The Ultimate Pitch Deck Guide by AddedVal - Io

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A bad pitch deck, however, will likely ruin your chances to get your deck to get an
any money at all. individual slide by slide
review with actionable
In this guide, we have condensed everything we ever learned tips on how to make
from thousands of pitch decks, the feedback of investors to your deck even better.
these decks, and the data which startups got actually
funded.
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01 Basic Design Rules
Follow these Want to see real pitch decks

being reviewed in videos?
simple rules
Have a look at these detailed slide-by-slide reviews
(in German).
to create a pitch deck investors can't resist
The most important part of your pitch deck is the content.
But a professional-looking design will make you look... more

professional.
It's not so hard, if you know the rules explained on the

following pages.
P u b lic P itc h Dec k Feed b ac k s
3
Stay consistent with your structure, fonts, colors and style.
You don't need a professional designer to achieve a smooth design.

Just set yourself guidelines for your titles, images, main text, lists etc.
and stay true to them in your entire deck.
Examples:
Consistent photo Title: 30pt bold blue Startup logo

style: e.g. every Font sizes, colors
always at the
photo has sharp and styles always Subtitle: 24pt italics green
exact same
corners and a stay consistent: Text: 16pt regular black
position:
drop shadow:
Consistent spacing Stick to coherent

Colors represent
and alignment of slide design
your startup logo
elements: throughout the
and/or design:
pitch deck:
4
Be visual (and avoid long continuous text).
Your content may be complex, but it must still be easy to grasp. Use
arrows, diagrams, flowcharts, icons or other non-text elements to
minimize the workload of your reader's brain.
Examples:
First bullet point

in a boring list of many
similar bullet points with
no discernible structure.
Use the entire slide to Highlight

Really hard to stay focused
data with this kind of
Visual aid explains

bullet point overflow.
The following words are
position elements, relevant aspects especially important, that's
complex facts: A B why they are bold.

not just bullet points: 1st
important fact
2nd
important fact visually:
money short explanation short explanation
with few with few
bullet points bullet points
Conclusion of 1+2 important facts...
TheThe best App words

following in the world
are
Icons reduce text and Color-boxes structure Visuals always support especially important, that's
tools why they are bold.
give visual support for slide content and the content - no
content: goal highlight key insights: decoration:
5
Make your numbers stand out.
Numbers are like drugs for investor brains: they feel good and make
them want more. Numbers both show your in-depth understanding
and help investors analyze your business case.
Examples:
On YouTube, 79% of
2,400 €
14.1 %
creators do not...
In doubt, if icon or
Numbers get the most Always show the
3 10% 456 number? Choose
visible position: unit: 400 people
number:
79%
of YouTube
creators do not... 8 kg
3 days
€750m €250m
Be creative in making
100t Big + bold
Be aware of correct
Compare numbers decimal and 1,000.00
in relative sizes:
numbers stand out, €5k Color
thousands separator
e.g.: 1.000,00
€750m €250m
in numbers:
300m Style
6
Add these final tweaks to make your design flawless.
Tiny design improvements can subconsciously boost the investor’s

perception of your pitch deck - and thus of your startup. Add them
once your deck is otherwise ready.
Examples:
Positive= green
For better readability, 2 Use the psychological e.g. +30% more efficiency
When using pictures
write numbers as connotation of make sure they are
digits, not words:
two colours: Negative= red sharp & without
distracting background:
e.g. -50k€ loss each year
No content beyond frame!

1 2 3
Use rulers and
Check for consistency of
MVP Market Scale
To focus on the actual ready entry up
.
alignment tools to keep
message, avoid empty punctuation, spelling,
margins and space
enumerations with no etc. (end of sentences):
MVP Market Scaling consistent. Integrate
inherent meaning: ready entry
enough white space:
7
02 If you only remember this...
Action Titles deliver your core message directly into the investor's brain.
For a first impression, investors only take 2-3 minutes to scan through
your deck. To make sure your message gets across (even at 11:30
pm), you need to tell at least 60% of each slide's content in the title.
Write a full sentence including an active verb Include concrete numbers in your title
"Organisations face massive challenges in [area] and are "We earn a 15% transaction fee in a fast-growing market with
unable to execute regulatory demands." €45 bn potential by 2030 spent for [XYZ] services worldwide.."
Create suspense by highlighting conflicts Link your titles together to form a coherent mini story
"[Doing this thing] has become more important than ever, but "The [XYZ] market is huge..." (Market Slide)
incumbents fail to deliver a suitable solution." "... and we will tackle it by [doing this]" (Go-to-Market Slide)
"Problem", "Solution", "Business Model" etc. are NOT good titles...

...but you can use them as a navigation system in one of the slide's
Problem Solution
corners so that investors understand which slide they are on (like

3 10% 456 +80% 3x
we do on this page with "If you only remember this...").
8
Use these title templates taken from the very best of 1,500+ real pitch decks.
You do not always have to reinvent the wheel. Founders before you
have done the work. So get inspired by or simply copy & paste the
templates we collected for you. But be warned: there are a LOT!
Problem Solution
1 8 [Something seems easy], but [your customers] often fail to 1 We solve these pain points for X target groups and enable
[Sector] is having its biggest challenge ahead.
[achieve desired result] because of [non-obvious reason]. [desired result].
3 10% 456 2 Millions of [users] face similar challenges:

