Pitch Guidelines

Key Things to Keep in Mind

Your audience can’t read and listen to you at the same time.

Limit the amount of text you have on slides as much as possible. Use images, data points, graphs, and timelines to control the audiences’ focus, to prompt you throughout your presentation and to emphasize the points you’re making. Never use sentences.. turn these into bullet points.

Don’t throw out your wordier slide deck.

Slide decks with a bit more text are good to provide to investors when you’re not there to fill in the gaps and answer their questions. Use these for funding applications and profiles on angel group sites, like Dealum.

Keep it Simple.

Don’t spend too long talking about the problem or your solution. These should be explained as simply as possible. If you get too technical you’ll lose people. Investors tend to care more about the business you’re building, so spend the most amount of time talking about that.

This pitch is a reflection of your business.

Often this pitch is an investor’s first encounter with your business and the only thing they have to go off for how you run the rest of your business. Is your presentation captivating, compelling and easy to follow? Keep to the allotted time and get the audience as excited about this business as you are.

Preparation is key.

Not only should you be able to pitch with conviction, you need to be able to answer questions from investors with excited confidence. Take a look at the questions below and think about the questions you still have about your business.

90 Sec Pitch Guidelines

For those that are selected to give a 90 sec introduction, update or last call at VANTEC, we’ve created some specific guidelines for this pitch as well.

We still suggest reviewing this whole page, as this is information you should know and it’s likely that you will have the opportunity to give longer presentations.

End every conversation you have with “Is there anyone else in this room or in your network that you think I should speak with?”

Suggested 5 min Presentation Template

  • #1 Introduction

    Grab the audiences' attention.

    Introduce yourself.

    Share a concise statement defining your company purpose or mission.

    Take a deep breath.

  • #2 Problem/Opportunity

    Painting a picture by telling a story or giving an example helps the audience relate to the customer.

    Personal experience shows you know your customer well and are likely a mission driven founder.

  • #3 Solution & Value Proposition

    Explain your solution as simply as possible. Allow the investor to get as technical as they like with you during Q&A.

    Focus on the outcomes of using your solution for the customer, not features. You may need two slides for this.

  • #4 Competitive Advantage

    Who or what is your competition?

    Why are customers going to choose you over the competition? (Differentiation)

    How do you protect your competitive advantage and continue to be customers' first choice solution? (Defensibility)

  • #5 Team

    Does your team have the technical experience to build the solution?

    Do you have the industry experience and network to get to your customers?

    Do you have the business experience to execute on the business plan?

  • #6 Go-To-Market Strategy

    Include your market segment and your market channels.

    Who is your initial target customer, how many of them are there and how will you get in front of them?

  • #7 Progress To Date

    A timeline graphic is a great way for the audience to visualize your accomplishments.

    Think product development, customer validation, sales, regulatory path, IP strategy, and overall business development.

  • #8 Trajectory

    Mention how much you’re raising, the runway this raise will give you and what milestones you will achieve with the funds raised.

    You can include milestones beyond this raise, but only major ones like commercialization, breakeven, a funding round, exit plans, etc.

  • #9 Deal & Contact Info

    Be open about your valuation and the security being used.

    If you haven't set these yet, say that you're looking for a lead to help set them and are open to having that discussion.

Your goal for pitching to a room of investors should be to get to a second meeting.

Common Investor Questions

Don’t worry about answering all of these questions in your presentation. Investors with questions is a good thing. Just be prepared to answer them during Q&A. If you have appendix slides to support your answers, even better.

    • Who is your target customer?

    • What problem are you solving for your customer?

    • What opportunity have you uncovered to create value?

    • What is the severity of the problem or importance of the opportunity?

    • Why will customers buy your solution?

    • Can you explain what the measurable difference of using your solution would be for a customer?

    • What makes your solution compelling?

    • Is your solution a pain killer or a vitamin?

    • Once customers start using your solution, will they be able to see themselves living without it?

    • Who/what are you displacing? (also consider the option of people doing nothing).

    • What secrets do you know that will help you beat both incumbents and your fast followers?

    • What is your competitive advantage?

    • Are there any tailwinds? Why is now the right time to build this business?

    • How will you build barriers to competition? (IP, constant innovation, sticky product, etc.).

    • Why are you the best person to lead this business?

    • How long have you worked with key people on your team?

    • What entrepreneurial experience do you have on your team? 

    • What technical expertise do you have on your team?

    • What business (execution) expertise do you have on your team?

    • What industry experience and connections do you have?

    • What key advisors have you surrounded yourself with to fill gaps you may have on your team?

    • Who do you have on your board of directors that is providing independent oversight for investors?

    • If you don't currently have an independent board member, will you add one in this round?

