Startup pitch deck: free template with investor tips

You know that your company has the potential to be a huge success. But how do you convince investors?

It starts with a winning pitch deck – your one opportunity to pique investor interest and sell them on your idea. In under three minutes, you’ve got to make an impression that impacts the future of your company. No pressure.

We’ve got you covered. We see thousands of pitch decks from founders who create and share their pitch on SeedLegals and we speak to countless investors who tell us what they need to see in a pitch deck. We’ve combined our experience with insights from industry experts to create the best pitch deck template for you to sell your idea. This free pitch deck template includes:

🎨Customisable framework for an investment-winning pitch deck

🌟Detailed guidance on what to include in each slide

💁‍♀️Insightful tips from experts

🔗Links to additional resources

How to use the template 

The template comes in PowerPoint format but you can easily convert it into Google Slides if that’s what you prefer. Just upload it to your Google Drive and it will convert automatically. Customise each slide with your company’s details.

Expert contributors

Free pitch deck template: what’s inside?

This pitch deck template contains the essential slides you need to hook investors and tell them what they need to know:

• What problem you’re solving
• Why your company has potential to generate significant returns
• What you need from investors to grow your business

We’ve also included suggestions for extra slides in this article to help you build a more in-depth version of your pitch deck for your SEIS/EIS Advance Assurance application. Scroll down to learn about the extra slides.

Our downloadable pitch deck template includes the following slides:

Problem

On this slide, you’ll identify the problem solved by your product or service. You’ll describe the pain point your target customers are experiencing, and explain why existing solutions aren’t as good as yours. This helps investors understand the market opportunity and the potential demand for your solution.

Solution

After you’ve identified the problem, you’ll explain how your product or service solves it. Be specific about the features and benefits of your solution.

Product

Next, you’ll showcase your solution in action:

• Explain how it works (concisely)
• Share images or a video of any prototypes or demos you’ve developed
• List unique features of your product/service (if you didn’t do that on the previous slide)
• List key benefits of your product/service (again, if you didn’t do that on the previous slide)

Achievements/validation

This is one of the most important slides. You’ll need to validate your team and company.
On this slide, you’ll set out:

• What you’ve achieved
• Why you’re the best people for the job
• You can include awards, recognition, achievements, significant traction and your team’s unique expertise

Market

Investors need to know why investing in your company is a great opportunity for them. Use the next two slides to showcase:

• Market adoption of your product/service
• Market size

You don’t need to go into too much detail about the total serviceable market or serviceable obtainable market. Just briefly show the market potential.

Add testimonials and short case studies to show that your product is needed and loved.

Competition

No product or service exists in a vacuum, so it’s important to acknowledge and address the competition. Identify your key competitors and briefly show how your solution is different and better than what they offer. Be specific about your competitive advantages, such as:

• Pricing
• Features
• User experience

You can use a simple comparison table to show how the pricing, features and user experience of your product/service stack up against your competitors.

Business model

Investors will want to know how you plan to make money and achieve profitability. But they don’t want to see too much detail in your initial pitch deck. Save the graphs and business plan for your data room. They’ll ask for more information when they want it.

In this slide, keep it to top-line information: outline your revenue streams, pricing strategy, and any recurring revenue opportunities.

Team

This is one of the most important slides to build credibility. You can keep it towards the end of your deck but also consider placing it after your product slide.

Investors invest in people as much as they invest in ideas. They want to know that:

• Your team will be a good fit for them
• Your team has the expertise to successfully achieve your company’s goals

Introduce your team and highlight their relevant experience and expertise. This is also a good opportunity to showcase any advisors or mentors that you have on board. Remember to include significant accomplishments for each person that show their key strengths and experience.

Deal Summary

Finally, make sure you clarify what you are asking for from investors. This could be a specific amount of funding, a partnership opportunity, or an introduction to potential customers. Be specific and make it easy for investors to take action.

The deal summary slide is an overview of the core investment proposal and makes it easy for investors to see at a glance how much they can invest and whether they can claim SEIS/EIS tax benefits. It also shows that you understand the investment process.

Pitch deck for SEIS/EIS Advance Assurance

When you’re compiling your pitch deck for HMRC as part of your Advance Assurance application, include the extra information covered below. Interested investors will eventually want to see this information too, so it’s good to have it ready. You can store it safely in your data room.

Elevator pitch

On this slide, explain in 100 words or less:

• What your product or service is
• Who you’re for (customer)
• The problem you’re solving
• How you’re solving it

Make it engaging, tell a story and ask a copywriter to help you make it punchy and concise.

