How to Create an Investor Pitch Deck That Works (+Examples)

What is a pitch deck for investors? What are some of the slides you definitely need, and how to create a pitch deck that brings results? Keep reading as we dive into all the details!

Did you know what 80% of presentations are visually focused, with only 25% of slides covered by text.

So, the next time you’re wrecking your brain about what to write on your presentation slides, remember that this is but a minor concern. Instead, you should focus on making your slides deliver the visual impact of a lifetime. 

But how to create a pitch deck for investors? Why is it different from other types of presentations, and what are some key things to note. 

Let’s get right into it.  

What is a pitch deck for investors?

An investor pitch deck is a brief presentation—usually in the form of a slide deck—used by startups or entrepreneurs to communicate their business idea to potential investors. 

The goal is to secure funding by providing a compelling overview of the company, product, market opportunity, business model, and team.

Of course, when you’re hoping to raise funding for your company, the way your slides look can be of vital importance.

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10 slides to include in a pitch deck for investors

Every business is different, so naturally this is by no means an definitive list of slides you should include in your pitch deck.

Nevertheless, if you’re stuck without a clue on where to start, here are 12 critical slides that might serve as a backbone for a great pitch deck.

1. Title slide

A title slide should include the company name, logo and tagline. Optionally, you can include the presenters name and company enough.

If you don’t have a tagline (and even if you do), consider using a simple straightforward value proposition instead. For example, if you were to create an investor pitch for McDonald’s the tagline “I’m lovin’ it”, probably wouldn’t say much to investors that have never come across the product.

Instead, you might opt for something like, “Classic diner experience with an automated production process”.

2. Problem

Every great product or service solves a real-life problem for its customers. Use this slide to explain what the problem is, who experiences it, and why it’s significant.

If you’re using real-life data, make sure to present it in a visual way to increase information retention. 

3. Solution

Use this slide as your digital elevator pitch. It should contain as little text as possible to convey the main way your product or service resolves a real-life problem.

Don’t include all of your product features and details here. Use this slide to explain how you solve the problem.

4. Market opportunity

Did someone say infographics? This is a really important slide when pitching to investors, as it helps to explain whether your product is viable.

Of course, you’ll need to do the research and find data on the market size (TAM, SAm and SOM), and detailed demographics about people who might be interested in your product.

Don’t limit yourself to simple pie and bar charts. One well-done infographic will help you present all the key data, and audiences will remember it longer.

5. Product

If you wanted to include a video in your pitch deck for investors, this is the time to do it. If you have a physical product, showing your video in action can be a great way to inspire a sense of trust.

On the other hand, if you’re looking for venture capital to start your business (and especially a digital service), motion graphics and animation can be a great way to promote your product. 

If you’re still in the early stage and still don’t have a finished product, or even a mockup, a well-done animation will help investors visualize how it will all work. 

6. Business model

Explaining how you will make money is one of the most vital pieces information you can share with venture capitalists.

This might seem like a pretty straightforward question, but take time to consider what the best business model might be (e.g. subscriptions or one-time fees).

On top of that, include any other sources of income that are not connected to your primary business goal (e.g. affiliate marketing, ads, partnerships, etc.).

7. Go-to-market strategy

Making money is great in theory but a great investor pitch deck also needs to explain how you plan to get there.

This is your “got-to-market strategy”, which should be the topic of 1-2 slides. 

As ever, a well-designed pitch deck can make a world of difference here. If you bombard your audience with tons of ideas, or lengthy bulleted lists there’s a solid chance they might remember very little.

On the other hand, if you manage to package your GTM strategy in one tidy visual (and expand on the plan orally), it will all seem a lot more polished and convincing.

8. Competition

Showing that you understand the competitive landscape tells potential investors that you have done the work and know what you’re up against.

Use this slide to highlight how your company is different, and areas in which you expect to one up your competitors.

9. Team

A team slide is by no means mandatory (after all many startups have begun as a one-person business). Nevertheless, it’s always good to introduce the people behind the scenes. This gives a more personal touch, and helps wrap the story up before you dive into the financial projections.

This slide might also include any potential hires you want to make. Explain why you need these people and how they will contribute to the project.

10. Financials

Finally, it’s time to get into those cold, hard numbers. Take a deep dive into your key metrics for success, forecasts, burn rate, and revenue projections.

Of course, you’re likely dealing with ballpark figures. Still, try to be as accurate as possible and predict income and expenses as accurately as possible.

When it comes to designing an investor pitch deck, this is where things can get really tricky. Nobody wants to go through an Excel spreadsheet, but you still want to make sure investors understand the finances.

So, you need to be really clever with your visuals to help your audience understand and memorize key data from your plan.

Here’s a great example of Front’s investor pitch deck that uses different types of data visualization, as well as great design and layout to hammer in those financial key points. 

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11. Asking for funds

If you’ve followed all the previous steps, this one shouldn’t leave you sweating and awkwardly searching for words.

Use this slide to highlight just how much money you need and what you’ll spend it for (e.g. product dev, hiring, marketing, etc.). 

12. Q&A / thank you

An investor pitch is usually followed by a Q&A. Leaving one slide for the end is a way to round your presentation nicely and move onto the next stage.

If you don’t want to use a Q&A slide, you can use a simple “thanks for your attention”. Don’t be afraid to give this simple slide a personal touch, such as a funny GIF or illustration, your logo or a motivational quote.

