Pitch Decks for VCs

You’re doing it wrong.

Almost all entrepreneurs at one time or another get very hung up on the Pitch Deck. CEOs/Founders start to think about the process of fundraising, and this results in an obsession with the perfect pitch deck. I am here to say that there is no perfect pitch deck.

Think about this in another way, what is the purpose of a pitch deck?

1. To assist the founder in organizing their thoughts around the business.
2. Make the product easily digestible for an investor.
3. To have collateral that can be sent to more people.

So the “perfect” pitch deck is one that articulates what your business does. No one has ever raised capital because their pitch deck was pretty. A lot of people have raised capital because they were over-prepared, knew where their business was going, and were able to articulate that through a pitch alongside a pitch deck.

So when creating a pitch deck, do not think that it is the one thing that will make your luck change its course, or that it will magically have people throwing money at your idea. The ability to make that happen completely rests with you: your ability to sell a vision.

So there is no “perfect” pitch deck, but there are bad pitch decks, here is a quick sketch of what works for a pitch deck.

Seed — Series A Investor Pitch Deck

Always assume that the investor will only read the first three pages.

As an investor, sometimes I am not able to spend as much time as I would like on any individual pitch deck, and the only way to pull me in is if I know what your company does on the first page/title page, and I understand what’s special about it on the second page. Basically just put all the sexy stuff up front. By the third page, I am either completely interested in learning more, or completely going to stop reading.

Here is an example pitch deck that would be great to receive about a business.

Slide 1: Say Everything up front. This is the title page, but you already have a summary of the fund raise, as well as what the company does with a one liner. Basically the entire purpose of pitch deck is already fulfilled on this one slide. And it tells me that other people have invested.

Slide 2: The problem slide. State the problem clearly.

Slide 3: The We are unique and awesome slide. Show that it is unique, they are using drones, they have traction, and they make money. Also, a more descriptive one liner under the slide title. If you don’t have traction yet, on this slide you should put why you are doing what you are doing.

Slide 4: How it works. If I was good at making graphics, I would have made this a little more picture oriented, but its important to just explain the process on this slide. Sheds a little more light on the company and how the logistics works.

Slide 5: Sizing the market sometimes is tough, especially if it is a new market. But basically just figure out how many people could potentially buy your product, and what that would be worth.

Slide 6: The — Other people are interested in us — Slide.

Slide 7: Team slide. Use logos and pictures, people like pictures.

Slide 8: You need to remember to actually ask for money.

Don’t you wish this product existed? I’m hoping that someone in the next Boost VC tribe applies with Delightful Desserts.

Other tips:

• Less words, more pictures
• Make sure to ask for money at the end (super important to actually ask)
• Make it memorable, but not over the top
• Update the pitch deck as you meet with people
• There is no perfect pitch deck, but there are definitely bad ones
• Spell Check

Other Resources

Dress Rush Pitch Deck

KickFolio Pitch Deck