⇧ Investor pitch document

Now that you have recorded your elevator pitch, it is time to write your investor pitch document for VSC!

This is an essential document that will help you to generate interest from a range of potential investors.  It will also double up as a slide deck for your management team to present during any meetings that you manage to secure with them.

⇧ Action required

Write your investor pitch document for VSC.  You should now have the necessary information to complete this task and the guidance notes below will help you with the structure.

Upload your completed pitch document at the bottom of this page.

Structure

There is no set template for writing your pitch document, however many fundraising experts recommend using the following slide structure:

Individual slides covering the following areas:

1. Elevator pitch
2. The problem
3. Your solution
4. Market size and competition
5. Achievements
6. Business model
7. Technology
8. Marketing plan
9. Team
10. The investment opportunity

Investor mindset

Before you start drafting your slides, you should take a few moments to consider the likely mindset of your investors when they are scrutinizing your investment opportunity.

Most startups and scaleup companies burn cash during their early years whilst developing new products, penetrating the market and hitting key milestones.  Investors need to clearly understand how long your fundraise will last and what realistic milestones you can deliver during that time period.

This requires you to present a strong overview of the market opportunity, current conditions, probability of new wins, customer acquisition strategy and any risks involved.

Once you understand the likely mindset of your investor, you can start building your pitch deck to proactively address their main points of consideration.

Guidance notes

The following guidance notes will help you to create each slide within your investor pitch document:

Front cover

You may wish to include a teaser image alongside your company name, logo, slogan and contact information.

The problem

Outline the problem that VSC is solving.  Clearly articulate why this is an issue that people need you to help them with.  Cover this from both a human and business perspective as appropriate.

Your solution

Summarize VSC’s solution to the problem and how the company adds value to your customers.  Provide some powerful examples that evidence your claims.

Include any unique selling points that differentiate your company from anybody else.

Market size

Present the size of your target market, its projected future growth rate and its potential value to VSC. 

Include a summary of your key competitors and everybody’s estimated market share.  You may also wish to provide details of any key market trends and competitor activity.

Achievements

Provide a few examples of VSC’s key achievements to date and the impact that these have had on the company’s ability to deliver its business plan.

This may include several key milestones or details of any significant traction that you have obtained so far.

For example, details of any awards that you have won, product launch dates and significant customer wins.

Business model

Present a summary of the business model, including current performance levels and future projections.  Your analysis should outline the unit economics of the business, such as customer numbers, pricing and costs.

Document the key trends for each of your Key Performance Indicators that cover the main drivers of your business.

Technology

Summarize the company’s main technology systems and software applications.  State whether your technology was developed internally or licensed from third party providers.

Outline your future technology development plans and how they will enhance your business capabilities.  Determine the likelihood of system failures occurring and their impact on your company’s ability to deliver its activities.

Consider whether there are any existing technology solutions in the wider marketplace that also solve your customers’ problems and may compete against your products.

Investors will assess whether your company is heavily dependent on other entities and whether your product is built within other people’s platforms.  In such instances, other people’s actions have the potential to significantly disrupt your business plan.

Marketing plan

Present the key details within your marketing plan, including:

• Who is in your marketing team
• Your main routes to market
• Customer acquisition costs
• Current expenditure levels
• Future opportunities

Team

Discuss the key members of your team, their relevant backgrounds and why they are the right people to deliver your business plan.

Note that your investor will likely consider the quality and commitment levels of each founder, plus whether your management team has the appropriate balance of skills.  They may also consider whether each founder has sufficient equity to feel properly motivated after factoring in the dilution impact of your fundraising requirements.

State whether the existing team has the knowledge, experience and capacity to deliver your business plan.  Where relevant, outline the future key hires that are necessary to execute the company’s strategy.