12 Killer pitch deck examples and what you can learn

Learning how to create a pitch deck for investors is one thing. Seeing a real-life example is another. We’ve gathered a list of handy examples, with key takeaways you can apply to your presentation design. 

AirBnb: Simple value proposition

There are many startup pitch deck templates out there that will help you get started with creative design. However, one thing only you can do is come up with a simple and convincing value proposition.

As you can see AirBnb included this on their title slide. It’s simple and promising. Even without going into the details, it suggests a more affordable and exciting way to book holiday rentals. 

Bellwethr: Negative case studies

Remember that you don’t have to use case studies only as a way to promote your product. Bellwethr did a great job at showing how companies make mistakes, and why they need their product as a result.

Finding tweets, Google reviews or videos like they did can help you convince investors about this real-life problem and the need for a solution. 

Dropbox: Great competitor overview

If you’ve truly done the research on your competition, you should be able to find areas in which your product is better (otherwise you might need to get back to the product development drawing board!).

Dropbox’ investor pitch deck uses a simple table design to show how their service combines all the key features that many competitors lack. 

Fyre Festival: An exciting brand identity

Despite the fact that it went down in infamy, this investor pitch deck design helped Fyre Festival gain over $27 million in funding!

And while there are many reasons for the convincing pitch, great design is certainly one of them. The elegant navy-white color palette, crisp sans serif fonts, and high-quality photography - all of this makes this one truly elegant pitch deck.

N26: Product in action

We’ve already mentioned that services might be a bit difficult to present in action, rather than a physical product.

This fintech company found a way around it with simple slides showcasing the main features of their app, with very little text that explains the problem this feature solves. It’s straightforward, and the crisp modern design builds trust and credibility.

Crunchbase: Powerful imagery

Stock photos are commonly used in investor pitch deck design. But you don’t need to think of them just as a way to fill up space. Crunchbase is a great investor pitch deck example that demonstrates how to use stock photos effectively - in this case to represent and untapped market and the gap between potential users and opportunities. 

Wayfair: Great data visualization

We’ve all heard that data bores people to death. And yet, no great investor pitch deck can survive without it.

If you want to make your data more accessible, you can split it in bitesize pieces and use individual slides for each. While this might help viewers understand the data a bit easier, it can be tedious going through dozens of slides with only numbers on them.

On the other hand, a skilled presenter can make a slide like this one work really well. Yes, it’s extremely data-heavy, but it offers a great balance with lots of text and key points that help with people’s attention. 

Folia Water: Nice team page

Team pages usually aren’t given much attention. It’s also common to use professional headshots you might put on your site, to achieve a more consistent, corporate look.

However, Folia Water did a great job with this casual photo of the founders’. Since both of them have an impressive academic background, it was also a great idea including this information in the pitch deck. 

Splitwise: Address real-life problems

As someone who loves travelling with big groups of friends, Splitwise is one of the handiest apps I have on my phone.

This great slide from their 2021 pitch deck makes the problem they’re solving very real and tangible. Instead of having to keep track of personal finances, and feel ashamed or hurt if the other person isn’t doing the same, this app does the work for you. It’s a great example of showing the why of your product: it’s not just an interpersonal finance app, it’s a way to keep your relationships happy and healthy. 

Anima: Simplicity works

When you present to venture capitalists and potential investors, it’s natural to want to include as much information as possible and hopefully convince them to invest in your company.

However, while you can use your voice to go into details, the best investor pitch deck designs are sometimes dead simple. This slide from Anime’s pitch deck uses visuals to show what could be said in a tagline or value proposition.

And yet, the simple illustrations help deliver that extra punch and convey just how effective the premise is. 

Slidebean: Incorporating a video

Remember that we mentioned animated videos are a great way to show your product in action? Well, here’s a real-life example that proves it.

The investor pitch deck from Slidebean included this great how-to video. 

Crema: Color choices matter

You might think that choosing the best color palette for a presentation is easy. Something neutral for the background, and pops of bright colors to draw attention - simple enough?

However, don’t forget that the color you pick can determine the feel and nature of your presentation. Color psychology is a very useful field to get yourself acquainted with, and it can help you pick the right colors for not just your presentation, but your brand.

Case in point: Crema is a coffee subscription company, so brown is a natural choice for their investor presentation. However, by using overlays, they also managed to use photos like the ones below to create a visually pleasing, and consistent look. 

Conclusion

As you can see there’s no one way to create a perfect investor pitch deck. However, following the basic rules and steps we’ve outlined here can certainly help.

As the founder of your company, no one can create presentation content better than you. Focus on what makes you different, and how your product can solve a real-life problem. If you already have some notable results, make sure to include them in the pitch deck as well.

Still, when it comes to the design of your slide deck, professional assistance goes a long way. You can always hire a presentation design agency, however these tend to be a quite pricey, which isn’t ideal for a startup.

There are also tons of investor pitch deck templates available online. While they are a useful resource, they can never be a perfect match for your brand. It might be that you need a different type of infographic or illustration, or the typography and color don’t match your brand’s. Even the best presentation templates will require considerable design work from your part.

For a hassle-free and affordable solution, check out ManyPixels presentation design services. One flat monthly rate covers all your design needs, from slide decks, to logos, websites, marketing materials, and much more. 

Starting at just $549 a month, it’s a great investment in your business. And who knows, maybe one of our designers can help you secure the funds you need to take your business venture to the next level!