Your pitch deck is your startup’s business card, a marketing tool to get you speaking to the right people. It’s often the first look an investor gets into your company and its primary goal is to secure a meeting, not to close the deal on its own. A typical investor may see hundreds of decks a year, spending only a few minutes on each one. Your deck has to be concise, compelling, and visually polished. Aim for a structure of ~10 slides, with minimal text and a clear narrative.
Although we share some recommendations below, remember that some of the best slide decks break all the rules! Tell your story authentically and show momentum and it’ll work.
Here is a rough slide-by-slide guide to the essential components of a winning pitch deck.
- Title Slide: Company name, logo, and a powerful one-liner that clearly articulates your value proposition. This slide stays on the screen the longest, so make it memorable. Make it obvious what your company does.
- The Problem: Define the problem you’re solving, explaining why this is significant and who it affects. Assume investors are generalists and make sure everyone can understand how big the problem is. If you can use data or a quote to illustrate the problem, then even better.
- The Solution: Describe your product and how it solves the problem, focusing on the benefits to the clients or consumers. This doesn’t have to be perfect; investors know your product might change. What’s key here is that you have a vision or idea of how to solve the problem.
- Market Size: Investors like to see that you are targeting a large, growing market. Some nod towards market size is helpful, whether that’s the annual spend or number of potential customers.
- Business Model: How do you make money? Be specific, outlining your pricing model. If you’re able to benchmark this against what customers are already paying to solve this problem, this can be helpful too.
- Traction: This is designed to provide proof that your business is more than just an idea. For early-stage startups, traction doesn’t need to be revenue. It can be user growth, engagement, successful pilots, letters of intent or strategic partnerships. Charts help too.
- The Team: The team is more important than the idea in the early stages. Showcase the founders’ relevant experience and why you are the right team to solve this problem.
- Competition: Acknowledge your competitors and explain what makes your solution different. What can’t they do and why would it not be in their best interest to launch it? Try to avoid thinking of this as a “we have more features” slide.
- The Ask: Conclude with a clear ask. Be explicit about how much you’re raising and what milestones that funding will help you hit.