This document provides guidance on creating an effective pitch deck and presentation. It emphasizes that the goal is to engage investors by telling a simple yet memorable story about solving a problem. The pitch should focus on a few key points like the customer, problem, solution, market and team. Details and financials are less important than conveying passion and vision. Effective decks use minimal text and visuals to illustrate the story. Practice is key to refining the pitch into a crisp two-minute version that leaves investors wanting more information.

1. How to Build a
Perfect Pitch Deck
European Innovation
Academy
July 2016
www.pitchcoach.ie
Catherine Moonan

2. WHAT IS PERFECT?

3. WHAT IS PERFECT?
‘Done is better than perfect’

4. WHAT IS PERFECT?
‘Done is better than perfect’
‘Just do it’

5. WHAT IS A PITCH?
A pitch is a story which presents your idea
simply and includes a clear benefit for the
audience. It must be told in an engaging
manner.
• Simple
• Interesting
• Memorable

6. Characteristics of a Poor Pitch
• Audience/Panel not considered
• No clear objective
• No structure
• Information overload
• Poor verbal and non-verbal skills
• Use of jargon
• Ineffective use of PowerPoint or other visuals
• Lack of interest

7. Interview with Seán O’Sullivan, Founder of SOS Ventures, which has
headquarters in Cork, Ireland, and offices in
the U.S. and China.
‘Product, market, team and customer
traction are almost equally important in a
pitch, but if the team isn't strong enough,
flexible enough, and fun enough to work with
for the next 7 years, that will kill it.’

8. Interview with Bill Liao, European Venture Partner with SOS Ventures
and Co-Founder of CoderDojo.
How should you prepare for an investment Pitch?
• Make your pitch crisp and totally authentic!
• Practice it on strangers at least 100 times.
• Make sure you have a clear story.
• Fill it with memorable sound bites.
• Make sure that your story makes your potential investors feel smarter.

9. What should make up the content of a Pitch?
Purpose
Problem
Credibility
Solution
Team
Market
Financials

10. How should a Pitch be delivered?
‘By the CEO as a clear story with minimal visuals emphasizing
clear points.’

11. How important is the story?
‘How important is oxygen?
The story must be authentic, clear, credible, simple, surprising
and have a happy ending.’

12. Wayne Murphy, Start Planet Program Director
‘Most start-ups when pitching get too complicated and include
far too much information. "Pitching" really is an art. It needs to
have 5 key elements .....to be simple, personal, emotional,
credible and have the ability to in some way connect with the
audience. It’s the story of your journey, a familiar one to you
and it must also include what has driven you to take this journey
and portray the personal "mission", tenacity, drive and
commitment to succeed. It needs to demonstrate passion as it
needs to bring and attract people with you on your journey. It
needs to describe what the big problem is and how you and
your team are solving it. It needs to be focused on your
intended audience.’

13. Friday Agenda
• 10h00-10h10 Welcome & Day Overview
• 10h20-12h00 Pitching Carousel Round 1 (each team meets
2 investors in FRA/ 3 investors in ITA)
• Lunch
• 13h30-17h00 Pitching Carousel Round 2 (each team meets
1 investor in FRA/ 2 investors in ITA)
• Carousel format: 2 + 2 + 2 min (2 min pitch
+ 2 min questions from investor to team + 2
min questions from team to investor)

14. Assessment Criteria
• - Opportunity (proof of problem/solution fit)
• - Traction (proof of product/market fit)
• - Scalability (proof of business model fit)
• - Team & execution
• - Presentation

15. What Your Pitch Deck Is For…
It is not to answer all possible questions, nor close
immediate investment. It is to open investors minds to your
vision and get them excited to know more. The story you
craft in your Deck gets them engaged to start filling in the
blanks for themselves.
You want to give enough information to grab their interest,
but not too much as to overwhelm them or have your story
lose clarity & focus.
Give them enough to get excited about, but leave them
wanting more.
Your Deck should be able to stand on its own, without your
presentation.

