7 Pro-tips for creating a winning pitch deck for your tech startup

You have a brilliant idea for a product or service that is going to transform businesses. To turn your idea into reality, you need funds for the operation. When it comes to a tech startup, every entrepreneur should have an arrow in their quiver that helps them obtain funding for their business. An engaging pitch deck is a crucial tool for connecting with investors and bringing your idea to life. 

The experience of presenting a startup pitch deck to potential investors can be nerve-wracking. No matter how great your idea is, if the pitch is not compelling enough, you might not be offered a deal. Let's take a look at some key elements you should include to create a winning pitch deck for your startup.

 What is a pitch deck? 

 A pitch deck is a brief presentation that provides an overview of a startup's business model for potential investors, partners, and other stakeholders. 

Pitch decks help your potential investors, partners, and clients understand your products and services, value proposition, and roadmap. In simple terms, a pitch deck persuades people to support your business. To be effective, it must cover important aspects of your business model, such as your target audience and go-to-market strategy.

What should you include in your pitch deck?  

1. Executive summary: Craft a concise overview of your tech startup, highlight its unique value proposition, the market potential, competition, and how your product stands out in the market.

2. Problem and solution: Clearly define the problem your business addresses and explain how your solution is unique, emphasizing its appeal to the market.

3. Business model: Explain how your tech startup will operate and outline your business strategy. Give a brief overview of your revenue-generation model, expenses, and capital requirements.

4. Market opportunity: Highlight key industry trends and demonstrate the scope and growth potential for your tech startup in the market.

5. Go-to-market strategy: Present a comprehensive plan detailing how you will reach and acquire customers, including channels, partnerships, and marketing tactics.

6. Financial projections: Provide realistic and data-backed forecasts, including revenue projections, expenses, and key financial metrics, to demonstrate the financial viability and scalability of your business.

7. Team overview: Introduce your core team members, highlighting their relevant experience, skills, and expertise to execute the business plan effectively and drive growth.

7  tips and best practices to create a winning pitch deck  

1. Illustrate the problem with a story

Every startup should offer a solution to a common business problem. Use storytelling to describe the solution your product or service provides. Present clearly and persuasively by highlighting the impact your idea will have on your target market.

2. Explain how your product stands out

There are many products on the market that can be used to solve a business problem. Explain how your product or service is unique and stands apart from the competition in the tech startup sector.

3. Talk about your competitors

Know who your competitors are, what products and services they offer, and how they stack up against you. This will help you set your strategy competitively, position your business to stand out in the industry, and be prepared for rival marketing campaigns.

4. Talk about your market and target audience

Understanding the market and target audience is a crucial part of pitching. Once you have analyzed the competition and industry trends, shed some light on the scope of your product in the market and how you plan to reach out to your target audience.

5. Show a demo

A demo makes your pitch more persuasive, and will also help your investors understand how your product works and solves business challenges. By giving them a near hands-on experience of the product your startup is built around, you can prove that it is more than just an idea.

6. Include a roadmap

Having a roadmap of your vision, mission, and plan for the startup will help your investors foresee how your product or service will shape up in the future.  Adding this to your pitch is crucial, as it establishes the direction, priorities, and plan for achieving your business goals.

7. Support your claims with statistics

Every business deck needs to have supporting data to validate their analysis, strategy, and plan. Include important data and statistics, as these are the metrics that influence the decision-making process for your investors.

Here are some design and delivery tips for creating an engaging pitch deck:

• Avoid text-heavy and cluttered slides; keep each slide simple and professional with minimal text. Use a professional template and only include content that is relevant to your investors.

• Hook your audience with a strong introduction to set the tone for the rest of your pitch. Beginning with a rhetorical question or an attention-grabbing fact or statistic is a well-known way to intrigue your audience.

• Use visuals wherever necessary to support your message and to keep your slides captivating. Incorporating visuals helps your audience grasp information at a glance and is also an effective medium to comprehend information better.

• Visualize your financial projections to give your audience a clear financial forecast. Understand the best practices of data visualization and use appropriate charts and graphs for your data.

• Conclude with a strong CTA to let your audience know exactly how you will move forward and make use of their investment.

• Remember, practice is the key to delivering an engaging pitch. This will also give you an opportunity to anticipate and prepare for investors' questions.

5 steps to create a winning pitch deck using Show 

Step 1: Sign up with your email address or phone number, or using your Facebook, LinkedIn, X or Gmail account credentials.

Step 2: Choose a template from the wide range of options available, preview the slide layouts, choose the right one, and start adding your content.

Step 3: Customize the slides by choosing your brand colors and fonts and replacing the placeholder content.

Step 4: Collaborate effortlessly by sharing the pitch deck with your team and other stakeholders for real-time collaboration and instant feedback. You can also securely share the deck with clients or others outside your organization with restricted access.

Step 5: Once completed, you can download the deck in your preferred file format, or publish it within the organization or externally. You can also embed the deck in blogs, forums, and websites or even broadcast it to a remote audience.

Your pitch deck is the bridge between you and your potential investors, and having a compelling deck can make a huge difference in whether your business succeeds. Delivering your pitch with authority and passion can give your investors the confidence to fund your startup.

Are you pitching to an investor?

Use Show's tech startup template to create a winning pitch deck.