9 Organisations face massive challenges in [your +80% 3x 2 With [startup's] technology we enable
[the challenges]. area] and are unable to execute regulatory various partners to prove X new use cases.
demands.
3 We help [main customer group] to [achieve concrete
3 [Doing this thing] is an infernal ride for [users]. 10 The increasing gap in [sector] worsens the [your problem]
desired outcome].
situation.
4 The friction and fragmentation of the existing [sector] landscape prevents
11 [Main customer group] fails to make [something into a 4 [startup] is not the next [boring generic solution]: We [do something very cool] while offering
people from using [better solution]. It’s easier to do [inferior solution].
desired outcome]. [this solution].
5 X hours of [user group's] weekly work is lost due to [bad factor] leading to 5 So we created a convenient [solution] [doing some desired work] powered by [interesting
12 In [industry], [problem 1 & problem 2] are increasing the pressure
[negative result]. technology].
on [players] to innovate.
6 We help [main customer group] to [achieve concrete desired outcome].
6 [Doing this thing] has become more important than ever, but incumbents fail to 13 [Customer groups] are not prepared to adapt to [modern ways
deliver a suitable solution. 7 [startup] is a [solution] that [does something important] to radically simplify [sector].
of doing] and to meet the needs of [their customers].
7 [Users] urgently need to [do something], but existing solutions are inefficient 14 XX% of customers want [better solution], but don’t know where 8 + 90 more field-tested action titles in our Cheat Sheet!
and do not provide [important feature]. to find it.
Copy & Paste Action Titles Problem Why now
Solution Competition
With the following 100+ mindblowingly
Business Model Traction Cheat S heet
powerful, ready-to-use templates you will
make investors fall in love with your pitch Market Team
deck in minutes. Just insert your own [words]. Go-to-Market Funding
9
Take these pitch deck tips from top investors to heart.
A pitch deck must make you want A good pitch deck tells the full story of Go from outside to inside, from large
more: Wow, there's a relevant problem your startup - short, clear, to the point, to small: Global market first, then
being solved in a very innovative way, authentic, including all relevant regional market, then target groups.
the founding team can do it and the information and nothing more; it Product first, customers next, then
company can become big. In other creates interest and provokes follow- financials. Make it easier to
words, a pitch deck should be clear, on discussion. understand for investors.
concrete, and at the same time
Alex von Frankenberg ambitious and realistic. Beate Fastrich Dr. Veronika von Heise-Rotenburg
Managing Director @HTGF Business Angel Business Angel & CFO @Everphone
Besides the classic structure and an Build 3 pitch-deck versions: (1) for Start with a text-only storyboard -
appealing design, (first) traction and “live” pitching (less text, more blank Notion page, 10-15 action titles
USP(s) are essential. KPIs and supporting visuals). Audience should that convey a comprehensive and
financials are more relevant than focus on you as founder, your story and consistent story in the right sequence,
ever, and the potential investors need vision. Create curiosity to get in touch then 2-3 lines of text content per
to understand why your team and and have a follow-up. (2) To support action title. Once this is bulletproof,
business are unique compared to the cold digital reach-out. (3) True investor build slides. Only way to 100% focus
Claudia Baumgart competition. Thomas Schmidt deck with much more background David Meiborg on the message is top-down and not
Chief Investment Officer @PAWAO Business Angel 2022 info’s, financials, cap table etc. Partner @First Momentum Vent. get lost in detail and format.
A good pitch deck takes into account A good pitch deck swiftly conveys a The first slides of your pitch deck
the following variables: clear and easily understood concept, should appeal to the so-called "Croc
We make A for B doing C unlike D without overwhelming detail. Brain" of your audience. Offer a clear,
with benefit E. Perfecting your presentation is equally emotional story, and use strong
crucial, ensuring your delivery is well- images and simple messages that
rehearsed and compelling through make your audience curious. This
multiple dry runs. makes them open to more complex
Sylvia Tantzen Michael Wax Julius Göllner information later on.
Managing Director @STInvest Business Angel & Unicorn Founder Serial Entrepreneur & Early Stage Investor
10
These top investors tell you what they want in a pitch deck.
The team slide is crucial: Why exactly Simplicity is true sophistication: a Don’t try to build a pitch deck that
is this team the right one for this simple story to follow, supported by answers all potential questions, rather
specific startup and this market? Can meaningful visualized data is key for a leave certain things vague and
it really scale the company to a deep discussion with investors. Also, be trigger questions you like. The ultimate
unicorn? transparent about what you already goal of any pitch deck is to get into
know, what still is hypothesis and an active conversation with potential
especially what you cannot know yet. investors and build relationships, not
Dr. Gesa Miczaika David Schäffler Jan Sessenhausen to pass a test.
General Partner @Auxxo Female Catalyst Fund Senior Investment Manager @BMH General Partner @Cusp Capital
Keep it simple. Investors have the Less is more. Reduce the pitch deck to
Understand the
attention span of a sleep-deprived the most important information and
goldfish. A benchmark? If your mum include everything else on the “voice
understands the deck without track” during the first meeting.
explanations, you're good. Angel Mindset
Feliks Eyser
Business Angel & Partner @w3.fund
Dr. André Retterath
Partner @Earlybird
Watch 500+ short videos of well-
known angels about their investment
AddedVal.io Angel Academy Learn how angels think: process and what they pay attention
1
to when scouting for their next big
How investors select startups 2 How angels set their ticket size 3 Important legal topics for investments
deal.
A ngel A cad emy

Nicolaus D. Bayer Tina Dreimann Dr. Rahel Stichtenoth
11
03 Pitch Deck Slide-by-Slide
You can never go wrong with this

pitch deck slide order. The story of
Start
The best App

Changing the world click-by-click
Problem
3 10% 456
Solution
+80% 3x
Product
A
data
B
your startup
money
Business Model Market Go-to-Market Traction

That’s what your pitch deck must tell the investor.
50k€
10% +40%
If the story is exciting and easy to understand,
50k€ CAC 35€ CLV 250€ 30k users
the investor will read the next slide. And the one
after that. And then the investor will call you.
Competition Team Roadmap Financial Forecast
USP
A great story follows some basic rules!

Company A B C
CEO CFO CTO 500M€
Funding CTA Slide

Finish
20% Let's change the
world together!
1M€ 40% Click-by-click
Clic
dire k to
+49 12345678
40%
c
to t tly get
superceo@app.com
he s
lide
12
Cover This Intro slide rocks because...
A perfect cover slide will let Corporate Identity Clear color and font
Supporting Visuals scheme on first sight
the investor know, what the
Again: No decoration!
rest of your pitch deck will be
Use visuals only if they ABC
about. support your content.
This helps the investor

ABC
prepare for your story. Mar ie | Lev el 101 Product Picture
ABC
Show your product in
all its glory by using
Make a great impression Brand / Logo
actual photos,
within the first seconds! Prominent placing, big W hat' s yo ur c hall enge M ar i e?
renderings,
in size, matching with
FO O D AN IMALS
screenshots, etc.
Corporate Identity the no -ef f o r t
langu ag e stu dy app
"You got my attention."
Bear in mind
what investors
should think.
Check these boxes:
Logo / company name Tag line Your business in 3-10 precise words
Tag line
Supporting visuals
Pro Tip For digital products (software, apps, etc.) use smartmockups to frame your screenshots with a laptop, tablet or phone.
Corporate identity
13
Cover Avoid these mistakes investors hate
Investors feel disoriented if Distracting Background Too dynamic and attention-grabbing

background
the cover slide fails to give
them a first sense of
understanding.
This will make it harder for

them to grasp the rest of the
deck.
Different Fonts ev er y tr ee c o u nts Weak Slogan
Multiple fonts and The tag line must
color schemes precisely express the
core of the business -
Forest no vague words.
c o m pany
Pitc h Dec k 01/ 01
Logo Off Center Date & Version

Your brand should the focus. That's why it should be Pitch Decks do not require date stamps or versions.
placed in a prominent spot. Investors expect you to always send the latest version
anyway.
14
After the cover slide: Executive Summary yes or no?
Pitch Deck WITHOUT a Summary Pitch Deck WITH an Executive Summary
The best App

Problem
3 10% 456
Solution
+80% 3x
Product
data Tell an exciting story in Executive Summary

The best App
Problem
3 10% 456
A B
your pitch deck

Changing the world click-by-click
The ABC App drastically changes the way languages are learned today. Changing the world click-by-click
money
Business Model Market Go-to-Market Traction Artificial intelligence integrated in the app Solution Product
seamlessly bridges learning gaps of students. data

50k€
+80% 3x
10% +40% A B
Beta-version launched and 3 contracts signed
50k€ CAC 35€ CLV 250€ 30k users
with governmental parties allow fast expansion.
The story of your startup needs to jump

money
Business Model Market
Competition Team Roadmap Financial Forecast

Funding needed to further develop the product
€1M
right into the action and elicit emotions
USP
Company A B C
and become market leader.
€ 10%
50k€
CEO CFO CTO 500M€
so investors keep clicking to the next slide.

