Pitch Deck Design for Startup and How to Get Funding

A pitch deck is crucial for any entrepreneur or business looking for funding.

Creating a good pitch deck can be the difference between walking out of that meeting with some money or a firm rejection handshake. Pitch decks involve a lot of content consisting of facts and figures, and it is a presenter's job to make it enticing and easy to understand. To help businesses with that process, we have compiled some helpful information about pitch deck creation. 

What Should a Pitch Deck Contain?

A pitch deck should contain everything an investor needs to know about a business in simplified form. A pitch deck design usually involves the same components regardless of the business type. They include:  

Vision and the Business's Value

Describe the company and its value to consumers in about a sentence or less. Many startups pitch using enticing comparisons for their value proposition, for example, "we're the MacDonalds of pet foods." The one-liner must be catchy, memorable, and descriptive. 

The Problem 

Your business has to provide a solution to a real-world problem. Otherwise, growth will be challenging. This slide should discuss what issue the business will be addressing. You are free to highlight the current solutions but don't dive too deep into comparisons. You will get the chance to do it later. 

Target Market 

Who are your ideal customers? What's the size of the market? Have the data to describe the market share, the amount of money businesses spend in that market, and an estimation of your company's market position. It is also where you describe the returns investors can expect from their investments. Finally, remember to explain why your solution is needed and how the other solutions are not adequately fixing the problem. This slide sets up one of the crucial components of a pitch deck - your product. 

Your Product or "the Solution" 

In this slide, you get to go deeper in explaining how the product addresses the issues you've identified. Here, discuss the product's features and the customers. Then, talk about why they will benefit from the product. 

Revenue Model 

After describing the product, explain the business model or how the product will make the investors' money. What's your pricing? Has the business earned any money from it? Early businesses may not have the revenue to show, but they can make financial projections and proof of product engagement. It's about showing them proof that customers are willing to purchase the product. 

Competition 

Competition might be one of the pitch deck elements some might not consider important, but it is. Here explain how the business fits into the target market and the qualities that make the product different from the competitors. Feel free to pull the information directly from your company's competitive analysis. 

The Team 

Introduce your team and show why your company has the right personnel to propel the company's growth. What useful skills and expertise do the key personnel possess? You don't need a full personnel team for a startup, just the crucial positions and a highlight of the positions you will eventually fill. 

Financials 

Investors are very interested in the financial health of any company they plan to invest in. They prefer to see the financials for 3-5 years well presented with visual aids such as graphs and charts. 

Tips for Creating a Decent Pitch Deck 

Now that we know what to include in a pitch deck, let's discuss how you can create a pitch deck that secures you the funding. 

Be Straightforward 

Don't overload potential investors with data. While you might feel like doing so gives them the entire picture, the less information works better. It doesn't mean leaving some essential details out, just the extra information you don't need. Be straightforward in explaining your ideas and with the infographic content. 

Prioritize the Story Over the Stats 

Wondering how to make pitch deck engaging? Tell a story. You need to engage your investors; the metrics and figures alone will not do it. Entrepreneurs need to tell a story investors can relate to and then use the stats and figures to back it up. Appeal to their emotions by placing yourself in the shoes of your potential consumers. From there, you can show how the product swoops in and helps them. 

Provide a Sense of Urgency 

Sometimes appealing to their emotions doesn't work as well as expected. In that case, you can appeal to an emotion investors tend to respond to; the fear of missing out. Here, aim to convince them your idea is so good that if they don't invest at that moment, their chance will pass, and someone else will. That's how to do a pitch deck that gets you an immediate response.

Ensure It Is Self Sufficient

Your pitch deck needs to be enough to show potential investors everything they should know about your business. It is because some investors will want to keep a copy to revisit later. So, ensure it has all the information they need should they need it printed. 

Short, Simple, and Honest 

Investors tend to have a limited attention span. So, the longer your presentation is, the higher the risk of losing them. Here is how to write a pitch deck that grabs their attention early and maintains their interest until the end. Limit your use of words to about 20 for each slide. The less information on each slide, the easier they will process it. 

Make the visuals simple and easy to read. The slides don't need too many colors or graphics to be appealing. But be transparent with them; don't try to hide anything because it will reflect poorly on the business WHEN they discover it.

Final Thoughts 

The influence a pitch deck can have on investors cannot be underestimated. The above pitch deck tips should prove helpful, but when combined with a good template, you can create a masterpiece. Always remember to have an extra copy of the deck. The investors will always ask for one ahead of time or after the presentation.