Sometimes when a client approaches me for a new pitch deck, I tell her "your problem is not the presentation". For some products the pitch can be incredibly easy, a 30 second explanation, or even better a product demo. The problem is: how to turn this brilliant opportunity into a valuable company.
Typically investors go through a number of questions when taking in a pitch
- Do I understand what the product actually does? (Yes it sounds basic, but many startup pitches don't get this right)
- Do I think that this could be a big thing?
- Can you make money of this? Are people willing to pay (enough)? Can you somehow defend your margins against competitors?
- Is it likely that all of this will happen. Do the people have the right skills, is there momentum, and is there a good plan in place to take the company to the next step?
- Wildcard: do I like these people, this product
For the situation I described above items 1, 2 are nailed in 30 seconds. Item 5 cannot be covered in a presentation, it is chemistry. Item 3 and 4 are the bottleneck and preparing your pitch presentation is less about stunning visuals and awesome images, and more about the traditional business plan homework: gantt charts, cost structures, competitive analysis.
But hey, remember that there are many companies out there that will be jealous of being able to do the general pitch in 30 seconds.
Gustave Courbet, The Stonebreakers, 1849