…
Go-to-Market Traction Competition Team
Funding CTA Slide

50k€ Company A B C
USP
20% Let's change the €

+40%
You do this by starting with a big problem

world together!
1M€ 40% Click-by-click
CAC 35€ CLV 250€ 30k users CEO CFO CTO
40% +49 12345678
superceo@app.com
which creates the feeling of a miserable

+ Uninterrupted start of story + Main insights delivered early
situation with a pressuring need.
+ Every slide with new info Your solution slide then gives us the “hero” + Strong KPIs motivate reading on
Finish Limited space for complex
of your story: Your product ending the
+ 9 of 10 decks built this way
suffering!
- explanations
- Necessary to read full deck
Continue the story in the rest of the deck. - Facts repeated later in the deck
for complete story
In the Executive Summary, investors may not really understand your product, market or USPs.
A pitch deck is already a very condensed explanation of your startup. Further summarizing that into only 3 bullet points
can be dangerous. Better work on making each slide so exciting that no investor can close your deck befor the end.
15
Problem Learn from these outstanding examples
This is your shot to show the Action Title Summarize the problem in one
investor that the problem sentence supported by numbers.
REALLY exists - and how BIG Slide Navigation
problem
it is!
Numbers, Data & 60% of house owners want better doors, This is not a title, but a
Statistics support to help
Don’t waste this opportunity but don’t know where to find them. readers navigate
Expressing the prob- through your deck.
showing them the magnitude
every
of the problem and thus the

lem with well- 3rd door gets destroyed due to harsh closing*
researched statistics every
investment opportunity. creates objectivity 2 years house owners need to replace their doors**
and allows investors
to understand the 10k€ costs for door replacement in 20 y. period***
magnitude of this
"I get the customer's problem.
No existing solution on the market offers long-lasting and closing-
pain and feel urgency." resistant doors making this a multi-billion-dollar opportunity.
Sources *thisisaserioussource
Check these boxes: Don't forget to insert

credible sources for
Action title your data. Summary Summing up the problem statement & highlighting the current void in
the market creates a strong transition to the next slide: your solution.
Statistics & numbers
Sources Highlighting numbers by either font or markers in the text directly focuses the investors’ attention
Pro Tip
Problem summary on the most important information: your numbers.
16
Pro Version: Investors will love this double-slide problem analysis.

Most startup ideas are not 100% new: The moment wasn’t right, the team lacked qualifications or resources were not available. Either way, there are
many reasons why other teams have failed before you. Investors know about those attempts. So, if you want to convince them that you will be the
one to actually solve this problem, you need more than your standard problem analysis. And here is how you do it right:
First, highlight the current status quo with numbers On the next slide, provide insights on why current or
and data to illuminate the negative consequences of past solutions have failed to correctly address the
your problem. problem at its root.
1 Problem 2 Problem
The Angel Ecosystem is very intransparent for startups - Yet incumbents fail to provide satisfactory solutions
and vice versa. to either party.
Status Quo Crowd-Investing Angel Clubs Investor database
38% of all startups fail to raise funds from angels

resulting in eventual company shut-down 5-12% 500+ 92%
startups distributed regardless of angel investors in
78%
fees of realized
angels would state they would invest more, but do not of individual investment Germany are not listed
investment charged to
find suitable startups resulting in unallocated capital startup easily reaching preferences lead to angel leading to massive lost
€50k decision fatigue opportunities
3.2
months
of product development and customer acquisition lost
for pre-seed startups due to focus on fundraising
This structure not only proves your in-depth understanding of the problem, but
also of competitive solutions and what to do better. Investors will be impressed! 17
Hack investor brains with these number tricks.
Which one feels bigger?

With simple number tricks you can artificially
increase the perception of your data.
Magnify your numbers by using

€240k per year €20k per month
bigger bases, e.g. year vs. month.
lost due to inefficient reporting tools lost due to inefficient reporting tools
Multiply % with the big underlying 48M Germans 60% Germans

numbers. have sleeping issues have sleeping issues
Convert everything into money to €5,600 30-40 hours

clearly show the business impact. extra costs due to productivity loss of work wasted
If in doubt, show what people are losing, not what they can gain. Loss is always
felt more strongly than gain is enjoyed. 18
Problem Avoid these mistakes investors hate
Investors want to invest in...
BIG PROBLEMS Vague Title The most prominent place of the slide (i.e. headline) contains no real information or message.
If you can't convince them of

the massive size of the
problem, you have already
Problem Quantifications
Missing
lost. Statements are vague
Just a Fact
Many people suf fer from caries and without any indi-
Your fact must be a cation regarding their
Also drill down to the actual
real problem, not just 3.7kg chocolate is consumed magnitude.
core of the problem. If you a fact. Tooth pain, per year in Germany
present a fact, always ask dentist costs, sick days
are real problems. Problem 3 (...)
yourself “So what?”.
Kilograms of
chocolate are not.
This way you check, if it really
is a PROBLEM or just a fact
that seems like one. Sources Missing This statements are unsupported More Than Your problem must be clear and
Ich will auf einen Blick and cannot be checked - so why One Problem defined. Don’t just list endless
sehen, da sind die [...] would anyone trust these "facts"? problems. What is THE problem?
Pitch
Zahlen,Decks
das istneeddie clear
Botschaft und das ist
images and messages that
die Idee. Ich persönlich
investors can mitunderstand
hasse Pitch Decks zu
quickly.
viel Informationen, da Business Angel
man ja wahnsinnig viele
Pitch Decks als Angel Katja Ruhnke 19
sichtet.
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20
Solution Build a slide like this & no investor can resist
A perfect solution slide Why Should The Explain in one sentence WHAT you
implicitly ties into the User Care? build & WHY this solves the problem.
problems presented before.
It offers and explains an Show Your Product
elegant, clear solution and FINANCE What better way to
GURU
is the first wellness-finance app
how the solution works. so you never have to worry about money again.
introduce investors to
your solution than by
actually showing them
Anybody must understand, Dashboard connecting all your bank accounts
your product?
how the benefits solve the Overview of Main
Features
customer pains - even if
Guided meditations with focus on finance
This is a broad
they’re not an expert. Experts counselling on finance education
overview of what your
"I can clearly see that solution does - details
this solves the pain." follow on the product Finance Guru is the first finance tracking app that
slide. holisticly includes mental health into financial planning.
Check these boxes: Solution Summary Round up your solution in a brief summary.
Show your product
Recap brand + slogan Not all decks need a solution and a product slide. If your product is easy to understand, one of
Solution
Broadly display features vs. both will be enough. If not, then use a solution slide to give a broad overview first. Use the product
Product slide afterwards to show all the important details.
Incl. solution summary
21
Solution Don’t try to convince investors with weak claims
Investors do not understand Be Confident, You’re trying to change the world with your startup
But Realistic - great! But don’t exaggerate. Investors value
the real genius of your realism.
solution, if you overwhelm Complex Technical
them with unstructured Feature Overload Terms/Abbreviations
The best trading platform in the world
information. If you list too many Non-experts must be
features, the investor able to understand
Why we are better than already existing platforms
will not know which of everything.
Your solution seems more like
these are the real
a nice-to-have? Then you will gamechangers. Show Benefits,
quickly lose your potential 24/7 Customer 256-bit AES React Native
Not Features
Multi-currency Faster Transactions
investor’s interest.
Best UX
Service encryption Mobile App
24/7 customer
Check out our video to fully service is a feature.
experience our platform
Avoid Reversing a wrong
External Links We change the way trading is done. stock trade on a
The problems that are Sunday is a real
Product videos are
presented on the problem benefit. Customers
great, but not in your
slide can be reflected mostly buy benefits,
pitch deck. You want
almost 1:1 on the solution so show those.
investors to click the Avoid empty The solution slide must show, HOW you achieve the
slide, in such a way that next slide, not get lost claims and desired results. Use data, statistics, surveys and
you can clearly see: I solve in your video. buzzwords other forms of proof.
problem 1 like this, I solve
problem 2 like this, etc.
up.lftd
Antonia Wälzholz 22
Product Get inspired by this template
Physical product Introduce Your Brand Recap your brand’s name and logo so it
sticks in the investor’s head.
Your solution slide showed
the meta-view. The product solution Product Features
slide shows the details and Purrfect boosts cats health with an innovative
plant-based protein powder.
Highlight the most
individual benefits. Slogan important product
A good slogan acts features - typically no
like an Action Title by more than 3.
Neither bore nor confuse the
summarizing your
30%* less spending on medication of cats due to
better nutrition *(based on own survey n=1,000 cats)
vegan
reader. Get the balance product in one clear

