Creating a Winning Pitch Deck: Essential Components And Tips For Success

Chris Jones – Bayes Business School

 

Introduction to Pitch Decks

 

In the ever-evolving world of entrepreneurship where creativity thrives and innovation drives progress, having the ability to successfully captivate and entice an audience or investors is of the utmost importance.

Having the ability to concisely, yet effectively pitch your business ideas to potential investors is a skill that can dictate the success of your start-up venture.

The pitch deck is not only valuable when it comes to attracting investment but also key in securing partnerships and winning over customers and can serve as a gateway of opportunity for entrepreneurs seeking to turn their vision into a reality.

However, creating effective pitch decks is a skill in itself. Being able to simultaneously resonate with your audience and explain your concepts and value proposition shortly and concisely requires several key aspects. Effective pitch decks contain a balance of data-driven information, storytelling and financial literacy as well as the ability to resonate with your audience all in a limited time frame.

Pitch decks generally should be limited to 10 – 15 slides maximum. This allows investors to adequately absorb the information being presented and encourages you to be concise and organised throughout your presentation.

 

The Importance Of The First Impression

 

First impressions are vital when it comes to both presenting yourself as well as your pitch. It’s been shown through research that you have an extremely limited window to make a positive first impression on investors. Experiments carried out by Princeton psychologists Janine Willis and Alexander Todorov revealed that first impressions are formed within a tenth of a second (Wargo, 2006).

This statistic puts into perspective the importance of not only presenting your ideas well but also presenting yourself well. To aid you in making a strong and positive first impression simply dressing appropriately and smiling have been shown to nudge people into a more positive mindset. Smiling is known to be a psychological signal of altruism. It creates a sense of trustworthiness thus you must greet your investors with a smile and ensure you’ve dressed appropriately for your presentation (Gibbons, 2024).

Along with presenting yourself well, your pitch deck must be presented in an aesthetically pleasing manner. An important statistic to keep in mind is that the initial title slide has just seven seconds to make a meaningful impact on viewers thus the design and layout of your content are highly important. Research has shown that 94% of first impressions are design-driven thus having a clean and elegant layout is just as important as quality content (Debonneville, 2023).

 

Key aspects of the pitch deck

 

In pitch decks, clarity is key, it’s always intelligent to abide by the 1 – 6 – 6 rule: no more than 6 words per line and six bullet points per slide. In typical pitches to Venture capital firms, most presentations are between 10 – 15 minutes thus it’s vital to ensure all information is adequately explained in a concise manner.

Below, we’ll outline the essential components that every pitch deck should encompass. While individuals may choose to include additional information in different sequences, the following concepts serve as foundational guidelines.

 

1. ProblemStatement

In most cases start-up companies aim to improve people’s lives through problem solutions. Due to this it usually makes sense to introduce your pitch with a problem statement, this is where storytelling becomes vital. Explain your problem through relatable stories using customer personas to help evoke an emotional response in your audience’s mind. Focus on addressing customer’s pain points and briefly address the consequences of these issues going unsolved (Nichol, 2022).

 

2. Solution

This is your opportunity to showcase how you plan to solve the highlighted issue. It’s not solely about selling a product or service; it’s also about showing how your creative solution will solve the given issue. This slide is your chance to demonstrate the tangible benefits of your solution, such as how it will enhance lives, save time, or streamline processes. By presenting a clear image of success, you provide investors with confidence that by supporting your idea, they are investing in a revolutionary solution and not solely in a product or service.

 

3. Customers & Market Landscape

These slides typically focus on both the ideal customer profile (ICP) as well as an overall examination of the market. This is also your opportunity to do some competitive analysis and examine other companies operating within your industry (VIP Graphics, 2023).

This is where you can showcase research carried out about market size and demographics. For example, you may define the below areas.

 

1. TAM– Total Available Market

Market demand as a whole for a product or service

 

2. SAM– Serviceable Addressable Market

The segment targeted by your product or service which is within “geographical reach”

 

3. SOM– Serviceable Obtainable Market

This is the portion of the SAM you intend to be able to capture.

 

(TAM SAM SOM – What It Means and Why It Matters, 2023) (Chandwadkar, 2023)

 

For B2C companies, delve into demographics, customer preferences, and market segments. As for B2B businesses, emphasise targeted industries and rationale. The slide aims to demonstrate to investors that you have carried out comprehensive industry research and understand your target audience (VIP Graphics, 2023b).

 

4. Traction

The traction slide serves as a testament to your momentum and viability as a business. Here, you showcase tangible evidence of your progress and potential for growth. Whether it’s revenue milestones achieved, significant customer acquisitions or expansions in the team. By highlighting concrete achievements and future projections, you instil confidence in investors that your trajectory is upward and that their investment will fuel continued success (Nichol, 2022).

