Investor Pitch Deck – What Is It and Why Is It Developed?

What is a Pitch Deck?

In the modern business ecosystem, pitch decks are invaluable tools in every entrepreneur’s arsenal. A pitch deck is essentially a presentation of 10-20 slides, used during face-to-face or online, virtual meetings. Often created using presentation software like PowerPoint, Keynote, or Prezi, it is used to project a quick overview of the business plan to target audiences, i.e. investors, clients, partners, or co-founders. A typical company pitch deck framework presents a summary or brief overview of the company, business plan and model, growth traction, and the overall company vision and mission, amongst other elements. The presentation can serve different purposes, based on which its structure is suitably customised. These purposes or objectives could range from getting a meeting fixed with a new investor or creating potential investment opportunities, showcasing the professional team’s capabilities, achieving business goals through a vision-opportunity pitch, or solving a pressing business problem.
One of the key aspects of an effective pitch deck is to organise it based on the audience and the forum or platform to which it is being presented. A properly crafted company pitch deck will consist of high-level summary slides, the problem to be addressed, the products or services being offered, the market/strategy planned, the growth traction, the team, the financials/projections, and the tone or message to be articulated. More specifically, an investor or startup pitch deck is prepared by an aspiring start-up in collaboration with a seasoned investor pitch deck consultant in its endeavour to present the business to prospective investors or venture capitalists professionally.

Why Develop a Pitch Deck?

A typical company pitch deck presentation is developed to present a crisp, compelling business case by showcasing the company’s business credentials to potential investors or prospective clients to learn more about the business. The primary goal for developing a pitch deck is to secure funding and make it to the next meeting or round of business discussions and negotiations. Securing the final funding for the project is a multi-step, multi-layered process. Professionally crafted best pitch presentations are the first step of this process, where the entrepreneur presents investors or clients with a window or idea that arouses their curiosity and interest, stimulates their business appetite, and encourages them to further engage with you.
The business requirements for developing a compelling pitch deck can be gauged by analysing its essential components and structure as follows:

• Company Overview: This slide comes after the cover page and contains a summary of the business, including its key facts, the problem it addresses, location overview, the management team, etc. This page should be riveting and be able to capture the reader’s attention.
• Mission/Vision of the Company: This slide summarises the mission/vision of the company. The vision is the goal for the business, and this slide can be a brief, compelling elevator pitch.
• The Team: This slide will typically include: Photographs of the key team members with their names, designation/titles, a summary, or biographies showcasing their domain experience and relevant expertise. Advisors, consultants, and board members (who are prominent industry stalwarts) are often included here to boost the company’s reputation and credibility.
• The Problem: or the opportunity addressed is put here, with answers to questions like:
  • How big is the problem?
  • Why is it important?
  • Whom are you solving the problem for?
  • Who are the target customers?
• Solution: This slide articulates the proposed solution and why it’s unique and superior to other similar market solutions. This part should be carefully synced with the product slide to avoid possible overlaps.
• Market Opportunity: Since investors want to fund big opportunities with large markets, the market opportunity slide should define the business’s market, with graphs or diagrams illustrating that the company will be catering to a large chunk of its target market.
• Products & Services: This slide will showcase the company’s products and services through images, visuals, and videos, including answers to:
  • What are the key features of the product?
  • Why do users care about the product?
  • What are the major product milestones?
  • What are the key differentiated features or USPs of the product?
  • What are additional product features planned?
• Customers: If the company has loyal and steady customers, this slide can help to add credibility. Reputed customer logos (with requisite usage permissions) and partnerships/affiliations are included on this page.
• Technology: Investors are generally interested in business technology (both existing and currently in development). This slide can address:
  • The basic technology roadmap
  • Key intellectual property rights (i.e. patents, copyrights, trademarks, domain names)
  • Why the technology is or will be superior
  • Why it will be difficult for competitors to replicate the technology
• Competition: If you don’t understand your competitors, then the investor or client would conclude that you don’t understand the market dynamics. This slide should answer the following questions:
  • Who are the company’s competitors?
  • What gives your company a unique competitive advantage?
  • What are the company’s USPs, vis-à-vis its competitors?
• Traction: A company that has gained early traction will always be viewed positively by investors. This slide would cover the following:
  • What early traction has the company gained (i.e. sales, web traffic, app downloads, growth metrics, etc.)?
  • Any early strategic partnerships the company has entered into?
  • How can this early traction be consolidated and accelerated?
  • Press/media coverage and accolades
  • Client Testimonials
• Business or Revenue Model: This slide can address key issues like:
  • How will the business make money?
  • What is the revenue and pricing model?
  • How can the company add long-term customer value?
  • What are the various customer acquisition channels and costs?
• The Marketing Plan: Every business needs to have a well-thought-out marketing strategy to garner customers or users. This slide will cover:
  The key marketing channels to be used (i.e. paid or organic search, social media, TV, radio, email marketing, etc.)
• Case Studies: Any early marketing success, including a description of the channels that worked
  Preliminary customer acquisition costs (and, correspondingly, the projected lifetime value)
  PR & Corporate Communication Strategy
• Financials: The financial projections should always be realistically shown and should contain key aspects like:
  • 3 to 5-year financial projections
  • Unit economics
  • Burn rate
  • Key financial metrics (like annual recurring revenue)
  • Total revenue and expenses
  • EBITDA
  • Key assumptions
• The Ask: Towards the end of the investor pitch deck, this slide should address key issues like:
  • How much money is being sought (i.e. a targeted range)?
  • Duration for which financing is required (e.g., 15-18 months)
  • Major project milestones expected to be achieved with the financing
  • Use of investment proceeds (i.e. technology spending, new product development, recruitment, capital expenses, marketing, sales expenses, etc.)
  • Description of existing investors, if any (especially well-known ones to boost credibility)
  • Exit Strategy – Specify to investors how they will get their investment back, and once achieved, what would be the next moves applicable to both parties.

About DFX

Headquartered in Pune, India, Digital Finance Experts (DFX) is a leading investor pitch deck consultant offering a wide range of industry-ready retail and financial services, including crafting customised company pitch deck solutions for entrepreneurs and business owners. The company has proven credentials in all dimensions of the retail and financial consulting space and is efficiently spearheaded by prominent industry strategists backed by years of practical industry experience. DFX and its sister organisations like YRC have been strategic and transformational partners for top-tier clients over several years, expertly hand-holding them on every step of their journey. As your trusted investor pitch deck consultant, DFX can help you to kick start your business journey, safely navigating all potential obstacles and pitfalls along the way. If you are a prospective entrepreneur or business owner looking out for a company pitch deck specialist, look no further and connect with the DFX team now. We will help you with all facets of company pitch deck development, helping you to maximise your true business potential and enabling your business to scale up and grow exponentially, always staying ahead of the curve!