A great deck is short, evidence-led and honest about risk. Aim for 12 core slides plus an appendix.
| # | Slide | What to show |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Title and one-liner | What you do, for whom, with what result |
| 2 | Problem | The pain, who has it, what it costs, with data |
| 3 | Solution | Your product in one visual; why it is better |
| 4 | Proof | Demo, test data, pilots, validation, IP or technical edge |
| 5 | Market | Bottom-up TAM/SAM/SOM and why now |
| 6 | Business model | How you make money; unit economics |
| 7 | Traction | Revenue, users, pilots, LOIs, grants, partners |
| 8 | Go-to-market | Channels, sales cycle, acquisition cost, partners |
| 9 | Competition | Honest comparison and your moat |
| 10 | Team | Founders, advisors, key gaps and hiring plan |
| 11 | Financials | 3–5 year outlook, key metrics, milestones |
| 12 | The ask | Amount, instrument, use of funds, milestones it reaches |
What investors look for by sector
| Sector | Lead with |
|---|---|
| Software / AI | Growth rate, retention, CAC payback, gross margin |
| Health / life sciences | Clinical or regulatory path, evidence, reimbursement |
| Consumer / e-commerce | Repeat purchase, contribution margin, brand pull |
| Hardware / manufacturing | Unit cost curve, supply chain, certifications |
| Services / local business | Repeatable playbook, unit economics per location or crew |
| Cleantech / waste | TRL, feedstock and offtake contracts, permits, impact metrics |
Appendix slides
- Detailed financial model summary and sensitivities
- Product roadmap or process flow
- Regulatory, IP and risk register
- Capital stack including non-dilutive funds
Presenting tips
- Lead with the problem and traction, not the technology.
- Use numbers with units and sources.
- Make the next milestone explicit: “This round funds X, which unlocks Y.”
- Prepare 2-minute, 10-minute and 30-minute versions.
Common mistakes
- Overstating readiness or presenting a prototype as proof of scale.
- Ignoring regulation, permits or customer concentration.
- Hockey-stick revenue with no capacity or capital logic.
- Pitching investors outside their stage, sector or cheque size. Use the Investor Finder to target.