How to Create a Compelling Investor Pitch Presentation

One of the most common mistakes I see with pitch decks is founders trying to squeeze in too much information at the expense of a cohesive narrative. It’s hard to fight against the impulse to include everything. Even after seeing thousands of decks, I actually still made the same mistake when I was pitching Outside VC to investors. When I finally tightened my narrative, closing investors became so much easier. The takeaway is that in the world of pitch decks: LESS IS MORE. To create the strongest narrative possible: 1) Simplify Make your narrative simple enough that if an investor reads it once, they could then repeat the main points of the story to one of their partners. A general partner at a firm is going to need to be able to sell it to their partners and be a champion for you. Help them look smart to their peers by making the story crystal clear for them.  If the narrative is complicated or too multidimensional, it can be hard for them to tell your story for you. If you are the only one who can effectively tell your story, you’ve already lost. 2) Cut the good to get to the great Ruthlessly edit out anything that doesn’t make someone stop and say “wow”. When people invest they usually invest because of one or maybe two to three really strong pieces of data. eg an investor might think to herself: “revolutionary product, strong technical moat, concentrated market where it will be winner take most. This is a winner.” Or for another company they might think “great margins and capital efficiency, clear PMF, expanding market with strong regulatory tailwinds. We should invest.” I’m simplifying here, but in general when people draft investment memos they don’t normally list out all the reasons they are investing.  They highlight the couple of core points that are really the drivers of their decision. As a founder, I would try to think about those two to three core points. What are they for you? What is resonating when you pitch it to investors? 3) Pressure test it. The same way authors have editors, founders should have editors too. You should have friends ruthlessly go through the deck to figure out which slides are merely good, not great. Cut out slides with too much complexity (investors never read these) and slides that are weakly positive as an individual slide don’t strongly contribute to the greater narrative you are trying to tell. A good way to test whether you have a tight narrative is to come up with your 3 main points you want people to take away from your deck. Then, share your deck with some friendlies and ask them two questions: 1) can you explain to me what our company does and why it’s important. 2) What are your three main takeaways from the deck? If they can’t pitch it back to you or if you ask 5 people and their takeaways are all over the place, then you know you have room to tighten the narrative.

"This looks great, send over your deck." is investor speak for "I'm not interested or excited about your company or you but I'm not going to tell you that and this is easier so I can ghost you or reject you later." If someone is excited about your company they're talking about getting you funded and next steps on that call. How do I know this? ✅ Because I've been in sales my whole life. ✅ I had 93 investor meetings after our YC demo day. ✅ Of those 93 meetings, 90/93 asked to fund and next steps in the same meeting. And the most important part that folks don't talk about enough is: ✨ you should be picky about who you let in ✨ Raising capital is akin to finding a spouse. And it's even more important than picking a cofounder in a way. You're bound to each other for the long haul so you better have shared values, mutual respect, and admiration. Here is what helped me raise $21 million and allowed me to work with the best investors in the game! - Tell a Story, Not a Presentation: Swap dense bullet points for a narrative that captures the heart and soul of your business. Weave together data, anecdotes, and personal experiences to create an emotional connection with investors. Make them not just understand but feel the problem you're solving and the impact you'll make. - Focus on the WHY, Not the WHAT: Investors aren't just funding ideas; they're backing passionate founders. Clearly articulate your purpose, your driving force. What unique perspective do you bring to the table? How does your venture solve a problem beyond a market need? Let your passion shine through and inspire belief that you have the passion to solve it. - Build Relationships, Not Transactions: Remember, investors are humans too. Ditch the robotic pitch and engage in genuine conversation. Listen actively and understand their interests and concerns. Ask yourself if you can gain value from their expertise and guidance. Because you better want more than just their capital. Money goes fast, but the wisdom you will glean is a gift for life. - Embrace Creative Formats: Think beyond PowerPoint. Consider captivating video pitches that showcase your team, your product, or the positive impact you're making. Infographics, interactive prototypes, or even live demos can bring your story to life in a memorable way. - Authenticity is Key: Don't try to be someone you're not. Investors are the best in the business about sniffing out BS and can sniff out artificiality from a mile away. Be yourself, flaws and all. Share your story authentically, your struggles and triumphs. Vulnerability can be your greatest strength, fostering trust and a genuine connection. Good luck! And remember, you never fail if you don't give up. ✨

We had a great question from Raquel Melo yesterday which was, “if you didn't have financial data on the cost of HAIs, how would you craft a pitch to capture top management's attention on the importance of investing in this area?” Before I get to the pitch portion, we have to take a step back. One of the biggest mistakes we make when approaching the C-Suite is walking in cold. You might feel like you are very well prepared, armed with data, but if you are missing strategy, the conversation will fall flat. Before you even schedule that meeting, pause and think, what do I absolutely need to accomplish? The second question is, what am I currently going up against? All facilities have a limited budget and everyone wants a piece of it. Double check the agenda to see who else is presenting. Your approach matters so much more than just the data. We need to start with some strategic thinking. Ask yourself, what is the single biggest risk I need them to understand? What change or investment am I asking for? How will I measure success once they do say yes? You have to put in the effort here before you step into their world. You cannot go in there rattling off compliance issues or filling slides full of rates and other data. Your goal is to bring clarity by focusing on one message, one outcome and one clear ask. Once you know what you need to achieve, shape your pitch in a language that the C-Suite speaks and lives everyday, risk, reputation and resilience. Your goal is to move the conversation away from Infection Prevention being an expense, because it is not. It is operational stability, workforce protection, patient trust, community protection and partnerships in safety. That is how they need to hear it, so that is how you should say it. When it is your turn, lead with the risks that matter to them. Focus on what is at stake should they do nothing. Then connect it to theirs and the facilities priorities. Link it to the mission, vision and values of the organization. Start with your closing by finishing with a single, specific next step like, here is the one thing I am asking for and the result it will bring is and state it. This might seem ridiculous, but practice your pitch several times before the actual presentation. I cannot even count the number of times I have hear what could have been something valuable, but fell flat, all due to the speaker not being prepared. Even if it is only a 5-10 minute conversation. Practice it. And the last thing is to get to know your audience. You might not be able to hang out with the C-Suite, but I bet somewhere on your facilities website, there is a page dedicated to leadership bios. Take some time and search and read them. You might find something that you can easily connect with them one. Maybe you went to the same school, from the same area or even worked in the same place before. Remember, they are people too.