investor for a first-time review is very different than one that you would use to pitch at an in–person event.
And since you will not be present to step the investor through your deck, your slides need to be clear, concise, and tell a story. You will want to pique their interest enough they will want to continue to view the next slide, and the next slide, etc. Keep your story simple, don’t require investors to have extensive knowledge of your industry or your customer. Keep your visuals simple – free from too much text or extensive charts. The last thing you want to do is have someone observe/read through your pitch deck and come away not having a clear idea of what you do. Tell them. Clearly. Using simple words, not jargon or industry acronyms. And while using a designer isn’t a requirement, your slides need to look polished.
Remember: Your first goal is to get them to look at your initial deck then ask for more.
With that, here are the slides you need to include in that initial pitch deck.
Customer Problem
Communicate the problem in simple business terms making it as personal as possible and highlighting the pain points that your idea solves. This is the ‘everyone is nodding in agreement’ moment. Use the problem as the title of this slide. Highlight how the problem you are solving is a pressing need in the form of a story.
The Solution
Next, your product as a solution to the customer problem. Describe your solution as a brief story from the perspective of the customer - utilize the buyer’s journey. ‘This is how individuals accomplish a task today, this is how it is done with our solution.’ The more you can provide details that are easy to relate to, the quicker it is to sell your solution. Keep this slide as visual as possible, demonstrating how your product works. If possible, do so in no more than three steps.
Team
Many may not realize the importance of your team. 70% of an investors’ decision is about the team. Your co-founders are important to helping you finalize your product and introducing it to the market. Because of this, include the relevant experience as to why your team members are experts in this area you are solving. Where they worked may not be as big of a deal as the actual work they have done as it relates to what you are building. This is a critical part to your story that will add credibility to your startup.
Traction
The best thing you can do is show how much people already love your product, so much so they are willing to pay for it. Traction shows proof, it validates your business. How do you get traction - how do you validate your business? Talk to your customers. Make sure you are addressing their pain with a solution. In doing so, you have the chance to build a relationship, a community, that will become customers. Your metrics should not require any explanation, simply demonstrate validity. Testimonials are a nice proof-point.
“This is important because it’s the number one signifier that people are interested in your product. Even if they aren’t users, it still means they are at least curious.”
Business Model
How are you monetizing your business? What is your business model? In this slide, include your revenue, profit, daily active users in a clear form (no fancy 3D charts). This slide should not require any additional explanation. How you make money should be painfully obvious.
Vision
Conclude your story with your end goal within the industry. This is where you are today, this is where you will eventually be – this is how you will change the industry. Your claims need to be real. Stretching your vision with a dream will cause you to lose all credibility.
Should you achieve your goal of piquing interest, an investor may come back and ask for ‘the rest of the deck.’ Be prepared, have the following slides ready to go at a moments’ notice:
Company Purpose
As soon as you have an idea, start documenting it as a part of your pitch deck. Begin with an overview of your business - what do you do? How did you come up with the idea? This is the introduction to your company story.
Why Now/Target Market & Market Size
More importantly, why is now a good time for your product? Why now - this is where you address the urgency of the problem and the importance of your solution today. Combine this with details about your target market and the size of your market. Growing markets are good here.
Competition
So your product offers clear advantages to the competition. What is your secret sauce? Why is your solution so much better than the competition? Maybe your competition misses the mark. Either way, make note of your competitors and show how you can beat them every time.
Financial Model
When designing your financial model, create something simple with a three-year projection. While you may have more than one way to monetize your product, start with what is going to work in the beginning. You can add complexity as your business grows. Include a range to show what can be accomplished relative to the amount of money you raise. If you receive X amount of money, you can grow your team to finalize your product, Y amount will help you hire to market your product, and Z to build the business and sell.
The Ask (Fundraising)
So many don’t close the deal with their pitch. Make it clear what you need by asking for it. How much do you need? For the money you raise, include how it will be spent as well as how long it will last.
Keep your deck simple and visual. The point of each slide should be clearly communicated. And finally, consider housing your deck on a site such as Docsend. Why? Rather than sending a pdf copy through email, housing your deck on a website minimizes issues with compatibility or simply the ability to open. It also ensures the reader is viewing the most recent copy.
Following the pitch deck guidelines will help you prepare for that opportunity when you least expect it. Connecting your main points together to tell a story will help draw interest. Keep it simple, and make it compelling.
Need help crafting your story for your pitch deck? Contact us! We’ll help put together a cohesive and compelling story, designed to grab an investor's attention.
Fun Fact
Georges Frédéric Doriot (September 24, 1899 – June 1987) was a French-born American venture capitalist. In 1946, he founded American Research and Development Corporation, the world's first publicly owned venture capital firm, earning him the sobriquet "father of venture capitalism". - Wikipedia