Brands that move
PowerPoint Template
(a mashup of many online resources with our editing and added knowledge)
October 27, 2008
Seattle, Washington

Before you start…
A few tips:
1. First, itʼs all about them: confirm your presentation time the day before and show up 15 minutes early.
People are really busy and meetings get mixed up.
2. Then, it's all about you: the content of the presentation is about your business, but people look for things
you convey in between the lines – your integrity, realism, and whether or not you are coachable.
3. Sell, sell, sell: the purpose of your pitch is to sell, not to teach; to excite, not to educate.
4. Show donʼt tell: donʼt tell people what your product does, just show your product doing its thing.
5. Use inclusive words in present tense: like “we” and “our,” as opposed to “you” and “your,” and “we are” or
“we can”. Active words engage your audience, inclusive words draw them in.
6. You have only 30 sec per slide and 10 min per presentation: practice with a stop watch in front of the
mirror. If you do it longer, you have lost peopleʼs 60 sec partial attention between you and their iPhone.
7. Many bullet points are death: theyʼre boring, they show that you donʼt have the ability to create a
compelling story with data, they show that you donʼt think that much of the person being presented the
information. Use as few as possible and use more charts, product shots, feature set tables and the like. But
donʼt use “funny slides” or graphics for graphics sake. Youʼre not pitching your company to get laughs -
youʼre doing it to raise capital.
8. Focus on the areas where you are strong: talk less about the areas where you are weak.
9. Change up the tone of your voice: One tone, a mono-tone, is the worst, and will put people to sleep.
10. One driver, one navigator: have one person speaking while another is demoing the product. Itʼs best for
people to connect with ONE person and to get into a groove with that one personʼs voice.
11. Know how to deal with a technical problem: have a couple of anecdotes ready to go while fixing issue.
12. Leave people wanting more: people should be either blown away or intrigued by your core product.
Tuesday, January 6, 2009 ©2007 Lilipip, Inc. All rights reserved. Private & CONFIDENTIAL 2

Introduction
Describe / Show your product in 60 seconds or less
1. Introduce yourself: name, position.
2. Describe your product in one sentence, 4 words max: People are going to come up with a moniker for
your service anyway, if you donʼt.
TIP: The first 30 seconds of your presentation is critical. There are a couple of ways to start your presentation
that will work. Which one you select should be based on whatʼs the most effective at engaging your audience.
• Personal: many of the best products ever built were done so out of the frustration of their creators. A
fantastic way to start your presentation is to share how you came up with the idea.
• Problem: tell a story about a person in pain, be as specific as possible, so that the audience can identify
with that person quickly. If it is you, use the previous scenario.
• Product: this method is great for sexy products. If youʼve got something that just looks amazing, you might
want to consider just starting. In this case, the longer it takes for you to show your product, the worse your
product is, and if you donʼt have a product to show, donʼt take the meeting.
• Stint: this is the most dangerous, and advanced, technique in presenting. Start out with a stint, to reveal
that it is a result of your product solution. Only do it if youʼre entertaining as hell.
Tuesday, January 6, 2009 ©2007 Lilipip, Inc. All rights reserved. Private & CONFIDENTIAL 3

Problem
What is the market pain, size and how are you measuring it?
1. Tell a story about the person in pain: be very specific, ideally it is a real person - so that the audience can
identify with that person quickly. Include a real message from that person in “quotation”.
2. Tell a a story about the pain: is it a headache or a migraine? It needs to be a migraine, and all other
solutions out there must be inadequate
Tuesday, January 6, 2009 ©2007 Lilipip, Inc. All rights reserved. Private & CONFIDENTIAL 4

Solution
You have the opportunity to be “the Google/eBay/Skype of what”?
1. Product: show your product and list 3 top benefits the customerʼs gets when the problem is solved. Show
screenshots, photos, pictures, or a diagram of how it works – the visual metaphor for your solution.
2. Differentiation: differentiate or die - how one thing that is unique about your product.
3. Value chain: show your solution in a diagram with other products or services.
Tuesday, January 6, 2009 ©2007 Lilipip, Inc. All rights reserved. Private & CONFIDENTIAL 5

Business Model
(and potential for revenues)
1. How do you make money? What is the price for your product? How did you come up with it? What is the
cost to make your product? How are you going to be profitable? What is your revenue model? Have facts
handy in case you are asked about your assumptions – to back them up.
TIP: Investors will want to know you understand your business model inside and out. Be ready to answer the
following questions:
• What is required to be profitable?
• What if you canʼt sustain the price?
• What if it takes twice or three times as long to make each sale?
• What if your costs donʼt decline over time?
Tuesday, January 6, 2009 ©2007 Lilipip, Inc. All rights reserved. Private & CONFIDENTIAL 6

