How to Write an Investor Pitch Deck

There is some generic advice out there about how to write an investors pitch deck, and if you're just at the ideas stage, it's pretty useful and you can learn a lot.

But, in my time working with early-stage startups and growing companies, I've received some specific advice from investors that has added so much value to the decks I've been working on.

I'm putting together a more in-depth guide on all the elements you need to put together an investor deck that works for your business. I'll share that at a later date. Let me know if you'd like a copy.

I'll also talk more specifically about advice for female founders- especially those in the femtech space - in a later post.

1. Open with the “Why Now”

Timing is everything. Investors want to know why this idea is urgent today not three years ago or three years from now.

Hook them with the market trend, tech evolution, or cultural wave you’re surfing.

Keep this slide crisp. Think: headline + stat + insight. A pitch deck should not be a TED Talk. You'll bore investors.

2. Define the Problem Like a Surgeon

Investors don’t want vague social missions. They want a clear, painful, measurable problem.

Use a real user pain point. Ground it in data. Make them feel the gap your product fills.

Get surgical. Be sharp.

Tell a short story.

3. But Still Tell a Story

Investors aren't just investing in your business; they're investing in you and your team. Tell them the story of your business to make them care about what you offer. This is where the emotion of your investor deck should sit.

4. Show the Solution Without Any Hype

One of the key principles of creative writing is show not tell. You need to show the investors what you do, who your target audience is, and how you solve the problem better than anybody or anything else.

But don't be too fluffy OR too feature heavy.

Do use mockups or simple diagrams that really say something (not just screenshots for the sake of them). Let visuals do some of the heavy lifting.

5. Traction: Let the Data Speak

If you’ve got it, flaunt it. Here's where you include:

• Revenue

• Users

• Retention

• Positive press

• Partnerships

Show momentum with charts that rise up and to the right. If you’re early-stage, use proxies: waitlists, pilot results, LOIs or anything that shows real-world pull.

6. Business Model: Keep It Real

How do you make money and how will you make more of it? That's all investors want to know

• Break it down simply

• Pricing

• Customer acquisition costs

• LTV

• Margin assumptions

7. The Ask: Be Direct

How much are you raising, what will it fund, and what will that unlock?

Paint a picture: “We’re raising $500K to expand product, validate growth channels, and hit $XXK MRR in 12 months.”Confidence > desperation. Show that this capital fuels a plan, not plugs a hole.

Get Help Creating an Investor Pitch Deck

If you want help creating a pitch deck, then get in touch at kjmccandless1@gmail.com or check out my content packages.