2. • Understand key pitch deck elements
• Inspiration for how to visually represent
complex ideas
• Tips for how to deliver a successful
investor pitch
3.
4. 9. System ready for full-scale deployment
8. System incorporated in commercial design
7. Integrated pilot system demonstrated
6. Prototype system verified
5. Laboratory testing of integrated system
4. Laboratory testing of prototype component or
process
3. Critical function: proof of concept established
2. Technology concept and/or application
formulated
1. Basic principles observed and reported
5. 9. Plausible exit
8. Cash to exit
7. Unit economics – margin validated
6. Reimbursement
5. Regulatory certainty/difficulty
4. IP: Patentability, FTO & block
3. Attractive solution & ID of MVP
2. Compelling clinical need + large market
1. Effective team
6. 9. Plausible exit
8. Cash to exit
7. Unit economics – margin
validated
6. Reimbursement
5. Regulatory certainty/difficulty
4. IP: Patentability, FTO & block
3. Attractive solution & ID of MVP
2. Compelling clinical need + large
market
1. Effective team
9. System ready for full-scale deployment
8. System incorporated in commercial design
7. Integrated pilot system demonstrated
6. Prototype system verified
5. Laboratory testing of integrated system
4. Laboratory testing of prototype component or
process
3. Critical function: proof of concept established
2. Technology concept and/or application
formulated
1. Basic principles observed and reported
7.
8.
9. • Regurgitation of
business plan or
technology roadmap
• A sales pitch
• A brainstorming tool
or a way to collect
your thoughts
10. • The Big Idea
• The Problem
• The Solution
• The Market
• Market Adoption
• Business Model
• Proprietary Technology
• Competition
• Competitive Advantages
• Traction/Validation
• Milestones
• Regulatory &
Reimbursement
Strategy
• Who We Are
• Press/Testimonials
• Financials
• The Ask
• Summary
Choose
Wisely!
18. • Frustration?
What is broken?
• Why should your
product exist?
• What’s the
opportunity?
19.
20.
21.
22.
23.
24. • Show how your product works in 3 easy
steps
– Describe your product, including key differentiators
– Describe the non-confidential mechanism of action
– Secret sauce or magic?
• Break to demo if its short and worth
emphasising one or two key insights or
features
– Tell a story – future client or an example of a
current client
30. • Status of any patent
filings (issued,
applications)
• Details of any license
agreements
• Status of any other IP
(e.g. trademarks, trade
secret, etc.)
31.
32.
33. • Massive (but realistic) market
• Data/stats on market size, existing
proof points, etc.
Total Addressable Market
Serviceable Addressable Market
Serviceable Obtainable Market
Typical
Top-Down
34.
35. $36
Billion
Total Skin Cancer
Diagnostic Market
Source: Some Reputable Source
$4
Billion
Telehealth Skin
Cancer Diagnostics
Source: Some Reputable Source
$50
Million
My Product
Opportunity
$10 per use
36.
37. Number of at risk people Something big
% with smartphones Smaller
Price per report $10.00
_____________________________________________
Opportunity/Year at x% penetration Impressive $
38.
39. • Direct vs indirect
competitors
– Potential entrants
• Competitive
advantage
• Barriers to entry for
new players? (money,
time, expertise,
relationships,
patents)
40. Feature A Feature B Feature C
YOU
CoA
CoB
Competitor logo
• Bullet point summary of model, traction, limitations
Market share
Competitive differentiation
Defence from competitive response
Market landscapecomparison
Feature List Comparison
41.
42.
43.
44.
45.
46.
47.
48.
49.
50.
51.
52.
53. • List approaches/tactics you’re going to use to
get customers. Initial set plus over time.
– How long is sales cycle to get a client?
– Expected conversion rate?
– Average cost to acquire a customer?
– Lifetime value of customer?
• Key expenses/ time-efforts
• AUS, US or EU first? Why?
• Direct sales vs independent reps vs partner?
54.
55.
56.
57. Total Addressable Market: [$XB industry]
Distribution Strategy: [Your unique advantage + channels you plan to test
Launch
[Dates]
Traction
[Dates]
Growth
[Dates]
Main
Focus:
Priority Tasks:
Target Results:
[X]
[X]
[X]
[X]
[X]
[X]
[Launch web & iOS app]
• [Improve signup flow
• Finalize user referral process
• Accepted to App Store
• Drive initial signups
• Measure DAU totals]
• [X initial users
• Convert X% of existing email list
• Understand DAU & optimize]
5
58.
59.
60.
61.
62.
63.
64.
65. • Current product
development status,
what near future
looks like
• Stats on, or plans for
getting, initial
customers
66. “By 2020, over 85% of general practitioners will use
cloud-based patient management software solutions”
Live Customers Implementing Pilots Prospects
Logo Logo Logo Logo
Logo
Logo
Logo
Logo
67.
68.
69.
70. • Describe the regulatory
pathway for your product (if
applicable)
• Describe the reimbursement
environment for your product
or similar category products (if
applicable)
71.
72.
73.
74. • List pics + short bio on each
founder/senior team member
• Include info on board members &
advisors
–State verbally if Board is investing (big
points). If no, don’t bring it up, have a reason
for why not if asked.
• Include info on future hires
• Outline division of responsibilities
75.
