Pitch Perfect Startup Decks

 

Welcome back!

This time around you are well on your way in your startup journey and it is now time to seriously communicate your idea to the world.

What is a Pitch Deck?

A pitch deck is a streamlined and insightful overview of your startup.

This deck will give you and your team clarity but most importantly it will showcase your startup to potential investors, for example venture capitalists (VC) or angel investors.

Having said that, if you are embarking on your startup journey be ready to hear the words PITCH & DECK a lot.

For those founders who have started their entrepreneurial journey, I am certain that you have heard or have been asked numerous times for a pitch deck.

As part of the founding team, communication will be your paddle to navigate through the startup ecosystem and to get the world to know the company and the impact it wants to make.

Your deck is the backbone of that communication, your foot-in-the-door, the first impression and your compass to navigate the challenges you will be presented along the journey.

Think of your pitch deck as a living document that will be changing as you learn more about your customer and the market or better said as you learn from the ecosystem.

 

TIP – Once you share your pitch deck it becomes a circulating document so make sure its concise and easy to consume.

 

Remember, most of the time you don’t get a second chance to make a good first impression.

This may sound odd but make sure you save all versions of your pitch deck, archive them or do whatever makes sense to you, but don’t delete them as they will serve as compass/progress log and in some instances strategy remainder.

Needless to say that the longer you are on your startup journey, the more you will be asked for these decks from different stakeholders.

The importance of Pitch Decks

We have mentioned that your pitch deck is a living and circulating communication tool.

It’s important that you use your pitch deck to cover these crucial aspects.

The first one is to take the opportunity to tell your story, it’s important that customers, investors and advocates know the story of who is behind the startup.

The second one is to be authentic, don’t use your deck as an autobiography.

After the world gets to know the legend behind the project, then it is time to effectively communicate your Idea…

 

 

Communicate your idea in a simple, interesting and memorable way!

 

Make your idea visible – Most people engage better with visuals and it makes it easier for you to gain trust, therefore you can’t go wrong by visualising your technological innovation.

Use this opportunity to demonstrate your traction – No matter how early you are on your startup journey there are key milestones that made you arrive at the place that you currently find yourself and this shows credibility.

Cash is KING data is QUEEN – In order to get oxygen for your startup you will be raising capital, make sure you do your due diligence and again the same formula applies, communicate your needs in a simple, interesting and memorable way.

Show your startups growth potential, by preparing a deck for key partnerships, to attract talent and enable that growth.

A deck for each occasion

You’ve got the gist by now…

There is a deck for each occasion and tailored to the different stages of your startup’s journey, each deck serves a specific purpose and targets different stakeholders, be it potential investors, partners, or customers.

Pitch Deck

Pitch deck has been at the core of our discussion until now and this deck gives body to other decks.

As referred above, your pitch deck showcases your offering, giving special emphasis to your value proposition and how it addresses a market pain.

Pitch decks are used to present to potential customers, partners in some instances to prepare or showcase your viable product (MVP) with key stakeholders.

Investor Deck

Investor Deck is a variation of the pitch deck as referred previously; however this deck is for a different audience. You are tailoring this deck to attract potential investors and secure funding for your startup.

This deck is used when seeking seed funding, series A, B, or subsequent rounds of investment. Needless to say that It’s crucial to have a polished investor pitch deck before engaging with venture capitalists, angel investors or other funding bodies.

Demo Deck

The purpose of this deck is to showcase your product or service to potential customers, partners, or clients.

This deck can also be used during sales meetings, product launches, or when engaging with potential customers.

Partnership Deck

Partnership decks are there for you to explore potential collaborations or partnerships with other companies.

This could be beneficial as startups can early on their journey see synergies and benefits that may arise by collaborating with each other.

Technical Deck

Technical Deck is a more detailed version of your investor deck. This deck serve as support to your investor deck however, they are more detailed in nature and should figure in the appendix of your investor deck.

They are very useful for Q&As, as they explain the ins-and-outs of your offering.

To summarise, your pitch deck should motivate interest and excitement to anyone consuming it, it’s your foot-in-the-door, the first impression so don’t take it lightly.

• Go straight to the point, do it in a simple clear manner and make it visual.
• Do it in a story telling fort and make sure you have data to back up the story.
• Keep your deck as a living document i.e. keep it updated.

 

You may ask what elements your pitch deck should include?

 

Remember that you are the one telling the story, you need to be comfortable in the way you are communicating the story.

Having said that, make sure that your deck has room for the following elements and not necessarily in this order:

Attention Grabber – Tell what your company is about in one sentence.

The Problem– Tell your audience the pain, how big it is, feel free to refer to Total addressable market (TAM) and how the pain is currently being dealt with.

Thirst Quencher – Show how your startup value proposition can relieve the pain.

Why Now? – Demonstrate the urgency and need for the solution to come to market.

Product – Highlight the important features of your offering.

Market Size – Analyze market conditions and add TAM (Total Addressable Market), SAM (Serviceable Addressable Market) and SOM (Serviceable Obtainable Market).

Value Proposition– Call out what is unique and memorable about your offering and what is innovative in the way you are delivering value.

Competition – Highlight what is unique about your product/service and barriers for competitors to replicate your offering.

Business Model– A clear and understandable way in which you will monetize your solution.

Team– Show that you have a team with the skills and experience to deliver on promise.

Traction – Showcase key milestones that have been achieved till date.

Financials– Demonstrate strategic approach on forecasting and spendings while addressing return on investment.

Ask – Call out how much capital you are looking to raise and how this capital will be used effectively.

 

Feel Free to reach out if you need your decks to be reviewed.