How to get our attention with your Pitch Deck

The Pitch Deck is the first communication tool to help you raise money from a potential investor Think the pitch deck as your first impression – not as your only impression! Too much info doesn’t make you more attractive but serves as distraction. The purpose of a pitch is to generate enough interest to get a (second) meeting.

You know better than us what to put in your pitch deck, but we couldn’t agree more with Guy Kawasaki on how to present it. Remember the “10/20 rule of PowerPoint” — 10 slides in 20 minutes

10 slides is all you need! The following pitch deck template is inspired by Guy Kawasaki’s The Art of the Start, and summarizes the key information that should be included in the initial pitch deck.

Title Provide company name, your name and title, address, email, and cell number

Problem / Opportunity Describe the pain that you’re alleviating or the pleasure you’re providing

Value Proposition Explain the value of the pain you alleviate or the value of the pleasure you provide

Underlying Magic Describe the technology, secret sauce, or magic behind your product. The less text and the more diagrams, schematics and flowcharts the better. If you have a prototype or demo, this is the time to transition to it! “If a picture is worth 1000 words, a prototype is worth 10,000 slides” - Glen Shires, Google

Business Model Explain who has your money temporarily in their pockets and how you’re going to get it into yours

Go-to-Market Plan Explain how you are going to reach your customer without breaking the bank

Competitive Analysis Provide a complete view of the competitive landscape. Too much is better than too little.

Management Team Describe the key players of your management team, board of directors and board of advisors, as well as your major investments. It’s okay if you have less than a perfect team. You’ll get there.

Financial Projections and Key metrics Provide a three-year forecast containing not only dollars but also metrics, such as number of customers and conversion rate. Do a bottom-up forecast, not top down

Current Status, Accomplishments to date, Timeline, and use of funds Explain the current status of your product, what the near future looks like, and how you’ll use the money you’re trying to raise

Before you get started remember this, to put a…. ….of your presentation People remember visuals more than bullet points. Consider using pictures, graphics or charts to effectively get your point out. Consider providing a detailed handout as a leave-behind, but not a copy of your presentation. Handout a one-pager with essential key metrics. Nothing more!

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