A pitch deck is one of the documents, if not THE document, that helps you find investors or backers for your business. Here we show you what a pitch deck is, what information must be included, and what is important when designing a pitch deck.
Depending on who you are addressing with the presentation, a one-pager, teaser or read deck can be the optimal document to present your business idea profitably instead of a pitch deck.
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However, the ultimate business card of your company is the pitch deck. With it, you present not only your business idea but also yourself as an entrepreneur. It is, therefore, all the more important that the contents of the pitch deck are substantial and precise, that the graphic presentation suits you, and that the overall package radiates the highest level of professionalism.
The perfect presentation for direct contact with investors: Pitch Deck
In general, the Pitch and Read Deck are similar in structure, but there is a fundamental difference: The Read Deck counts as a "stand alone" presentation, so it must be self-explanatory. The Pitch Deck, on the other hand, is the basis on which you present your business idea - either in person or online. So your Pitch Deck will have fewer slides than the Read Deck and will not go into as much detail. And that's where the art lies! The content of the slides must have substance, the key messages must be precisely formulated, and the visuals must offer added value. If your pitch deck meets these principles, you have created the perfect presentation for your pitch!
Use this information to give your pitch deck substance
The ideal starting point for your pitch deck is the read deck. You have already prepared all relevant information and can now reduce the content to the core statements. These can also be presented in the form of keywords, bullet points or graphics. The point of the Pitch Deck is to provide your audience with an overview of what you are presenting in person.
Information that must be included in the pitch deck
If you don't have a read deck yet, we'll show you here what information you need to include in your pitch deck if you want to make a lasting impression on potential investors:
Company name, logo & your name: The optimal start to your presentation is an introduction of your company and yourself.
Vision & Mission: In the next step, elaborate on the vision and mission you are pursuing with your idea.
Investment Summary: With this slide you give a short overview of the following details about the investment.
Team: A mistake we often see is that the team is forgotten. Be sure to include details about your team and the qualifications they bring to the table.
Opportunity: Work with industry statistics here that show why your idea has potential.
Problem: Keywords that describe the problem are sufficient.
Solution: State the essence of your business idea, which is the solution to the problem.
Product: In a few words, describe your product, the technology, software or platform you are working with.
Functionality: Citing the individual steps of your solution has proven to be effective in practice.
Use Case: This outlines the customer journey, the customer's path from the problem to the solution to the benefits of your business idea.
Target group, market & added value: Describe the target group and the market potential, preferably using the categories TAM (Total Available Market), SAM (Serviceable Available Market) and SOM (Serviceable Obtainable Market), which are very popular with investors.
Customer acquisition: Keywords are sufficient to show how you acquire your customers. The rest you do personally in the pitch.
Competition & USP: On this slide, work with the logos of your main competitors and list your USPs (Unique Selling Propositions) in comparison.
Business Model & Financials: Prepare graphs with revenue streams & profit projection, and show how you plan to scale.
Traction & Roadmap: Outline the business strategy and go into keywords about the next milestones in the company's development.
Investment & Use of Funds: This is about the funding and what you will use the raised capital for.
Contact Details: End your pitch deck with a strong Call To Action and all your contact details. After all, you want to make it as easy as possible for investors and funders to reach you.
Based on our experience, this information has been shown to score high with most investors. Whether this also applies to your pitch deck depends on the business idea. Therefore, we have added some additional points that you can include.
Details you can also include in your pitch deck
Depending on your company and the business idea, you can also include details on areas such as the following in your pitch deck:
Organizational Structure: An organizational chart with key people and their position is sufficient here.
Collaborations, Partnerships & Industry Deals: These are all interesting to show the growth and networking of your company.
Analysis Tools: With the graphical representation of tools like a SWOT analysis you can further substantiate your position.
Please note that this list is a general guideline. The content that actually finds its way into your pitch deck depends on what your business idea is and how your company is designed.
This is what a pitch deck looks like
The content and packaging of your pitch deck must support each other. In terms of the outer framework, around 17 slides - based on the Read Deck - have proven effective in practice. You can expect an average of around two minutes of presentation time per slide, so the pure pitch will take at least 30 to 35 minutes in this case. In addition,you need to allocate time for questions and answers. This is why it is so important that your pitch deck has substance and at the same time focuses precisely on the content without getting lost in rambling details. Often, it's this focus on the essentials that can make the difference between a yes or no when it comes to the funding you're seeking. Sufficient brevity in your Pitch Deck shows that you know what is really important to both your business and investors.
When it comes to the layout, i.e. what we have casually called packaging, it is advisable to choose this in line with your business idea. If you've already developed a corporate identity (CI), you've most likely established your corporate colors, fonts and style as part of the corporate design, and can incorporate these into the pitch deck. It is important that the overall design of the slides is consistent and supports the content. This also applies to any visuals you use. Photos, graphs, statistics, or pictograms only add value if they reinforce the content. Be selective about what you put on your slides and check each image to see if it adds value. Photos of a laptop and a coffee cup usually don't, but photos of dogs with shiny coats do if you're selling dog care products.
The opportunities and challenges of a pitch deck
While you use the read deck to present your business idea in detail to potential investors and they walk through the presentation on their own, the biggest plus of the pitch deck is your chance to pitch in person. A pitch deck stands or falls on your presentation. With only basic information on the slides, you are the person selling the idea and the company. And ultimately, you are presenting yourself as an entrepreneur. Therefore, it is crucial that you go into the pitch well prepared. Details and information must be right, just as you should have prepared figures, statistics and further information. Ideally, you want to be able to answer all questions ad hoc.
This is also one of the big challenges you face: the best possible preparation. Think about questions that potential investors might have and prepare answers. Play through different scenarios in your mind of how the pitch could go, and practice the presentation with or without an audience. If you need help pitching, we can assist you. We've done numerous successful pitch coaching sessions and are happy to offer advice and support.
Another advantage of the pitch deck is that you have enough time to present your business idea comprehensively. Not only is your company in focus, but with a broad stage to present your idea, you can also address the situation on the market, including competitors, and at the same time highlight what makes your product or solution unique. However, reducing the content to the most important key messages can come with some difficulties. What is important? How do I best articulate what I want to say in just a few words? These are just some of the questions we are often asked. In our experience, pinpointing the relevant information is easier with a little practice. It also helps if you take the position of an outsider and ask yourself what you really need to know in order to grasp the business idea.
Pitch Deck - the be-all and end-all of business presentations
It is not for nothing that the pitch deck is considered by many to be the be-all and end-all of business presentations. Even though it is more extensive in scope than the one pager and teaser, it is all about skilfully elaborating the key messages. A read deck offers you the ideal basis for this. Once you have designed your pitch deck, it is important to prepare your actual pitch in the best possible way, because it has to fit! After all, you want to convince investors to invest money in your company and ultimately in you as a person.
Convince your future business partners with professionalism and competence – a pitch deck with substance and precise wording is the perfect basis for your personal presentation! If you need help implementing your pitch deck or if we can support you with coaching, don't hesitate to let us know. We have a team of experienced specialists who will prepare your upcoming pitch for you!
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