Sooner or later, a startup has to defend the idea to potential investors for the first time and provide them with documents so that they can study the project in more detail. One of the documents that will be required is a pitch deck. What is a pitch deck for a startup, and what role does a pitch deck consultant play?
Understanding Your Investor Audience
Find out more about the people who you will present your project. Startup founders need to remember how important it is. The more you know them and understand their needs, the better your chances of getting an investment. When preparing, keep in mind that different groups of investors are interested in various aspects, so emphasize this part of the pitch:
- Strategic investors will be interested in your market position, strengths, and weaknesses as they view your project as part of their business.
- For VCs who often invest in risky projects, it’s essential to understand what kind of team you’re working with, whether they have the experience to handle setbacks and the market size you’re entering.
- If you want support from state funds, indicate the value chain in your presentation and tell about your reputation and partners.
Crafting Your Pitch Deck Message
A pitch deck for a startup is a purely functional document. Its main message is to give us money to grow and develop the business. Any information that falls into the pitch (graphic, text) should show the investors that the startup will succeed if they give you money right now. Everything has to be planned out in the pitch deck, short but extensive, exhaustive, and to the point.
Designing a Professional and Engaging Pitch Deck
Work on the pitch, and keep the presentation as short as possible. Viewers should be able to quickly understand the main points, even if they are only skimming through them.
Be sure to include these points in your presentation:
- Description of the problem.
- Your choice.
- Business model.
- Walkthrough or demo of your product/service.
- Marketing and sales.
First of all, tell about the strengths of the project. It can be:
- competitor analysis;
- composition of your team;
- forecasts and milestones;
- status and timeline.
On the last slide, indicate the amount of money you request and leave your contact details.
Practicing Your Pitch
Like any performance, a pitch deck for a startup requires multiple rehearsals and training. It’s worth not only saying everything in front of a mirror to make your speech word perfect but also, more often, finding yourself in situations where you can practice pitching a project. No one is interested in a boring startup pitch. Be creative, entertain the crowd, and use your body and voice to convey your message persuasively.
Business incubators, accelerators, training, pitch deck consulting services, and professional communities will help improve communication and presentation skills and understand how to make a pitch deck as understandable, engaging, and practical as possible.
How Can the Pitch Deck Consulting Service Help?
Pitching is an essential tool for attracting funding for startup development. The preparation of your presentation must be accompanied by a person or an experienced team like Waveup with extensive experience in supporting business plans and investment projects.
A tailored pitch deck will give investors a visual representation of your product, business plan, and company growth prospects. This logically structured set of slides will help you not lose the presentation thread and keep the crucial points.
A well-prepared pitch will be a solid basis for your negotiations with investors, which will play a decisive role in the case outcome.