 

(Nichol, 2022)

 

5. Business Model

In the business model slide of your start-up’s pitch deck, you offer investors a comprehensive view of your revenue generation strategies and operational framework. Here, you outline your pricing models, revenue streams, and monetisation strategies. You may also choose to highlight customer lifetime value (LTV) and customer acquisition cost (CAC) here (Groszkowska, 2024).

If you are pitching a physical product, the focus shifts to gross margin, average selling price and distribution channels (Groszkowska, 2024).

Be prepared to discuss revenue projections, margins, pricing rationale, and marketing strategies, demonstrating a thorough understanding of your business landscape and a strategic approach to growth.

 

6. Team

In the team slide of your pitch deck, you reveal the core of your venture—your team. It is more than just qualifications; it’s about demonstrating the collective expertise and synergy driving your company forward. Investors know that a cohesive and skilled team can significantly impact a venture’s success (Nichol, 2022). When they see a team that works well together with diverse skills and shared goals, confidence in the venture’s potential success is far higher. Highlight the founders’ dedication, industry experience, business acumen and technical proficiency of your team members also. Each member represents not just an individual, but an integral component of the driving force behind your company’s journey toward success (Storydoc, 2024).

 

7. Fundraising

This is your chance to explain why you need the money and experience of the investors. As well as this you can showcase how their participation will advance your project and help you grow. Ensure investors know exactly how their money will help your business expand by being clear and detailed about where and how their funds will be used. Similarly, it is vital to detail exactly what ROI investors can expect for investing in your company, as well as the payback schedule. This should give investors confidence that their participation will produce real outcomes and aid your business grow further.

 

Key takeaways

In summary, a strong pitch deck is more than just a presentation; it’s a strategic tool that can influence the success of your start-up. Each aspect matters, from setting the scene with an engaging opening to outlining traction, presenting a strong business plan and demonstrating the power of your team. A pitch deck that is clear, eye- catching and informative shows investors the potential and worth of your business. By understanding the importance of every slide and crafting a cohesive narrative, you can increase your chances of securing the resources and support needed to turn your entrepreneurial vision into reality.

 

 

Bibliography

  1. Chandwadkar, R. (2023, July 27). Interpreting TAM, SAM, and SOM to make informed business decisions. https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/interpreting-tam- sam-som-make-informed-business-riddhesh-chandwadkar/
  2. Create the perfect team pitch deck slide for your startup. (n.d.). Create the Perfect Team Pitch Deck Slide for Your Startup. https://www.storydoc.com/blog/how-to- create-a-team- slide#:~:text=A%20team%20slide%20in%20a%20pitch%20deck%20showcases% 20the%20key,with%20potential%20investors%20or%20stakeholders
  3. Debonneville, B. (2023, November 13). Pitch Deck Statistics | 22 must know stats and facts. https://www.pitchdeckcreators.com/blog-posts/pitch-deck-statistics-22- must-know- facts#:~:text=First%20impressions%20are%20pivotal%2C%20especially,the%20 gateway%20to%20your%20presentation
  4. Gibbons, S. (2024, February 20). You and your business have 7 seconds to make a first impression: Here’s how to succeed. Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/sites/serenitygibbons/2018/06/19/you-have-7-seconds-to- make-a-first-impression-heres-how-to-succeed/?sh=3278545056c2
  5. Groszkowska, K. (2024, February 23). Startup Fundraising: How to create a perfect business model slide in your pitch deck? Vestbee. https://www.vestbee.com/blog/articles/startup-fundraising-how-to-create-a- perfect-business-model-slide-in-your-pitch-deck
  6. Nichol, B. (2022, May 16). Tell a compelling story: pitch deck components that persuade. Toptal Finance Blog. https://www.toptal.com/finance/pitch-deck- consultants/pitch-deck-

components#:~:text=Your%20pitch%20deck%20should%20include,team%2C%2 0and%20your%20funding%20request

  1. TAM SAM SOM – what it means and why it matters. (2023, October 5). The Business Plan Shop. https://www.thebusinessplanshop.com/blog/en/entry/tam_sam_som
  2. VIP Graphics. (2023, May 8). How-to create a pitch deck: Target Customer slide – VIP Graphics. https://vip.graphics/pitch-deck-slides/target-customer-slide/
  3. Wargo, E. (2006, July 1). How many seconds to a first impression? Association for Psychological Science – APS. https://www.psychologicalscience.org/observer/how-many-seconds-to-a-first- impression