How to Create a Pitch Deck?
What is a pitch deck presentation?
A pitch deck is a startup presentation helping investors to understand your business idea.
The pitch deck objective is not just funding, but to ensure a meeting with investors.
Getting financing is a long process including a few steps. A great informative pitch deck, however, is the first step towards success. The aim is to present investors with an idea that will interest them enough to continue discussing it further. A pitch deck usually consists of several slides that tell a story about business. These presentations are made using PowerPoint.
How to create pitch decks that get funded?
Before creating a pitch deck using your sources, consider getting the help of professionals. It may appear that a weak and ordinary pitch deck will not get VC and investors’ attention and the efforts and time spent on creating a service or product will never pay off and great ideas will never come alive. And your team need to be paid wages anyway. Instead, consider hiring a pitch deck professional services, that know how to build a pitch deck to avoid mistakes and ensure that your idea will be presented using the latest design and techniques that catch investors’ attention.
Professional pitch deck services help
Our pitch deck creating services offer a professional approach and recognition of the latest trends and best practices used in creating beautiful presentations. We also provide samples of previous work and have several successful clients with winning pitch decks that got funds from investors. Our services include close work with business analytics and professionals knowing how to create a pitch deck that wins an audience and attracts investors.
What is included in pitch-decks slides
- Introduction
There is no second chance to make a first impression. The first slide of the pitch deck is important for making a great first impression, and it’s crucial not to miss it. The introductory slide should be concise and visually appealing — introduce your company and explain why you are here. On this slide, it is also convenient to mention the value proposition of your business and formulate it in one phrase. A good value proposition will attract investors and make them interested in scheduling the next meeting.
- State the problem
A business idea should solve a real problem. It is relevant to identify the problem with no solution or find the gap in the market. It is convenient to make a slide describing two or three problems that a product or service deals with. No details are needed yet, but the text should be concise and clear so that investors immediately understand business objectives.
- Offer solution
This slide shortly and clearly describes the problem solution. A good strategy is to suggest several possible solutions to the problem, chose one and tell why. To potential investors, this shows commitment and the research done. Focus on research, commitment to objectives and ability to solve a problem. Be simple and clear, and give recommendations.
- Market size and opportunities
Getting financing is often determined by the market. In the case of a small market, investors may feel that the potential return on investment is too small, or that it is too risky to finance.
Demonstrate the data from research by showing the slide with market growth in the past and the potential growth of the market in the future, so that investors can easily understand the potential of the product.
- Product
This slide requires to mention specific products and services that the business sells. For physical products add professional photos. Tell me more about the materials and features of your product. If the product is an application or an online service, add screenshots demonstrating its unique features.
- Growth
This slide is dedicated to the growth — the number of sales made, the main goals achieved so far, and the next steps. Most startups include infographics showing growth.
- Team
This slide presents members of the team. Investors are interested in the motivation and qualities of team members that are responsible for the success of the project. Introduce the team in the form of headings and small texts. The audience supposes to understand their role in the company’s mission.
- Competition
Mention competitors and explain how your product differs from them.
- Financial characters
This slide is about financial indicators expected to interest your investors more than others. It requires data on the company’s growth for the next few years and detailed information about the business model and finances.
- Investments and use of fund
At the end of the presentation, it is required to name the required amount and a detailed plan for expenses. Since investors understand the nature of spending, it is easier to gain their trust and expect that the project will be considered. Think strategically, and specify realistic and reasonable amounts.
FAQ:
The key principles of Pitch Deck presentation include:
– One slide represents one thought. Make it clear for the audience and easier for the speaker by expressing thoughts without switching from one thought to another.
– Recommended font size at least 30 pt. Larger fonts are recommended for better delivery of the project to the audience. It also ensures readability and, therefore, recognition and interest in your project.
– The overall presentation size of around 15 slides is optimal for perception and considered the best practice. Not having enough slides may result in the pitch deck looking incomplete and raise many questions, meanwhile making too many slides overload the presentation. Use a reasonable amount of slides that show research and logically present the idea.
Every entrepreneur wants to know how to make a pitch deck for a startup. A startup is always a new idea and the purpose of pitch decks is to make an impression and create a wow effect. At the same time, it is important to identify the problem and not just to say that it exists, but to give real arguments; appointing the solution — presenting an effective solution to the problem.
Storytelling techniques work well for demonstrating how a new idea helps to solve an existing problem.
Effective pitch-deck for a start-up requires research of a possible market and target audience; product/ service and its best features presented to the audience; business plan introduction, financial characters detalization, since profit is often the most important goal for partners, talking finance is essential. Charts, metrics, and ROI are valuable figures as well as the position startup has taken in the market, how dynamically it is growing and how much it will grow thanks to new cash injections.
Infographics and the use of design help to stand out. It is the best practice to use simple and understandable text in large font on a contrasting background. Short sentences are used to avoid slide overload, and visual elements and graphics present the idea better than words. The trend of minimum words, only “talking” numbers and graphic elements are getting popularity.
Investors pay attention primarily to the team, the availability of technology, expertise and understanding of the market, so it is worth focusing on these slides. It’s important to raise interest and inspire angel investors with the idea of a startup, to show that an interesting niche and ready solution is found.
Hard work is required, and it’s worth focusing on the facts that increase brand reliability. Famous brands as partners, recognizable customers, the revenue, the number of transactions, recommendations and reviews — everything that can be visualized, measured and used in the company’s favour is appropriate.
The powerful presentation that impresses investors usually includes a beautiful and well-composed pitch deck. However, a startup with an unsuccessful product will not be rescued by beautiful slides, but a startup with a good product stands out due to thoughtful design, aesthetics and meaningful content.
Competitor analysis, not criticism but fair analysis, including mentioning competitors’ strengths, let investors know that the company performed enough research and understands the market and is ready to enter the competitive market by offering even better solutions. Not criticism, but fair market analysis allows to make idea or product better and impress investors by knowledge of the industry.
A story about the team shows that the product is in the hands of professionals and will be executed by experienced staff, that have worked on similar projects and know the industry.
It all depends on the team’s design skills; there are many tools and services available to create winning presentations and pitch decks. Most companies have access to basic software like Google Sheets, PowerPoint, and Apple Keynote. However, there are more advanced programs with a free trial version available.
1. General information about a startup. Most often, this is the first slide with a title, logo and a short slogan or phrase
2. Problem. Every pitch deck identifies the problem. No problem, no startup.
3. Solution. The solution is a startup.
4. Product. Product description, functions, advantages. screenshot or a demo video.
5. Sales channels. Sales channels allow attract new customers.
6. Market. Market, its total volume and target audience.
7. Competitors. Mention competitors and explain product advantages next to competitors.
8. Traction. Achievements up to date, the number of users, the cost of attracting one user, income, etc.
9. Milestones Where did you start, where are you now, and what plans for the future. Highlight important milestones that are important.
10. Business model How do you plan to earn money or are already earning money?
11. Team. The main players of the startup, are their experience and key skills.
12. Finance. The amount of money already attracted, and planned to attract in a given period.
13. Contact info. Links to social networks, and the startup website.