11 Slides Every Pitch Deck Needs in 2022
Last Updated on December 18, 2022 by Selina Parker
What is a pitch deck?
A pitch deck is a quick presentation that summarizes your business idea, products, services, and growth progress.
You probably know this as an entrepreneur: your firm or idea necessitates investment. You can frequently obtain this funding from outside sources, such as venture capitalists and angel investors. To sell your ideas to potential investors, you must convince them that they should invest in your company.
The best pitch decks are the key to securing funding. If you are raising capital for your business, this is necessary, so you must have a winning pitch deck. But what do you include, and how do you know if your pitch deck is good enough?
What Do You Include in Your Own Pitch Deck Presentation?
A good investor pitch deck is an essential tool to raise funds. It helps them get a sense of the company and its goals.
Our analysis looks at some successful pitch deck examples like the Airbnb pitch deck, Buffer pitch deck, Intercom pitch deck, Facebook pitch deck, and Uber pitch deck. We found one thing in common: most successful startup pitch decks had ten critical slides and not more than 19 slides.
Let’s take a closer look at precisely what these slides are.
1. Introduction
The deck starts with an introduction, and this is the most important slide in your deck. It should include a brief overview of who you are and what your company does. You only have a few seconds to make a first impression, so make it count.
You can use this slide of your startup pitch deck may also be used to communicate the value proposition of your organization. Please make an effort to express it in a single phrase or sentence that will capture the essence of what you do.
Example:
“We help startups raise capital without diluting their business’ equity.”
“We make it easy for people to find and book unique travel experiences online.”
A successful startup pitch deck keeps this overview short enough to engage investors in their presentation.
2. The problem
If you don’t address some issue in the world, what makes you think someone will invest in your company?
Your potential investors want to know that there is a market for your product or service and a problem worth solving. So, this slide should include data that supports the existence of the problem you’re trying to solve and your potential customer’s pain point.
You can also use it to showcase how big the problem is and the actual size of your potential market.
Example:
“Not having enough capital is the primary cause why most startups fail.”
“Businesses fail because they can’t get their products to market quickly enough.”
To show that your company is worth investing in, you need to prove that there is a problem worth solving and that you have the best solution for it.
Use this slide to discuss the problem you’re attempting to solve and who has it. Startup pitch deck examples also use this slide to talk about existing solutions on the market to attract investors to
3. The target market and business opportunity
It is a good place to state who your potential customers are and how many. What is the overall market size, and how do you want to position your firm in it?
Investors will want to know how much money individuals or firms currently spend in the market to know the total market size if you can find it. Successful pitch decks use this slide to describe the problem in detail.
The market will decide whether or not you will get funded. Investors may find that the potential return on investment is too low or too dangerous to back you if you operate in a small market.
A clear market slide will show past product development and future potential market expansion, making it simpler for investors to comprehend the promise of your product.
4. The solution
Finally, you may go over your product or service in detail. Please describe how consumers utilize your product and how it solves the issues you mentioned on the previous slide.
Avoid making grand promises like “this product will change the world!”. Most people in the audience will likely be familiar with various firms attempting to address the issue you’ve raised. You can do this by explaining how your company solves problems and what benefits it offers for users.
Some pitch deck example offers multiple solutions to show investors that you have considered various ways to solve the problem and are committed to finding the best pitch for the market.
If you choose to provide more than one solution, make sure that they complement each other and support your overall vision as an organization.
5. Business model
This slide is significant to investors because this will talk about how your solution to a particular problem will make money and how you will use the funds to develop further.
In a standard pitch deck template, this slide is a simple list of how many customers there are, what they pay, and the expected profit margins from each source. Investors want to see that you have considered all aspects of starting a business before going out on their own with it.
If the business model cannot generate enough revenue for your company’s growth and development, your startup will likely not get funded.
6. Traction
The traction slide concentrate on your company’s accomplishments, such as the number of sales you’ve made, significant milestones you’ve already completed, future goals, and competitive advantage.
Talk about your product’s sales or early adopters here if you have any. Investors want to see that you have demonstrated the viability of your business model, so any evidence you can offer that validates that your solution works are instrumental.
7. Marketing strategy
How will you pique your prospects’ interest, and how do you do your sales process? A strong pitch deck uses this slide to describe your marketing and sales strategy in detail. You’ll want to include the essential method for getting your product in front of potential consumers.
8. Competition
Use this slide to describe who your competitors are and how you differ from them. Avoid discussing the competition too much, as it can deter some investors.
It is best to position yourself as the best solution to a problem that has yet to be solved or one that offers more value than current alternatives on the market.
Include any information about what you know about your competitor’s product and how you plan to address any shortcomings.
If possible, try to list out the weaknesses of each of your competitor’s products so that investors can see where there is room for improvement. You may look at Airbnb’s pitch deck for reference.
9. Financials
The financials section of your pitch deck is what investors analyze the most.
Investors will be looking for your financials at least for three years: sales prediction, income statement (also known as a profit and loss statement), and cash flow forecast.
However, for your pitch deck, you should avoid having complicated spreadsheets that would be difficult to understand and consume in a presentation setting. Limit yourself to graphs that display sales, overall customers, total expenses, and profits.
A colorful graph with a bar chart makes the financials more comprehensible and fascinating than a typical spreadsheet full of figures.
10. Team
Why are you and your team the best people to start and develop this firm? What background do you have that no one else does? Highlight the company’s key employees, past accomplishments at other firms, and essential skills.
11. Investment and Use of Finds
Before you finish, let investors know what you want from them. Instead of just requesting a specific sum of money, let them know what you’ll do with it.
Investors are more likely to fund your company if you can demonstrate how you will use the funds and why you need that much money in the first place. Investors want to know how to utilize their cash and how it will help you reach your business’s objectives.
Conclusion
You can also add other slides on your pitch deck like your exit strategy, partnerships, and other documentation for proof of concept. However, the eleven slides mentioned above are a good starting point and will cover most of what you need to discuss to get funding for your business.
Remember that your pitch deck is only one part of the equation for fundraising. You’ll also have to answer any questions investors may have about your company and be able to provide additional documentation if necessary.
Need strategies to raise capital for your business? The Fully Funded Method is an all-inclusive guide to help you grow your venture.
By reading this book, you’ll learn how best to pitch investors and gain the funding necessary for scaling up ASAP!
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“What began as a life and career coaching services company to aide entrepreneurs through the early-stage challenges and tough transformations of starting a social venture has evolved over the years to include mergers and acquisitions, organizational consulting, and business growth advisory services to mission-driven organizations that strive to improve access to basic physiological, safety, and security needs while increasing their profit margin. Clients include founders and organizations with the purpose of addressing deficiencies in delivering quality healthcare and mental health services, sufficient employment, access to clean water and air, safe shelter, adequate food, and more.”