A pitch deck is a brief presentation providing your audience with a quick overview of your business. With regards to startups, founders are pitching for funding from angel investors and VCs. This can occur at various stages but typically happens when cash becomes a constraint to the growth and scale of your business.
The deck is a vehicle to either get to the first meeting or a follow-up with an interested investor. As Mark Suster, General Partner at Upfront Ventures, says:
“Your deck should be so good that a VC asks you for permission to show it to his or her portfolio companies.” — I Know Everybody Told You to Send Your Fund-Raising Decks as a Link. Here’s Why You Should Just Send the Deck
Below are slides with advice on what early-stage startups should consider including in a deck when pitching to investors.
Alex Iskold, Managing Director at Techstars, once said, “there are several ways to build an investor deck for your seed round, but there is no perfect way, of course.” This is just my take on what I like to see in pitch decks. Share your deck with your team and mentors. Get as many reps as possible before pitching in front of investors.
