How to Create a Pitch Deck for Startup Funding

I bombed my first 15 VC pitches because investors were reading my slides instead of listening to me. Here’s why you need TWO versions of your pitch deck and how to craft each 👇🏾 If you’re fundraising, you should have two decks: 1. A shared deck 2. A presentation deck The difference between them is subtle but huge if you want to raise VC. 1️⃣ A shared deck - to be sent via email as you ask for introductions to investors, or send cold emails. - Use complete headlines that summarize key points - Include sufficient context so it makes sense without you - Make it skimmable with bold text highlighting key metrics - Includes citations/sources 2️⃣ A presentation deck - to be displayed during pitches to GUIDE your pitch, not do the presenting for you. - Limit text to 10 words per slide maximum - Use large, impactful numbers (57,000 companies!) - Rely on visuals, graphics, and icons to tell the story - Keep slides simple - YOU are the presentation, not the deck When I switched to this dual approach, it was easier to engage investors. They asked better questions. My pitches became conversations instead of my clicking to the next slide for the investor. The worst thing that can happen during a pitch is for you to share a great story or point about your traction, but the investor isn’t paying attention because they’re too busy reading the essay that you put on your slides. What questions do you have about your deck? Share them below!

I was working with a founder yesterday and they wanted to show me their pitch deck. They opened Canva and can you believe that deck had 55 slides. 55 slides??? Some of those slides were just a brain dump. But you can imagine how SHOCKED I was to see 55 of anything! I quickly went into the only necessary slides you need when you are trying to get a meeting with an investor. Here’s my take on what an investor wants to see in a pitch deck. First, Investors crave a compelling story, not a data graveyard. Sit down and actually write your company story and from there put the information into the following 12 slides: 1. Title & Contact Info: Make your brand shine and provide easy connection points. 2. Problem: Clearly define the pain point you solve. What unmet need are you addressing? 3. Solution: Showcase your product/service as the answer. How do you solve the problem? 4. Value Proposition: Why is your solution unique and valuable? What sets you apart? 5. Traction: Briefly highlight your progress (logos, key metrics). Show them you're gaining momentum. 6. Market Size: Briefly mention the opportunity (no deep dives). Paint a picture of the potential market. 7. Business Model: How will you generate revenue? Explain it simply. 8. Projections: Briefly mention growth potential (avoid complex models). Focus on the future potential. 9. Team: Introduce your powerhouse team. They're the ones making it happen! 10. The Ask: Clearly state your funding needs. What are you looking for from investors? 11. Closing: Summarize your vision and reiterate the call to action. Leave a lasting impression. 12. Contact Info: Make it easy for investors to connect. Pro Tip: Leverage appendices! I learned this in investment banking. For deep dives on market size, projections etc., create an appendix accessible after the meeting. Don't bog down your presentation. Remember, you're the storyteller! Your passion and expertise will resonate more than overloaded slides. Let your deck be a springboard for a captivating presentation! What are your best tips for crafting an investor deck?

Fundraising success? It isn't luck... They say fortune favors the bold. 💪 But fundraising? It favors the prepared. 💰 What surprises my fundraising clients the most? The amount of prep before we reach out to VCs. But after helping founders raise $125M+, I know: Each hour of prep has a 3X+ ROI. Prepare for an hour. Save 3-5+ pitching. What do you spend the time on? Here's the exact workflow I use: 1️⃣ 𝐃𝐢𝐠𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐢𝐧𝐟𝐨: ↳ The first step is to get our data organized. Understand what we can use. We digest all the info on team, product, GTM and market. 2️⃣ 𝐁𝐮𝐢𝐥𝐝 𝐚 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐨𝐟 𝐌𝐚𝐩: ↳ Fundraising is about belief. Investors wonder: does your product work? Does your target market want it? Can you sell it, beat the competition, scale the team, and more...? The Proof Map provides the answers to these questions. It's a structured document that gives the building blocks I use to assemble every aspect of your fundraising narrative and pitch materials. It shows what parts of your pitch are strengths, and helps identify & fortify weaknesses. 3️⃣ 𝐂𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐚𝐧 𝐢𝐧𝐯𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫 𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭: ↳ An investor positioning statement explains what you do, how you do it, who you do it for, how it helps them, and why you'll win. It's a brief synopsis to provide context at the start of every pitch. 4️⃣ 𝐑𝐞𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐢𝐭𝐜𝐡 𝐝𝐞𝐜𝐤: ↳ The goal of your pitch deck? Get a meeting (or a second meeting). A great pitch deck is a powerful tool to communicate our fundraising narrative and get investors excited to learn more 5️⃣ 𝐃𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐩 & 𝐩𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐢𝐭𝐜𝐡 ↳ The pitch deck is just part of the battle. I like to meticulously plan out the pitch, hitting the key points of our narrative (using the proof we identified in our Proof Map). We lead investors on a journey, carefully avoiding any red flags during our first few meetings before they're excited enough to dig in. 6️⃣ 𝐂𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐚𝐧 𝐢𝐧𝐯𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐠𝐞𝐭 𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭 ↳ The biggest time drain during fundraising? Pitching to the wrong investors. But this happens all the time when your outreach strategy is "spray & pray." I carefully curate a list of investors that are perfect matches for your fundraise amount, target industry and strategy. We want to make sure every pitch is productive. 7️⃣ 7. 𝐁𝐮𝐢𝐥𝐝 𝐚𝐧 𝐨𝐮𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐡 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐧 ↳ The VC target list is just the start, now we have to get their attention. I like to build an outreach plan that maximizes our odds of being able to meet our targets. We plan the tactics we'll use to get meetings. We use intros from our existing investors, get introductions from our target VCs portfolio companies (most founders under-utilize this), and craft highly effective e-mail templates for cold outreach. I promise: The more you prepare... The less time you'll spend fundraising. _____ Was this helpful? 👍 like and ♻️ repost it to help other founders.

