Investors invest in people first, and your team is what will bring your idea to market. A short bio and logos of awards / employers / education are key to highlighting your team’s background.
Practice your pitch as much as possible. This will help you nail down the details and get comfortable with your material.
Use AI Tools
Investors receive thousands of applications each week, so your pitch needs to stand out. Using generative AI tools in your presentations is one way to help. These tools can produce high-quality, relevant content that’s designed to make an impact and look visually appealing.
Gen PPT, for example, uses generative AI to create compelling images and animations that enhance slides. It offers a variety of templates and themes, as well as options for adding text, audio and video. Check out more at how to pitch to investors.
Another generative AI tool is Munch, which uses a combination of marketing analytics and generative AI to find the most shareable moments in long-form videos and produces impactful clips that are clear and engaging. You can use these clips to support your pitch and show traction or customer growth.
Lastly, you can also use Gong, an AI-driven business intelligence platform, to analyze customer feedback and translate it into strategy. The platform helps businesses discover weak points, make changes and boost their sales.
Be Concise
Investors are looking for a strong return on their investment, and the more they learn about your product and business, the better. However, this does not mean you need to cover every single detail about your startup.
You need to be able to convey the most important information about your business quickly and concisely. A pitch should be no longer than 30 seconds, and it should explain what problem you solve, how you do it, and why it is unique.
Similarly, you should be able to explain the financials of your business in a brief, straightforward manner. Investors are looking for a clear, logical explanation of your business model, traction, KPIs, and unit economics. It is also helpful to show investors how additional funding will accelerate growth.
Be Prepared
Investors have short time limits in their meetings and are generally looking for a return on their investment. Therefore, they only want to invest in companies that have a clear plan for delivering their investment goals and objectives.
Your pitch deck should contain the following key areas:
Clearly explain what your solution does, how it does it, and what makes it unique in your market. Also, if the product has any intellectual property issues to consider, be sure to include a plan for protecting it.
Be able to answer questions that investors may have during the presentation, such as how your company plans to reach and scale its target market, how long it will take to break even, and how much revenue you expect to make in the first year of operations. Finally, be ready to answer questions about your team members and their backgrounds, including previous employers. Also, don’t forget to send a personalized thank-you note to each investor you meet with.
Be Creative
Investors want to know how you plan on promoting, marketing and distributing your product. You should also include information about your company’s revenue model. This will help investors understand the business and how it plans to grow.
Investors will also want to see your growth projections and how they correlate with the amount of investment you seek. This will show that you have a clear idea of how your business will grow and you are prepared to put in the work to make it happen.
Keep your pitch as natural as possible, and avoid cliches and hand gestures that can be distracting to the audience. A few natural gesticulations are okay, but try to be conscious of how many you use so that you don’t appear agitated or nervous. Also, be sure to send a thank-you note to each investor after the pitch. This will help build a positive connection. You can also use each pitch as a learning experience and tweak your deck and presentation accordingly.