The document provides a comprehensive guide for entrepreneurs on creating effective pitch decks for seed stage investments, emphasizing the importance of founder-market fit, potential, and risk mitigation. Key elements include defining the problem and solution, go-to-market strategies, traction metrics, team experience, and financial projections. Additionally, it highlights the significance of storytelling in persuading investors to support the venture.

1. What Every Investor Wants Entrepreneurs to Know
Pitch Decks 101
Credit: NextView Ventures

2. Seed stage – It’s all about belief and promise
People –
Why You?
Potential –
Why does it matter?
2
Risk –
How will you eliminate the risk?
Tell us your story!

3. Seed stage – It’s all about belief and promise
2
Tell us your story!
• Founder-Market Fit.
• Track record, thought-process, aptitude, attitude, genuine.
People –
Why You?

4. Seed stage – It’s all about belief and promise
2
Tell us your story!
• Why should the investors believe that this problem need to be solved?
• Why your solution has to exist?
Potential –
Why does it matter?

5. Seed stage – It’s all about belief and promise
2
Tell us your story!
• Product
• Team
• Market
• Go-to-market
• Financial
Which ones that you will focus on? Why?
Risk –
How will you eliminate the risk?

6. E x a m p l e C o m p a n y
Confidential Investor Presentation
January 2014

7. Executive Summary
What We Do:
• ExampleCo is a [zero-jargon description of product]
used by [broad but addressable market] to [benefits].
• We are focused on the [$X billion target niche] market.
Current Status:
We are [company stage, e.g. pre-revenue, pre-launch, etc.].
Traction to date includes:
• (Month or Quarter 1): X key metric, Y key metric
• (Month or Quarter 2): X key metric, Y key metric
Currently Raising:
• [$X-Y million] seed round.
• Previously raised [$X million] from [investors].
Team Experience
Pilot Customers/Partners
Logos of Past Companies
& Top Schools
Logos or Other Proof of
Early Traction
2

8. Problem
[The succinct problem statement you aim to
address goes here. Use plain language – no jargon.]
[Customer Tries
Something]
[Here’s Their
Terrible Pain]
[Existing Solutions
Are Broken/Nonexistent]
3

9. Solution
Explanation of
Actions Taken
Explanation of
Actions Taken
Explanation of
Outcomes
1-2 Product Screens
[The succinct summary of the solution goes here.
This often sounds like your company mission.]
• [List a few key benefits and features here.]
4

10. Go-To-Market
In ONE slide, convey one or more of the following:
1. Your unfair distribution advantage
– What’s the one thing that sets you apart when it comes to distribution?
2. Your initial customer/user acquisition strategy
– What channels are you thinking about? What data can you share based
on past tests? What tech integrations are you building?
3. Your initial marquee partners or customers, if applicable
– Who are your earliest “true believers” that will help you gain traction
and/or generate word-of-mouth? Who’s already in your camp that has a
recognizable brand, history of success, or enough confidence in your
company and product to partner or buy early on?
5
What to Know to Create Yours

11. Go-To-Market
Total Addressable Market: [$XB industry]
Distribution Strategy: [Your unique advantage + channels you plan to test
Launch
[Dates]
Traction
[Dates]
Growth
[Dates]
Main
Focus:
Priority
Tasks:
Target
Results:
[X]
[X]
[X]
[X]
[X]
[X]
[Launch web & iOS app]
• [Improve signup flow
• Finalize user referral process
• Accepted to App Store
• Drive initial signups
• Measure DAU totals]
• [X initial users
• Convert X% of existing email list
• Understand DAU & optimize]
5

12. Traction to Date
• [Key Metric #1]
• [Key Metric #2]
• [Key Metric #3]
6

13. Looking Forward
• We are seeking [$X].
• We aim to [major goals] in the next [timeframe].
Team
Building
Company
Progress
May June July Aug Sept Oct
Hire A, B, C] Hire X, Y, Z
Launch Goal Goal Goal
7

14. FAQs

15. Team
Headshot Headshot
Name, Current Title Name, Current Title
Past Company
Logo
• Title or Relevant Function
• Impressive Achievement
Past Company
Logo
• Title or Relevant Function
• Impressive Achievement
Past Company
Logo
• Title or Relevant Function
• Impressive Achievement
Past Company
Logo
• Title or Relevant Function
• Impressive Achievement
9

16. Competition
[Low Thing] [High Thing]
[High Thing]
[Low Thing]
Logo
Logo
Logo
Logo
Logo
We are stronger than the competition in [key differentiators].
We are threatened by the competition in [honest worries you have].
10

17. Use of Proceeds
Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 YEAR Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 YEAR
Projected
Headcount
Projected
Customers
Revenue
Salaries +
Overhead
Other
(Professional Fees,
Rent, Utilities,
Travel, etc.)
Cash Burn
Total Cash
Burn
• Build team of [X]
• [Biggest product milestone – e.g. launch beta in X months]
• Product/market fit and [X customers/users] in [X] months
11

18. Marketing Deep Dive
In ONE slide, convey how you’ll drive growth through one of the following :
1. Your actual marketing funnel and results to date
2. Your product’s built-in growth drivers (referrals, network effects, etc.)
3. Proposed tactics you plan to deploy over time
The Next 3 Slides Show Examples
12
What to Know to Create Yours

