Perfect Elevator Pitch
The Problem .1
The Solution .2
Target Market .3
.4
How to make your pitch deck stand out from the rest
Remember, your pitch deck and pitch presentation are probably some of the first
things that an investor is seeing when they’re starting to learn about your company
and business idea. And, because investments are rarely made after just one meeting,
your goal is to spark interest in your company. You want investors to ask for more
after they hear your pitch, and not just show you to the door. Here are a few tips to
make your pitch deck stand out:
1. Tell a story: Nothing will hook investors more than a story that they can
relate to. That’s why your pitch deck should start by defining the problem you
are solving. Make sure your audience can easily understand that there’s a real
problem that your company can solve by making your story real and relatable.
2. Show that there’s a market: You may have a great idea to solve a real
problem, but unless enough people have the problem, it’s going to be hard for
investors to consider your pitch. Your presentation needs to show that there is
a market, but don’t exaggerate the size or make the classic mistake of saying
that you’re going to, “get 1% of a trillion dollar market.”
3. Keep your solution simple: You don’t have a lot of space in a pitch
presentation to go into detail about your company and your product, so keep
the description of your solution simple and straightforward. Getting a second
meeting with investors is your goal, so it’s fine if not all questions are
answered on the slide that describes what your company does.
4. Show how you make money: Surprisingly, many pitch presentations skip one
of the most important parts—how your company actually makes money. Don’t
forget this critical slide in your presentation.
5. Show that you have traction: Traction is proof that you have a good idea.
Whether you have early customers, or other evidence that your target market
is interested in your solution, make sure to share that evidence. It can be in the
form of a timeline of milestones you’ve achieved, or a list of evidence that
your company is likely to be successful.
6. Have a marketing & sales plan: You don’t need to have all of the details
fleshed out, but your pitch deck should include some details on how you plan
on marketing and selling your product. Investors will want to know that
you’ve thought about this aspect of the business.
7. Explain why you are the right person: You, and your team, are what
investors are really investing in. There are always great ideas, but only so
many people who are qualified to turn those ideas into successful businesses.
Your presentation should show why you and your team are the right people to
build a successful business.
8. Know your numbers: Even though any forecast is just educated guess,
potential investors will want to understand your thinking on how the business
will grow over time and what it’s going to take to be profitable. Be sure to
include a brief summary of your sales forecast, expense forecast, and
anticipated profits. Just be sure to be realistic.
9. Know the competition: Every business has competition, so don’t make the
mistake of saying that you don’t have any. Your presentation should show
who your competition is and why your product is better.
10. Have a spending plan: If you do get investment, how will you plan on
spending it? Investors don’t just write checks because you have a great pitch
deck. They are going to want to know how you plan on spending their money
to build your business.
-:Startup Guide
Identifying your customers
Assessing the real risks of starting your own business
Choosing a name
Deciding on a legal structure
Getting licenses, permits, and tax and employer numbers
Selling on credit vs. cash sales
Getting funding
Estimating start-up costs
Business Startup Checklist
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The Pitch Presentation
It’s quite simple: a PowerPoint presentation should have ten slides, last no more than
twenty minutes, and contain no font smaller than thirty points. While I’m in the
venture capital business, this rule is applicable for any presentation to reach
agreement: for example, raising capital, making a sale, forming a partnership, etc.
Ten is the optimal number of slides in a PowerPoint presentation because a normal
human being cannot comprehend more than ten concepts in a meeting — and venture
capitalists are very normal. (The only difference between you and a venture capitalist
is that he is getting paid to gamble with someone else’s money.) If you must use more
than ten slides to explain your business, you probably don’t have a business. The ten
topics that a venture capitalist cares about are:
1. Problem
2. Your solution
3. Business model
4. Underlying magic/technology
5. Marketing and sales
6. Competition
7. Team
8. Projections and milestones
9. Status and timeline
10. Summary and call to action