76.
77.
78.
79.
80. o How much are you raising now?
o How much have you raised previously?
o What will you use the money for?
o When and how do investors get a return on
their investment?
81.
82.
83.
84.
85.
86. • List 3-5 of your strongest points, distilled
down to memorable sound bites
• What is your call to action
92. What We Do:
• ExampleCo is a [zero-jargon description of
product] used by [broad but addressable
market] to [benefits].
• We are focused on the [$X billion target
niche] market.
Current Status:
We are [company stage, e.g. pre-revenue, pre-
launch, etc.].
Traction to date includes:
• (Month or Quarter 1): X key metric, Y key
metric
• (Month or Quarter 2): X key metric, Y key
metric
Currently Raising:
• [$X-Y million] seed round.
• Previously raised [$X million] from
[investors].
Team Experience
Pilot Customers/Partners
Logos of Past Companies &
Top Schools
Logos of Past Companies &
Top Schools
Logos or Other Proof of Early
Traction
Logos or Other Proof of Early
Traction
Borrowed from NextView Ventures
93.
94. ($000)
Milestones Month Expenditures Customers Revenue
Prototype Jan 16 $150 0 $0
Clinical Trial Jun 16 $100 0 $0
Reg Approval Jan 17 $100 0 $0
Launch Jan 17 $100 10 $100
Feb 17 $100 100 $1,000
Breakeven Mar 17 …
2016 2017 2018
Unit Sales
Consumables
Revenue
Gross Profit
OPEX
• Sales & Marketing
• Customer Service
• Product Development
EBIT
95. Amount % of Total
Founder’s Investments
Angel Investors
VC
Bank Loans
Non-Dilutive
o Grants
_______________________________________
TOTAL CAPITALISATION
100. Explain how you have taken risk out of the
project, list the remaining major risks.
o Technical Risk
o Market Risk
o Execution Risk
Specific Risk
Specific Risk
Specific Risk
Mitigation Strategy
Mitigation Strategy
Mitigation Strategy
101.
102. • Detailed value proposition to
clients/users/partners
• Pipeline of potential clients, % likelihood
of closing, revenue potential from
pipeline
• Partnerships/agreements/structures
• Proprietary aspects not discussed in core
deck
• Additional strategy slides: ex) how to
avoid/limit circumvention
103. • Competitors capital raises/investors
• Head count (# employees) projection/key
hires needed
• Additional screen shots from demo
• Testimonials (key opinion leaders, potential
future partners, potential future acquirers)
• Unit economics analysis
• Details on research, publications (without
being too academic)
104.
105. Passionately & clearly communicate a vision
Don’t oversell - investors can easily see through crap
Focus on your strengths & remain candid
Send one or two high-level members of your team, not the whole
crew An exceptional entrepreneur or team who has experience and
drive
Large enough and interesting enough market opportunities
A smart, differentiated, and defensible product/service that will
stand out initially in its market and be able to protect its margins
over time
106. If you can’t explain it
simply, you don’t
understand it well
enough.
- Albert Einstein
108. • If you regularly get a specific question, address it head on
• Leave room for questions, this is when decisions are made
about whether & how much to fund you
• Each slide should stand on its own without explanation – use
clear figures to convey a lot of information without a lot of text
• Don’t read slides – connect with your audience
• Don’t use industry acronyms/terminology or reference
companies they won’t know
• DO NOT ask them to sign an NDA – most won’t
109. • Retitle your slides
• Minimize bullets & text
• Add visuals – but NOT stock photos
110. • Remove redundancy
• Reduce phrases to words
• Omit gratuitous intensifiers and qualifiers
• Expunge expletives
• Negate nominalisations
• Delete superfluous phrases
• Avoid clichés
• Watch for words like
o That
o Absolutely
o Very
o Always/Never
111. • This estimate is conservative
• Won’t need funding after this round
• Device works, we’ve tested it in our
lab / in pigs / in China
• We’ll be on the market in X years
• We’ll get acquired before expensive
trials/commercial launch
• We’ll capture x% (e.g. <40%) of the
addressable market in <5 years
• The addressable market (or worse,
revenue) opportunity is $1B+
112.
113. • Get introduced – they don’t respond
well to random calls/e-mails
• Review investment criteria
• Review portfolio companies
114. • Arrive early to set up computer,
projector, get access to wifi, etc.
• Ask investors to be introduced, provide a
quick background on themselves and
the fund (you may learn something!)
• One joke – make audience laugh at least
once, but don’t do a comedy routine
• Keep detailed notes of the interaction –
who was at the meeting, their specific
comments
115. • If requested, send a follow-up meeting
PDF with additional slides (they may have
requested you to create) and some
appendix slides
• Stay on their radar
• Guidelines for following up:
o Be subtle
o Be concise
o Be persistent
o Use multiple channels
o Let time pass
o Be gracious
o Accept “no” for an
answer
116.
117.
118. • Be crunchy, concise, clear
• Be well-prepared
o Great slides
o Know your content forward & backward
o Know the investors inside & out
122. 1.Draft your slide order
2.Draft each slide’s message
3.Step back and see if they work
together. If not, change the messages
or move them around.
4.Add each slide’s rough content
5.Now consider flow between adjacent
slides
6.Iterate, test & rebuild