Ace Your Next Investor Pitch With Simplified’s Hacks

The pursuit of beginning a start-up company is more competitive than ever before! Small businesses use creative pitch decks to entice investors and grab their attention. However, if you’re new to this world, you’re bound to make mistakes while creating your business pitch. With that in mind, we have made a simplified list of preliminary dos and don’ts, along with informational slides you must include in your investor pitch deck.

What is an investor pitch deck?

An investor pitch deck is a short presentation prepared by start-ups to raise funds. It gives a brief overview of the company to prospective investors and typically consists of 15-20 ppt slides. The pitch deck is focused on showcasing the company’s mission and vision, the problems they’re solving, value proposition, marketing model, and more.

Investor Pitch Deck Do’s

• Include at the bottom left of all slides: “Confidential and Proprietary. Copyright (c) by [Name of Company]. All Rights Reserved.”
• A picture is worth a thousand words. Include visual elements.
• Share a PDF of the pitch deck in advance with the prospects.
• Tell your story, not just the numbers.
• Have a soundbite for investors to remember you by.
• Be consistent with brand visuals and font size throughout the ppt.

Investor Pitch Deck Don’ts

• The pitch deck shouldn’t be longer than 15-20 slides.
• The slides shouldn’t be too wordy.
• Avoid industry-specific jargon that the investors might not understand.
• Highlighting advantage over your competitors is important; however do not belittle them.
• Avoid low quality graphics.
• Don’t provide excessive financial details.

Related: 4 Evergreen Sales Pitch Examples[ + Free Script Generator]

What are the key slides you must have in your investor pitch deck?

Listed below are slides you must include in your business pitch.

1. “Company Overview” slide of the Investor Pitch Deck

This slide is essentially the top line of a resume. This ppt slide should summarize in 4-6 lines your business history, what problem you’re solving, where you are located, and the expertise of the management team.

For example, here is what your “Company Overview” slide could say:

2. “Mission/Vision” slide of the Investor Pitch Deck

In this ppt slide, you want a crisp statement defining the mission and vision of your company. Think of it as your 15-second elevator pitch.

To demonstrate, some of the coolest mission statements by leading start-ups are:

• “To accelerate the world’s transition to sustainable energy.” – Tesla
• “Spread ideas.” – TED
• “To put people at the center of enterprise software.” – Workday

The “vision” can be the goal you think you can become. For instance, IKEA’s vision statement, “Our vision is to create a better everyday life for many people” –  short, aspirational, and to the point.

3. “Problem and Solution” slides of the Investor Pitch Deck

In these slides you need to articulate the problems faced by consumers, your proposed solutions, and how it gives you an edge over your competitors. Ask the following questions while defining the problem:

• What is the scale of the problem?
• Why is it important?
• Who is facing the problem?

AirBnB’s legendary pitch deck provides short and streamlined information about the problems and consequently, the solution.

4. “Product” and “Technology” slides of the Investor Pitch Deck

This ppt slide is your product’s time to shine. Investors are interested in your value proposition and the underlying technology. Hence, it should answer the following questions about your product:

• What are the key features of the product?
• Why do users care about the product?
• What are the project milestones and roadmap?
• What are the key differentiators of the product?
• The basic technology backbone.
• Key intellectual property rights owned by you.
• Why it will be difficult for your competitors to replicate this tech?

Quick Tip: Include GIFs, product screenshots, and other visuals in this slide.

Mint’s Value Proposition ppt slide uses table to set apart their product in every aspect of their domain.

Front uses a timeline to show what they have is store for the future and the new tech they will be introducing.

Related: 5 Online Presentation Tools That Will Make Your Deck Stand Out

5. “Market Opportunity” slide of the Investor Pitch Deck

Your investor pitch deck is worthwhile only if you’re tending to a large addressable market. So, it’s important to include the following on this slide:

• Define the market you are in.
• Present the dollar market size.
• Show the size of the market you will be addressing.

Some other slides to be included in your business pitch:

• Business Model: Demonstrate how you will make money; also show customer acquisition channels and costs.

• Customers: Highlight logos of well-known customers to show credibility.

• Competition: Show an understanding of the competition landscape and the key differentiators.

• Financials and Funding: Showcase your realistic projections and how much money you are seeking.

Conclusion

As was demonstrated, a good pitch deck will help you secure financing for your start-up. The most important thing to remember is- make your story compelling and interesting!