5 Powerful Tips to Make a Startup Presentation in 2022
There’s no denying that a startup pitch can either make or break a business! In today’s world, where investors are swamped with thousands of pitches every day, getting hold of funding or at least their interest is no piece of cake. It doesn’t matter if you’ve got a million-dollar idea in mind, if you’re unable to communicate it to potential investors or consumers, it is as good as nothing! At the end of the day, it all boils down to your startup presentation.
A well-thought and intuitive startup presentation get potential investors and venture capitalists excited about your idea and further engages them to take interest in your business and hopefully make an investment. The best startup presentation ideally covers the key points of your business plan & provides a high-level projection of financials, funding, and profitability while emphasizing on products and services you cater to.
Let’s move ahead and understand the purpose behind a startup presentation:
Most of the time, when people think about a startup investor presentation, they relate it to all about raising money. Now, this might sound counterintuitive, but the actual goal of your startup pitch is to get you to the next meeting. Your startup presentation is probably the first thing an investor might stumble upon & as we know, the first impression really matters.
Hence, if the startup pitch marketing is done right, it can set a viable tone for the rest of the discussions and help you close deals better than before. Now that we know how imperative a pitch is, let’s move ahead and explore some out-of-the-box startup slides ideas that engage your audience, provide knowledge transparent and enable you to accomplish business goals:
- Know your Potential Investors:
As a rule of thumb, one size doesn’t fit all. Entrepreneurs should understand that every investor is different, hence the presentation has to be unique for every investor too! Often presenters don’t research much about their potential investors and end up pitching with the same deck at every other meeting. This practice deteriorates not only your prospects but also your integrity.
You must have knowledge about an investor’s niche, their previous investments, and an idea about their evaluation process. It is only then you must jump on to creating a startup presentation outline that resonates with their style. Plus, it will help you stay more confident while you’re presenting and may also help to foster a long-term relationship with them and advance your goals.
- Master your Pitch:
At some point in our lives, we all have been on the receiving end of a pushy sales call that turned out to be aggressive, awkward, or overfamiliar. As a presenter, you must master your pitch if you want to entice your audience and convert leads into conversions. An ideal pitch is not all about just selling, it is a journey where you make the investor’s or consumer’s life better by connecting them with solutions that cater to their problems.
Where a consumer wants their problems solved, an investor thinks about harnessing the long-term potential of a business. As mentioned in the earlier point, to deliver a captivating pitch, you need to learn about your investors and curate your pitch that helps them discover the true worth of your idea. Now, whether it’s an elevator pitch or a cold email, you must reach out with personalization, offer your out-of-the-box solution, showcase value backed by data, and follow up if there is an impression.
- Make an Outstanding Presentation:
While you’re on the podium presenting to an audience, and if you want them to take you seriously, especially potential investors, then your presentation should be state-of-the-art. Even the most amazing ideas are worth nothing without concrete plans and the overall presentation. At the end of the day, a venture capitalist wants to capitalize on their investment, therefore your presentation should have a dedicated framework and an action plan on how you plan on delivering it while serving your consumer base.
Presenters can leverage professional-grade, ready-to-use presentation templates that help you create a startup presentation that is desirable, intriguing, and one that actually converts! An ideal startup presentation example includes information about your company’s mission & vision, problem, target market, solution, traction, marketing & sales strategy, and financials. The ready-made templates can help you capture crucial details and present them to investors vividly through data-driven infographics, timelines, fishbone diagram, SWOT analysis, and much more.
- Body Language for Sales:
Now that you’ve created a just-perfect startup presentation and have successfully captured the product that practically sells itself, you might still miss out on prospective clients if your body language is out of sync with your words. This might not be absolutely relevant for online pitches or reach outs. However, if you’re presenting to the audience in-person, your cumulative body language is as important as the deck!
As a presenter, it’s not always what you or your presentation says that clinches the deal, but how you say it matters a lot. Both your words and body language have to be congruent if the purpose is to win the investor’s or buyer’s interest. Crossing your arms, avoiding eye contact, or even not smiling are simply presentation killers. Your body language must match and enhance the message you’re trying to portray, it is only then you can have a profound effect on your audience.
- Following up on Investors:
Another difference that sets apart successful startups from the ones that never got a chance to spread their wings is their following up strategy on investors. As you progress through the fundraising process, how you follow up with investors who have already committed capital to your venture and investors who are still thinking can be a deal breaker.
Before time blurs out your enriching meeting with the investors, make sure you follow up with them through the right channels. A good practice is to ask investors during the startup presentation about how you may follow up with them. You may reach out via LinkedIn, or Twitter and it goes without saying through a customized, well-drafted email. An ideal follow-up is polite and not at all pushy, it is about being persistent and providing timely updates about your startup.
The End Line:
Entrepreneurs must understand that investors see startups as seeds and invest only in those having the potential for growth. Keep your startup presentation simple yet intuitive, leverage ready-made templates to save time, tell your story, pay attention to timing & body language, and convey the unique value of your products and services to investors.
The tips you’ve found in this article can help you kickstart your startup presentation endeavors, reach out to more investors & potential consumers and significantly improve your chances of selling. Transform your idea into a whopping reality and create your impressive startup presentation, today!
