Pitch decks are known for startups to raise money at an early stage. But the principle of a pitch deck can be used for many other situations also – e.g. “selling” your business idea internally. So the question is, what should a pitch deck include? At a high level, it should tell the story in concise way.
Below is the general arc of the story. The exact order varies depending on your specific details, so feel free to rearrange for the flow that seems best for you.
1. Problem
What is the problem you are addressing and why? Can you answer these questions: “is this a real problem?” and “how many people feel this pain point?”. Data to illustrate the severity of the problem is always helpful.
2. Vision
Describe your vision. In other words, what is the future state you are striving to realize?
3. Our Approach / Solution
Here you should outline what you are doing and how. This section may include a demo of the product or some screenshots.
4. Team
Share the key members of the team and their backgrounds. Although an idea might be brilliant, normally the success of execution depends of the people behind. So it is important to highlight why this group is the right one to solve the problem.
5. Why now
If this problem has existed for a long time, why is now the right time for you to solve the pain point?
6. Total Addressable Market (TAM)
Illustrate how big the market is. It is helpful to calculate how large the market you will directly address is.
7. Traction metrics (2-3 slides)
These slides show how the company / business unit, etc. is doing. These metrics could be revenue, gross margin, unit economics, LTV, CAC, the list goes on. The exact metrics to share will depend on the KPIs of your company.
8. Milestones & projections
Share what the key metrics above will be over the next 12 – 24 months as well as 5 year revenue projections. Also share any major product or growth milestones (city expansions, new products, etc.)
9. Competition
Outline the players in your market and explain why you are different. Having a comprehensive view of your competitors is important to show that you are aware of the market dynamics and its players.
10. Fundraise
State how much are you raising and what the goals are for the financing. If you have raised money previously, this would be a good place to include how much and from whom.
