How to prepare your investor deck and succeed

An investor deck is more than a presentation; it is the first contact an investor has with your company. Through it, they will not only evaluate your business idea but also your vision, your team, and your ability to execute what you propose.

Although an investor deck usually lasts about 15 minutes, data shows that an investor takes on average less than 4 minutes to know if the company catches their attention enough to invest. That’s why your presentation must be clear, visual, coherent and capable of generating interest from the first slide. In this post, we tell you how to prepare an investor deck to increase your chances of success.

What should your investor deck include?

An investor deck is a presentation that entrepreneurs use to approach investors, business angels, or venture capital funds when they need funding. The goal is to tell a compelling story that explains the problem that has been identified, how your company can solve it and why your idea is worth investing in.

This is the moment to convey potential, credibility and opportunity to investors. But what should an investor deck include to really work? We'll tell you:

• Cover. This is the first impact, like a product's packaging or a book's cover. With it, you must ensure that your company's purpose can be understood at a single glance. Choose a clean and simple design that includes your company's name, logo and purpose summarized in one sentence. Make it striking to spark interest from the start.
• Summary. On this slide, you need to provide a global and summarized view of your project. Include:
  • What your company's vision is
  • What phase you are in
  • Key KPIs
  • Your value proposition
  • Some of your main objectives

Think of this point as a map that helps the investor understand your company and its potential at a glance.

• Your team. Many investors state that they invest in people before they invest in the idea. Therefore, showing who is behind the project is one of the decisive factors. Present your company members, highlighting their previous experience, their roles, their differential skills, and don't forget to include photos. The goal of this point is to convey confidence.
• Problem and solution. This is the point that should never be missing; if this were a movie, this would be the main plot. First, present the problem you have identified in the market and who it affects; if possible, quantify it with data.

Once this is done, present your solution, the one investors should trust. Show what you want to achieve with it, how it solves the problem, what it provides, and why it’s different. Additionally, you must make clear what you want to achieve and how the investment can help you achieve it.

• The market. It’s also important to present the market you are in, as investors will look for projects with growth potential. You must show the size of the market, the segment you are targeting and the opportunities available on it. This way, they will be able to understand the real scope.
• Product. Another slide you should include is one highlighting your product or service. Explain the technology it will use, the features and functionalities, emphasize your value proposition again, and demonstrate how your solution surpasses the competition. For this, you can include a brief analysis of the main competitors.
• Business model. Simply explain how your company makes money, what your business model is, what revenue streams you have and what percentage of income you can obtain.
• Investment needs. Define the necessary amount of capital you will need to develop your solution. In addition, prepare a financial plan that shows how this investment will be used and how you will make it generate revenue.

Some extra tips to achieve investment

Now that you know which parts you should include in your investor deck to attract investors, we bring you some tips that can be very useful for you to succeed during your presentation:

• Clear and concise. Avoid using presentations with too much text, make slides simple and attractive, and include graphic material whenever possible and relevant.
• Adaptation. Do not use the same presentation for all investors; adapt it depending on who you are addressing. To do this, we recommend that you research the investors before approaching them.
• Maintain visual coherence throughout the presentation.
• Practice the presentation several times before doing it in front of the investor.
• Use storytelling to capture attention and don't forget to follow a common thread throughout the presentation.
• Non-verbal communication also communicates. Express yourself with your body, change your tone of voice, etc.
• The ideal presentation should not last more than 15 minutes.

A good investor deck is not the longest or the most technical, but the one that manages to spark interest, generate confidence, and clearly convey the project's potential. Preparing it carefully can make all the difference.