Financing presentations need to be short pithy. When presenting to financial institutions or venture capitalists ensure that your presentation is business-focused. Keep these points in mind.
- Ensure that all the information in the presentation pertains to the business opportunity.
- Keep the number of slides in the presentation down to 10-15 slides.
- First 2-3 slides should be an executive summary that clearly states who you are, what you're doing, what you do better, what you're looking for, and what the payback is for the investors. Conventional wisdom has investors making their gut decisions in the first 3 slides.
- Outline the market including size of market and market share.
- Identify defensible intellectual property. Venture capitalists specifically will not fund a race.
- Identify customers, partners, and competitors.
- Quantify the difference between you and your competitors.
- Information about the management team should be at the end.
- Identify your industry advisors, for example advisory committees or advisory boards.
- Ensure that any gaps in the management team are acknowledged and outline how they will be covered given the funding.
Notes:
Don't highlight investors that are not re-investing, but be prepared to speak to that if asked.
Try out your presentation on a group of investors you know will not likely invest. You can get valuable feedback that way.
The presenter needs to have a business focus, because financial investors typically are not interested in the details of the science and technology that makes your company. However, it doesn't hurt to have a scientist or engineer on hand who can answer questions if they come up.
See also: Presentation Basics
