This post originally appeared on the Louisiana Technology Park blog.
Preparing to meet with investors can be overwhelming. But assembling a comprehensive business presentation helps you put your best foot forward. That’s exactly what Todd Lowery and William Ellison taught attendees how to do at a recent Tech Park Academy.
Your pitch deck is a visual representation of what your startup does and where you’re headed. It should show investors that you’ve thought about more than developing a killer product or service: you’ve put all the right pieces in place to build a success.
Want to build a pitch deck that will have investors fighting to get in on the ground floor? Make sure you address these three critical questions.
Does Your Idea Solve a Problem?
The market is flooded with products and services. You have to differentiate your startup’s offering. Clearly identify the problem that your product or service solves. “Your pitch should include the value proposition you bring to the table,” says Lowery, director of investment readiness and finance at NexusLA, LLC.
The people who experience the problem you’re solving make up your market, which shouldn’t be too big or too small. “If you’re trying to take over the world with $300,000, we aren’t giving it to you,” says Ellison, CEO of Innovation Catalyst, a nonprofit venture development organization. “We want to see laser-focus.”
A beachhead market is your “in” into the larger market. If you have a plan for solving your identified problem at a small scale, then investors can picture a realistic trajectory for your growth.