Founders, stop making this fundraising mistake… Most of you spend way too much time preparing for your raise. You make convoluted decks with endless revisions. Waste hours building investor lists in Airtable. And commiserating over round size, valuation, etc. Now, I understand that some founders do this to procrastinate. They are afraid to start their raise, so they keep “preparing.” That’s a whole other conversation. What I’m seeing in the market is a problem with clarity and concision. That's why advocate for Minimum Viable Fundraising (MVF). Similar to how we use MVPs by launching a basic version of our products to gather market feedback, MVF advocates for a streamlined, crystal-clear approach to pitching investors. Here's the core of MVF: Tell your story in the simplest way possible. Every investor you pitch should quickly grasp: 1. What your company does 2. How you make money 3. Your competitive advantage 4. How big the opportunity is 5. Why your team is the one that will win 6. How they will get a return on their investment Remember, you're not aiming for a pixel-perfect deck or a Goldman Sachs level data room. Your goal is clarity and impact. Here's a practical MVF exercise I often recommend to founders: Take out 10 index cards. Each card represents one slide in your deck. On each card, write the most crucial information for each slide. This typically includes a headline, an image, and a couple of bullet points. If something doesn't fit on an index card, it probably doesn't belong in your deck. Remember, investors see hundreds of pitches. The ones that stand out are often the clearest, not the most complex. So, before your next funding round, consider the MVF approach. Simplify your story. Focus on what truly matters. And then iterate (selectively!) based on feedback. You might be surprised at how positively investors respond to clarity and concision.

Here’s how I make my pitch decks skimmable in just 90 seconds. 👇 First, you have to understand that investors will only spend about 90 seconds reviewing your pitch deck. So, how do you make your pitch deck more skimmable than ever before? 💪 Here’s my method: → I craft a single power statement per slide. Each power statement is short (about 10 words or less). → The power statement tells the most important takeaway for that slide. This should be the one thing an investor needs to know about that slide (e.g., GTM, team, etc.). → Once I’ve crafted all of my power statements, I read them and re-shuffle the order so they best tell my story. I’ll reshuffle these statements until I feel I have the perfect order. → Then, I share the power statements with someone else to see if they understand the story without any design elements. I make changes based on their questions or understanding of the story. → Next, I add each power statement to its corresponding slide in the biggest, boldest font used in the pitch deck. This draws the investor’s eyes to the most important information on each slide. 👉 Can you add additional copy? Yes. Any additional copy should be limited to one or two short sentences that support the power statement. Now an investor can flip through the deck, read the power statements, and instantly grasp the entire story. If they want more detail, they can read the supporting sentences—but they don’t have to. If you want to go deeper on this, download my free pitch deck prep-book (link in bio). ❤️ I’m rooting for you. ——— 💪 Hi, I’m Anthony. I help founders escape pitch deck hell. Check out the link in my bio for FREE pitch deck resources.

Most founders forget the most important part of fundraising. It’s not your financial model or even your traction. It’s your story. As a fractional CMO, I was pulled into fundraising for this reason. A good story is a game-changer—and makes your fundraise 10x smoother. Here’s a simple exercise to force you to tell a story with your pitch deck. The standard pitch deck titles. Problem Solution Market Team Why us Traction How you should write your titles. There is $500B excess inventory sitting idle on retail balance sheets. This locks up capital that should be driving the business.  It’s the biggest problem facing brands today—and it’s getting worse. We’ve experienced this problem first-hand with 15 years in the industry. Our solution turns excess inventory into working capital.  30+ brands are using our solution to unlock cash. See the difference? The second example tells your story through titles. It allows your reader to skim through a compelling story and decide where to dig in.  Because, people don’t remember information, they remember stories. Start your pitch deck by writing your “narrative” in a series of bullets. Use these to create slide titles that walk the reader through the journey. Pro-tip: try to give the journey an arc. This exercise forces you to outline your story—not just fill in a template. It’s a slight nuance to creating a pitch deck that makes a huge difference. P.S. I learned this trick from a manager who was an ex-McKinsey consultant. This is how they were taught to create decks. First, write all your titles to write the story. Then, make sure every slide validates its title. Simple!