What is a pitch deck?
A pitch deck is a short presentation that is presented to potential investors. It’s purpose is to relate information such as what your business is, what the products are and what money you need from investors. A pitch deck is typically used to raise capital for your business. It is a visually appealing and engaging presentation to capture the attention of your audience. Keep in mind, your pitch deck is one of the first things investors will see. Before creating one, you should consider who your audience is, what they would engage with and whether they would be interested in your company.
What should it include?
So, what should your pitch deck include? How can you grab investors’ attention? Here are some of the key points/slides you should include:
Business overview
One of the first things your pitch deck should include is what your company is. This means showing investors what the purpose of your company is as well as a brief overview of the way it works. This should not be too long and instead should be kept brief and succinct.
What issues will your business solve?
This is where you need to list the issues that your business is solving. Showing investors what the benefits of investing in your business are. Here you can also address any competitors who may already be addressing issues and how your business is different from theirs.
How will your business solve these issues?
Once you have identified the issues that the business will solve, you need to relay HOW your business will solve them. This includes different ways your business will solve the issues. You can also begin to engage the different products in your business and how they will help in solving any issues as well.
Current market
This section of the pitch deck delves into what your customer base is or what you aim for it to look like as well as the entire market size. This means providing statistics to show how many people are already contributing to the market as well as showing your level of market research into the relevant market size. This section will be pivotal for potential investors as it shows them what opportunities the business will have and how it will work in the relevant market. Click here to find out more about how to identify the target market of your business.
Products
This is the space you will use to provide further information on your business and what products and services it will provide. Use this space wisely as it will show investors whether your business is adequately created and thought through. Sharing some photos of your businesses products is a perfect way to visually engage your audience. It allows investors to physically comprehend what the business is selling and whether it is something they would be interested in.
Profits and Goals
Any potential investor will always look at whether your business has the potential to make a profit. This means including the profits you have had so far. If your business has not created any profit or is not at that stage yet, you can advise what your potential profits will be. This can be done using graphs or tables to make it a bit more engaging rather than just throwing numbers around. Further, this is a perfect place to outline what your goals are for the company, financially speaking. Outline what you believe the company will be like in 5-10 years, but keep it realistic.
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Get startedCompetitors
So, who are your competitors? Who is your business up against? Not only do you want to provide information on who your competitors are, but you also want to show why you are fit to be running against these competitors. Essentially, you want to showcase the differences between your company and competitors and how your company provides certain benefits comparingly.
The team
This is where you can showcase your team. You can add photos of your team members along with their accomplishments or achievements. This demonstrates your teams capability at running a business and puts an investor’s mind at ease. You can prove to your investors that the business is in capable hands and drive it home by revisiting their accomplishments, educational background and prior experience.
Testimonials
If your business is already up and running, you can collect customer feedback from your current customers. This is a part of your pitch deck that will show investors how the business looks to consumers and whether they are satisfied with the services and products you provide.
What type of investment are you seeking?
This part of your pitch deck is probably where you need to be the most realistic. Your entire presentation leads up to this moment. This is where you will advise what amount of money you are seeking from investors. You also need to tell them what you will be doing with this money. For example, will it be used for renovations, paying off your debts or even just hiring workers. The more specific you can be with how you will use the money, the more likely investors will be interested in investing.
For more tips on what not to do when seeking to raise capital for your business, click here. Additionally, view Lawpath Guide to Raising Capital for Your Business.
Conclusion
Therefore, knowing what to include in your pitch deck is one of the first major steps to successfully acquiring an investor. If you are unsure on how to approach investors or raise capital, contact a capital raising lawyer at Lawpath today. Alternatively, check out this page by the Australian government for do’s and don’ts of a pitch.
