Nowadays, more and more new startups appear on the scene. At the very beginning, startups have little history and experience to show. That is what makes investing in them risky. A vast number of startups fail. Still, some manage to make it to the top if landed successfully. The most painful challenge for a startup is to make a raw idea appeal to potential investors. If the project seems meaningful and profitable, stakeholders tend to trust it and supply it with financial backing. By raising a substantial amount of bankroll, it’s possible to get the startup off the ground and bring it to the market. To do that, entrepreneurs have to make a strong argument, proving their project is valuable. Depending on how effectively the founders managed to prove the validity, the startup goes or does not go live. Therefore, it’s crucial to demonstrate why the project is worth living and make up a compelling story that will raise interest and desire to assist. There comes a pitch deck. Producing an engaging presentation is a great way to showcase the startup, formulate its value, prove its effectiveness, stimulating investors to say yes. However, it’s not as easy as it seems. An excellent pitch deck is not just a series of slides. First of all, it is a unity of precise facts, contributing to the one aim. Investors seek to understand your offer clearly and estimate the risks right away. The pitch deck should provide them with that information in a structured, comprehensive way. Secondly, the presentation should be aesthetically appealing, shaped with one consistent design decision. An elegant visual picture can contribute to a better perception and enhance the overall impact you seek to produce. Thirdly, the performance shouldn’t last too long either, too short. If so, the audience is more likely to lose interest or even not be able to grasp mere essentials. And these are just a few of the all critical points of a successful pitch deck. Let's delve further and explore some more. Pillars of a pitch deck What should the presentation ? What are the essential elements of each pitch deck? Every project is unique and different. Still, there is a set of obligatory slides that makes up a base for every presentation. That is what is most frequently used in a Pitch deck outline: include Introduction The first slide of your pitch deck is a form of self-representation. Here you place the cores of your startup: what is your project about, what is your mission, what market you operate in. Keep it short and meaningful, eliminating unnecessary data that may distract from the main issue. The purpose of the introduction is to lean the investors in, launching the communication. Thus, don’t miss an opportunity to connect with the audience and impress investors from the very beginning. Problem If you don’t handle any actual problem, what is the purpose then? Here, identify a problem your business intends to solve. It should relate to your specific niche and your target audience, be authentic and relevant. Don’t speak much about general things. Focus on two or more critical issues so that investors will have a clear vision of your mission. Solution Relatively to the problem, there should be a solution. Determine the way your business will solve the problem. Avoid excessive assumptions, displaying your startup's superior features. Explain why and how your product can be useful - that is your advantage. Make the solution precise and easy for investors to follow. More, you can display various solutions, then move to the most effective one. That will highlight your research competence and urge investors to appreciate your dedication. Market When deciding, investors pay attention to several factors simultaneously, and the market is one of the most important ones. If you are operating in a small market, investors might find it too risky to fund you. Still, you can urge them to invest. A market slide usually includes past market statistics and future market opportunities. Thus, it's your chance to showcase the market possibilities that can enhance your potential and decrease the risks of failure. Traction Before seeking financial backing, you need to have some power already. This slide is about an insight into your overall proficiency, progress, and other achievements. The higher the traction, the more likely the investors to invest in your startup. Business model Stakeholders want to know the working principles of a project they’re going to contribute. Thus, this slide should display the overall operation of the business. In other words, explain how you’re going to earn money, what is your business structure, and your working mechanism. Competition Employ this slide to set your business apart from the competitors and show how you differentiate yourself. Think about some beneficial peculiarities your business possesses. Is it more affordable than others? Is it more innovative than others? In what terms it overcomes the competitors? Team Behind every project, there should be something or someone. Investors are more likely to trust if they know the people they deal with. Present your team members on this slide. Include their names, titles, roles, achievements, etc. Don’t forget to apply images. It bridges the gap between the two parties, arousing credibility. Ask The last but not least obligatory component is the ask. It is wrapping up part of your performance. Thus it should be powerful enough to summarize the information and push investors to take further action. At this stage, don’t explain in detail but state the last word. Here, tell the investor how much capital you want to raise and how it can help you to reach the goal. You may think that the performance is over, but it’s not. From this point, investors might ask you for more data and proofs. Thus, be prepared to convince them, providing sufficient answers. Design When designing your pitch deck, make sure you hit on the following points: Use the right color palette When creating your presentation, adhere to one design decision. Make use of one color palette that suits your project best and works in your favor. Avoid too bright or too plain colors. Pick those that are pleasant to the eye. Employ proper typography Fonts are really important. The font you choose may impact the overall outcome of your performance. Choose fonts that are readable but not fancy. Make sure the audience gets the point effortlessly while viewing. Otherwise, you’re running under the risk of being abandoned just because they can’t read the data. To make the content even more readable, create a font hierarchy - use bigger fonts for titles and headers, and smaller ones for body copy. Design with contrast When the background color and typography color are similar, the text becomes unreadable. Thus, keep the contrast in mind while designing. Potential investors must understand everything about your startup when viewing the pitch deck. Remember about white space Don’t put excessive elements on your slides, trying to fill all the space available. Leave it. That makes your slides digestible and easy to grasp. White space creates balance and helps to avoid a cluttered picture. Apply impressive visuals Visuals can tell much. It is a powerful tool to deliver the message and enhance the textual material of your presentation. With consistent use of graphics, you can dilute numbers, ensuring a better understanding of the data. What is more, visuals can evoke an emotional resonance and contribute to a better connection with the audience. If you plan to include images of your team members, make sure they are of high quality. All of them should be of one size and one disposition with similar coloring and background. Also, you can insert a group photo, which might be even better. Good, professional visuals provide a pleasant experience to those who view them. Incorporate your branding If you already have some branding attributes - use them! Whether it is a logo or a brand name, incorporate it into the pitch deck. It ensures consistency and gives you a chance to produce a lasting impression on the audience. Simplify the content Pitch decks are packed with content involving various statistics, reports, texts, and numbers. Making it comprehensive is a must. A chart is an easy way to present the information straightforwardly and save space, excluding unnecessary text. Also, you can include pie charts when providing statistics for better understanding. Another element to consider is icons. Small illustrations are able to organize the content, making it easier to navigate through. Ensure the deck can stand alone without your presentation Investors might want to look through the deck once again. If instead of a consistent story, they will experience just a set of slides, communicating nothing - you will probably fail. Therefore, design the deck to be a separate project. It means that the pitch deck should be able to narrate the story without you being there to tell it. Make use of pitch deck templates To create an excellent pitch deck from scratch might be highly challenging. It takes time and effort to build the structure, then to mold it with design. Hopefully, there is a vast amount of already created pitch deck templates that everyone can use and customize accordingly to the needs. Final thoughts It’s crucial to understand how vital an excellent pitch deck can be for your startup. Creating a presentation can be difficult. To make it work properly, you need to focus on multiple things simultaneously. It concerns the message you want to deliver, the information you need to provide, and the design you should apply. But if created properly, the pitch deck is able to urge the investors to trust your business and invest in your startup. Ultimately, it is a powerful communication tool that can connect, engage, and impress viewers.
