A pitch is an opportunity to sell your business idea to investors. It’s a first meeting, not a wedding, so keep your expectations realistic.
Investors are interested in a clear description of your product and market. They also want to see that you’ve identified a big problem and have a plan to address it effectively.
AI Tools
Generative AI tools can help you quickly create PowerPoint presentations with little effort. These AI tools generate text-based slides based on your input and generate visuals, layouts, and content.
Simplified AI Presentation Generator is a free tool that generates professional and visually appealing PowerPoint slides in minutes. Simply enter your topic and a brief description of what you want the slides to cover.
The AI can also create the layout for your slides, such as a timeline or chart. It can also generate text-based slides with titles and bullet points, as well as image-based slide layouts. You can also choose to include a video in your slide deck.
Preparing Your Pitch Deck
The first slide in a pitch deck should highlight the problem your business addresses and how it solves it. Then it should give a brief overview of the company’s core product or service features. Then ideally, you should include some form of market validation that backs up your claims such as customer surveys or sales data.
Software developer Sparcharge’s pitch deck uses a combination of aesthetic consistency and clear visuals to tell their story, helping them secure $7 million in seed funding. Lunchbox, a restaurant technology platform, similarly uses charts and data visuals to make their pitch more compelling.
Using an AI tool such as Levity AI can help you extract relevant insights from raw and unstructured data and then create a logical flow of slides that convey your message effectively. A slick presentation will impress investors and make them sit up straight and listen to you. Avoid using overly generic slides as investors can smell these from a mile away. Check out more on Prepare for Pitching to Investors using AI tool such as GenPPT.
Practicing Your Pitch
If you’re not a naturally charismatic person, pitching to investors can be difficult. But you can train to become more confident and sound authentic. Practice your pitch in front of people who can give you constructive feedback and rehearse until you feel comfortable with it.
Investors will likely ask questions after your presentation, and it’s important to anticipate them. This will help you prepare answers ahead of time and demonstrate your ability to answer complex queries.
You may also be asked about your business model and revenue model. This is a crucial part of your pitch because it will let the investors know whether you can pay back their investment.
Be sure to include data about your early traction, customer acquisition methods, and the size of the total addressable market. This will also make your pitch more compelling. Don’t forget to mention your exit strategy, which should be clear and spelled out in detail.
Delivering Your Pitch
Once you’ve prepared and practiced your pitch, it’s time to deliver it in front of investors. You may need to adjust your presentation for each investor’s unique priorities and position. You may also be asked questions, so make sure you’ve thought through answers ahead of time.
Investors will want to see that you understand the industry and know what makes your product/service different from competitors. They’ll also want to hear about the market size and your strategy for capturing a significant share of that market.
Investors will want to see that you’ve built a team with the necessary expertise and experience to bring your product/service to market successfully. You can also include information about any previous successes that your company has achieved. Investors will also be interested in learning about your fee structure, whether you have a per-item charge or monthly/yearly subscription. Investors will be curious about how you plan to exit the business (a public sale, acquisition, or management buyout). Be prepared to answer any questions they might have.