    • What key skills do you still need to add to your team to execute on your plan?

    • What is your beachhead market?

    • How will you make money? (reference your revenue model).

    • How will you get in front of your customers? (partners engaged or needed? direct marketing plan?).

    • What price validation have your done with your target customers?

    • Note, many investors don't find the TAM and SAM very helpful. We're more interested in a bottom-up look at your SOM - i.e. the number of customers in your niche multiplied by your unit price or annual customer value.

    • How much has been invested into the company to get you to where you are today? (think bootstrapping, government grants and early investors).

      • Bootstrapping shows that you have skin in the game and are committed.

      • Investors love government grants because they are non-dilutive, so their dollars go further.

      • Early investors show that people believe in you, which gives confidence to other investors.

    • What stage are you at with your product? (when did you have a prototype, mvp, commercial ready product, etc.).

    • What customer validation have you completed? (beta testing, unpaid pilots, paid pilots, initial sales, etc.).

      • Use key metrics… you can’t manage what you can’t measure.. # of trials, # of customers, $ revenue, # of LOIs/MOUs/POCs, etc.

      • What metrics drive your business forward?

    • What other key milestones have you achieved? (regulatory approvals, patent applications, etc.).

    • What runway will this raise give you? 

    • What milestones will you achieve with the funds raised in this round and when? 

      • Customer validation/traction/revenue.

      • IP milestones.

      • Regulatory milestones.

      • Innovation (key product features/improvements).

      • Expansion to new target markets.

      • Future funding rounds.

      • Breakeven point - associate the number of customers and revenue needed.

      • Exit timing and most likely path.

        • Investors like to know that you have considered how you can exit this business and give them a return on their investment.

    • How much are you raising? 

      • You can use a target and minimum raise amount, if you are still deciding on the exact amount you want to raise or want flexibility in closing your round. 

    • What company valuation and security (e.g. common shares, preferred shares, SAFE, etc.) are you using? 

      • If you have not yet set these, say that you are looking for a lead investor to help set the terms of the round. 

      • Many of our investors don't like SAFEs and will only consider investing in priced rounds (common or preferred shares).

    • How much traction do you have in the round and how much of the round is still available? 

    • Are you EBC eligible? 

      • This is a big plus for BC investors, as they can get 30% back on their investment as a cash tax credit.

    • What is your target close date for the round? 

    • How many funding rounds have your completed to date?

    • How much more capital will you need after this round to get you to self-sustaining (i.e. your revenues are greater than your expenses)?

    • What are your non-financial asks? (connections, advisors, service providers, etc.)

      • These are important to include because they are low barrier ways to start conversations. 

Not sure what to include in the appendices of your deck?

Here are some ideas…

Market Opportunity

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Target Customer Persona

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Competition Matrix

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Market Opportunity 〰️ Target Customer Persona 〰️ Competition Matrix 〰️

Product Demo

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Customer Cost/Benefit Analysis

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Financial Projections

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Product Demo 〰️ Customer Cost/Benefit Analysis 〰️ Financial Projections 〰️

Use of Funds Breakdown

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Exit Strategy

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Use of Funds Breakdown 〰️ Exit Strategy 〰️

FAQs

How do you define a great business opportunity?

We define a great business opportunity as one with unique intellectual property (IP), defensible against competitors, that addresses a clear demand, with a scalable business model, a thorough business strategy, and a well-rounded team to execute.

How do you define a good quality presentation?

A high quality presentation is one that sticks to the allotted 5 mins or 90 secs, is clear and easy to follow, and covers the areas outlined in our pitch guidelines. Presenters should show their passion for the business and speak with conviction.

How do you define a good investment opportunity?

We define a good investment opportunity as one with an appropriate ask (raise amount) and a clear plan of what will be done and the significant milestones that will be achieved. It should offer a reasonable valuation that balances risk and potential upside for investors. Investors usually want 20% equity in this round and to achieve at least a 10x-20x return on their investment in 5-10 years.

How do you define a technology business?

We define a technology business as one that leverages scientific knowledge and innovative tools, systems and methods to solve problems and create value. We consider innovation in all sectors. This is purposely very board. If you’re unsure, apply and we can have a conversation.

What companies are a good fit to pitch at VANTEC?

Companies with at least a prototype, some form of customer validation and a well documented strategy. Companies with less obvious defensibility of their IP will need to show more customer traction. This is not a requirement, but having some traction in your funding round is a big plus when pitching to angel investors.

How can I make the most out of pitching at VANTEC?

Your goal should be to get to a 2nd, more in depth meeting with investors. Always be trying to build your network. Know what your audience cares about. Be well prepared… don’t worry, we’re here to provide some guidance!