Funding a start-up is not easy. Costs and expenses have to be accounted for, and presenting campaigns to raise funds is even harder.
In these situations, start-up founders need to convince investors as to why they should invest in their project and whether they will see returns or not.
Of course, a good business model is a must for convincing investors, but what is also an integral part is a good pitch deck to convert them. A pitch deck is a short presentation stating your business model and everything between how your start-up functions to the team working with you.
A good pitch deck may land you some investors, but a killer pitch deck will be sure to land you not only investors, but also supporters that will believe in your work throughout the journey.
Many global icons like Steve Jobs, Guy Kawasaki, Jeff Bezos and Mary Kay Ash have been successful partly due to their great communication skills and their ability to connect with crowds. Jobs’ iconic speech introducing the iPhone in 2007 changed the very meaning of the tech industry.
Here are 5 ways in which you can pitch your ideas in an innovative way.
Number 5: The 10-20-30 Rule.
Guy Kawasaki, a genius marketer and head evangelist for the Macintosh in 1984 realised that there was a way in which he could captivate his audience’s attention for the span of his presentation.
It’s quite simple, a presentation should not have more than ten slides, last not more than 20 minutes and the font in the slides should not be lower than thirty font points.
· The reason for this is that Guy realised that the average audience can only handle ten ideas in one sitting, thus ten slides depicting each concept was optimal.
· Exceeding the time of 20 minutes would bore the audience. Finishing within a 20-minute time frame also leaves time for questions, which is often the time when investors get a clear picture of your model.
· Since text should be minimal on all slides, having a large font size (30 point) will be readable and easy on the eyes for the audience.
Number 4: WHY Are You Doing This?
Often times, a start-up’s business model and figures might be strong, but they still end up losing out on investments. What, you may think, is the reason for this?
This is because investors are always looking for someone that has a genuine drive and passion for what they do. An entrepreneur who is only proud of the revenue being generated may lose interest along the line, which is a bad thing for the investors.
Always know why you are doing what you’re doing, since it gives a purpose and a reason for you to keep going. Investors will only invest in your business when they are sure that you are confident in your ideas.
Number 3: Don’t Exaggerate.
Many people while pitching to investors often exaggerate their figures and numbers to give the investors a false idea of their success. Never lie about the statistics.
This may help you in getting funding initially, but once the investors recognize incompetency which doesn’t match the numbers, this will lead to a lack of trust and later on the balance funding might get cancelled.
Also, the investors see the roadmap to achieving these numbers, if they feel the numbers are over optimistic and unreachable, even a good business plan will go down the drain as the investor might feel that the entrepreneur is delusional about his business and not realistic.
Always be authentic, even if your numbers aren’t impressive, tell the investors how you plan to raise them with the help of their investment.
Number 2: Create A Captivating Narrative.
A strong, relatable story that encompasses the crux of your idea and business model will immediately catch your audience’s attention.
Investors sit through hundreds of pitches but only invest in a few. How to be one of the few?
Instead of displaying boring old numbers and text on your slides, create an interesting narrative that fits with your model and idea. Preferably one where you describe how it all started and the reason why you’re doing this.
This will instantly catch their notice and they will relate with you.
Number 1: Three Takeaways.
Your pitch should make such a profound impact on your audience, that at the end of your presentation, the audience should be able to name three takeaways from your pitch.
If they can remember any 3 key points, consider your pitch a success. Investors only invest in ideas that they can remember at the end of the day, a memorable pitch is bound to win them over.
These are some of the key focal points you must pay mind while preparing for your pitch. Apart from these, there are the basic rules like being prepared, and making a presentation that is easy on the eyes and readable.
You need our experts to prepare your start-up’s pitch deck?
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