Putting together your first investor deck can feel like a big task. You’ve got a solid idea, maybe some early traction or user feedback, but turning all of that into a few slides that make people want to give you money? Not so easy.
I recently gave feedback to a first-time founder, and it struck me how common this challenge is. If you’re building a deck to raise funding, whether presenting live or sharing it as a follow-up, here are a few practical tips to help you along the way.
Keep it lean, let the story lead
Your deck isn’t a business plan. It’s a tool to tell your story, quickly and convincingly. Investors are busy, and social media contributes to the degradation of our attention spans. You’re not trying to say everything, just the right things that spark interest.
And if you’re going in cold, get that follow-up call.
That means:
- Less text, more clarity
- One message per slide
- Strong visuals where possible
If you’re presenting, you want people listening to you, not reading ahead. If the deck is going out async, it should be easy to skim, and still land the key points. Aim for maximum 10–12 slides before an appendix.
What investors actually want to know
The basics are simple, even if they’re not always easy to communicate:
- What is the problem?
- Why is now the right time to solve it?
- Is the solution credible and viable?
- What makes you the right team for this?
- How big is the market? Bonus points if you have proof of a trending expansion.
- What’s the strategy to make money? Have you tested this or seen it work before?
It’s easy to bury this under vague language, filler slides or too much background, especially if you’re deeply passionate about your Product. Make it obvious, early. Whilst for some investors, it’s important to truly be invested in the problem, for others, it may be purely financial. Get your figures right and keep the content accessible to many audiences.
A simple structure that works
Cool, so I know the theory. What does that look like in practice?
- Title Company name, logo, your contact details. If you’ve got a stat or tagline that captures attention, here’s a good opportunity.
- Problem What’s the pain point you’re solving? Why now?
- Solution What have you built / planning to build, in one clear sentence? A simple product visual helps too.
- Market Opportunity How big is the opportunity? Who are your customers? What data supports this?
- Business Model How you make money. Pricing, margins, costs, if you have them.
- Traction Users, revenue, partnerships, retention — show progress with charts if you can.
- Go-to-Market Strategy How you’re reaching customers. What’s already working? What are you testing?
- Competitors Who else is out there, and why do you win?
- Team Who’s involved, and why you’re the team to back.
- Roadmap and Vision What’s been done so far, and what’s ahead. Keep it focused and achievable.
- The Ask How much you’re raising, what it’ll be used for, and the stage you’re at.
- Appendix Financial detail, case studies, customer quotes, or anything you’d want to support follow-up questions.
A few extra tips
- The “X for Y” shorthand works: Airbnb for Nomads, Hinge for Dog Owners, Community for Athletes. It gives something tangible and familiar to resonate and ground your idea, helping investors quickly understand.
- Use your product style or branding for consistency across slides.
- Turn dense paragraphs into short bullets, keeping things digestible.
- Don’t start with design. Focus on the story first, then polish. Saves time, money, and iterations.
- No data? No problem. Share your strategy, test a landing page with a “fake door” button, or get quick validation from early users.
Thinking of working with someone on this?
(Humble brag time) at thoughtbot, we’re passionate about creating great Products that solve real problems. We help you build the right thing, not just the thing right.
This kind of support - simplifying the story, tightening the narrative, building confidence in the pitch, finding ways to validate both your market and idea - can be part of that process. It’s one of the benefits of partnering with a Product agency, versus outsourcing to a dev shop.
If you’re working on your first deck, or just want a sounding board to sharpen it up, feel free to get in touch. Let’s clarify the vision, improve the structure or sense-check what you’ve got so far.. and get you funded!