{"id":8863,"date":"2021-03-11T10:33:49","date_gmt":"2021-03-11T10:33:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/?p=8863"},"modified":"2026-01-29T09:48:14","modified_gmt":"2026-01-29T09:48:14","slug":"create-pitch-deck-impress-investors","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/create-pitch-deck-impress-investors\/","title":{"rendered":"Here’s how to create a pitch deck that impresses investors"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tMoney Matters<\/a>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\tHere’s how to create a pitch deck that impresses investors\t\t\t\t\t<\/h1>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n\t

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\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\"Kate\t\t\t\tKate Dobinson<\/span>\n\t\t\t<\/a>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

We live in challenging times. So, it\u2019s perhaps no surprise that more people than ever are looking to take control and turn their business dreams into reality, whether they\u2019re going it alone or jumping in with a trusted partner.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even established businesses are aiming to grow and evolve with their customers\u2019 needs and expectations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To do either, you\u2019ll need investment, often across several rounds depending on the size of your business.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Creating a pitch deck is central to this. Here\u2019s some advice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And to celebrate International Women\u2019s Day<\/a>, we include a story from Rushina Shah, an inspirational entrepreneur who has pitched for several rounds of investment and is seeing her business thrive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Her story is excerpted from episode seven of the Sound Advice podcast<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Investment
Investment stages for businesses<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

How to create a pitch deck for investors<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

It might sound obvious, but the first thing you need to do when trying to get funding is communicate why you want it. You can do this in person, but it\u2019s often the pitch deck that will do the talking on your behalf.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is made up of a short series of slides, which you can put together and share with apps such as Microsoft PowerPoint or Google Docs, or as a downloadable PDF file.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It needs to tell prospective funders a handful of things, namely:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The nature of your business and its products or services<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Where you are in your business journey<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The goals you\u2019d like to achieve in given timeframes<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Your financial situation and funding amounts you require<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The team behind your business<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Let\u2019s take a closer look at these points…<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Download your free guide, How to pitch for investment as a small business<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

The nature of your business and its products or services<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In just a few paragraphs, outline the reason why your business exists. What is its unique selling point (USP)? What problem was it created to address? And how does your business fill the gap in the market?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Next, discuss your market segment. How big is the market in pounds, euros or dollars?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Who are your customers? How numerous are they?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Don\u2019t be afraid to provide a snapshot persona of a typical customer, and their pain points. But, again, keep it brief.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is often where you can truly differentiate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If your business is selling burgers, for example, you can explain what kind of person would choose to buy your burger over the competition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One top tip to keep in mind as you create your pitch deck is to back up what you say with data points.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Your own figures are fine, but the best data is objective research from third-party sources. This strengthens your argument and increases your chances of winning over investors<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Where you are in your business journey<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

There\u2019s a reason why you\u2019re looking for funding<\/a>, and why you feel justified doing that right now. This is the time to outline that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Maybe you\u2019ve experienced growth but now find getting to the next stage requires further investment. The term often used here is incubation, which means you\u2019ve been biding your time, building and planning until this point.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now, you\u2019re ready to accept the support your need to strap your business to a rocket and blast off.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Either here or under the previous heading, you can discuss competitors. Be frank about this, and don\u2019t try to hide details that aren\u2019t necessarily flattering.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Explain how you\u2019re different from your competitors \u2013 but in the same breath, discuss how you\u2019ve learned from them and plan on using that to your advantage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The goals you\u2019d like to achieve in given timeframes<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Explain where your business will be in six, 12, 24 or 36 months \u2013 or whatever time periods suit your business.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For example, it might be unrealistic for a finance firm to say they intend to rule the world after just six months when the terms of their investment products take longer to mature.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A terrific tip is to have confidence as you write.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Don\u2019t state where you\u2019d like your business to be in, say, 12 months. Tell people where it will<\/em> be.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Beware of making the pitch deck seem a series of pipe dreams, which can happen if you use weak phrasing (such as \u201cwould like\u201d, \u201cwant to see\u201d, \u201chope\u201d).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Instead, provide a genuine and concrete explanation for what will happen, regardless of whether the particular investor reading the plan will be involved, or not.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Talk about it as if all-but already happened \u2013 or is certainly inevitable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The business goals<\/a> you mention should list growth rates, and it\u2019s wise to provide a spectrum of good, great and awesome growth patterns.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fun fact: providing alternatives like this is a psychological quirk that somehow encourages uncritical acceptance of at least one of the options given.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Download your free guide, How to pitch for investment as a small business<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Your financial situation and funding amounts you require<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

