Revising a pitch deck is usually a daunting job, nevertheless it’s an important step in direction of securing funding. With insights from a founder and a COO, this text sheds gentle on probably the most impactful classes realized from suggestions by angel buyers. You’ll uncover why it’s important to spell out your secret sauce proper from the beginning and the way illustrating particular, quantifiable milestones could make all of the distinction. Dive into these 17 skilled insights that may remodel your pitch and enhance your possibilities of success.
- Spell Out Your Secret Sauce
- Lead With Downside and Market Alternative
- Consider Pitch as Three-Act Story
- Pitch in Format Buyers Anticipate
- Deal with What Lands Buyers
- Keep away from Comparisons to Opponents
- Create an Unimaginable-to-Refuse Slide
- Spotlight Significance of ‘Why Now’ Slide
- Establish Patterns in Suggestions
- Illustrate Particular, Quantifiable Milestones
- Simplify Complicated Concepts for Readability
- Craft a Compelling Exit Technique
- Bridge the Data Hole Successfully
- Showcase Management Staff’s Expertise
- Readability Sells, Simplify Your Pitch
- Emphasize Unit-Economics
- Present Blue-Sky Considering
Spell Out Your Secret Sauce
When pitching my enterprise, nearly all angel buyers would ask me to elucidate my “secret sauce” straight away.
Right here’s what I added to my pitch in response: once I first obtained interested by productiveness as an idea, I attempted plenty of completely different choices on provide to assist folks enhance it, together with productiveness and accountability apps. However nothing appeared the correct match—nobody app appeared to have all of the options I used to be in search of. So, I constructed the platform I needed with my firm, the place expertise, technique, and the human contact come collectively.
So, my recommendation to others could be the identical: spell out your ‘secret sauce’ to assist buyers know what makes you distinctive and investable.
Manasvini Krishna, Founder, Boss as a Service
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Lead With Downside and Market Alternative
From my expertise working with numerous startups, one of the essential classes I’ve realized about pitch decks got here from a founder we labored with final 12 months. The startup had a tremendous AI-powered answer for supply-chain optimization, however their preliminary pitch deck was drowning in technical specs and complicated flowcharts.
After a number of conferences with angel buyers who appeared to lose curiosity midway via, we helped them remodel their deck to steer with the issue and market alternative first. The change was exceptional—as a substitute of opening with their expertise, we began with the $50 billion ache level within the trade, adopted by actual tales from pissed off provide chain managers.
This strategy instantly grabbed buyers’ consideration as a result of it confirmed we understood what actually mattered to them: the market potential and the burning downside that wanted fixing. The revised deck generated considerably extra investor curiosity, and so they secured their seed spherical inside two months. It taught me that buyers, particularly on the angel stage, care extra concerning the problem-solution match and market alternative than the technical intricacies of how your product works. Technical particulars nonetheless matter, however they need to help your story, not be the story itself.
Niclas Schlopsna, Managing Advisor and CEO, spectup
Consider Pitch as Three-Act Story
The one game-changing factor I realized from our enterprise angel at Wunderlist is that it’s not about any single slide; it’s about story construction.
I used to assume every slide needed to stand alone, however the very best recommendation I obtained was to think about it like a three-act story: set up urgency round the issue, excite across the alternative, and save your heavy ammo, like early traction and partnerships, for the third-act climax.
As soon as we restructured it this manner, all of the sudden, buyers had been leaning ahead of their seats as a substitute of simply politely nodding alongside.
Sebastian Scheerer, Founder & CEO, Superfounder.io
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Pitch in Format Buyers Anticipate
The one lesson that I realized when revising my pitch deck is that I 100% have to pitch within the format buyers count on. On the subject of pitching, “Know your viewers” is extraordinarily essential. I just like the framework: Hearts-Minds-Wallets. To create a pitch deck, it makes use of storytelling and a great (and pretty typical) movement.
Additionally, after pitching numerous enterprise proposals up to now, I’d say that pitching is a talent. Storytelling is a talent. It’s one thing you possibly can enhance on. Telling your story is without doubt one of the most essential abilities you want as a founder. There are frameworks (like Hearts-Minds-Wallets) that may legitimately assist.
