A Complete Pitch Presentation Guide (with Examples)

A pitch presentation is essential for any startup seeking funding. Typically composed of 10-20 slides, a pitch deck is a succinct business presentation highlighting your company's most important aspects, such as the business model, traction, and roadmap. Whether used for meetings with potential investors or demo day presentations, a well-constructed pitch deck often determines the success of your funding efforts.

Essential Pitch Presentation Structure

The point of a pitch presentation is for it to be more streamlined an easier to consume than other, more formal documents, such as a business plan or a marketing plan. Although the number of slides and the amount of information can vary depending on the situation, the fundamental structure of a pitch deck remains constant. It includes six main sections: the introduction, the status quo, the product, the market, the why us, and the ask.

A pitch deck should accomplish three main goals:

1. Narrate your company’s story.
2. Persuade potential investors of its profitability.
3. Achieve this within 4 minutes.

This mirrors the three-act structure of storytelling: capturing the audience’s attention, building excitement about the business opportunity, and concluding with a compelling argument for investment. The typical pitch deck format recommended by Slidebean includes the Status Quo, Solution, Market, and Why Us sections. This format turns your pitch into an engaging narrative, emphasizing your product and company, and concluding with a powerful appeal to potential investors.

Our team has guided numerous startups in creating and designing their pitch presentations using this approach.

Determining Content Based on Company Stage

Choosing the right slides depends on your company's development stage, the amount you intend to raise, and your target investors. Key slides include:

Introduction Section

• Cover: Provide a brief, clear description of your company in 5-7 words. It should be straightforward and self-explanatory.
• Traction Teaser: Highlight significant achievements early to captivate your audience.

Status Quo Section

• Problem/Business Opportunity: Present the global problem your company addresses. If your description makes investors have an "aha" moment, you've succeeded.
• Solution: Introduce your the innovative solution that your business idea represents without getting into technical details or features.

Product Section

• How It Works: Display the uniqueness of your product through a short demo video, diagrams, or screenshots.
• Features: Emphasize the benefits to the user rather than listing features.
• Product Details: Include technical infrastructure if it is a key differentiator. Demonstrate the product in person if possible.
• Market Validation: Provide evidence to support the product and business idea's potential adoption.
• Target Audience: Show that you understand your target market and how your product meets their needs.
• Business Model: Clearly explain your business model and revenue generation method.
• Roadmap: Outline major milestones in product development and future plans to seize your market opportunity.

Market Section

• Go-to-Market Strategy: Focus on 2-3 specific channels in your marketing plan that you are currently using and will continue to use to grow your customer base.
• Market Size/TAM: Calculate your Total Addressable Market (TAM) by estimating the potential revenue from all target customers.

Why Us Section

• Competitors: Identify key competitors and explain why your solution is superior.
• Team: Highlight the skills and experience of your core team members.
• Secret Sauce: Discuss unique elements that give your company a competitive edge.

The Ask Section

• Financial Projections: Provide 3-5 years of financial projections and key financial data.
• The Ask: Clearly state the amount of funding you seek and the next fundable milestone.

Pitching Tips

Creating an investor pitch deck can be daunting. From estimating market size to defining go-to-market strategies and financials, it’s a complex process. However, developing a pitch deck helps you address many strategic business decisions. Think of your pitch deck as a narrative with a clear structure: introduction, development, and climax.

Our team of seasoned consultants specializes in crafting compelling stories and narratives. We collaborate with you to understand your business and create a pitch that showcases your unique value proposition. Whether you're seeking funds for a new startup or looking to expand an existing business, our pitch deck presentation consulting services can help you secure the necessary funding. Or, if you're looking for a more self-service approach, check out our library of hundreds of tried-and-true pitch deck templates based on actual successful pitch decks from the startup ecosystem.

Get our template