no sugar
Highlight Your
between details and sentence. 100€
p.a. per cat
annual savings due to decreased
veterinarian intervention no gluten
Product Visually
overview just right. longer life expectancy of cats
Add rendered
Benefits +2 years due to improved gut health
*(based on long-term study with purrfect over 10 years)
pictures, screenshots
"This product solves the List real benefits of or other visualisations
problem." your product and fe ct so investors have
making cats happy - one meal at a time
urr
back them with proof P visual support
by using the formula: imagining your
Check these boxes: [benefit] through Why are you putting your product out into the
product.
State Your world? State your strong mission statement and
[feature].
Show your product Mission hook investors to get on board. (optional)
Recap brand + slogan For physical products the solution and product can als be combined into one slide, if the product
Physical
Highlight benefits itself is self-explanatory (in this case: everyone knows how a protein powder is used). However,
product make sure that you add enough details to really drive the point of your uniqueness home.
Include features
23
Product With this slide investors want your product

straight away
Digital product Products Goal Describe your product’s goal in the headline as
concisely as possible.
Digital products often
require more explanations to product
Toddler
M h
atc
understand than physical Find your perfect toddler-match in 3 easy steps
products. With ToddlerMatch finding fitting toddler-parents in under 10 minutes is easier than ever.
Visualise Your Product
Step-by-step
Explanation
Step 1: Fill out your profile Step 2: Select fitting matches Step 3: Match and Meet There is no easier way
Show the investor the most Toddler Toddler
to explain a product
Its’sah
Match Match
The easiest way to Matc than by actually

important views, benefits &
Hey Sofie Here are your matches
fill out this form so we can start
explain a product is
finding toddler friends for your
showing it.
baby! Laura
89%
features while not confusing by describing the

Where do you live?
Ema
In which distance are you
with too many details.

65%
essential steps in your

looking for toddler friends?
1-2km 2-5km >5km
customer journey.
What activities are you most
interested
Luis
Provide Explanations
54% Laura wants to
meet up!
"This product solves the Support your pictures

problem." Add relevant information so we can
Choose from our algorithm-
selected best matches according
Match and Meet with parents
by the shortest
find fitting toddlers for your child. and their toddlers.
to your profile.
possible explanations.
Check these boxes:
Show your product
Recap brand + slogan As digital products are typically more complex and consist of various features, separating the
Digital
Highlight benefits solution and product slide often makes sense. Make sure to explain your technology without
product assuming deep technical know-how on the investor’s side.
Include features
24
Product Avoid these mistakes investors hate
The worst that can happen

on this slide: the investor
does not understand your Features Without
Low Quality
Pictures
product. Explanations
dr. clean - the dental revolution
It’s YOUR product -
Even if you think that
show how much you
Ask people who don’t know the features are easy
love it with high
your startup to summarize in to understand, it
quality images.
never hurts to bring Pro-White-Pearl technology
their own words, what your
home your point by
Kills 100% of bad bacteria
product is. You can learn a giving a short benefit With our patented dr. clean toothpaste
Recycled packaging material Long Text
lot from those interactions. explanation. we revolutionize dental hygiene like
never before. Years of research have
Made in Germany created the most powerful dental care Nobody likes to read
product ready to take over the market.
Rainforest alliance Our innovative technologies make us long paragraphs of
USP/Feature stand out in the market and crush all text - it’s exhausting.
Overkill Tooth care online community competition - from incumbents and
challengers alike.
The biggest problem
Not everything is a
is when entrepreneurs
real USP and too
believe that they have
many features make Vague or complex If your reader cannot understand your
a great product, but
it impossible to see explanations product, your deck will be closed right
that doesn't auto-
the core message. here and now.
matically mean it has
product-market fit
with its customers.
Business Angel
Göran Göhring 25
Business Convincing Business Model explanations investors understand
Model Describe Your Your supply chain reveals important insights about your
Supply Chain business. Especially for physical products, it’s important to
explain how your product comes to life.
Physical product
business model
The most important question: Cornphone generates high margins of 75% per sale
How do you make money? by using local corn-suppliers and having inhouse production.
Present Margin &

Include Business Selling price per case
B2C 24.99€ Costs

For physical products show Customer Focus Direct distribution via cost of goods 0.50€
For physical products
your unit economics so
cornphone online shop
Who are you selling Customer persona the most important
investors understand how you to - consumers or Gen Z, female, fashion
pioneer, sustainable
packaging & logistics 2.15€
KPI - how much do
businesses? 75%
can scale. B2B
margin you earn?
Indirect distribution via
marketing 3.60€
wholesellers and partner costs Break Down Costs
"Straightforward & shops 6.25€
in More Details
good unit economics."
Add Your Customer Outl ook With further scaling of production (>20,000 pc per month) in
the next year, margin can be increased to 84%. ...so investors have the
Persona complete picture.
Check these boxes: Knowing your
customer persona is How does the future of your product look like? Can
Break down costs key - otherwise how
Include an
you further decrease costs? Are you planning
Outlook
Show customer groups can you be sure your different product extensions? Describe it.
product will work?
Explain supply chain
Give an outlook
26
Business Sexy Business Model slides investors love
Model Smart Wording

Use active words like “launch” and “quickly gain”
backed with numbers “12.2k€ ARR” to
demonstrate strength.
Digital product
BLUE business model
Business Model
The most important question: Scalable and accessible B2B SaaS solution In One Sentence
How do you make money?
We launch with Freemium to quickly gain market share and earn €5.8k ARR per client.
Use standards like
SaaS, commission-
Using standard business model
OUR CUSTOMERS based etc. to help
SCALE SME, family businesses investors quickly
types & explicit numbers will GROW 100-499 employees understand your
make it easy for investors to model.
START
Pricing Tiers
understand your business case.
OUR METRICS
€5.8k Average revenue per Account Customer Types

Highlight the
€39k CLTV at 6.8y
"Clearly defined pricing different subscription Show us the types or

€7k Customer Acquisition Costs
& identified customers." plans, what value groups of customers

billed
0€ 49€ 99€
they offer and how
monthly
you are selling to.
much money they
Check these boxes: make you.
Show Aggregate What do you earn and spend per
Short summary Numbers client? Let us know!
Aggregate numbers
Important Customer Customer Average Revenue
Incl. pricing strategy CLTV CAC ARPA
KPIs Lifetime Value Acquisition Costs Per Account
Ideal customers
27
Business Avoid these mistakes investors hate
Model No Core Message

as Summary
“Business Model” is not a slide title, but
only an indication on which slide we are.
Revenue Streams Of
An investment is about The Distant Future Full Business Model
making money. Much more Our Business Model postc ard24 Canvas
In 3 years, you will
money than you put in. Key A c tiv ities
have a commission- W ith o u r additio nal m ar ketp lac e m o del w e w ill Printing companies, Graphic Designers Too much textual
add + 45% r ev enu e star ting in 2027.
based marketplace? 45% Providing Designs for Postcard, Developing Website, information will
If it is not clear, how the It’s too early to show
UX / UI
Website for postcard creation, Printing machinery, confuse the reader.

that here.
customer service for support
startup is going to earn that V alu e Pr o p o sitio n Only focus on the core
data.
money, it will be hard to
Offering high quality individualized printed post cards
Rev enu e S tr eam s
convince an investor. 2025 2026 2027 2028 Costs for

support
personell, printing, resources, customer
Our Pricing Online Sale of postcards via B2C
Channels
14.99€ Personalised and targeted relationship via Social
Pricing ≠ Business Media
Digital Nomads, primarily female, aged between 25-

