Your team page in the pitch deck and team representation on stage
Where in the pitch deck it’s best to talk about your team, what information to mention or omit, and which team members are best suited to represent your company on stage. Here are some tips for you to consider regarding the ideal content and position of your team section within the deck, and your team representation on stage. Pitch Deck 101 Series — Post #2.
As before, in the Pitches of Paradise Pitch Deck 101 Series we are giving you some straight-up presentation tips and tricks, so that you can build the best pitch deck for your startup. Let’s get on with this post!
Introducing your team (founding team members, internal and external team of experts, advisors and board members) early in the pitch presentation will help establish credibility, but you must be concise, specific and transparent
You need to establish trust and credibility early in the presentation, so your audience knows your team is not only 100% right for the job, but the best team that your business can possibly have at that given time point. Even if you decide to introduce your team towards the end of the presentation deck, it’s a good idea to mention a few things about them when you start the pitch.
You can demonstrate the long-standing and relevant industry expertise your team possesses, and show you have the right advisors and supporters to help you drive the business idea home. You may feature their core skill set and capabilities, the years of experience, their track records associated with well-known companies, any prestigious education background, key personal or work achievements and their specific role in your business.
It’s wise to showcase only a handful of key team members, advisors or mentors, but don’t forget to specify how they contribute to your startup. The important thing is that everything you say must be completely true, such as the degree to which your internal team members are involved, as well as the contribution you receive from your external team of experts.
The presenter on stage must be able to represent your company with credibility and authenticity — sadly, too often this is not the case
It’s crucial that the audience and jury receive the presentation directly from the founder or co-founders, or a senior team member with high stake in your company. Too many times we have seen uninspiring and inauthentic pitch presentations from customer success representatives, sales people or business developers with little or no stake in the company. They may be good at selling the product itself or represent the company in customer interactions, but when it comes to speaking for the startup and conveying the passion and key values of the business itself, they fall flat most of the time.
Showcase your key partners and collaborators to leverage the halo effect
Listing your partners and collaborators (any industry partners such as accelerators and incubators, innovation hubs, corporates, universities, research labs, non-profit organisations, other for-profit companies or startups, media, etc.) always helps to create further trust and credibility for your company and product. Showcase their logos and photos, and be transparent about their involvement.
Don’t forget about mentioning awards, accolades and recognition to boost your startup’s reputation
Featuring prizes your startup and product have been awarded in the past or have been nominated for, and adding any acknowledgements you have received from industry players, can help you even more with the trust-building process.
Hope you enjoyed it, please give us a thumbs up if you liked this advice and share your comments below. Check out the next post to learn how to define the problem by featuring insights that are based on real-world needs and pain-points in the market.
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