Underlying magic
Technology / What you are trying to build: how much, for how long?
1. Secret sauce: Depending on your solution, you might need a separate slide to convince investors that no
one else can easily copy your solution (if applicable to your business). If you are in a business sector in
which intellectual property is important, this is where you drill down into your secret sauce and proprietary
technology. Boil this down to simple elements and terms, devoid of jargon, and highlight the elements of
your technology that give you unique potential for leverage and scale as you grow.
Tuesday, January 6, 2009 ©2007 Lilipip, Inc. All rights reserved. Private & CONFIDENTIAL 7

Marketing Plan / Sales Cycle
How will you get distribution?
1. How long does it take for you to sell? Who are the decision makers and influencers of your customer?
What does your sales process look like? How long is your sales cycle? How will you reach your customer?
What is the cost of the customer acquisition? What is your sales, marketing and distribution strategy? What
is your current sales pipeline?
2. Are you selling through partners? Who are your partners, today and in the future? How dependent are
you on your partners? Include logos of all partners on the slide and your status with them – are they
confirmed or are you only thinking of talking to them?
TIP: The single most compelling slide in any pitch is a pipeline of customers and strategic partners that have
already expressed some interest in your solution—if they havenʼt already joined your beta program. Too often
this slide is, instead, a bland laundry list of standard sales and marketing tactics. You should focus on
articulating the non-obvious, potentially disruptive elements of your strategy, or you can frame your comments
in terms of the critical hurdles you need to get over, and how you are going to jump them. If you donʼt have a
pipeline, and there is nothing unique or innovative about your strategy, then drop this slide and make the
elements of your sales model clear in the discussion of your business model.
Tuesday, January 6, 2009 ©2007 Lilipip, Inc. All rights reserved. Private & CONFIDENTIAL 8

Market
Drivers & dynamics / Your positioning and sustainable advantages
1. How big is your market? Describe your market from bottom up, not from top down – and show it as a
segment next to the total market (as it exists today). What part of the market are you grabbing? Show it in a
pie form. How big is the market? How fast is it growing? How long was this market in existence?
2. Where are you in this market? Unless you can position yourself as one of the top three players in the
market, it wonʼt be worth the attention of the investors.
Tuesday, January 6, 2009 ©2007 Lilipip, Inc. All rights reserved. Private & CONFIDENTIAL 9

Customers
Current and / or potential
1. Your customers: This is a very powerful slide, especially if you have actual customers – compile logos of all
of them on this slide, and the revenue number next to each, if possible. Be very specific about them – are
they beta users (non-paying), are they actually paying, are they just target customers to acquire in the
future? Ideally, tell a short story of a typical “ideal” customer – what keeps your customer up at night? Who
will write you the check? What ROI does your customer expect? What is the lifetime value of a customer?
How would you make sure that the customer stays and doesnʼt run off to your competitor?
Tuesday, January 6, 2009 ©2007 Lilipip, Inc. All rights reserved. Private & CONFIDENTIAL 10

Competition
If you donʼt know the competitive landscape, investors wonʼt be
comfortable giving you their money, time or attention
1. Show that you understand your competitive landscape, current and historical: research why they
worked and why they failed, know which ones were sold and bought and by whom, who are direct or indirect
or likely competitors. Who is adjacent to you (in the market) that could enter your market (and compete) or
could be a co-opted partner? What are their strengths/weaknesses?
2. Show how you will win: Why are you different? What assumptions are key to the success of your
business? What gotchas could change the business overnight? New technologies, new market entrants,
change in standards or regulations? What are your companyʼs weak links?
TIP: The best way to convince an investor is to have referenceable customers or prospects who will articulate
in their own words why they bought or will buy your offering over the alternatives. Use this slide to
summarize the three or four key reasons why customers prefer your solution to other solutions and to the
status quo. Many entrepreneurs have been coached to use a four-square matrix that shows that they are in
the upper right-hand quadrant, but this has become a joke in the venture community. Check-boxes are
better, if they are not abused. Make sure your check-box criteria reflect the marketʼs requirements, not just
your productʼs features.
Tuesday, January 6, 2009 ©2007 Lilipip, Inc. All rights reserved. Private & CONFIDENTIAL 11

Team
Management / Advisors
1. Current team: name, title, previous experience. Be brief in your explanation. Do not explain what each
person does in your company. Who is the management team? What is their experience?
2. Missing team: titles - positions you are seeking to fill. What pieces are missing and what is the plan for
filling them?
3. Advisors: Include those business advisors who help you, know you, believe in you and agree to be
spokespeople for your company if called.
Tuesday, January 6, 2009 ©2007 Lilipip, Inc. All rights reserved. Private & CONFIDENTIAL 12