David Rubie-Todd, Co-Founder & Advertising and marketing Head, Sticker It
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Deal with What Lands Buyers
On the subject of pitch-deck revisions, I’ve realized one factor: Each individual has their very own opinion and choice for what format and content material they need in a pitch deck. The “proper means” is no matter lands you the buyers and companions which might be a great match on your startup. The “fallacious means” is each different means.
David Rubie-Todd, Co-Founder & Advertising and marketing Director, Glide
Keep away from Comparisons to Opponents
One important lesson I realized when revising our pitch deck, primarily based on suggestions from angel buyers, was understanding how comparisons to rivals can affect investor notion. Initially, we believed that highlighting our answer alongside current market gamers would emphasize the hole we had been filling and showcase how our answer is completely different.
Nevertheless, this strategy truly ended up diluting our message, because it inadvertently related us with rivals that buyers considered as poor investments. This made our pitch a lot much less thrilling and took away from the momentum we had been constructing with the remainder of the deck.
As a substitute of specializing in rivals, we would have liked to exhibit how our mannequin was new and why that distinctness would drive longevity and make our firm a powerful funding. This shift allowed us to current our answer as an modern chief quite than simply one other market participant.
Rob Deming, COO, Fee Retriever
Create an Unimaginable-to-Refuse Slide
After I first began pitching, I approached the deck as a narrative, with a starting, center, and an thrilling buildup to probably the most spectacular a part of the enterprise. I needed to create a story crescendo. Then an angel investor took me apart and informed me that buyers overview 1000’s of decks and sometimes solely spend a number of seconds per slide.
As a feminine founder, I additionally acknowledged an extra problem: unconscious biases can typically lead buyers to search for dangers earlier than they see alternatives. This meant I wanted to reframe my strategy. So, I created what I name an “impossible-to-refuse” slide—a slide filled with our greatest stats, metrics, buyer traction, and any “wow” issue that would make an investor sit up and say, “Whoa, that is completely different.”
Main with this data-driven, high-impact slide was a recreation changer. This strategy helped to counteract biases and set a assured tone for the remainder of the presentation. It’s one thing many feminine founders might have to contemplate—typically, we must be irrefutably compelling to get the identical consideration and confidence from buyers.
Vivian Chen, Founder & CEO, Rise
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Spotlight Significance of ‘Why Now’ Slide
Understanding the significance of a “Why Now” slide was a game-changer throughout our pitch deck revisions. Angel buyers need to grasp why the enterprise is poised to succeed at this actual second, searching for a mixture of market developments, shifts in expertise, or altering shopper conduct. Highlighting this side might be the tipping level in convincing buyers.
The premium home-spa market is rising quick, partly attributable to an elevated deal with residence wellness and the continued pattern towards residence upgrades. Persons are keen to speculate extra in private wellness areas, particularly as distant work and home-centered life develop. This pattern makes now the right time for a model providing distinctive, high-end outside luxuries.
Leveraging the “SOAR” framework can strengthen the effectiveness of the “Why Now” slide. Begin with Strengths that the enterprise brings to this chance. Observe with Alternatives that exist attributable to present market dynamics. Articulate particular Aspirations your small business seeks to meet by capturing this chance in the present day. Wrap up with Outcomes your small business goals to realize by appearing now.
Structuring this slide with SOAR provides buyers a logical and compelling purpose to imagine within the timeliness and potential of your enterprise, successfully demonstrating anticipation of future success.
Andrei Newman, Founder, Casa Blui
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Establish Patterns in Suggestions
One of many greatest classes I realized from revising my pitch deck after suggestions from angel buyers is you could’t over-rotate primarily based on each single remark. It’s straightforward to get caught up in making an attempt to please everybody, however that’s a recipe for catastrophe. As a substitute, you should hear rigorously and determine patterns within the suggestions.
