Cheap Dresses and Angel Investors, or How to Build a Perfect Pitch Deck

Last November the team behind the start-up DressRush tweeted a link to its innovative online pitch deck, which became an overnight sensation, and quickly commanded the attention of numerous investors eager to throw cash in their direction. While DressRush’s pitch deck (also referred to as a slide deck or pitch slide deck) is unconventional in its distribution and format, a fresh-faced entrepreneur gearing up for his first meeting with investors can still learn a lot about crafting a pitch deck from this progressive pitch.

Pitch-Deck Building Blocks

Using DressRush’s pitch deck as an example, the following describes the components that will help you throw your own perfect pitch:

• The Problem

Succinctly describe the crux you will be solving; The more clearly defined the problem is, the easier it will be to show how your solution remedies it.

DR example: “Bride Problems: Cannot afford their vision of the perfect wedding; No local access to designer brands”

• Your Solution

Without going into minute detail, explain how your product or service fixes the problem.

DR example: “DressRush Solution: Our curated collections save brides up to 100% off retail”

• Business Model

Explain how you generate a profit: Who/how big is your target market? Who pays you? What are your channels of distribution?

DR example: See slides 4, 6, and 8

• Underlying Magic or Technology

Describe the technology or clever insight on which your solution capitalizes.

DR example: See flow chart on slide 5

• Marketing and Sales

Explain how you will reach your customer and leverage the market. Be sure to highlight the effectiveness and efficiency of your strategy.

DR example: See slides 6 and 8

• Competition

Provide investors with a view of the competitive landscape. This is not only a chance to show the audience that you’re aware of your business’s obstacles, it’s also your chance to prove why you’re better.

DR example: Unavailable (Let’s assume this is because the team at DressRush didn’t want to publicly shame their competitors.)

• Team

Describe the key players in your business, citing notable past accomplishments or valuable strengths. Some choose to introduce the team at the beginning of the pitch and others toward the end.

DR example: See slide 3

• Financial Projections and Key Metrics

Provide a 3 to 5-year forecast of where your start-up is headed, citing not only dollar amounts, but also number of customers, conversion rates, and the information on which your projections are based.

DR example: See line chart on slide 6 (the lack of specific references to dates or dollar amounts could be attributed to the fact that this pitch deck was made available to the public)

• Current Status

Explain the details of your current status, highlighting positive momentum and traction, and what you plan to do in the near future.

DR example: See slides 7—10

• Call to Action

While the subtext of the entire meeting is that you want the investors’ money, you still need a call to action e.g. “We can accomplish Y in three months, if you invest X amount of dollars!”

DR example: “Request and Intro” link is included among others to follow them on Twitter, “like” them on Facebook, and other contact information. (Again, the lack of specificity is due to the fact that this was an open pitch deck available to the public.)

Overall, you should give your 10 or so slides in a 20-minute presentation. You may be scheduled for an hour, but busy investors tend to stroll in late, have obligations to leave early, or you yourself might have difficulties of your own. Besides, ideally, your hour-long meeting should run as follows: Generate buzz for the 20 minutes of your pitch deck, and field 40 minutes of investment-happy discussion.

Happy pitching!