Startup funding: how it works and how to raise it
This ultra-detailed guide explains the types of funding and funding rounds and gives expert tips on how to raise funding...
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 in minutes. 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
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.
Create your investment-winning pitch deck with our customisable template.
More in this article:
Anthony Rose
SeedLegals CEO and serial entrepreneur
Anthony is our CEO and Co-Founder. As well as leader of SeedLegals and champion of the startup ecosystem, Anthony is well known as ‘the man behind BBC iPlayer.’
Oliver Kicks
Principal Investor at Concept Ventures
Concept Ventures is the UK’s largest dedicated pre-seed fund. They’ve invested in over 50 startups from their fund of over £52 million. Oliver leads the marketing and branding division at Concept Ventures alongside making decisions on which startups to invest in.
Vasu Sarin
Exited founder and Head of Business Development at SeedLegals
Ex-Founder and CEO of Tab Care, Vasu has first-hand experience in pitching to investors and successfully raising investment capital. He’s now Head of Business Development and Partnerships at SeedLegals.
This pitch deck template contains the essential slides you need to hook investors and tell them what they need to know:
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:
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.
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.
Next, you’ll showcase your solution in action:
This is one of the most important slides. You’ll need to validate your team and company.
On this slide, you’ll set out:
Investors need to know why investing in your company is a great opportunity for them. Use the next two slides to showcase:
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.
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:
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.
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.
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:
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.
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.
We'll help you simplify your funding journey and close your round faster.
Find out howWhen 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:
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:
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:
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:
What is a startup pitch deck?
A startup pitch deck is a visual presentation about a company. The deck sets out:
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:
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 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:
What should I not include in a pitch deck?
When creating your pitch deck, avoid:
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:
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.
Create your investment-winning pitch deck with our customisable template.
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.