Pitch Deck Slides

Are you wondering what to include in your deck? Look no further...

How many slides do you need?

• We recommend you have between 14 and 15 slides depending on the stage your startup is at.
• Pitch decks are short, punchy and highly focused pieces of communication.

What are the slides you need?

1. Purpose: your cover slide with a bold statement about why you exist
2. Problem: the huge problem that is creating new market opportunity
3. Competitive Landscape: the dynamics in the market that will enable your business to compete and win
4. Solution: how you are solving the problem for customers, ideally in a special way
5. Value Proposition: the incredible value you are creating for customers
6. Product: your brilliant product, service or solution in action
7. Business model: how your business is going to make huge amounts of money
8. Traction: the momentum you are building in market that proves you are right
9. Growth: your plans for catching the next customer wave
10. Financials: your appealing five year forecast for customer and revenues
11. Market: the market segments you are targeting and what they could be worth
12. Why now: the market shifts and trends that confirm your timing is right
13. Team: the credentials for the team that will deliver on every promise you make
14. The Ask: what you want from investors and what you will achieve with it
15. Contact: where to find you should investors want to take the next step

Is this the order you should present them?

Yes. The flow is as follows:

1. Start with the big picture to excite investors
2. Move to the detail of how you’re going to make it work
3. Excite them about what you will achieve and how big it will become
4. Reassure them you know what you’re doing

Is this the order you should work on the slides?

No. While in theory you can tackle any slide in order, we find it best if you focus on this sequence:

1. Get the big picture framed correctly. You can’t plan unless you know the direction you are heading in and the big story you are trying to tell.
2. Get your numbers working. Your financials and Ask will validate your strategic direction and influence every other slide. If you get a grip of your numbers up front, everything else should fall into place.
3. All the other slides.

Are there any variations to the deck structure?

• Yes. If you have to launch you will include the Go-to-market slide and exclude Traction and Growth slides.
• If you are already in the market you will do the reverse: exclude the Go-to-market slide and include Traction and Growth slides.

Can you include more slides?

• We recommend you aim to have one decent slide for each area. 15 areas = 15 slides.
• If your story really needs one extra slide to boost impact then add it, but see if you can cut a slide elsewhere.
• You can’t add a slide for every topic or your deck will balloon to 30 slides, losing both its potency and investors’ attention.
• Remember, this is only the first stage. Investors appreciate brevity. They are only screening at this stage, not fully engaging with your business. You can always show more of your product later. So keep it tight.

Summary:

• Max 15 slides
• Follow the recommended structure for maximum impact
• As you prepare, do your financials early
• Tailor the structure based on whether you are pre-/post-launch
• Stick to the slide limit at this stage

Whenever you're ready...

There are three ways we can help you:

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2. Get your pitch deck reviewed by an experienced entrepreneur or investor.

3. Create a winning pitch deck within a week with our online course. It gives you the insider knowledge we learned helping start-ups that raised over $1bn.