16. Characteristics of a Poor Pitch Deck
• Too many slides/too much information
• Too much text on slides
• Too many product/financial details
• Belittling competitors
• False/silly assumptions you can’t back up
or don’t have data on

17. Your Pitch / Pitch Deck
is like the Trailer of a
Movie

18. Investor Pitch Deck Outline –
Ideal For A Ten Minute Pitch!
1) Elevator Pitch
2) Momentum, Traction, Expertise: Your key numbers
3) Market Opportunity: Define market size & your customer
base
4) Problem & Current Solutions: What need do you fill? Other
solutions
5) Product or Service: Your solution
6) Business Model: Key Revenue Streams
7) Market Approach & Strategy: How you grow your business
8) Team & Key Stakeholders (Investors, Advisors)
9) Financials
10)Competition
11)Investment: Your ‘Ask’ for funding, Basic use of funds
Optional Slides: Exit Strategy, Partnership Agreements,
Product/Service Demo, Existing Sales/Clients, Your “Special Sauce”

19. Elevator Pitch / Vision / Wow
A quick one-liner summary that combines
your vision/product and the mission of your
company
Keep it short and memorable
This should be your tagline / wow statement
Try making it relatable… as in “We are X for
Y”
(“We are AirBNB for Event Spaces”)

20. Traction
Show your timeline and milestones
to date
Growth metrics are key at early
stage
Highlight press, partnerships,
accolades
Customer success stories and/or
testimonials

21. Market Opportunity
Define Your Market: What
business/space you are in
Total Market Size: Dollar Size, Your
Place/Niche
Customers: Clearly define exactly who
you serve
Macro Trends & Insights

22. The Problem
Define the real problem/need you’re
solving, and for who.
Who else is already doing this,
and how are they going about
it and what are they not getting
right or doing wrong?
Current Solutions

23. Product / Service
Tell the story of your customer
and how customers use/value
your product or service
Images and visuals are better
than lots of text: show don’t tell

24. Revenue Model
Who is your primary customer & how do
you make money?
What is the pricing / model?
Revenue and # of customers to date
Show basic math on revenues and
conversion rates
Life-time value of an average Customer
(How many months, how many dollars?)

25. Marketing & Growth Strategy
Where are your customers looking today and
finding help?
Where will you get in front of them?
How will you achieve your target growth rates?
What are the most important and unique channels
and methods you will use to find and win
customers?
How are you doing it differently than others in the
space?

26. Team
Highlight key team members and
their prior positions, successes,
domain expertise
Demonstrate relevant experience
Which roles are the keys to
success in your company/space?

27. Competition
Where do you exist in the larger overall
Market Space?
What are your Advantages?
How is your place in the market unique to
you, and the right one for your company
growth and customers?
Who are the competitors, why have they
succeeded, and how do you truly
differentiate from them?

28. Investment
State how much Capital you are raising, and with
what general Terms: Equity, Debt, Convertible Note
What is the timing of your Capital raise?
Who are your existing & notable investors, if any?
What are your key Use of Proceeds (as % of total
raise)
• Founder salaries
• Sales & Marketing
• New hires
• Technology / Product or Service development
• Capital expenses / equipment

29. Investor Pitch Deck Outline (2 minutes)
–
(ChrisBurry, US Market Access Centre)
1. Cover slide with "the big idea" (0 seconds - is just shown
before the team starts speaking).
2. Customer and Problem (30 seconds)
3. Solution with a focus on why the solution is different /
compelling (30 seconds)
4. Market (20 seconds)
5. Team (20 seconds)
6. Ask (20 seconds)

30. WHERE TO START?

31. AUDIENCE

32. •Who are they?
•What’s in it for them? Why
should they care?
•How can you emotionally
connect with them?
AUDIENCE / PANEL

33. CONTENT

34. •Wow opening
• Three to Five main points with a logical
flow and a smooth transition in between
(E.g. Problem, Solution, Market, Team,
Financials)
• Summarize, bring your story full circle,
thank you and call to action
CREATE A STORY

35. Managing Slides
• Less is More
• Font 24 is the Minimum (Font 30 is ideal)
• A Picture Speaks a Thousand Words
• Don’t read off Slides
• The Pitch Deck is not the Presentation. You are!

37. How to Build a
Perfect Pitch Deck
European Innovation
Academy
July 2016
www.pitchcoach.ie
Catherine Moonan