This is the paydirt section of your pitch deck.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s the section the investor is likely to jump straight to after flicking through the earlier sections if they find your business attractive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But don\u2019t think you should just insert it right at the beginning. In theory at least, the pitch deck is selling your business, rather than its financial position.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You should discuss two key factors in a nutshell: the state of your finances, and the growth you\u2019ve experienced.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Graphs are good, of course, because they visualise the data and make it easier to digest. You certainly shouldn\u2019t just look to provide endless tables of figures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The team behind your business<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

This is another incredibly valuable section, and another page that the investor will flick straight to if they find your pitch attractive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There\u2019s a reason why entrepreneurs consistently say that getting the right team is vital. History is full of awesome ideas that have fallen by the wayside because of poor execution.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Your reader is looking not just at the calibre and qualifications of your team, but also at their passion, personality and experience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For example, if yours is a retail business, investors will want to see real and extensive experience in that sector and a real flair for the industry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Rushina
Rushina Shah is the co-founder and director of Inside Grain<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

How I did it: Rushina Shah, Insane Grain<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Since 2017, Rushina Shah has been the co-founder and director of <\/em>Insane Grain<\/em><\/a>, the nutritious snack food brand. <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

She\u2019s won and been a finalist in numerous awards including The Grocer’s Top New Talent 2018, NPN’s 30 under 30, and was recipient of the Federation of Small Business\u2019 Business & Product Innovation of the Year. <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

She would eventually go through three rounds of funding but her first was less than typical. Here she tells that story.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI found very early on that it was really difficult to get funding<\/a>. I’d also heard the statistic that less than 1% of venture funding in the UK goes to female-led businesses. Naturally, that was really, really daunting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI realised that I needed to prove my concept, and I needed to prove the business before I could really start looking for VC funding.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI guess, because I knew that stat, and because I was almost a little bit scared to start looking for VC-led funding, I started looking for non-traditional routes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSo initially, I actually reached out to my Instagram followers, which sounds ridiculous. I had about a thousand followers, which was nothing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAnd I just thought, \u2018I just need to find ways in which I can get around getting funding\u2019 \u2013 because I knew that, actually, it was harder for a woman to secure funding in the earlier stages.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI ended up getting four people respond to me on Instagram, and they ended up all being my investors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Three were men, one of them a woman, which was really great, and it got the foot on the ground. Then I was able to prove the concept.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAnd I realised that, actually, my experience and my passion for the business shone further and more than people considering my gender to be a barrier.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Final thoughts<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Getting funding is a huge undertaking at the exact moment when you\u2019re also climbing the mountain of other challenges that come with trying to grow a budding business \u2013 all while developing your products, services, and brand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But it\u2019s a challenge you need to conquer because it\u2019s the key to growth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While building the perfect pitch deck is your first step, the route you decide to take will be the one best for your business.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s always worth reading stories from entrepreneurs who have seen and done it all before. There isn\u2019t always a clear path to getting funding.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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How to pitch for investment as a small business<\/h2>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
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Learn the tricks that can help you make the first steps to gain the investment required for business growth and lasting success.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tDownload your free guide<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\"\"\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

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Subscribe to the Sage Advice newsletter<\/h2>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
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Join more than 500,000 UK readers and get the best business admin strategies and tactics, as well as actionable advice to help your company thrive, in your inbox every month.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tSubscribe now<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\"\"\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Discover the steps to take to create a successful pitch deck and learn how the co-founder of Insane Grain won investment for her business.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1202,"featured_media":7214,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_sage_video":false,"post_featured_image_hide":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[135],"business_type":[4],"lilypad":[],"context":[],"industry":[],"persona":[73,74,75],"imagine_tag":[200,109],"coauthors":[553],"class_list":["post-8863","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-money-matters","tag-business-finances","business_type-small-business"],"sage_meta":{"region":"en-gb","author_name":"Kate Dobinson","featured_image":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2020\/01\/Beyers-Chocolate_2018_X3_BB-5.33303.jpg","imagine_tags":{"200":"Payroll","109":"Small business"}},"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"Sage Advice UK","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8863","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/users\/1202"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8863"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8863\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/media\/7214"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8863"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8863"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8863"},{"taxonomy":"business_type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/business_type?post=8863"},{"taxonomy":"lilypad","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/lilypad?post=8863"},{"taxonomy":"context","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/context?post=8863"},{"taxonomy":"industry","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/industry?post=8863"},{"taxonomy":"persona","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/persona?post=8863"},{"taxonomy":"imagine_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/imagine_tag?post=8863"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=8863"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}