What to include in an investor presentation?

If you are a company seeking investment, you need an investor presentation that captures and retains the attention of your audience. The best investor decks are concise, clear and compelling. The best investor presentations demonstrate your company's strengths, articulate a compelling value proposition, and communicate your significant growth potential.

Here are the 7 essential elements to include when building an investor presentation that will help you secure investment.

1. Start with a compelling introduction. Your early slides should capture the attention of your investors and communicate your company's vision and mission.

2. Highlight the market opportunity and bring to life the problem your company solves. Demonstrate the need for what you do and why people are willing to pay for it. Investors are interested in companies with growth potential and those in a significant or growing market. Research the size of your market, trends, and competition in your industry. This information will help you to show your investors that your company has a sizable market opportunity and the potential to scale.

3. Explain SIMPLY your business model. Your investors need to know how you plan to make money and what makes your offering unique.

4. Which brings us to your value proposition. Demonstrate your value prop by showing your competitive advantage and how you plan to differentiate your company in the market. Explain why the market will come to you and not the competition to solve their problem.

5. Include realistic financial projections and key metrics. Your investors will want to see your company's financial projections and key performance indicators but they are also assessing you and your credibility. Potential investors will see right through any hype or exaggeration, and it could hurt your credibility. Be honest and straightforward about your projections, how realistic you are will hugely impact the success of your pitch. Include a financial model that projects your revenue, expenses, and profitability. When will you break even, when will profitability start etc. It's important to be transparent about your financials, even if they are not as impressive as you would like them to be. If you are including past performance make sure to include the metrics that matter most in making sure your business model succeeds, such as customer acquisition cost, lifetime value, and churn rate.

6. People invest in people, include details about your management team and advisors. Your investors will want to know who is leading your company and what they bring to the table. Include a section that introduces your management team, their background, and their experience. And make sure to include any advisors or board members that are working with the company.

7. And one that many fail to include, the exit strategy. Investors invest with the expectation of getting a return on their investment. You must include an exit strategy that shows how your company plans to return capital to investors, whether through an IPO or acquisition.

Creating a compelling investor presentation takes time and effort but including these essential elements will help you create a presentation that brings to life your company's value and potential. Remember to keep your presentation concise, clear, and compelling to capture the attention of your investors and if you need some help get in touch, I’m here to help.