Investor Pitch Deck

Objective of this service

Creating the right investor pitch is a vital component of every aspiring business, in its corporate mission to achieve its objectives. Also known as a startup pitch deck, the objective of this service is to help craft the best business proposal for a startup, helping to answer key questions like the nature of the business, the business credentials and its trust quotient, the business revenue model, and financial objectives, the business risk management process, the planned cash flows and the overall messaging that the business seeks to convey. Importantly, the best pitch deck for investors should be professionally written, making the investor interested to know about key business elements like the team composition, the business plan, and the possibility of a good business ROI (Return on Investment).

What is a “Pitch Deck”

What is a startup pitch deck? A startup seed funding pitch deck is essentially a presentation deck or slides that are used to pitch or project your startup business to target audiences, generally investors. Seed funding or seed stage funding is an early investment or venture capital financing, helping a business to grow and generate its capital. The investors can themselves be the founders and use their savings as seed money for their new startup, which is also known as bootstrapping.

An effective startup pitch deck has to be organized and strategized based on the nature of the audience and the forum or platform on which it is being presented. The best investor pitch deck will consist of high-level summary slides, the problem to be addressed, the products or services being offered, the market/strategy envisaged, the growth traction, the team, the financials/projections, and the tone or message to be articulated. Specifically, an investor pitch deck is prepared by aspiring start-ups to present their company to prospective angel or venture capital investors.

How to create a pitch deck for investors: The best pitch deck for investors typically consists of 15 to 20 slides in a PowerPoint presentation format and is intended to present a compelling business case by showcasing the company’s products, technology, strategy, and team to investors. The primary goal of a best investor pitch deck is not just to secure funding, but to also make it to the next meeting or round of discussions. Getting the funding for the project is a multi-step process. Professionally compiled best pitch presentations are the first step of this process, where the prospective entrepreneur presents potential investors with an idea that arouses their curiosity and interest and encourages them to engage with you.

Why develop an “Investor Pitch Deck” ?

The reason why a startup seed funding pitch deck is developed is to prepare a crisp, compelling presentation providing potential investors or clients with an overview of the business plan, products and services, technology, team, and growth traction. DFX will show you how to create a pitch deck for investors, by touching upon its key elements:

Company Overview: This slide is just 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 capture the reader’s attention.

Mission/Vision of the Company: This slide summarizes the mission/vision of the company. The vision is the goal the business thinks it can achieve, and this slide can be your 15-second compelling elevator pitch.

The Team: This slide will typically include: Photographs of the key team members with their names, designation/titles, a short summary, or biographies showcasing their domain experience and relevant expertise. Advisors, consultants, and board members (who could be prominent industry stalwarts) are often included here to boost the company’s reputation and credibility.

The Problem: or the opportunity addressed has to be 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 better than other similar solutions in the market. This should be carefully synced with the product slide, to avoid possible overlap.

Market Opportunity: Since investors want to fund big opportunities with large markets, the market opportunity slide should define the market the business is in, with graphs illustrating that the company will be addressing a large part 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 additional product features are planned?

Customers: If the company has old and steady customers, this slide can help to add credibility. Reputed customer logos (that have 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 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:

• 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
• Key use of investment proceeds (i.e. technology spends, new product development, recruitment, capital expenses, marketing and sales expenses, etc.)
• Description of existing investors, if any (especially well-known ones to boost credibility).

Why DFX to develop “Investor Pitch Deck”

Digital Finance Experts (DFX) is a leading investor pitch consultant offering a wide range of customized retail and digital finance services & solutions, including the best pitch deck for investors. DFX has years of proven credentials in all facets of the finance space across numerous industries and is efficiently helmed by prominent strategists backed by years of practical industry experience. DFX has been a strategic and transformational partner and a reputed investor pitch deck creation specialist over several years, helping to create the best investor proposal for a startup. As your trusted investor pitch deck consultant, DFX can help you successfully craft your best investor pitch to distinguish it from potential competition, and jump-start your business. If you are an aspiring entrepreneur on the lookout for the best pitch presentations, connect with DFX experts today and watch your business take shape, and grow from strength to strength.

Investor Pitch Deck

• Industry problem Highlights (i.e. Problem Statement)
• Secondary research (Market size, customer segment, and other demographics)
• Explaining solution which is simple to understand and it can be correlated with problem.
• Solution in terms of product or service which is addressing the problem.
• Value proposition and highlighting key features.

• Competitive advantage – Quadrant axis map
• Other players in the market Segment of Competition
• Customer acquisition strategies
• Strategy differentiators
• Scope within the funding projection

• Team behind the project
• Important phases of your venture journey (past, present and future), which may also include details about Proof of concept, existing customer testimonials (if available), etc

Information Memorandum

• Describing the Company
• Opportunities and challenges
• Describing the products, moat and execution strategy
• SWOT analysis

• Describing the team, principles and culture
• Highlighting their relevant achievements in professional, educational, and social space
• Mention founders and core team – all important teams managing major functions in the company

• Competition & market share analysis,
• Volumes and margins growth,
• Profit & Loss statement, Cash Flow statement,
• ROCE, CAGR, EBIDTA

• Business Valuation Strategy
• Income Based (DCF Approach)
• Net Asset Based Approach (Income Tax v/s Market Depreciation Methods)
• Market Based (Recent Deals Comparison & Listed Deals Comparison)

• Investor rights and duties
• Terms of payment
• Details of ownership transfer
• Investor exit clause
• Agreement Termination clause