You’ve got a great idea for a company. You have all the plans in place, you know what your product or service is going to be, and you have an awesome team of people who are just as excited about it as you are. But there’s one thing that stands between you and success: investors. If only they would see how amazing your idea is too!
So, before you go any further with your business plan or development process, read this list of 7 things investors are looking for in a pitch deck so that they will get on board with your idea and want to invest money into it.
1) Market Size.
Investors want to understand the size of the market opportunity for your product or service. They will look at the overall market size, as well as the size of your specific niche within that market.
2) A Unique Value Proposition.
Investors want to make sure you are bringing something new to the table with your product or service. What’s unique about it? Why will people choose your company over your competitors?
3) Market Share Potential.
Not only do investors want to see that you are bringing something unique to the table, but they also want to make sure you have a good chance at dominating your market. They need to be able to justify their investment by seeing that you will gain a large percentage of your target market’s share.
4) Scalability.
Your product or service needs to be something that can be duplicated and easily shared with other people, products, or services. Investors should be able to see how your business idea will grow to serve more people each year as your customers expand their own client base.
5) Protectable Intellectual Property (IP).
Ideally, your business should be built upon an original idea or piece of intellectual property. This protects you in case someone else decides to do what you are doing and infringes on your own patent rights. However, if you don’t have any ideas like this yet, the next best thing is to show that there is no similar competition and that you will hold the majority market share.
6) Track Record.
Investors want to see that your team and the business idea have a solid track record of success already, even if it is in a different field than what you are proposing now.
7) A Financial Model.
Finally, investors want to see a comprehensive financial model that details how much money your business will make and why. This should include projections for both the short-term and long-term, as well as a breakdown of what will go into making that income.
5 Tips To Make Pitch Decks Fast And Effective
Here are five basic tips to make pitch decks fast and effective.
1) Make it professional.
Investors are looking for signs of professionalism when they are considering giving you money, so your pitch deck needs to show that you can be taken seriously with them. Invest in having a good graphic designer create the layout of the pages and be careful about typos before sending them out. And if possible, have a lawyer review it as well to make sure what you are saying is correct.
2) Don’t be too long.
Investors have short attention spans, so don’t make them sit through a 40-page deck that goes into minute detail about everything going on with your business idea. The information they need should be concise, easy to read, and meant to show why they should invest in you.
3) Stick to one idea per page.
For the most part, you only need one big idea on each page of your pitch presentation. This is because investors want to keep things simple and easy to understand when deciding between investing or not. Don’t try to stuff multiple ideas into one slide.
4) Highlight key numbers.
Think of your presentation deck as a business report that is meant to show the numbers that back up how great your plan really is. Make sure you highlight these key numbers throughout the pages, like how much money you expect to make and what your plans are for scaling the business in the future.
5) Keep it simple.
Investors are businessmen and women, not marketers or graphic designers. So make sure to present your information in an easy-to-understand way that doesn’t get too technical or overly artistic. You don’t need flashy colors or complicated graphics. Just keep it simple and to the point.
One way to make the best pitch decks is to use Venngage — a free infographic maker that provides creative pitch deck designs for everyone. Here are some pitch deck examples from their website!
Investors don’t want to waste time with those who aren’t serious about their business. So if you want them to take your pitch seriously, make sure you follow these tips and create a professional and easily understandable pitch deck. If you’re ready to make one, click here!
