How to Create an Early Stage Pitch Deck

How to create an early-stage pitch deck.Ryan Spoon: ryanspoon.comPolaris Venture Partners: polaris.vcDogpatch Labs: dogpatchlabs.com

About Us:Sample Companies

Intro- I’ve seen 1,000s of early stage decks over last 2 yrs- Most mistakes are relatively common- And most mistakes are easily addressed- This is a guide to creating your pitch deck- Warning: it’s just one investor’s advice :) Two parts to this walkthrough: 1. Five overarching guidelines 2. An example structure & flow

Five Themes / Guidelines

1. A Great One-LinerThink of it as your elevator pitch… in one sentence.It’s a hybrid of: - Your product / vision - Your company purpose - A starting point for the pitchCommon framework: “We are X for Y”**assuming X is attractive and Y is a big enough opportunity!

2. Know Your AudienceBefore crafting a pitch deck, understand: - Who you are meeting with? - What is the investor’s and the firm’s focus? - Are there related investments? - How much time do you have?These influence your deck, the discussion andlikely questions you’ll be asked.

3. 10-15 Slides The deck is important... But the conversation is more important. Budget your time accordingly. Allow for discussion alongside each slide. 10-15 slides. Max. Will provide suggested structure later in deck

4. Beware the DemoFor early stage companies, it’s all about product.And the best mark of product is market validation.Demos are great… but remember these four rules: 1. Be careful of time. 2. Don’t get lost in product. 3. Have backup if (when!) something goes wrong. 4. Give even weight to product & traction / data.

5. Expect the Deck to be Shared Whether you like it or not (!), your deck will be shared (i.e. among partnership). Goal: be equally compelling with/without voiceover. How? - deck should tell its own story. - do *not* rely on builds, intricate slides. - make the file size manageable for email. - PDF or secure URL are great alternatives to PPT.

Suggested Structure.(remember: 10-15 slides)

The Flow The Big Idea Why you? The current problem Your solution. Why now? Traction & validation What’s the future? The ask

Remember: 10-15 Slides The Big Idea 1-2 slides Why you? 1 slide The current problem 2-4 slide Your solution. Why now? 3-5 slides Traction & validation 2-4 slides What’s the future? 1-2 slide The ask 1 slide

1. Vision - Expanded company one-liner The Big Idea - The big vision: today & tomorrowhttp://www.businessinsider.com/this-is-the-first-pitch-deck-foursquare- http://www.businessinsider.com/airbnb-a-13-billion-dollar-startups-first-ever-showed-investors-2011-12?op=1 ever-pitch-deck-2011-9#-1

2. The TeamWhy are you the right team for the problem?- Include management team and advisors, investors- Include bios with key, relevant experience- Outline division of responsibilitiesThink an expandedAngelList team profile http://angel.co/visually

3. The Market…4. The Opportunity - Customer / consumer pains? The current problem - How are they solving today? - How will they solve with you? Your solution - How is it different than market? - Why is solution possible today? Why now? - Why is it right for today, tomorrow? - How big is the market? - How big can you be? - What value are you creating? - Be realistic!

Airbnb: Problem, Solution,Market Size, Market Potential

Mint: Market size, Landscape,Product / Market Fit

5. Your Product….6. Your TractionYou’ve set the stage…now show off the product and traction / validation:I want to know: - is the product resonating? - is it trending in the right direction? - engagement, engagement, engagement engagement data > user acquisition! - What are your KPIs? Goals?

ReadyForZero: Product TractionTraction can be shownthrough acquisition,usage, retention, etc.ReadyForZero showeduser activity asmeasure of productefficacy:Users pay-off debt 2xfaster than non-users

7. The Future: 12mo & OutSo far, you’ve spent the deck outlining team, productand success to-date.Now talk about what’s next…And how it ties into the big vision and the fundraise.What are the next 12-24 months of: - Product - People - Performance - Finances

8. The AskA pitch deck cannot crescendo without a clear ask(aka what you are looking for): - What size investment are you looking for? - How long does it get you? - How will you spend it? - What are goals before raising the next round? - How else can the investor(s) help?This is commonly overlooked… but easy to create!

Learn more.Connect with us. polaris.vc dogpatchlabs.com ryanspoon.com @polarisvc @dogpatchlabs @ryanspoon fb.com/polarisventures fb.com/dogpatchlabs fb.com/ryanspoon

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How to Create an Early Stage Pitch Deck

by Ryan Spoon on Jan 07, 2012

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