How to prepare a great investor Pitch Deck?

We must differentiate when we have to present a business plan and when we have to present a «pitch deck» of our company to potential investors.

Many investors do not have time to read 100-page business plans, as they receive hundreds of proposals per month. Therefore, we must know when to present the pitch deck and when to present the business plan with the feasibility study and all the detailed financial data.

A pitch deck presentation should have a maximum of 20 slides and is intended to showcase the company’s products, technology and equipment to investors.

Getting investment for your Startup is a process that usually takes quite some time. So it is crucial that a startup hits the nail on the head with its presentation to investors and articulates a compelling and interesting story in a short amount of time.

What are the essential points that a pitch deck should cover?
  • Company Overview (here we simply need to give a summary overview of the company)
  • Mission/Vision of the company (what is the mission and vision?)
  • The team (who are the key players on the team? What is their relevant experience?)
  • The problem (what big problem are you trying to solve?)
  • The solution (what is the solution you are proposing? Why is it better than other solutions or products?)
  • The product (specify your product)
  • The customers (who are the target customers? Why will there be a high demand from these customers?)
  • The technology (what is the underlying technology? How is it different?)
  • The competition (Who are the main competitors? Never underestimate your competition)
  • Traction (early customers, early adopters, partnerships)
  • Business model (what is the business model? What is your strategy?)
  • Marketing plan (how do you plan to market? What do you foresee for customer acquisition costs vs. customer lifetime value?)
  • Financials (actual and expected profit and loss, cash flow. Something very simple, no need to mess with financial models yet)
  • Investment (what is the amount of capital you want to raise?)

Some things you MUST ✅ do:

  • Always include at the bottom of the cover page that the following document is confidential. Copyright of [Company name]. [Year]. All rights reserved.»
  • Support your text with visually interesting graphics and images.
  • Always send the presentation in PDF format to potential investors before the meeting. Don’t force the investor to download an app to get your presentation.
  • Plan a demonstration of your product as part of the in-person presentation.
  • Tell a compelling, memorable and interesting story that demonstrates your passion for the business.
  • Show that you have more than just an idea (customer acquisition, early product development, or partners).
  • Finish with a sentence that investors can remember.
  • Use one font size, one color and one style on all slides.

Some things you MUST NOT ❌ do:

  • Exceed 20 slides.
  • Flood the slides with text.
  • Provide too much financial detail, as that will be provided later.
  • Try to cover everything in the PDF, as you will always have the opportunity to add and highlight key information when you are presenting it.
  • Use a lot of jargon or acronyms that the investor may not immediately understand.
  • Underestimate or belittle the competition.
  • Let your pitch deck look dated. Don’t include a date on the cover page. And always update any data that may appear in your presentation.
  • Have poor design, bad graphics or a low-quality «look and feel».

Remember that a good presentation to an investor can make the difference between getting the investment or not. We recommend you to include all the points mentioned in this article, in similar or equal order.

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