15 Slides you NEED on your Pitch Deck - Startups 101
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The Status Quo
- Discusses current market conditions and the startup's vision for a solution
- Explains the opportunity spotted in the market
- Showcases the product, explaining its function, target customers, milestones, roadmap, and business model
- Includes go-to-market strategies and market size potential
- Highlights why the startup team is positioned to change the status quo and how they outpace the competition
Status Quo & Product & Tech Infrastructure Slide
- Status quo tied to a clear market opportunity with real-world data
- Problems should be undebatable facts, not opinions
- Solution slides should offer a high-level view of what the company does, potentially without product features
- Underlines the importance of addressing a true market need—investors stop if unconvinced
- Demonstrates the startup's market expertise with solid, well-thought-out statements
- Product slides show the built solution, using screenshots and captions for quick consumption
- Features are explained as user benefits, "showing" is preferred over "telling"
- Unique technology can be detailed with a tech infrastructure diagram, useful for blockchain companies, among others
Market Validation Slide & Audience Slide & A Case Study & Business Model
- Market validation proves the concept with real examples, showing understanding of industry willingness
- Audience slides define the target customer persona, indicating focused feature and growth strategies
- Case studies demonstrate product adoption, utility, and impact on other businesses, indicating target industries and key decision-makers
- Business model slides clarify the revenue model without projections, focusing on how customers are charged
- Roadmap outlines product milestones and near-term goals funded by the proposed capital round
Market Section
- Identifies growth trends and future growth potential
- Traction slide must show growth on core KPIs like revenue or active users, excluding vanity metrics
- Charts are preferred for visual representation of growth trends over time, providing context for recent figures
Go to Market Slide
- Focus on one or two deeply developed go-to-market strategies.
- Include unique economics and costs if strategies are already in use.
- For new strategies, provide a detailed plan with timeline, budget, and expectations.
- Experience with the strategies is beneficial for proving effectiveness.
- Emphasize reaching the next fundable milestone with the raised capital.
Seed Funding and The Market Slide &
- Seed funding rounds for software companies typically require a live product and solid revenue growth.
- The goal is to reach the next funding milestone such as Series A.
- The market slide should show potential annual revenue specific to the business.
- Calculate annual revenue with the formula: potential customers x annual revenue per customer.
- Confirm that the business model matches customer acceptance and market fit.
- Understanding the number of potential customers is critical.
Competitors and Team
- Convey superior market understanding and why the team is better than competitors.
- Use comparisons that show clear market insight, such as feature lists or approaches revealing competitor weaknesses.
- Highlight team members with skills crucial for reaching the next milestone.
- Focus bios on industry expertise, related experience, and concrete achievements.
Finding Co-Founders
- Industry expertise and related past experience are important in team bios.
- Ivy League education is less impressive than relevant experience.
- A 'why now' slide can be beneficial to indicate urgency or market opportunity timing.
- Frame a 'secret sauce' slide to show unique technology or connections that provide a competitive edge.
The Secret Sauce and Financial Estimations &
- Present unique advantages like technology or network connections that build a protective moat against competitors.
- Conclude with financial estimation and ask slides detailing the amount of capital being raised, the terms, and use of funds.
- The last slides are not story-driven but are crucial for financial planning.