Pitch Deck and How Investors Think About Your Pitch

A pitch deck is usually a slide presentation designed to give a short summary of how you found your startup, how you are doing now, and also your vision for the future. It also serves very different purposes, from trying to get a meeting with a new investor, to presenting in front of a stage and also to get your first hires.

I was preparing many pitch decks for different business ideas I had and it got me big; if there are lots of templates out there, why many founders cannot raise the fund they need?!

If this secret is debunked, why many entrepreneurs struggle to get the next round of funding, and also, how hard it is to create a compelling pitch deck?

When you google the pitch deck and the keyword variations, you see lots of advice that look pretty much the same; problem, solution, why you!

This formula was and still is very simple and easy to understand and follow. The issue is it is boring!

It does not reflect on the whole story.

To be able to create a great pitch deck that raises funds, you as a founder need to put yourself into the investor’s shoes.

The first question you want to ask yourself is; what exactly the investor want?

If you want to invest your own money into a startup, what exactly you expect to see in the company that worth your money?

The answer is simple: Investors are looking for great companies that grow fast in the shortest period of time and can maximize their investment.

With this in mind, it will be more effective to break down your deck into past, present, and future!

This is what I learned from Hiten Shah which has build lots of great products and has dealt with lots of pitch decks and investors.

The past

These are the things and events that your investors want to see:

How you come up with the business idea? How you come up with the name? What is your value proposition? Key milestone achieved? How you achieved these milestones? What channel did you use to get here?

The present

Who are your customers? How you acquire customers? Financials? Run rate vs. monthly burns? Where the product is now? How much product costs?

What do your customers think of your product now?

The future

What is the growth plan moving forward? Market size and addressable market? Detailed achievements about the team? Future milestones? Risks and mitigation strategies? Forecast and financials? Fundraising ask.

This particular blog post was very short because I wanted to focus on the most important things in this area. There are heaps of templates out there and a lot of people that can help to evaluate your pitch deck.

Feel free to send me your pitch deck and I will give you feedback for free. No strings attached.