19. Marketing Deep Dive Example 1 of 3
[Description of Total Target Market]
[Channel 1] [Channel 2] [Channel 3]
[Conversion Action 1]
(e.g. Lead, Free User, Trial, Demo, etc.)
[Conversion 2 or Retention]
(e.g. MQL, 1-7-30-Day Active Users,
Critical/Sticky Feature Usage, etc.)
Revenue
LTV
User Acquisition
Conversion
and/or Retention
Monetization
In
Progress/Su
cceeding
(Continue to
Optimize)
Launch or
Improve
(Starting
Soon)
Test/Validat
e
Hypotheses
(Starting
Later)
12

20. Marketing Deep Dive Example 2 of 3
User Network Effects/Product Virality
Context
Context
Context Context
Product
Feature
Product
Feature
12

21. Tactic
Tactic
Tactic
Marketing Deep Dive Example 3 of 3
#Customers
Time
Tactic
Tactic
Tactic
Tactic
[X]
Customers
Tactic
Tactic
Path to [X] Customers
12

22. Traction Deep Dive
• Data Point
• Data Point
• Data Point
13

23. [ExampleCo makes X easier and cheaper.]
[Save Time: ExampleCo does X for you]
.
[Save Money: X% more cost-effective on average.]
How Customers Use [ExampleCo]:
1. [X]
2. [Y]
3. [Z]
How It Works
14

24. Product Screens
1
2
3
4
15

25. Product Roadmap
Bucket1Bucket2Bucket3
May June July Aug Sept Oct
Milestone Milestone
Milestone
Milestone
Milestone
Milestone
Milestone
Milestone
Milestone
Milestone
Milestone
Milestone
16

26. Customer Validation
Headshot
Headshot
Logo
Logo
“Quote.”
“Quote.”
Test Customer Logos
• Proof of concept data point
• Proof of concept data point
• Proof of concept data point
• Proof of concept data point
17

27. Financials/Budget
Revenue Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Year1 Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Year2
Item $X $X $X $X $X $X $X $X $X $X
Item $X $X $X $X $X $X $X $X $X $X
Total Revenue $X $X $X $X $X $X $X $X $X $X
Cost of goods sold
Item $X $X $X $X $X $X $X $X $X $X
Item $X $X $X $X $X $X $X $X $X $X
Total COGs $X $X $X $X $X $X $X $X $X $X
Gross Profit $X $X $X $X $X $X $X $X $X $X
Gross Margin X% X% X% X% X% X% X% X% X% X%
Expenses
Item $X $X $X $X $X $X $X $X $X $X
Item $X $X $X $X $X $X $X $X $X $X
Total Expenses $X $X $X $X $X $X $X $X $X $X
EBITDA ($X) ($X) ($X) ($X) ($X) ($X) ($X) ($X) ($X) ($X)
Other Income (Loss) ($X) ($X) ($X) ($X) ($X) ($X) ($X) ($X) ($X) ($X)
Net Income (Loss) ($X) ($X) ($X) ($X) ($X) ($X) ($X) ($X) ($X) ($X)
18

28. Unit Economics
(Showing [X] months trailing.)
Averages
Meetings/Events Booked X
Rental Rate $X
Utilization X%
Revenue for Venue $X
Commission % X%
Gross Revenue $X
Cost Channel/Partnerships Direct Acquisition
Cost-per-lead -- $X
Partner Commission $X --
Service Agent $X $X
Net Revenue $X $X
Margin % X% X%
Example: A Venue
Booking Service
[Provide context for a given item as needed]
19

29. Market Size/Trends
[$XB ]
total market
opportunity
[$XB]
Go-to-
Market
Related Data Points
• Data point/statement (Source)
• Data point/statement (Source)
• Data point/statement (Source)
• Data point/statement (Source)
• Data point/statement (Source)
• Data point/statement (Source)
• Data point/statement (Source)
• Data point/statement (Source)
• Data point/statement (Source)
20
Do Both Top-Down & Bottom-Up!

30. Exit Comparisons
Startup
Buyer
acq. by
[$X]
VC
VC
Startup
Buyer
acq. by
[$X]
VC
VC
Startup
Buyer
acq. by
[$X]
VC
VC
Public Co
[market cap]
Public Co
[market cap]
Public Co
[market cap]
• Startups in the [industry niche] space are acquisition targets for companies
such as [Examples], at valuations around [N] times price/sale.
21

31. Partners/Biz Dev
Logos of Early
Partners
Logos of Future
Potential Partners
Current Partners: Target Partners:
22

32. Monetization
[B2B SaaS Business Model]
[Sales Strategy: Free trial and bottom-up selling]
[Pricing: $X to $Y per user per month]
[Operating Margins: Over X%]
23
Example: B2B SaaS

33. Challenges/Risks
• [Challenge #1 – context]
• [Challenge #2 – context]
• [Challenge #3 – context]
24

34. Why Now?
Trend, Factor,
or Data Point
Trend, Factor,
or Data Point
Trend,
Factor,
or Data
Point
Trend,
Factor,
or Data
Point
icon
icon
iconicon
25

35. kevin@coffeevc.com
Thank you
Credit: NextView Ventures