Market size

Use data to show the market potential for your business. You can include:

• Number of potential customers
• Serviceable market size
• Serviceable obtainable market size
• Trends or shifts that are creating new opportunities
• Target market and the specific customer segments that you’re targeting

Marketing and sales plan

Outline your marketing and sales strategy, including how you plan to reach your target customers, acquire and retain users. Be specific about the channels you plan to use, such as social media, content marketing, paid advertising, events, etc.

Also consider:

• What early successes have you had and what channels have worked?
• What are your preliminary acquisition costs per customer?
• What PR will you do?
• What early press interest or buzz have you created?

Financials

This slide should show ROI potential and explain your cost structure.

Start by showing the potential for growth with a 3 to 5-year revenue forecast. Learn more about the ideal formula in our article Five year business plan: why you need one and how to write it.

Next, show your estimated margins in three to five years. Calculate your margin by subtracting expenses from revenue. You should also include key metrics such as:

• Customer acquisition cost (CAC)
• Customer retention rate (CRR)
• Lifetime value of customer (LTV)
• Your LTV:CAC ratio

Startup pitch deck FAQs

What is a startup pitch deck?

A startup pitch deck is a visual presentation about a company. The deck sets out:

• What problem a company solves
• How you solve it
• Key strengths
• Unique value proposition
• Market opportunity
• Growth potential

A pitch deck is typically presented to potential investors, partners, and customers.

A startup pitch deck should be concise, visually appealing, and easy to understand. It should be structured to tell a compelling story about the startup and its potential for success.

What should a startup pitch deck include?

A startup pitch deck should include high-level information about how a company solves a problem and why investing in your company is a great opportunity.

A typical startup pitch deck will cover these key topics:

• Problem – What problem or pain point does the startup aim to solve?
• Solution – What is the startup’s proposed solution to the problem?
• Market – What is the size of the target market and what is the startup’s potential market share?
• Business Model – How will the startup generate revenue and what’s the pricing strategy?
• Competition – Who are the startup’s main competitors and what is its competitive advantage?
• Team – Who are the key members of the startup’s team and what relevant experience do they have?
• Deal summary- What are your funding requirements and can you offer investors SEIS/EIS Advance Assurance?

How do I present my pitch deck?

You’ll present your pitch deck either by sending it to investors to read in their own time or during live events and investor meetings. If you’re sending your pitch deck as a cold email, check out our guide on How to write a perfect cold email.

If you present your pitch deck in person, aim to be clear, confident, and engaging. Start with a strong opening that grabs the audience’s attention, then walk them through each section of the deck, highlighting key points and providing supporting evidence. Use visuals to enhance your presentation and avoid overwhelming the audience with too much information. Finally, be prepared to answer questions and address any concerns raised by the audience.

SeedLegals Pitch makes it as easy as possible to share your pitch with investors. It allows you to:

• Send the link to share your pitch – no need to send huge files by email
• Update your Pitch page in real-time – no out-dated information
• Store everything in one place – clean and clutter-free
• Share confidential files in your secure Data Room

What should I not include in a pitch deck?

When creating your pitch deck, avoid:

• Irrelevant or unnecessary information that may distract or confuse your audience
• Overloading the presentation with too much data or technical jargon, and focus only on the key points that are essential to understanding the business model and potential for success
• Unsupported claims or exaggerating your startup’s achievements or potential

What file format should I submit my pitch deck in?

We recommend submitting your pitch deck to investors as a PDF, PowerPoint or Google Slides presentation.

Luckily, our free pitch deck template download can easily be converted into all three:

• When you download the template it will be in PowerPoint format to easily edit
• If you prefer working in Google Slides, you can easily convert the PowerPoint into Google Slides by uploading it to your Google Drive
• When your pitch deck is ready, you can export it as a PDF from both PowerPoint and Google Slides

What file format does my pitch deck need to be for SeedLegals Pitch?

At the moment, we only support pitch decks in PDF format. If your deck is currently in a different format, you can convert it to a PDF. Make sure it’s in landscape orientation.

Our free pitch deck template is available to download and customise as a PowerPoint file on SeedLegals Pitch. When you upload it to share on Pitch, you’ll need to convert it into a PDF. You can sign up to Pitch for free.

Watch video: 10 pitching mistakes to avoid

Investors hear hundreds of pitches. So what can you do to make sure you absolutely nail yours and win that investment? We’ve asked founders and investors about the most common mistakes they see during pitches so you know exactly what NOT to do. Check it out in the video below 👇

Watch video: The art of storytelling – how to create the perfect pitch

In this video, watch the webinar recording of pitch coach Claire Macmillan and SeedLegals CEO Anthony Rose exploring what investors look for in a great pitch deck. They discuss how best to structure your pitch and the mistakes to avoid. Claire critiques a handful of pitch decks live in the session – watch and learn from the feedback.

Talk to a funding expert

Are you fundraising for your startup? Book a free call with one of our funding strategists to find out how we can help.