Big Vision: An Overlooked But Critical Slide

One of my favorite questions to ask in a first meeting with a founder is, “How are you going to take over the world?” If you want to be a venture-backed founder, you need to have a big vision. You also need to be able to communicate that vision credibly, especially when you’re pitching to an investor. That means including a slide in your pitch deck that showcases how your company is transformational, not incremental.

Unfortunately, in the world of innovation, too many entrepreneurs overlook the “Big Vision” slide and miss the mark when communicating the complete potential of their company.

Quantum Leap Potential

Before we dive into what’s actually on the slide let’s talk through why it’s important to have that transformational big vision if you want to drive venture-style returns. I’m certainly not the first investor to talk about this concept but it is worth harping on. If you want to change the world you can’t do it with a product/solution that is only a 2x improvement on the status quo. Your big vision needs to be something that creates a scenario that is 10x better than the current reality. Or in other words, you need a leap change, not a step change. I’ll call this your quantum leap.

Just having a quantum leap idea isn’t enough; you then need to be able to communicate it successfully to your stakeholders. How do you get a company behind a vision if they don’t understand it or the steps needed to get there? How do you raise capital if you can’t tell the same story so that an outsider can quickly understand and then buy in? This slide is your opportunity to paint this picture.

Fortunately, it is actually easier than it may sound. It really only takes two key steps. First, is tying it to your market size. This slide isn’t where you dig into how you came up with your market size but it is a great opportunity to reiterate how big of an opportunity you are going after. Focus on the total market opportunity that you will eventually flip on its head, not just the problem you are solving today. Second, and this is the tricky part, you must logically connect your initial go-to-market that you are laser-focused on as the first step to eventually unlock that massively scaled, category-dominating vision. More on this below, it is hard to do well, at your earliest stages you may be 10+ steps away still!

Getting to the Next Level

Not sure how you’re going to get to that big vision? A trick I love to use when mapping out the path is using the analogy of levels in a video game — reaching your ultimate vision is a process and you usually can’t skip levels. You build up to the point where you are ready to conquer the game. The first level, i.e., your initial go-to market, needs to be the obvious place to start. It lays the foundation through initial customers, data, research, feedback, or something else that, once conquered, will move you to level 2. Which leads to level 3 etc, etc. Now, let’s not be delusional. You may not exactly know all the exact steps along the way and things are very likely to change as you progress through the game. It is dynamic. However, as CEO you need to have a plan built on the information you currently have. Why is this the right first sand tep, how does it lead to the s,econd which eventually leads to world domination? If you can’t cleanly connect the dots between your short-term play and the bold endgame you envision, then you don’t have a go-to-market/vision fit, and something needs to change.

I love this part of the process, and it’s another reason why putting together a pitch deck isn’t just for investors. It’s an opportunity for you to think strategically, to pressure test all of your assumptions, and to make sure they are sensible.

For example, if you’re creating a new mouse trap that currently works really well at grocery stores, that may feel like a relatively narrow market opportunity. If you only focus on this initial GTM, VCs are likely going to pass. You have to tie this to a bigger vision, “25% of all the world’s food is consumed or contaminated by rodents, we are going to solve this gigantic problem by re-thinking the entire pest control industry. Our grocery store mouse trap is the logical place to start because it enables…” Bring the big vision in and make it obvious why your starting point (or first level) is the right one.

As you continue to build your startup and begin passing levels, your path to winning the game should be more clear. It will become difficult to make dramatic pivots but also more likely that you are on the correct path. Your big vision will feel like less of a dream and more like an objective that is within reach. From a fundraising perspective you will be judged more on what you have accomplished vs what your big vision is.

But at the beginning, it’s important to communicate where you’re going and how you’re getting there clearly.

Using the Big Vision Slide To Your Advantage

Spending time to create a forward-thinking, well-thought-out Big Vision slide can demonstrate several core capabilities to investors, including:

• Category-defining ambition rather than a desire to build something interesting and useful but then coast. “Go big or go home” mentality.
• Strategic thinking. If you can tie these points together it is demonstrative of your strategic ability.
• Communication — It can be difficult to successfully communicate this plan. Achieving clarity on where to play and how to win with your stakeholders is an impressive feat.
• Adaptability to expand market reach and pivot appropriately during the journey
• Superior understanding of your go-to market and the customer need in that early phase

Avoiding Some Frequent Missteps

Common pitfalls I’ve seen in Big Vision slides to steer clear of:

• Failing to showcase an actual big vision! Demonstrating an end game that doesn’t actually change the world.

• Disconnected dots between initial foray and endgame — tie things together, make me believe there’s a method behind starting where you are.

• “We only need 20% of this market and look how big we are” vision slides. Don’t do it.

The Big Vision slide remains overlooked yet is essential to bringing investors along on your journey. Resist overcomplicating — rather, understand and own where you are today and how your strategic plan leads to world domination.