After a number of pitches, you begin to discover which elements of your presentation actually resonate with buyers. Their eyes gentle up, they lean in, and so they ask insightful questions. Pay shut consideration to these moments and the people who find themselves genuinely engaged. These are the alerts that inform you what’s working and the place to focus your consideration.
In the end, your pitch deck ought to inform a compelling story that captures the essence of your small business and its potential. By rigorously contemplating suggestions and figuring out the areas that really resonate with buyers, you possibly can refine your pitch and enhance your possibilities of success.
JJ Maxwell, CEO, Double Finance
Illustrate Particular, Quantifiable Milestones
My greatest takeaway from updating my pitch deck on account of receiving suggestions from angel buyers was the way it helped illustrate particular, quantifiable milestones as a substitute of obscure metrics about progress. Buyers wanted course, however not simply within the type of projected income or market share.
They wanted very clear, measurable, time-based steps that clearly outlined how we’d proceed from one section to the subsequent, reminiscent of hitting sure technical milestones, customer-adoption targets, or partnerships that might unlock the subsequent section of progress. They realized that they wanted a roadmap that was each grand and extremely life like and primarily based on precise indices of success. So I edited the deck to only embrace these actions and provides a extra centered, step-by-step image of our subsequent transfer.
And that modified the way in which they perceived our potential; they weren’t simply investing in a giant concept however in a method they might see coming into actuality. It’s one factor to say develop, but when I gave specificity about what progress was at every stage, it informed them we’d truly laid out our plan and weren’t making ethereal assumptions.
Thomas Franklin, CEO, Swapped
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Simplify Complicated Concepts for Readability
Revising a pitch deck primarily based on suggestions from angel buyers is usually a transformative expertise. One important lesson realized is the significance of readability in speaking your imaginative and prescient. Buyers admire simple narratives that articulate your small business’s objective and potential. When suggestions highlighted areas of confusion, it turned clear that simplifying complicated concepts and specializing in core messages was important.
One other essential perception is the worth of tailoring the pitch to the viewers. Buyers typically have completely different pursuits and priorities, so adjusting the pitch to align with their particular targets can improve engagement. This strategy not solely makes the presentation extra related but additionally demonstrates an understanding of the buyers’ views.
Suggestions additionally underscored the necessity to emphasize the issue your small business solves. Buyers need to see a transparent connection between the market want and your answer. Reinforcing this connection could make your pitch extra compelling and present that you’re not simply promoting a product however addressing an actual problem available in the market.
Total, these classes spotlight that suggestions is a useful device for refining your pitch. Listening to buyers and making changes primarily based on their enter can result in a simpler presentation that resonates with potential backers.
Ramzy Humsi, Founder & CEO, Vortex Ranker
Craft a Compelling Exit Technique
Crafting a compelling exit technique is essential in attracting and assuring angel buyers. Buyers need to know not solely concerning the improvements you deliver but additionally when and the way they’ll see returns. A well-defined exit technique highlights attainable acquisition targets, merger alternatives, or IPO prospects. Consider it like a roadmap exhibiting the place the enterprise is heading, which reassures buyers that you just’ve thought of their future pursuits.
Use the “3 Ps” framework: Potential Consumers, Profitability Pathway, and Deliberate Timeframe. Establish firms that may profit from buying your small business; these are your potential consumers. Clearly define how the enterprise will develop to turn into enticing to those potential acquirers. Present a logical timeline for whenever you count on the enterprise to be prepared for an exit. Incorporating the “3 Ps” not solely demonstrates strategic considering but additionally will increase investor confidence, mitigating their threat and exhibiting that you just’re in it for the lengthy haul.
Jean Chen, COO & Co-Founder, Mondressy
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Bridge the Data Hole Successfully
One main lesson from revising the pitch deck primarily based on angel investor suggestions was discovering the way to bridge the data hole in a means that’s each participating and persuasive. After we initially pitched our firm, we’d dive straight into explaining the user-generated content material (UGC) mannequin and why it’s the long run. However with UGC being comparatively unknown to many buyers, it was clear that this strategy didn’t seize consideration or convey the chance we noticed on this house.
