Want to Raise Capital? Here Are the 17 Slides You Need in Your Pitch Deck

According to Forbes, 38% of startups fail because of financial issues. If your business needs OPM (Other People’s Money) to survive and thrive, building a stellar pitch deck is essential to success.

The problem many business owners have is that developing a great pitch deck demands a different skill set than running a successful company. You could have the best product and team in the world, but if you can’t articulate your strengths in a way an investor could understand, you won’t raise any money from them.

As a professional pitch deck creator, I’ve helped raise over 1 billion USD by strategically framing a company’s story in pitch deck form.

There are four main questions that an investor is looking to have answered in an investment pitch deck: (1) what is the problem you’re trying to solve and is it important enough to tackle?, (2) what is your proposed solution to this problem and is it viable?, (3) why is now the right time to solve it with your solution?, and (4) why is your team the right one to execute this vision?

The pitch deck layout that best answers these questions depends on your product and unique offer, but the following slide structure is a thorough starting point:

1. Executive summary

Investors are, for the most part, busy people. If you’re sending a deck via email, it often helps to have an executive summary highlighting your company’s story and key metrics. If included, this summary would provide answers to the four key questions mentioned above.

2. Company purpose

What is your company’s mission? Keep this brief, as in one or two sentences maximum. You will provide more details about your solution later on. Providing your purpose at the beginning of the deck gives investors immediate clarity about who you are and what you’re doing, which helps them stay engaged.

3. The problem

Humans are primed to spot a problem before we can appreciate the solution. This is because our brains can only take in so much sensory input, and paying attention to problems instead of “extraneous” stimuli wires us for survival. If you were a potential investor and I told you that I invented a product that helps with destressing, you might tune out unless you were already feeling extremely stressed. But, if instead I first told you that 74% of people in the U.S. routinely feel stressed and unable to cope, suddenly the product I’m about to pitch seems a lot more important.

4. Your solution

Now that the investor knows what the problem is, why is your solution the best fit? And does it sufficiently solve the problem? This is where you describe your product, including images of it in action if possible, and how it works.

5. Business model

Now that you’ve presented your problem and solution, investors want to know how exactly you make money. What are your different revenue streams, which are the most dominant, and how extensive are the costs involved? What are the barriers to entry that could stop potential competitors from jumping into the mix?

6. Existing traction for your product/success stories

You want to include evidence that demonstrates why your product is a success. If you have testimonials from existing customers, this social proof will give you credibility.

7. Why now?

Then, you want to tease the market slide by stating why is now the right time for your solution to the problem you’ve chosen. Why should investors put money into this today and not two years from now? Has there been a technology or regulatory change that opens up the market? Is the issue spiraling? Or is there another catalyzing factor?

8. Market size and statistics

Here is where you want to include how big the market is for your solution and how fast your market is growing (CAGR). It’s important to keep the Total Addressable Market (TAM), Serviceable Addressable Market (SAM), and Serviceable Obtainable Market (SOM) realistic here. If you are providing a solution for dog walking but reference the entire global pet care industry TAM of 247 billion USD, investors will have a hard time taking you seriously.

9. Competition

Who are the companies already trying to solve this problem, and why are you better? It usually helps to put a comparison table with your company’s features juxtaposed with those of your competitors, showing the services you uniquely offer and where you excel relative to others in the market.

10. Timeline

What are your growth projections? Are there products in the pipeline that you plan on launching in the near- or medium-term? What revenue increases do you anticipate? Investors want to know how you envision the future so they can assess whether your projections seem reasonable.

11. Financials

This could be included on the timeline slide or could stand alone. Investors want to know what you think your revenue will be and the pace and cost of growth you expect. It also helps to plan for the exit early. Do you want to IPO, or do you want to be acquired by a bigger fish in your industry? You don’t have to get super into the weeds here, but provide enough information so that investors know you’ve thought through how you’re going to stay in business and succeed at getting them their money back, and then some.

12. Uses for the fundraising ask funds

Investors want to know how you’ll spend the money you raise from them. Is it going towards a new flashy office space and company car, or is it funding a breakthrough product? Show how their investment helps your company catapult to the next level… which will make them one step closer to getting their return.

13. Existing investors (if applicable)

If you’ve already raised money, including your fundraising history and existing investors is a helpful way to show social proof.

14. Team

Investors care a lot about the management team, particularly in the early stages before there is extensive proof of concept. Who is running the ship, and why is your team particularly suited to tackle your proposed solution? What is your background in the industry you’re involving yourself in? Have you been a founder before, and do you and your team have complementary skill sets? What networks can you uniquely tap into that would drive commercial success for your product? How can you demonstrate grit and perseverance? Keep these questions in mind as you write your biographies and present your pitch.

15. Risks and mitigation (BONUS optional slide)

When interviewing for a job, some career coaches tell you to ask the interviewer at the end, “Do you have any reservations about me?”. It’s a bold move and one that could help assuage concerns if you respond well to what they say. If answered poorly or half-heartedly, it would backfire. This slide is like that — depending on the industry, it might help to include the potential risks you anticipate… and how your company would work to mitigate them. This shows that you’re a thorough, clear-minded thinker who lives in the real world — not in a fantasy land where everything will go smoothly, you won’t have intense competition or adverse events, and your company will sail to a 20x in 3 years. You know your industry, so make your call as to whether or not you should include this accordingly.

16. Conclusion

The last content slide should offer a brief overview reiterating why the problem you’re solving is important, why your solution is viable, why now is the right time to solve it, and what your team brings to the table that makes you well-positioned to succeed.

17. Call to action (CTA)

Include your contact information (email and phone number) and your company logo on the final slide with a call to action about how they can invest.

Ideally, you would have two versions of this deck: one that works as a standalone with full sentences that you email to investor prospects (still be careful not to overload it with text), and one that you use for live presentations that will have much less text, bigger fonts, and more images that engage investors and keep their focus on what you’re saying, not what’s in print.

If you remember the four key guiding questions that investors want answered, follow a logical slide outline, and include pertinent qualitative and quantitative facts that support your thesis, you’ll be well on your way to setting yourself up for fundraising success.

Creating a well-crafted pitch deck is a major project that you might not have time for amidst your busy schedule running a successful business. That’s where we come in. Élever Partners helps with pitch deck guidance, content, and design, depending on how much support you’re looking for on your path to fundraising.

Reach out to us via email here, or submit your current pitch deck for a free audit where we’ll provide some high-level feedback. I’d love to help you translate your success into a compelling investor pitch.