One of the biggest milestones in the life of a start-up is the VC pitch presentation. You will be expected to make a 15-20 minute presentation about your product and the problem it’s going to solve, in order to get VCs interested.
Investors are not looking for great presenters, but great entrepreneurs. So focus on turning them into believers by engaging them with your product and the problem it is going to solve. At the same time, they do expect to hear a standout pitch guided by a top-notch PowerPoint presentation. It makes sense to spend time gathering the actual content for those key slides and practicing your pitch delivery and use a professionally designed start-up pitch deck to help package it right with minimal effort and time.
Get a head-start
In the meanwhile, we are getting you started with the top ten must-have slides for your PowerPoint for VC fundraising. While the order of slides depends on your industry and what the VCs would be most keen to know in your case, including these ten points will ensure you have covered all the bases.
1. Problem statement or market need gap: What is the real problem people need addressed? How critical is it to the customers’ life? This is your chance to get your audience emotionally charged about this problem and look forward to your unique solution!
2. Solutions: How will your product impact the critical market need? Why will people want to buy your product? Avoid demos at the VC pitch but if you must, try and demonstrate how it addresses the problem rather than run through a list of menu-features. Better yet, make a one minute demo film in advance and play it.
3. Market potential: Highlight without too much data the overall market size, growth potential and revenue potential. How big do you expect your slice of this pie to be?
4. Business model: How do you plan to make money? Explain what you have in mind but don’t get too stuck into the details because investors know that your model will go through several iterations. Spend time instead explaining why your solution is great at solving the problem. Do not be vague about what it is today in order to express what it could be tomorrow.
5. Competition: Demonstrate a thorough understanding of the competitor landscape, including all substitutes. Then, highlight how you stand apart. It helps to make a one-glance comparative study. Use tables to demonstrate why your product is better than the competition. List any sustainable competitive advantages you have and business entry barriers you have overcome.
6. Revenue projections: This is a critical slide but don’t get lost in the numbers. Stick to a few key data points that clearly indicate your products’ potential to succeed and return VC investment within an acceptable risk and time window. In short, explain how you will make money and by when the business will be cash-flow positive.
7. Sources and uses of funds/funding request: State what you need from VCs and for what. Clearly spell out your basic financial strategy, highlighting revenue streams, margins and profitability. List previous investments and returns (if any) and current ownership patterns and valuation strategy.
8. Team: Investors invest as much in people as in ideas, so this is your chance to shine! Why are you and your key team members special as a whole and individually, in terms of the skills required to run this business? Include any committed external strategic partners who add a competitive advantage to your team.
9. Exit strategy and valuation: What exit options does the VC have? When would be the best time for VCs to exit, and how much will they get at this time? What is the forecasted valuation at the time of exit?
10. Risks: Be realistic about potential risks and your risk mitigation plans for these eventualities.
Remain focused on the objective of the presentation, to get your audience sufficiently interested in your product and take the next steps. Get a head start by leveraging a professionally made VC pitch deck. Good luck!
Wittten by Chitra Iyer for Chillibreeze
