Are you about to finally launch your product in the market? If so, I hope that it is capable of solving any problem faced by your potential customers and is a minimum viable product (MVP). Now, you might be wondering about creating a winning pitch deck/ business presentation for your startup to embark upon a journey of building a successful business empire.
Creating an efficient pitch deck would act as a visual guide for potential investors for your business so that they could happily invest in your business idea. So, here are some of the top tips for creating a great pitch deck that would help you to raise funds for your dream business.
Bootstrap your plan to 10/20/30 rule
A renowned marketing expert, Guy Kawasaki, created an acclaimed 10/20/30 rule for startup pitch decks. As per the rule:
- Your deck should not exceed ten slides.
- The slides duration should not cover more than 20 minutes.
- It should be typed in less than 30-point font.
If you want to hone your pitch, try not to bombard the slides with a lot of information. Instead, mention the laser focused points about your business, focusing on your core competencies in the same way.
Now here are some of the critical components of a startup pitch decks that you should incorporate to achieve a better response of your investors.
Problem
The stories of the most successful ventures portray itself as a significant problem solvent that attracts more potential customers. They build a service that solves their problem like never before.
It clearly gives an impression that you should highlight the "Problem - your product or service is solving" in one of the initial slides. It is the perfect way to capture the attention of your investors.
Paint your own business story by attractively representing your business idea. It will also help your investors to have a better understanding of your funding goals.
Vision
Another essential component of a pitch deck is to have a strong vision. Bring your business's primary goals/ missions on the board. Try to keep it concise and straightforward.
A single-sentence overview could do wonders and adding some lucrative benefits & comparison with another well-known company is the icing on the cake. As an example, you could write, "We're like Facebook for Professors."
By using such phrases, you can catch the attention and raise the interest of the investors to know more about your idea. Remember, do not overdo it, instead, write it in a way that it could reflect the ideology of a high profile name.
Exclusive Value Proposition
After describing your vision & mission of your startup, you should add Value Proposition in your pitch deck. The value proposition should represent the fact of how your startup venture is exclusively qualified to address the pain areas of your customers. Always try to highlight the following points:
- The uniqueness of your startup idea and give the reasons how it can stand out from the competition( business owners of similar niche).
- Mention how you are equipped with comprehensive solutions concerning all the possible issues.
- Give the fact of how your startup can achieve massive growth.
Team
I would like you to wonder what type of services provider you would choose if your valuable assets - time & money are at stake? Would you choose an experienced or non-experienced service provider? Undoubtedly, you would also prefer an experienced one. So, the same goes for your business venture.
In your pitch deck, qualification of your team members should be a focal point. Your potential investors may build their faith based on all the experience & expertise your team members have. It helps them to understand that your team has enough potential to manage a high-growth startup.
Milestones
Before seeking financial investment, you need to gain some early traction as a startup founder. Your efforts should be reflected in the details of the collective investment resources and other achievements so far. All in all, you can make your potential investors pursue a deal with you as well, by getting insights into your overall proficiency. Here are the key points you should not miss to mention:
- Have you secured some early crowdfunding? Mention, if any.
- Do you have a great list of dedicated and high-paying customers? Disclose it.
- As a high-spot, mention how could new funding or investment expedite the growth of your startup.
To be precise, in the first column, list the primary items that you've already achieved including- product, traction, and fundraising. Believe me, if you somehow come up as a hustler in front of your potential investors, they would get more excited to invest in your startup.
Business Model
This part of your pitch deck portrays the functional & operational potential of the business. It explains the workings of your business, hierarchy, and business structure. Moreover, it will explain how your business is going to make money.
You should leave a striking impression in the minds of your potential investors regarding your marketing strategy as well as the business model. It should be highly unique from others and must be capable of driving high profits.
Competition
Do you know which is the biggest mistake most startup founders make? Well, sometimes they think that they are hitting the ground without competition. However, every startup has some competitors(minimum one) that could beat them and steal their market space.
So, add a slide regarding the same and mention where do your competitors stand out in the market? Highlight the mistakes they are making with a responsible solution that how your business model, products, or services are superior than them.
*Additional Tip: While adding up this slide, make sure that content should be appropriate and must not pinpoint anything wrong or bad about the competitor's strategy. You need to give a comparative analysis.
Ask
It is also a very crucial section of your pitch deck. It outlines the fact where would you utilize the fund's investors will give you, and why it is vital for you to attain that amount. You have to prepare for the further outgrowths of this slide like with plenty of expert insights and other essential data. Get ready to prove your words and convince the investors that your startup is a worthy one.
Best Startup Pitch Deck Examples
1. Facebook Pitch Deck
Check out the Facebook Pitch Deck.
2. Uber Pitch Deck
Check out the Uber Pitch Deck.
3. Buffer Pitch Deck
Check out the Buffer Pitch Deck.
Final Thoughts
In the end, I would like to sum up all the tips into a single line - Turn your pitch into your startup story. It is always not about the best ideas.
It is about making ideas happen. Therefore, create a winning pitch deck and add sections as I have already discussed above, create your own business story.
The glory of your startup story would eventually take you towards the likelihood of funding success. Moreover, be focused only on the possibilities of success, and have detailed knowledge about each & every aspect involved in your startup.
Give a brief, persuasive speech with all of your passion and confidence that you can easily ignite a spark in your potential investors to fund your startup. Good Luck!