The suggestions actually helped us see the significance of “present, don’t inform.” So we made the opening extra dynamic and visually wealthy, leaning into short-form content material since, as a UGC-focused startup, we all know this medium properly. As a substitute of a regular rationalization, we launched UGC with a short-form fashion overview—fast, visible, and interesting. This strategy instantly put us in our ingredient, and the extra entertaining tone made it simpler for buyers to know the UGC idea and, crucially, see its potential.
By the point we’d applied this, the tone of our shows had shifted noticeably. As a substitute of getting caught in a “that is what UGC is” loop, we discovered buyers asking extra related questions, indicating they “obtained it” and had been inquisitive about subsequent steps. This modification led to extra follow-ups and productive discussions, which felt like a win-win. In essence, we realized that for those who’re pioneering in a distinct segment, it’s essential to introduce it in a means that feels accessible and charming—particularly if it means assembly buyers on acquainted floor whereas showcasing your experience.
Yannick Habraken, Founder / CMO, Hyred
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Showcase Management Staff’s Expertise
Most pitch decks are very complete across the merchandise/worth proposition, applied sciences, market alternative, income mannequin/profitability, operations & scalability, capital planning, and so forth. Nevertheless, angel buyers, particularly, have typically already evaluated most of that and wouldn’t even be chatting with you with out the above.
As a substitute, what they’re typically most interested by is YOU and the management staff! You should definitely exhibit your staff’s well-rounded expertise and abilities and, extra importantly, your objective/ardour (your “why”), values, attitudes, and work ethic. Angel buyers are investing in YOU and the management staff far more than the merchandise/providers and applied sciences.
Joe Palmer, Managing Associate, Prosperity Companions Consulting, Inc.
Readability Sells, Simplify Your Pitch
One key lesson from revising my pitch deck after suggestions from angel buyers is that readability sells. I packed it with information, considering it might present my preparedness. As a substitute, buyers needed simplicity—clear, impactful insights with out the litter.
One investor put it bluntly: “We don’t have to see all the pieces you already know; we have to see that what you already know issues.”
So, I trimmed down the slides, focusing solely on the story that highlighted our distinctive edge, the market’s actual ache factors, and our scalable answer. I realized to current numbers in a means that feels intuitive, telling a story as a substitute of itemizing stats.
The distinction was quick. Buyers leaned in, engaged, asking higher questions. The pitch turned a dialog, not a lecture, and, finally, it resonated as a result of it was exact and memorable.
John Beaver, Founder, Desky
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Emphasize Unit-Economics
A helpful lesson I realized from revising my pitch deck after angel buyers’ suggestions was the significance of emphasizing unit-economics. Buyers want to know the monetary sustainability of the enterprise, so I made positive to incorporate important metrics like buyer acquisition price (CAC) and lifelong worth (LTV). These figures helped make clear how we might develop profitably and confirmed that the enterprise mannequin is scalable and sustainable in the long run.
Together with these metrics gave the deck extra credibility, making the funding alternative extra compelling. It additionally allowed buyers to see a transparent path to profitability, rising their confidence within the enterprise.
Stephen Boatman, Principal, Flat Charge Monetary
Present Blue-Sky Considering
After I was elevating a pre-seed spherical, the recurring query from angels and VCs was concerning the sustainability of the enterprise and the way clients will turn into recurring contemplating the character of the enterprise, a.okay.a. AI headshots, which is a 12-month recurring want quite than one thing a consumer wants each week.
And whereas I’ve had information to showcase that 27% of our clients had been returning each month to generate private branding content material for his or her social media, I understood that this in itself was not a sufficiently big problem I used to be fixing and that my considering wanted to go a lot greater.
I revised my pitch deck to point out blue-sky considering—to point out buyers that this product might develop right into a billion-dollar concept. I drafted up a roadmap that included an AI advertising product roadmap that I rapidly validated by getting early signups from a number of enterprise purchasers that had been already utilizing us for his or her staff AI headshots.
This revision helped me get consideration from heavyweight VCs, which I finally declined.
Adriana Lica, CoFounder, Attempt it on AI
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