Model 35 years old, valueing individualised products
The business model slide Social Media Channels, Google Ads Marketing
should only describe the Only showing your

core of the startup. [...] pricing per user
Business Model It’s good to know how your business model
The slide should explain without giving
Without Numbers works in principle. But without numbers, it’s
it as simply as possible. aggregate numbers
rather pointless.
per company.
BaseTemplates
Maximilian Fleitmann
28
Market Show investors how tempting your market is
You can start with a niche

product, but your overall
market needs to be BIG.
food4you Market Environment
A 10 8 b€ mark e t re ady to be wo n
Investors are here for a 10x Include TAM, With an attractive o utloo k: by 2030 65% o f fo o d will be bo ught online. Give a Future
exit, so small markets will not SAM, SOM Outlook
be enough. Think of the SOM €108b Outlook Today’s market size is
(Serviceable TAM Grocery spendings in E uro pe
3.8% CAGR important, but even
Obtainable Market) €2.2b in the online fo od gro cery
more so is tomorrow’s
as the revenue you will
SAM Online grocery revenue DACH segment promises
eno rmo us gro wth size.
make in 5-10y - if €83m o ppo rtunities
SOM Online grocery revenues o f
everything goes well.
food4you in 6 years
"Market is huge and

growing - ideal timing."
* sources: se rious so urce
Check these boxes:

Always: Credible Plan bottom-up or top-down. Always show
TAM, SAM, SOM Sources transparently where the are numbers from
Future outlook (CAGR) and/or show important assumptions for your
own calculations.
Credible sources
29
How you never fail TAM, SAM, SOM again
TAM, SAM, SOM is the most commonly used visualization to analyze a market.
Check out this easy example
We explain how it works:
Imagine you want to build an online
shop for cat supplies:
TAM (=total available market)

all the pet owners worldwide
TAM represents the maximum potential demand for the current and future as you can expand into other
products/services of your startup if it were to capture 100% of the market. pets later on
SAM (=serviceable available market)

SAM represents the portion of the TAM that your company can target and only cats owners in your
serve in the long-term, e.g. considering product, location, timing etc. geographic area, e.g. Europe
SOM (=serviceable obtainable market) realistic % of SAM that you can

SOM refers to the % of the market that your company can realistically win as your customers in 5-10
capture in the short/mid-term, also considering competition. years if everything goes well
30
Market Avoid these mistakes investors hate
Defining and clearly showing Meaningless Do not include strongly exaggerated statements.
the market you operate in Action Title It’s not good if you cannot prove them with data
and/or statistics.
can be challenging.
ice cream
Still, it’s your job to give Long Numbers N ice c rea m wil l dr asti call y over take a fas t growi ng market
investors a look at the Writing out the
potential revenue that you numbers in full makes Why we matter Market size & potential Growth development ice
cream market Backward-looking
may one day make if you them look bigger, but Data Only
also harder to read.
really conquer a market. 1 0,500,000
Better write €20m EVERYONE The market has grown
ice cream market
than €20,000,000. in Germany who l ikes ice so far, not bad. But
Be precise and factual. cream is our what about the future?
Currency or Unit Let us take a peek.
market
Missing
Investors don’t know

20 12 201 3 201 4 201 5
what you are talking
about when the
Market Not Do you already know your market or are
numbers have no
Clearly Defined you still trying to get into ALL the markets?
units.
31
Go-to-market This slide is guaranteed to captivate investors
Startups often raise money

for growth, i.e. marketing
and sales.
Go-to-Market
Addressing our ICP’s biggest pain we quickly expand in Europe LOGIPROS

In this case, you must show with average CAC of €98.
Identify Your Hint at Your
the investors the strategy AUDIENCE CHANNELS EXPANSION
Target Customers Expansion Strategy
with which you are going to online
What is your ICP Show investors that
convert the investment into
Social Media ads
and influencers like
(Ideal Customer “Denny D” & “MEE”
you look ahead. This
customers. With details. Profile)? Describe it 18-29 years Podcasts & radio
campaigns like
20
23
20
25 20
30
can be geographies,
“eCom daily” and
with enough details to but also verticals etc.
KPI
Urban/ suburban “Radio1”
areas
paint a clear picture. Digital nomads &

offline
remote workers
Pain Point
In major cities:
Brand Ambassadors
CAC €98
"They have a sound
Digital workers who are not
often at home and often miss Info events with
network effects
CLV €245
Include Relevant KPIs
deliveries
market understanding."
Customer Acquisition
Costs (CAC) and
Check these boxes:
Customer Lifetime
Describe The Main Where do you find your clients? And
Value (CLV) are
Target audience Channels To Reach Clients how do they become aware of your
crucial on this slide.
product?
Customer channels
Expansion strategy
Customer KPIs
32
Go-to-market Investors won’t forgive the following mistakes
Having this slide in your deck Numbers There is no business strategy without
you are already better than Missing numbers. This is important.
80%+ of other startups who Warm Intros
completely neglect it. Your network is With our broad expansion strategy we will ear off
limited. Warm intros quickly gain enormous traction
2023-2025 Market Launch in Germany
Still, no product sells itself. are not a sustainable 2025-2029

2030-2033
Expansion France
Expansion Portugal & Spain
strategy for growth.

Investors know that a weak Katharina Wesl
distribution strategy will lead Lead investor
Well connected investor on board
to mediocre results. eager to network for us
Focusing Too Much
Our marketing channels are a mix of
online & offline tools on The Future
Using ALL the Your expansion
offline
1
Channels timeline is not your go-
2
to-market strategy. Do
Without focus, you
online
3 not put it in the center
are lost. Being active of your slide.
on all channels is not
a strategy, but a
recipe for disaster.
Outsourcing is Even if you are not a marketing/sales genius... just handing it over to a
not an option full-service agency is not a viable go-to-market strategy.
33
Traction Illustrate the compelling growth of your business
Investors want to know if

everything they read so far is
merely theory - or already a
Revenue history
business.
Traction
Highlight Your Main Show the speed of
Achievements became the leading online spinning platform attracting 150k+
users and growing to €70k MRR since launch. your growth by giving
A strong traction slide thus No matter if your details on revenue
shows your business startup is still in the development over
ideation phase or time.
successes, no matter how
Growing user base Growing revenues since launch
150k users since
already taking over launch
small. Tech traction is nice, the market - highlight Nr. 1 spinning app Mention Grants &
but less relevant here. the most relevant
4.8 out of 5 stars in
the App Store Q1 2023 Q2 2023 Q3 2023 Q4 2023
Programs
achievements for Stable revenues
investors. 70k€ Public grants, awards,
Spinny changed
Monthly Recurring my life. I love it.
INCUBATOR
program
Revenues
"The startup has being part of an
created momentum." accelerator program
etc. - this is the
perfect slide for such
Check these boxes: achievements.
Include Testimonials Testimonials from customers are a great way to
Generated revenues show that your product provides real value. ab Mor
Relevant KPIs ou e
or t KP
1 2 3 4 5 6 de I
Testimonials Ideal KPIs
Revenue Customers Active Users Letters of intent Client interviews Awards r s
to show
Grants & programs
34
Traction Investors won’t forgive the following mistakes
A weak traction slide will

Vague Claims Claims not backed by data, e.g. “tremendous
turn a fascinated investor growth” makes investors suspicious.
into a big “No thank you”. Tech Traction
Only SalesRobo
SalesRobo took off with tremendous
It’s not necessary to show You have finished
developing a complex growth making it a serious player
millions in revenue, but you
product, but no real
must convince the investor client ever used it? Our achievements Clients love us Vanity Metrics
that you have validated your That’s not going to
work.
MVP live and ready for test in private
beta with possible clients
30k followers TikTok followers are
concept in the market, not nice, but no success
20k followers
only in your close circle. €400k planned revenue until the
end of this year
(assuming 100 clients)
guarantee. Present
the hardest possible
Planned Revenue KPIs.
With SalesRobo we enter a new stage of how sales are
as Traction done. We already collected positive market feedback by 60+
potential clients confirming that we will be the most interesting
Being optimistic is player on the market currently.
good. But showing
anything but real
existing achievements Important Facts Investors cannot be impressed by traction
on this slide feels like Hidden in Long Text metrics like “60+ potential clients” that are
fraud. Stick to hard hidden in the middle of a long paragraph.
facts.
35
Competition Demonstrate your competitive edge to investors
Every startup has competition.

