The Small Business Times

A Guide To Creating Your First Investor-Winning Presentation

If you are an entrepreneur and looking for some funding for your new start up, then you’re going to need a strong investor presentation design that will not only grab their attention but will also blow their proverbial socks off.

Before committing to a new investment, investors will want to know what your solution is to a particular problem, your business model, your finances, and what you intend to do with their investment.

In this article we have outlined what is needed for you to create your first investor-winning presentation.

What Is An Investor Presentation?

An investor presentation is a PowerPoint presentation or similar that gives potential investors an overview of your business overview, vision, market opportunity, services and products, high level financials, and also your funding requirements.

Good presentations are thorough and concise, and it is essential that you remember quality over quantity; the average presentation is less than 4 minutes long and a potential investor will decide whether to invest after the first four slides, so make them count.

How To Create The Perfect Investor Presentation

It goes without saying that the opening of your investor presentation is crucial.   Investors are presented with numerous pitches and presentations on a daily basis, whether they are from entrepreneurs, business executives or a presentation design company.

You need to make your presentation stand out and hook them straight away and you need to ensure your presentation design has the right balance of business, psychological, and financial aspects.

Slide #1 – Captivate Investors With A Story

Your presentation needs to have a powerful narrative and the best presentations start off with a solution to a real problem. For example, you might be working as a marketing executive and realise that there is a distinct lack of data available for lead generation and business development, which you can improve upon with a straight-forward solution. 

By being open and sharing with your investors why you chose to start your business, you can captivate your audience and explain your business idea and why you think it will be successful.

Even professional presentation designers that work for, say, a PowerPoint design company will tell you that there’s no one-size-fits-all approach to “storytelling” when it comes to an investor presentation, but you can make it persuasive and compelling.

Be Concise 

Investors decide quickly after your presentation. Creating a story that effectively conveys your idea. Your presentation should be visually appealing, organised, and informative.

Related:  How Much Does It Cost To Open A Walmart Franchise?

Distinguish

Begin by demonstrating your uniqueness, gaps in the current markets, and how your solution is more likely to succeed than competitors. Whenever possible, quantify and highlight the financial benefits of your idea.

Validation

Provide real-world problem and solution case studies and prove your solution works and how many people have the same problem. Reviews, testimonials, data, statistics, and success stories will inspire investors.

Slide #2 – Market And Opportunity Analysis

On this second slide you should discuss your solution’s marketability and include things such as:

  • Why your service or product is needed
  • How you are planning to turn your idea into an investible business
  • What are you expecting with regards to the financial outcomes?

Investors will want to hear substantiated facts such as the number of buyers and the amount they are willing to pay for your solution. If you serve a variety of sectors or industries, separate your market, and describe each area using a selection of different product types.

Slide #3 – Emphasize USP And Value Proposition

Investors want to invest in exceptional companies, so this is your chance to sell them yours.   Your USP is important so describe the tech behind your solution’s, what frameworks you use, or the secret behind your unique solution.

Try to avoid discussing market solutions that already exist, your potential investors will already know about these.  Instead, focus on the strengths that your business and your solution will have on the market.

On this slide you can include facts and figures that back up your presentation.

Sharing the roadmap for your product’s adoption is one of the best presentation strategies and one that is certainly adopted by a good PowerPoint agency. 

This can be accomplished effectively by incorporating statistics into a story. Rather than merely presenting statistics or claiming that your solution will save your buyers X amount of money or time, you should explain the behaviour or preferences that your solution will overcome. 

This reinforces the value of your proposition and will immediately capture your audience’s attention.

Investors appreciate direct statements and it’s a good idea to include flowcharts, diagrams, and schematics. If you have a demo or prototype of your product, then this is the time to show it to your investors.

Slide #4 – Highlight Who Needs Your Product

In your investor presentation, it’s crucial to specify exactly who needs your product and why. It is much simpler to overlook customers based on industry trends, such as “a lead generation manager in the financial services sector uses X service or product.”  However, these findings only provide high-level information and are far removed from what actually occurs in real-world sales.

Related:  Costco Return Policy: Everything You Need to Know

Highlight your product’s features in your investor presentation. If your biggest competitor offers complex automations for longer workflows, argue that smaller businesses prefer easy-to-use software.

Never diss the competition – it’s easy to do but is very unprofessional and it certainly won’t win you any Brownie points with your potential investors.

Slide #5 – Prove You Are the Right Team

As a developing start-up, you must persuade others that your vision is correct and that you have the ideal team to carry it out. Especially in the early stages of a start-up, when there may not be many “client success stories” and all you have are the people around you.

Your team’s slide should highlight the founders. Despite the importance of demonstrating a team’s talents and expertise, the attitude of the founding team is a major differentiator for investors.

Slide #6 – Current Financials, Timeline, And Metrics

Managing financial data is difficult but crucial when you are pitching to investors.  

This slide must be adequate for an investor presentation but keep your spreadsheets and infographics as simple as you can, include things such as customers, sales, expenses, and profits.

Describe your product’s status, milestones, and funding plans. Requesting investors’ help and expertise increases transparency.

Slide #7 – Impress

Now that you’ve compiled and organised your investor presentation, it’s time to create a concise, actionable summary of your presentation. You may have only 30 minutes to speak with these investors. Therefore, it is essential to leave a lasting impression that debunks any doubts or concerns they may have.

The most effective presentations have a hook to attract investors. Figures such as completed prototypes, existing clients, MRR, ARR, market size, and anticipated growth are excellent ways to leave a lasting impression.

Summary

Investor presentations can be intimidating but if you try and stick to what we have outlined in this article you will be just fine.

Keep your presentation concise and to the point or your investors will lose interest.  

Mix slides, add music, interactivity, and animation to make your presentation stand out from the crowd.