Free Pitch Deck for Investors – a Template for Powerpoint

Free Pitch Deck Download

We’ve created an effective pitch deck template for Google Slides and PowerPoint for you to download free of charge.

A pitch deck allows you to present your company’s vision and value proposition. It allows you to describe the problem, your solution, your target audience, and your business model. A typical pitch deck will also allow you to showcase your company’s roadmap, its marketing strategy, financing details, and more.

There are a number of best practices that surround creating the perfect pitch deck but the number one rule is that it needs to appeal to executive audiences.

As a crucial part of your money-raising goals, a pitch deck is designed to help you get to the next step of the process.

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What is the difference between a pitch deck and an elevator pitch?

A pitch deck is generally a PowerPoint or Google Slides presentation of between 10 and 20 slides. It is a visual representation of your business designed to capture the attention of investors. Generally, it accompanies an oral presentation of 15 to 30 minutes on average.

Also known as a slide deck, an investor pitch deck should cover the most important points of your business plan, the products and services being provided, high-level financial projections, and funding needs. It should work well on its own as a visual document and should showcase why investors should join your project.

An elevator pitch, on the other hand, is completely verbal. This generally lasts no more than 60 seconds and aims to present an idea and arouse interest from the audience. An elevator pitch is typically designed to be presented to investors, partners, other companies, etc.

As a general rule, the elevator pitch precedes the pitch deck and its presentation and is basically a quick speech about your product or venture.

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What to include in your investor pitch deck

Generally, there are a few best practices you should follow when creating a pitch deck. This is where having a pitch deck template can come in handy. An effective pitch deck template will help you:

• Tell a story
• Create an emotional bond with the investor
• Create an excellent first impression
• Introduce the team behind the project
• Present impressive metrics

The general outline of a pitch deck template

While every business is different there is a general format most likely to generate interest from potential investors. Here we cover topics surrounding pitch decks in more depth and provide details on best practices, structure, presenting, and more.

• The value proposition
• Market and opportunity
• The problem and solution
• Product or service
• Revenue model
• Marketing and sales

Other slides you should look for in an effective pitch deck template

Your aim is to keep your pitch deck short but you may need or want to include a few extra slides that help explain your proposition. You may not utilise them when you present but they may be great resources for review after the fact.

• Exit strategy
  • Many people in the start-up world insist that you cannot build a good company if you are constantly trying to find a way out of it. Whether by selling, merging, or other, mapping out an exit strategy is often an overlooked part when creating a pitch deck.
• Demo and screenshots
  • Here is where you can take advantage of any “show and tell” opportunities. Whether using a screenshot or prototype images,  it’s great to include a placeholder slide in your deck where you will show investors how your company works and what it does.
• Other documentation
  • You should provide more detailed, additional information if requested. By preparing these in advance, you can ensure that you don’t try and fill your presentation with too much.

 

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Pitch Deck Template Examples

Whether you plan to use it to start, grow, or exit your business, having an up to date pitch deck is crucial. While we’ve mentioned the general format of a pitch deck, here are some examples from companies who have leveraged their pitch decks effectively.

Facebook

As arguably one of the most visible companies in the world, Facebook was first invested in by an outside investor back in 2004. Peter Thiel, the billionaire venture capitalist and entrepreneur, gave Mark Zuckerberg $500,000 to turn his idea into a sustainable business.

While over the general limit of 20 slides, the key takeaway from Facebook’s pitch deck is that it focuses on the numbers. By placing emphasis on figures relating to user traffic, engagement, and growth trajectory, the pitch deck backs its claims up with data.

Airbnb

Airbnb is considered to be one of the best startup stories of our age. Their pitch deck is referenced across the internet and is a common reference for entrepreneurs.

This investor-ready pitch deck instantly hooks audiences with the introduction. Airbnb describes its business using as few words as possible.

Square

Square’s investor pitch deck shows the value of using social proof. They place emphasis on their team’s background because of their time at big-name companies like Twitter, Google, Linkedin, Paypal, and more. This pitch deck outlines Square’s business model as well as their simple financial model and portrays its annual revenue and five-year growth rate.

Uber

While considered far from impressive, Uber’s pitch deck success came from its ability to showcase their solution to a very real problem in the market. They were able to articulate the problem in a few short sentences using everyday words before presenting a no-nonsense solution.

 

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Tips to make the most of using a pitch deck template

• Keep your accompanying pitch simple
• Dedicate each slide to only one topic
• Skip the bullets
• Tell a story
• Keep your presentation short
• Don’t overstate the market opportunity
• Ask for the money directly
• Keep your deck current
• Send your investor pitch deck as a PDF
• Make sure your pitch deck can stand alone
• Make bold design choices that show confidence in your pitch
• Use icons to reinforce points
• Visualize information using charts, icons and infographics
• Show your business’s personality in your design
• Use consistent design elements
• Don’t overburden your slides with text

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Documents you should have on hand for after your pitch

When you’ve had a successful investor pitch, you should follow up with necessary planning documentation to support your presentation. We’ve listed the common supporting documents below.

• Executive summary
  • Sometimes called a summary memo, this is a two-to-three-page overview of your business that can be shared with investment partners, etc, to provide an overview of your company. It is a written summary of what is in your pitch deck.
• Technical documentation
  • Investors will often want to check your technical claims with an expert. Be prepared to provide more detailed documentation, diagrams, workflows, etc.
• Detailed financial models
  • Serious investors will want to see detailed financial forecasts for at least the next three to five years. This will help them get an understanding of underlying assumptions that are driving your forecasts.  They will want to see hiring plans, possible expenses, sales forecasts, cash flow projections, manufacturing costs, and more. We cover these forecasts in more depth in “A Startup’s Guide To A Winning Investor Pitch Deck.
• Detailed market research
  • If you have the information, you should be prepared to present it if needed. While this data shouldn’t be part of your initial pitch deck, and won’t be in a typical pitch deck template, it should be ready when asked for.

 

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Download a free basic pitch deck template for Google Slides and PowerPoint

An effective pitch deck template should allow you to fully customise it to suit your company’s needs. Generally speaking, a template should contain minimalist aesthetics to make the content the focal point.

We’ve taken note of the elements that make a successful pitch deck and have created an investor pitch deck template for you to download now. Simply enter your email address and have your template delivered to you for free.