Provide Background
Often, it is direct, sometimes
Information
indirect and almost always it’s
Don’t expect investors
the status quo (i.e. clients not competititon
blumi
to know every
changing their behavior). blumi is quickly taking over a yet unsaturated market and positions itself
competitor of yours in
in the upper premium niche
detail - give them
You don’t present your Comparison With Direct competitors blumi flora Indirect competitors short descriptions and
Your Direct background, e.g.
competitors in a bad light,
blumi.com blume30.de flora.shop
Traditional flower shops
Competitors about positioning.
Online flower shop Small player with more
Positioning Flower allrounder with
but rather show that you have

with strong offline focus on offline
360° online presence
presence markets
No price transparency
Founded 2018 2014 2021 Limited portfolio
found a unique new Find relevant features HQ DE DE CH

Not scalable
and services you set Include Indirect

positioning.
Funding Amount - €14m €600k Traditional supermarkets
yourself apart from Online Shop

Lacking quality Competitors
Limited options
your competition. This Flower subscription
Indirect competitors
"Defensible USPs are is your opportunity to
Virtual bouquet designer
(or users accepting
clearly present." shine. the status quo and not
blumi sets itself apart from competition by holistically bringing the flower shopping experience
to the digital space while keeping the feeling of an offline shopping experience.
doing anything) can
Check these boxes: be more of a threat
than direct com-
Competitor overview Include Your Perfect moment to summarize your Unique Selling petitors - so don’t
USP Proposition. So what makes YOU truly unique? ignore them!
Competitive landscape
Include real USPs
Info about competitors
36
Competition Investors won’t forgive the following mistakes
Competitors are not your Conflicting / Dimensions on opposite sides of the axis should be
enemies. Do not make them Random Dimensions logically connected - and not too random.
look as if they were. Logos Only
It is nearly impossible G GLS

An well-researched and Upper Right Corner
for investors to find
Googls sets itself apart from competitors through unique features
honest competition overview necessary data on A coordinate system is
your competitors, if rather simplistic and a
will show the investor you are UNique Future
you do not even show high quality
lot of space between

not afraid of strong rivals. their full names.
G GLS Features
your startup and the
Virtual Glasses Check
next competitor
On the other hand, being not customer-centric customer-centric slightly unrealistic.
the self-proclaimed one and Leaving Out Obvious
Instant Glasses Exchange
BRILLIO Integrating Irrelevant

only solution out there will Competitors Product Features
seem implausible. Do your research well,
Cash-Back Referral
low quality
Double-check: What is
unless you want to REALLY a core feature
seem dishonest by not or benefit of your
disclosing important Your Future Self vs. Comparing the features you plan to product?
competitors. Today’s Competition develop in 2 years with what competitors
offer today is a bit unfair, don’t you think?
37
Team This is how you make your team shine in front of investors
Your team is your startup. Show Team Define the different responsibilities among the
Show the investors, that you Structure and Roles team so investors get the big picture.
are the right team to build
team Great Pictures
(and sell) your product. Cubix
Highlight Your Our team consist of leading industry experts from various Use professional and
Relevant Experience backgrounds forming a strong foundation for fast growth. uniform (same style,
Give the investor enough background, etc.)
concrete data to come to Highlight relevant business pictures of
professional and the entire team.
that conclusion, i.e. more
educational exper-
than just a name, photo and iences that make your
role. team a perfect match Susanna Meyer Leonard Fischer Matthias Groth Frederick Mück First and Last Name
for your business. CEO CFO CTO COO
Investors want to
MSc Business MSc Management Bachelor IT IT Communication
CBT Copenhagen IFT Berlin LBS Dortmund Münster, IT GmbH research you on
"Winning is possible Mention concrete
LinkedIn and on the
5+ Team Lead Development 10+ Key Account Manager 5+ Business Owner 15+ IT Consultant
with this team." successes, results and

years scaled team from 1-100 years 10 top tier clients with years Led team of 10 employees years supported major project
increased efficiency +10% >€5m revenue in portfolio 10M€ exit in 2010 for company leaders
web. Give them your

numbers. The business company lions corporate AB solutions GmbH Ampeerion ltd.
full name & even

Check these boxes: better: link your
Add Logos of Your former employers also are important proof LinkedIn.
First + last name Former Companies for investors about the experience you gained.
Professional background
Educational background As a D2C startup, you need a marketing genius. In B2B, you need a sales rock star. As a deeptech
Pro Tip
startup, your CTO must be a wizard. Show that you understand which roles are essential for you.
Role & responsibility
38
Team Investors won’t forgive the following mistakes
You have probably heard it

Cliché Claims It is hard to make a real impression just by claiming
often: team, team and team to be especially “motivated” or “experienced”.
are the three most important Low-quality
Pictures Scoob ydoo
decision criteria for an early
Our te am philo so phy : W e have the c o urage to tak e diffe re nt paths.
stage startup. Grainy pictures in
different styles make
your team look less
If you fail to convince the like a well-functioning
investor of the quality of team and more like a
each individual founder, then random group of
people.
you will most likely not have
The maker The thinker The analyst Esoteric Titles
an investor. Long Continuous
Text as Descriptions Sophie is our catalyst in the team: she
always knows what to do next. With 5
Tim is our brain: without him we
wouldn’t have a tech product of this
Tom is our calculator: he makes
sure the bills are always covered Everyone understands
years of work experience and a prior significance. His academic career in at the end of the month. With his
titles like CEO, CTO,
Reading paragraphs vocational training in the knitting robotic optimization took him around prior 14 year experience at
space, she is responsible for our the world and in front of a broad Lehman Brothers bank, he is an
CRO etc. So stick to
with more than 3 lines operations. network of potential partners. invaluable asset to our startup.
the standards and
is annoying. Do not
don’t invent new ones.
put relevant data
Investors want to see
where investors don’t
that the team works
read it.
together and that it
sticks together.
Unclear Co-founders sharing the same responsibilities in your startup are a recipe
umove responsibilities for future conflict. Avoid this.
Lüder Brüggemann
39
Roadmap Show investors your fast track to success
Showing investors your Use Actual Years It’s easier to understand when everything starts and ends when
ambitious future goals is In Your Timeline you refer to actual dates - not only “year 1”, “year 2” etc.
good, but the questions is:

How will you get there? roadmap
MedEx will become the go-to medical expenditures platform in DACH
Give your plans credibility Distinguish Between

by mapping out a step-by- 2024 2025 Actions and Goals
Describe Your
step action plan.
Expansion
Finish MVP Launch MVP Iteration Market Launch
Planned Stages
DACH
Also show concretely
Develop 2nd module
Incorporate final user
Sell paid MVP
hospitals
to Iteration & product
improvement for big
In hospitals
nursing homes
& Target
players
all
with
major
final what you will achieve
Use short descriptive
research Soft-launch launch Start platform add- product incl. platform
in each step - not only

on development
3 pilot customers
phase names.
beta version 10 customers 100 customers
€100k revenue €2.8m revenue
what you will do.
Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q1
"They have clear goals pre-seed investment seed investment

Include Fundraising
and actions ahead." Plan
You can hint at your
next funding round to
Check these boxes:
Good Timeline Planning in quarters like Q1, Q2 etc. offers the show that you plan
Timeline Intervals right balance between detail and overview. ahead in financial
matters.
Use of funds
Include aimed goals
Fundraising plan
40
Roadmap Investors won’t forgive the following mistakes
A glimpse into the future must

contain both tech and
business elements. Do not Phase
confuse this slide purely with Numbering
a feature development plan.

