There is no perfect deck – each business has its own model and needs. Presenting a business idea to an investor could be a one-time shot or a trial-and-error experience that ultimately kills your motivation. The way you design a deck and the way you pitch it could make a difference. Seeing the struggle of startups, we put together 14 elements that will help you stand out when pitching to investors.

Intro: provide insights about the founder, your startup name, contact number and official e-mail address. Please keep it simple and relevant.

Background: summarise your experience, explain your purpose, and narrate how it all started.

Problem: what is the problem you are trying to solve, and why do you want to solve it? What happens if you do not solve the problem? Define the cause-effect relationship.

Impact: show forces and impact – why this problem occurs, and what impact it has? Relate to data when creating assumptions.

Solution: your product or service should be described as features, differentiators, and outcomes. How would your audience benefit from it? Try to be specific.

Business Model: explain how you will monetise in this problem-solution opportunity – how will you move money from the client’s pocket to your pocket?

Competition: who is your competition, which of them are relevant and why. You need to run a comprehensive competitive analysis that involves research and analysis.

Market: measure and describe the market in terms of size, value, and estimated share. Define your target audiences and their expected behaviour on the stimuli you design and deploy.

Marketing: are you in a new or competitive market? Define your main pillars: product, price, placement, and promotion. Why will you be the most obvious choice, and why will your clients buy? How will you drive your clients’ behaviour?

Sales: draw your sales process: where it starts and how it ends – and the people or systems involved in this process. Set measurable and achievable targets.

Operational: introduce your present or future team, their strengths and focus areas. Which systems will you use to manage product/service development and the evolution of your business in 3-5 years?

Risk: mention the risk you see in the future, its potential impact and how you will prevent it. Observing risk and being transparent says a lot about your reality.

Accelerant: how much money do you need, what will you do with this amount, and how long will it take to generate a breakeven and a return? Which is your offer to the investor? How did you calculate it?

Beliefs: end your pitch highlighting your beliefs and how you will do whatever it takes to succeed in this venture.