Milestones so far
(and in the future)
1. Talk about what youʼve done, not about what you are going to do: Weak startups and their leaders
seem to immediately start talk about “whatʼs next,” as opposed to focusing on the core product. Anyone can
say weʼre going to add: a mobile version, collaborative filtering, an advertising network, etc. In fact, given
the amount of open source and off the shelf software out there, combined with the large number of
developers in the world, anyone can bolt these things on to their service in a week or three. Who cares what
youʼre going to bolt on to your startup? What really matters is the core functionality of your startup. What is
your stage of development? Technology/product? Team? Financial metrics/revenue? What has been the
progress to date (make reality and future clear)? Patents filed? Signed contracts with partners? How much
revenue booked? What is the number of customers? Of employees? Year founded?
2. Future milestones: only include them if they are critical to your success.
Tuesday, January 6, 2009 ©2007 Lilipip, Inc. All rights reserved. Private & CONFIDENTIAL 13

Financial projections
(the hockey stick)
1. Show bar graphs: your hockey stick in bar graph form with bars for revenue and income for five years of
projections. Show clearly assumptions that drive these projections.
TIP: Don't make the audience think/wonder about number inconsistencies between slides, even if they are not
errors (net sales, versus gross sales for example). It distracts the flow. Use real concepts instead of abstract
ones, also in financial forecasts. Instead of claiming 0.5% of a $1bn market, why would someone buy 1
product, how many customers do you think you can get, hence, what would your sales be. You should show the
two or three key metrics that drive revenues, expenses and growth (such as customers, unit sales, new
products, expansion sales, new markets), as well as the revenue, expense, profit, cash balance, and
headcount lines. The most important thing to convey on this slide is that you really understand the economics
and evolution of a growing, dynamic company, and that your vision is grounded in an understanding of practical
reality. Your financials should tell your story in numbers as clearly as you are telling your story in words.
Investors are not focused on the precision of your numbers; theyʼre focused on the coherence and integrity of
your business plan.
Tuesday, January 6, 2009 ©2007 Lilipip, Inc. All rights reserved. Private & CONFIDENTIAL 14

Funding
Requirements and potential exit routes
1. Funding map: Show prior funding, current offer, pre-money valuation, use of proceeds/milestones, any
future rounds of financing anticipated, potential exits. What funds have already been raised? How much
money are you raising and at what valuation? How will the money be spent? How long will it last and where
will the company be on its milestones progress at that time? How much additional funding do you
anticipate raising & when? How does this fit with the investorʼs portfolio and expertise? What synergies,
competition exist with the investorʼs existing portfolio?
TIP: It should be clear from your financials what your capital requirements will be. On this slide you should
outline how you plan to take in funding—how big each round will be, and the timing of each—and map the
funding against your key near-term and medium-term milestones. These milestones should tie to the key
metrics in your financial projections, and they should provide a clear, crisp picture of your product introduction
and market expansion roadmap. In essence, this is your operating plan for the funds you are raising. Do not
spend time presenting a “use of funds” table. Investors want to see measures of accomplishment, not
measures of activity. And they want to know that you are asking for the right amount of money to get the
company to a meaningful milestone.
Tuesday, January 6, 2009 ©2007 Lilipip, Inc. All rights reserved. Private & CONFIDENTIAL 15

Thank you!
Any questions?
1. Short answers are best: when taking questions about your product answer questions shortly, in a most
concise way.
2. How to handle the questions you donʼt know the answer to: the worst thing to do is to BS the person.
No one has an answer for everything, except BS artists. Feel free to say you donʼt know, people find it
refreshingly humble and honest:
• take a moment to think about the question. You can even say “Hmmm… thatʼs a good question. Let
me think about that for a second.”
• if you donʼt have an answer be honest and say you donʼt, like: “Iʼm not really sure, Iʼm going to have
to think about that and get back to you,” or “Iʼm not sure to be honest. What do you think?”
• think out loud and brainstorm with the person., like: “Iʼve never really considered that. Perhaps you
can expand the question a little and we can explore it right now.”
• you can always say youʼll cross that bridge when you come to it, like: “Iʼm not sure how we would
deal with a sudden spike in the cost of bandwidth, we would have to collect more information and
answer that question down the road. It is a manageable risk factor I suppose.”
TIP: Your key objective on this slide is to solidify the core value proposition of your company in words that are
memorable and unique to your company. If the investor in the room has to give a short description of your
company to his partners, these are the words you want used. This is a good place to reinforce your one
sentence description – the short phrase that captures the essence of your message to investors. Imagine
that this is the only slide you will ever be able to present. If you had to do your whole pitch in one slide (with
30 point font), this is that slide.
Tuesday, January 6, 2009 ©2007 Lilipip, Inc. All rights reserved. Private & CONFIDENTIAL 16