With our upcoming features we introduce the hirely So Many Features
We read from left to hiring process of the future
right, so we know in The investor needs to
ha
which phase comes
t n s
an c
The less precisely you show es
io
As
sist
to
o l
fu
n ct
nc
t. at
f.
bl
o ck
ea
m
l
understand the value
pl
first. Using numbers is ire sio
n
ar
c h
nc
h
2.
0 fu ly w
ith n ts
and meaning of new
your next steps as a -H a e
AI en se u l y et ire n m
ex
t la
ire fb .h tio o p rc h
a waste of space. at
io
n
rm at
ed
w
ire
h
H
tin
g
o
hr
o n
nn
e c l
ve a
De b se product features.
r tfo m 2 nc nc o
company, the harder it will
g o e
te Pla A ut Hi
r
L au T es Sy C
jo
In
4 6 8 Otherwise, they will
be for the investor to
2
1
7
9 mean nothing.
3 5
envision him- or herself
being part of your future.
Timeline
Missing join us on the road to success
Without a timeline your
roadmap adds no
value. Tech Aspects Your company is much more than your product. So why
Only only show a tech / development roadmap?
41
Funding Show the investors what you ask of them
You have presented the

facts. You have made your Cash Runway
case. Now it’s time for the and Goals
Integrate Industry
ASK. Indicate how long the
funding
next
Trends
required money will
last and what specific we aim to raise 1.2m€ in April 2024 Why is NOW the right
In the funding slide the goals you will be able
to grow to 500 customers and build the marketplace module within the next 18 months
timing to invest?
investor will see what to achieve in that use of fund why now?
investment is needed, what it time. operating fund for 18-months cash runway three major trends are making the way for
digital solutions in the logistics sector
Hook investors with
some impressing trends
will be used for and what it customers demand efficiency -
Show The Use

€420k salaries the pain is real
& facts and secure
will achieve. Of Funds administration
cost optimization has been a topic
for many years already your funding.
€360k €120k
major players are going to the
Visualize how you will product development cloud - medium players will follow
€300k Show Labels
"Seems like a promising spend the money to
reach your goals so
marketing & sales
If you are INVEST
investment opportunity." 200k€ already committed
that investors can certified, angels will
agree with your plan. get free government
Check these boxes: Prefer € values to % Include Committed Get investors on board by showing them
money for their
values so that your that they are not the only ones who find investment. Show the
Capital
Cash runway reader does not have you intriguing. label here.
Goals to achieve to do the math.
Use of funds
Include industry trends
42
Funding Investors won’t forgive the following mistakes
The subconscious message in

this slide is: we know how
hard it is to give us your Too Much,
Too Early Claiming To Become
money - but trust us to spend
Our ask €5m

Profitable
it the right way. Asking for €5m when
leaveout
It’s much harder to
all you have is a pitch
become profitable as
If your funding slide is too deck is too much. You
you may think. It‘s also
will raise partial Use of funds Goals Our agenda
vague and unrealistic, then amounts in different
not what most
Profitable by 2025 investors want you to
investors will shut their rounds. Other Distribution
Market leader by 2027 do. So if you have a
checkbooks faster than you plan for an early
Product Europe Expansion 2030
can say “use of funds”. Become market
leader
break-even, then
Unclear Plan Exit by 2031 great - but keep it to
Be sure to show which value yourself.
Being vague in your Next rounds planned Series A Series B Exit
inflection point you are Q4 2025 2027 2031
goals lets the investor Showing The Entire
planning to hit with the
doubt if you really Way To Exit
money from the capital
raise. Most founders only have a growth plan Details of Use of Why would you make the investor guess the use Yes, you can hint at
show how they will spend ready to go into Funds Missing of funds just from a rough diagram or just a your next round. But
the funds, but not why the action with the new headline? do not show a 10y
company will be more funding. fundraising “plan” -
valuable afterwards. nobody will believe it.
Investor & Entrepreneur

Johannis Hatt 43
CTA Get your investor to act
It’s a wrap! The investor has

made it through your pitch
deck.
CTA
Use The Network of

Make it 100% clear how to
get in touch with you - and Let ’s cre ate t he educat ion Investors
of t omorrow t oge the r.

If your deck does not
make it as easy as possible. Strong Investor
Pleas e refer us contain very sensitive
Call To Action Maybe we are not the
startup you are looking for. information, why not
encourage investors
But if you know someone
Your CTA can even be with
witty and play with

Educational Focus
Big Marketing Network to pass it on?
Contact us: Financial Expertise
words about your Fabian Maier feel free to pass our deck on.
startup.
+49 234 56789 Or book your 15-minute Make Setting Up a
“I want to talk to fabian@abc.de slot directly:
It should remind the Call Easy
them - now!"
investor why working A calendar booking
with you will be link for a 15min slot
Check these boxes: rewarding. should be enough for
Picture And Details of Make it clear who the investor will both sides not to
Strong CTA Contact Person be speaking with. waste too much time,
Personal contact details if it’s not a great fit.
Calendar invite link

“Pass me on” wish list
44
CTA Investors won’t forgive the following mistakes
Investors are not stupid. If

they love your startup, they
will find a way to contact “Thank you” Is
Not a CTA Don’t Add
you.
Unnecessary
The whole purpose of
Decoration
the deck was to get
But why would you make it Only because there is
the investor to
hard for them after putting contact you. You need not much content on
all the effort into crafting an to explicitly state Thank you for your attention! the CTA slide, you do
what you want them not need to add
exquisite deck?
to do next. we hope we have excited you for our journey unnecessary graphics
and visuals - stay
Avoid Weak minimalistic and
Wording aligned to your design
instead.
“Hope”, “wish”, etc. is
all vague wording -
use pro-active words
to show investors your
confidence.
45
04 Beyond Your Pitch Deck
Non-Disclosure Agreements are typically a bad idea.
NDAs (Non-Disclosure-Agreements) are confidentiality agreements between two parties to protect sensitive information of
a business.
Should startups ask for NDAs from investors BEFORE sending the deck?
Founders asking
Business Angel Tim Schumacher writes in his blog why he is convinced that good startups do not for NDAs have
the worst
need an NDA.
1 An idea is nothing without a strong execution. Several teams work on every good idea
at the same time anyway - strong founders know that.
startups.
2 Angels and VCs are probably the last to copy an idea, since they see numerous ideas
and don't have the time to copy them.
3 Every good investor has a reputation to uphold and would never share or publish data.
Good founders don't mass-contact investors. Instead, they look for thoroughly
4
researched investors. Business Angel
Tim Schumacher
46
Get your startup’s valuation right 1 Rule of thumb

A simple rule of thumb is: the
financing volume times 4 gives the
It’s not easy to hit the valuation sweet spot between giving away too many pre-money valuation.
shares and being perceived as unrealistically high by investors.
Example: you want to raise €300k in
the pre-seed round, then your pre-
money valuation is €1.2M and the
Two easy and practical approaches post-money valuation is €1.5M (so you
which work for pre-seed startups: give 20% of the shares to investors).
1 the rule of thumb and

