How To Create a Startup Pitch Deck Presentation

All young startups require funding to develop their ideas and reach their potential. As a result, they have to pitch their ideas to potential investors from time to time.

Before searching for investors, you must learn how to make an excellent pitch deck presentation. A pitch deck will inform investors about your business and interest them in funding.

We will tell you all you need to know about startup pitch decks and how you can create one.

What Is a Pitch Deck?

A pitch deck is a presentation created to provide an overview of a company. It provides information such as a company's business plan, objectives, products, services, growth plan, funding needs, etc.

Your pitch deck should be visually appealing and include 10 to 20 slides. We recommend that you follow the 10/20/30 rule of PowerPoint. Also, make your slides as concise and engaging as possible.

An excellent startup pitch deck is self-explanatory, as the investors will watch the slides on a screen. This will allow you to watch their reactions and decide your next plan.

Why Do You Need a Startup Pitch Deck?

Many people have the misconception that the sole purpose of a startup pitch deck is to get money from investors. However, this isn't entirely true.

When creating a pitch deck, you should aim to introduce your business to investors. Don't expect them to invest in your company after the presentation. Instead, focus on getting them interested in what you are building.

If your startup pitch deck presentation is successful, you will get another meeting and, eventually, the needed funding.

What Makes an Excellent Startup Pitch Deck?

You must wonder what to include in your pitch deck to convey the necessary message and convince investors. We have created a list of things you should include in your pitch deck to impress potential investors. Our format is suitable for any startup.

Introduction

Start your startup pitch deck with an introduction. Help your audience members become more familiar with your business by telling them about your company and team.

Briefly discuss the skills and expertise each team member brings to the table. Show your audience that you have the right team to make your business successful.

The Problem and Your Solution

Investors in the tech industry give their money to problem solvers. Tell your audience your customers' problems and how you plan to solve them. This is your value proposition.

Give a good explanation of the problem so that your audience can understand what your business stands for.

SWOT Analysis.

SWOT analysis represents strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. Your SWOT analysis slide should give your audience an idea of the risks and opportunities involved in investing in your business. This will play a vital role in their decision-making process later on.

Competition.

All businesses have competitors. Even if you don't have direct competitors in your industry, some alternative solutions should be available to your target customers.

Investors need to see that your business can thrive in the competitive landscape. Tell them about your competitors and prove that you are offering something better. Do you think you have the edge over your competitors? Tell your potential investors.

Demo.

Give your audience members a feel of what your product will look like with their investment. Your demo can be a simulation or a video.

What's important is that the investors become interested in the finished product.

Business Model.

Since the investors will be putting money into your business, it is only natural that they want to know how they will get their profit. Use a business model slide to tell your audience how your company operates and how you plan to bring in money.

What are your price plans? Who will you be billed? How will your pricing compare with what's currently in your target market? These are some of the things your audience wants to see in your presentation deck.

Validation.

Investors have so much money because they avoid investing blindly. A validation slide will go a long way in convincing them to invest in your product or service.

Tell your audience about any sales or early users of your products or service if you have any. This will show the investors that your business idea is more than a theory; it is already working.

Additionally, you can include your milestones in this slide. Provide a timeline of your key achievements and mention the ones you have in sight. Timeline infographics will come in handy here.

Marketing Strategy.

Every business needs customers. However, many young startups struggle to attract customers to their business, and your potential investors understand this.

As a result, you need to show them that you have the right marketing strategy to pull customers. You should also include your sales strategy in this slide.

Financial Projections.

Show your audience the financial projections of your startup. The information they like to see includes your sales forecast, profit and loss statement, and cash flow forecast.

Make this information easy to read so your audience won't have the time to browse broad spreadsheets. Instead of using spreadsheets, you should create charts and graphs showing the necessary information.

Additionally, be realistic and tell the investors how you got your data.

Investment.

Now is the time to call on your audience members to invest in your business. Though you shouldn't expect them to release the funds after this presentation, this is about telling them the amount of money you need.

But that's not all. The investors will also want to know why you need that money and your plan.

More Tips on How To Create a Pitch Deck

Before creating your startup pitch deck, review other things you should know.

Story Telling Is Good.

Don't focus on providing data alone; this can make your pitch deck boring.

Spice things up with exciting stories. You can tell stories about your journey, the problems your customers are facing, the impact you see your startup making, etc.

Simplicity Is Better.

We know you want to impress potential investors by providing as much information as possible. However, less is more when it comes to startup pitch decks.

Focus on providing clear and essential information. You can fail to convey the necessary information by overcomplicating things.

Additionally, it would help if you tried to keep your pitch deck short. Allow your audience to ask questions and discuss your business idea.

Be Realistic.

As we mentioned earlier, you should be realistic about the market opportunity. Investors are highly experienced professionals, so they will know if you are overstating your data.

Be Current.

Most startups pitch their ideas several times before they finally get funding. You should expect to go through the same experience.

Update your pitch deck from time to time. You don't want to be in a situation where a potential investor points out that you are presenting outdated data.

Make It Stand Alone.

A solid pitch deck should be able to stand alone without you presenting it. It would be best to make it available in PDF format so the investors can review it again after the meeting.

Final Thoughts

We have covered all the information you need to create your pitch deck and blow your audience away. However, you don't have to endure the stress of building a pitch deck from scratch.

We have a professionally-designed startup pitch deck template you can download for free. Our pitch deck templates are fully editable and inspired by the best startup pitch deck examples.

Frequently Asked Questions:

How do you create a pitch deck in PowerPoint?

The easiest way to create a PowerPoint pitch deck is to download a pitch deck template from Simple Slides.

How do you structure a pitch presentation?

Gather all relevant information about your startup and target market and convey your message like a story. It should be clear and concise.

How do you start a pitch presentation?

The best way to start your pitch presentation is to introduce your team and business idea.

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