INVESTOR PITCH DECK

TEMPLATE

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KERALA STARTUP MISSION

What should be in the slide

An example slide of a startup

Investors focus

Avoid these mistakes

Best practices for this slide

How to use this Template

BEST PRACTICES

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• Keep it simple
• Make it concrete
• Use visuals
• Limit to < 15 words

AVOID

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• Abstractness
• Jargon
• Long sentences

INVESTORS’ TAKEAWAY

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• Context
• 30K-feet overview
• Builds Curiosity

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ONE LINE INTRO ABOUT STARTUP

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‘A simple and crisp one-liner that explains what your business does. It explains the what` but not the 'how and why.'

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INVESTORS’ TAKEAWAY

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• Empathy
• Clarity on product-

market-fit

• Urgency to solve problem

BEST PRACTICES

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• Use stories
• Humanize
• Share how you found the problem

AVOID

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• Abstractness
• Jargon
• Talking about multiple problems

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THE PROBLEM

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What is the problem you are trying to solve and for whom? The problem should resonate with the audience. Explain current solutions and their ineffectiveness.

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BEST PRACTICES

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• Talk benefits
• Clearly define the beneficiary
• Project scalability

AVOID

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• Talking about features
• Details
• Trying to sell the product

INVESTORS’ TAKEAWAY

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• Opportunity and market validation

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SOLUTION

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Present your solution as the savior. Explain how it alleviates the pain of the customer, and the benefits it will provide. Project scalability and explain why, now is the right time.

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BEST PRACTICES

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• Make TAM SAM SOM qualitative (persona) and quantitative
• Have reliable sources for data points

AVOID

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• Speculation
• Engineering data to support your hypothesis

INVESTORS’ TAKEAWAY

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• Understanding of scalability and opportunity size of market
• Idea of future value (Unicorn)

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MARKET AND SIZE

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What is the size of your market? Define the ideal customer and showcase potential numbers.

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BEST PRACTICES

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• Use KPIs
• Share customer testimonials
• Show company journey

AVOID

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• Bloating numbers
• Extrapolation
• >5 metrics
• Unsubstantiated claims

INVESTORS’ TAKEAWAY

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• Lends credibility
• Convinces on need for the product

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TRACTION/JOURNEY SO FAR

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Showcase your achievements. Find the most important metrics to define growth, and project them. Highlight the results of beta tests, pilots, and market surveys etc.

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BEST PRACTICES

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• Focus on main revenue streams alone
• Clearly define payment model

AVOID

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• Sharing unsustainable

or irrelevant streams

• Pricing very low or very high to show saleability

INVESTORS’ TAKEAWAY

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• Credibility
• Calculation of results
• Confidence

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BUSINESS MODEL

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How will you generate revenue? Who will pay for it? Are there multiple streams? If so, which ones do you want to focus on?

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BEST PRACTICES

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• Craft a time-bound

strategy

• Use validated data to explain your plans

AVOID

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• Tactical discussions
• Presenting without

researching on

competition strategies

INVESTORS’ TAKEAWAY

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• Confidence in your growth strategies
• Clarity on messaging and

target segments

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GO-TO MARKET STRATEGY

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How will your customers know, and access your product? How will you find them and how will they find you? What channels will you use to deliver? How do you plan to do things differently and what is the roadmap for rapid growth?

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BEST PRACTICES

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• Share a relevant use-case to explain
• Show the entire life-cycle

AVOID

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• Technical narrations
• Going into details

INVESTORS’ TAKEAWAY

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• Clarity on the working
• Increased credibility

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THE PRODUCT

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Explain how your solution works in a few words. Do not go technical, just an overview to understand the working of your business will suffice. Show a live demo, if relevant (and not time-consuming).

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BEST PRACTICES

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• Talk only about the

core team

• Share information about relevant experience

AVOID

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• Adding just names

and photos for effect

INVESTORS’ TAKEAWAY

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• Trustworthiness, likeability,

and coachability of

the team

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THE TEAM

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Who are the key members of the team and more importantly, what skills do they bring to the table? Enumerate their specific roles in the business. Speak about relevant advisors/mentors.

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BEST PRACTICES

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• State assumptions
• Be data-driven
• Stick to 3-4 metrics
• Use graphs

AVOID

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• Speculation
• Projecting for more than 5 years

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INVESTORS’ TAKEAWAY

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• Insight into financial health
• Potential to be a winner
• FOMO

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THE NUMBERS

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What are the key metrics to evaluate your progress? Keep it simple, and focus on 3-4 important aspects; usually, revenue, expenses and EBITDA. Explain why you believe the investment will fuel rapid growth.

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BEST PRACTICES

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• Explore all types of

competition/alternatives

• Use tables and visual comparisons

AVOID

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• Stating that you do

not have any competition

• Comparisons based on features alone

INVESTORS’ TAKEAWAY

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• Insight into action in

the field

• Confidence in sector

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COMPETITION AND ENTRY BARRIERS

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Who/what is your competition? What are the potential alternatives for your customers to solve their challenges? What are the entry barriers? What stops someone from copying your business or entering it easily?

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BEST PRACTICES

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• Have a range for the ask
• Clear breakup of usage (ratio or absolute amounts)

AVOID

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• Asking without having a specific usage
• Asking without a strong reasoning

INVESTORS’ TAKEAWAY

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• Understand how they can be part of the journey
• Fund usage reinforces clarity of founders

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RAISE AND USAGE OF FUNDS

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How much funds are you raising? What are the proposed uses of the fund raised? Show the investors a clear road map of raise and use Enumerate existing investments/investors.

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BEST PRACTICES

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• Have all data handy
• Carry hard copies of relevant documents.

AVOID

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• Replying, “We will get back to you later" for

any question.

INVESTORS’ TAKEAWAY

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• Clarify questions/doubts
• Get more data to help with decision-making

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APPENDIX AND CARRY ALONGS

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1. Financial and pricing models, 2. Market research data 3. Exit strategy.

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