Business Angel
2 the comparable startup valuation
Florian Huber
2 Comparable startup valuation
FR
AddedVal.io’s comparable startup EE
valuation tool
Filter our database of 2,500+ actual German startup valuations by stage, industry,
business model, customer focus, year, company age and more:
from pre-seed to later stage
funding rounds from 2019 up to last week (updated weekly)
including investor types and more
Check your valuation for free
47
What if... Early stage investors

...you could find the investors for your (pre-)seed
startup that change the game once and for all?
Startup Industry Round No.
Customer Focus
Year of Investment
Fundraising can be easy if you use the smartest tools.
Business Model Single Ticket Amount
AddedVal.io’s investor platform Include Keywords Investor Type
Easy access to 7,000+ early stage business angels, Search
family offices and VCs in Germany Investor Date Round Startup Round Details
Single Angle Shares I Total Dilution
Super good Angel GmbH 01.01.23 1 Amazing Startup GmbH
Indispensable insights into valuations, ticket sizes, and Angel LinkedIn Industry I Customer Focus I Business Model
0,55% I 28.55%
Press
Education I B2C I SaaS Ticket Amount I Total Round Size
more - so you are always in the driver’s seat Keywords
Education, Software, Language

19.199€ I 1.000.000 €
Startup Valuation
3.502.502€
Smart filtering options - so you find investors that are Unicorn Venture GmbH 10.06.22 1 Best Idea GmbH
12%I 27%
right for your startup

VC LinkedIn Industry I Customer Focus I Business Model
AI Model
Health I B2B I Production Ticket Amount I Total Round Size
Keywords ~300.000€ I ~507.000€
Medicine, Scanner, Skin Startup Valuation
Discounts for tools like business angel pooling and 2.580.000€
access to experts for grants and subsidies.

Female Talent Fund GmbH 03.04.22 3 Female Empowering GmbH
5.67% I 30.44%
Angel LinkedIn Industry I Customer Focus I Business Model
Company Register
Finance I B2CI SaaS Ticket Amount I Total Round Size
Keywords 690.399€ I 9.500.000€
Software, Fintech, Software Startup Valuation
21.818.503€
48
Pro tip Stand out from the crowd with Investor FAQ.
As a startup founder, you know: Your pitch deck is the ticket to an investor's heart. The only
goal of the pitch deck is the meeting - for getting to know each other and answering
questions about your business.
My tip: test your pitch deck Do yourself and the investor a HUGE favor prior to the meeting:
with 3 business angels first.
This way, you will get a lot of Provide online FAQ with perfect answers to all possible questions!
questions with which to
improve your deck and
create a great real-life
investor FAQ.
Save time for yourself & Be perceived as a Deliver consistent,
your investors. professional. qualitative answers.
Most investors have similar Investors love pro-activity. Everyone can have a bad
questions - answer those And maybe you even answer day. However, this shouldn’t
questions before they are some questions they haven’t impact your answers.
Investor & even asked. thought about.
Serial Entrepreneur
Björn Jopen 49
Better safe than sorry: These questions belong in your FAQ.
Your investor FAQ can be an online document, spreadsheet, Notion page or anything else. The important thing is that you start with
answers to typical questions and update the document, whenever you get new questions or think of better answers to existing
ones. Why not begin with the following topics?
Business Model Customers Competition

How do you make money? What do customers value most about your product? Which competitor are you most afraid of?
How much does a customer cost you? How do customers get to know you? Why would the competition not copy your solution?
What’s your Customer Lifetime Value? How do you guarantee that you understand your What barriers exist that are hard to overcome by your
What are your Unit Economics? customers’ needs? competition?
How do you acquire new customers?
Marketing & Sales Finances Market

How many users do you have? What’s your cash burn rate? In which other areas can you potentially expand if you
What are your most successful channels? When is the earliest you are going to be profitable? are successful?
What is your growth rate? What is the most important indicator hindering growth? Which obstacles do you see in the future and how do you
How high is your conversion rate? What are the KPIs you are measuring yourself with? overcome them?
How long is your typical Sales Cycle?
USP Fundraising Team

What knowledge do you have that others don’t have? How high is your valuation? What is the worst thing that has happened to you so far?
Why is nobody else doing this yet? Do you have existing investors & are they taking part in What was your biggest mistake so far?
this round? What impressive things did you accomplish in your life so
What exactly are you using this funding for? far?
Which milestones will you reach with this funding?
50
Start your data room early on to look professional and minimize stress.
First of all, data rooms securely provide important data to potential investors. But they also signal something crucial: that you are a
well-organized team which investors can trust their money with. Start adding documents and structure to your data room right
from the start!
Pitch Deck Only grant reading rights

Free for
Video Pitch so no changes can be
Everybody
Testimonials made without your consent.
Shareholder list Financial Model Structure docs in folders

Once in Shareholder agreement Product details so investors are impressed
Contact
Co-founder CVs by your organization.
Patent & trademark documents Market research

Use this notion template
For Due Monthly financial reports Sales- & marketing strategy
Diligence to save a lot of time while
Customer & traction data HR data
looking professional.
Important contracts etc.
51
If you follow all our best

practices your pitch deck will belong to the top 1%.
However, we know that making your pitch deck a real page-turner for the most renowned investors
is not easy. That’s why we support you throughout your fundraising with our services.
FR
EE
Individual slide-by-slide video
Free video pitch deck feedback Get your free feedback
Actionable optimization tips
Pitch Deck Transformation

Optimized content & design
€3,850 More info
Up to 20 sensational slides +19% VAT
starting at
Access to 7,000+ German investors
Investor platform €290 More info
Intros, data & fundraising tools +19% VAT
52
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Fund

by AddedVal.io - find your (pre-)seed investors

Follow these Want to see real pitch decks

to create a pitch deck investors can't resist

The most important part of your pitch deck is the content.

But a professional-looking design will make you look... more

It's not so hard, if you know the rules explained on the

Stay consistent with your structure, fonts, colors and style.

You don't need a professional designer to achieve a smooth design.

Consistent photo Title: 30pt bold blue Startup logo

Consistent spacing Stick to coherent

Be visual (and avoid long continuous text).

First bullet point

Use the entire slide to Highlight

data with this kind of

Visual aid explains

complex facts: A B why they are bold.

Conclusion of 1+2 important facts...

TheThe best App words

Make your numbers stand out.

Add these final tweaks to make your design flawless.

Tiny design improvements can subconsciously boost the investor’s

No content beyond frame!

"Problem", "Solution", "Business Model" etc. are NOT good titles...

corners so that investors understand which slide they are on (like

3 10% 456 2 Millions of [users] face similar challenges:

Copy & Paste Action Titles Problem Why now

Take these pitch deck tips from top investors to heart.

A ngel A cad emy

You can never go wrong with this

The best App

Business Model Market Go-to-Market Traction

A great story follows some basic rules!

CEO CFO CTO 500M€

Funding CTA Slide

Cover This Intro slide rocks because...

This helps the investor

Cover Avoid these mistakes investors hate

Investors feel disoriented if Distracting Background Too dynamic and attention-grabbing

This will make it harder for

Logo Off Center Date & Version

After the cover slide: Executive Summary yes or no?

Pitch Deck WITHOUT a Summary Pitch Deck WITH an Executive Summary

The best App

data Tell an exciting story in Executive Summary

your pitch deck

seamlessly bridges learning gaps of students. data

The story of your startup needs to jump

Business Model Market

Competition Team Roadmap Financial Forecast

so investors keep clicking to the next slide.

Funding CTA Slide

20% Let's change the €

You do this by starting with a big problem

40% +49 12345678

which creates the feeling of a miserable

Problem Learn from these outstanding examples

of the problem and thus the

Check these boxes: Don't forget to insert