I am honoured to have been invited by organizations to participate in “Investor Pitch Competitions” for Canadian Small Company Start-Up’s. Many presentations I have seen lack the sufficient information that an Investor is looking for to spark their initial interest and then wish to meet further. Some reasons for this may be their concern over confidentiality, not being able to effectively communicate the best information with an Investor audience, or just lack the self-confidence to do so.
The first steps in making a great Investor Pitch Presentation are to know what information is important for the potential Investor to receive, to organize the information in a clear and concise way, and to present in a confident manner. This document serves as a template checklist on how to do this. It outlines about 20 power-point slides that will showcase your business opportunity and give you a better chance to secure initial interest and move forward with further detailed discussions with Investors. I outline the order of each slide, the purpose of the slide, and the content elements.
This information can be tailored for different “Investor Pitch” formats and be used in part, for Retailer Listing Presentations, Distributor and Sales Broker Trainings, Employee Meetings, and other venues.
Note: This checklist serves as a guideline and may not include all available information, or may suggest information that is not known at the time of the “Investor Pitch.” Also note that some topics below may require more than one slide.
1 . THE COVER
This is the first slide that an Investor will see. Remember the old saying “You Don’t Have A 2nd Chance to Make A Good 1st Impression”. You need to use this opening slide to gain interest and to begin explaining what your business or product is all about.
Content Elements:
- A Large “Beauty Pack Shot” (Singular or Product Line)
- A picture of the Product in Use (if possible)
- A short descriptor and/or its Unique Selling Proposition
- The Names of the Company and Presenter
- The Date, and Primary Contact Information
Think of luxury cars: a beautiful picture of a BMW M340i driving down a country road – windows down- with a couple sitting in the front seats. The caption reads “The Ultimate Driving Machine”!
2 . THE MARKET OPPORTUNITY
This slide identifies the market that your product competes in. The investor needs to understand what the market and the opportunity is. This should define the unmet need that no existing product satisfies and how your product does so.
Content Elements:
- Market Definition
- Market Sizes and Trends – Projections
- Market Mapping and Competitive Positioning’s
- New Emerging Segments and Why
- Unmet Consumer Needs/Gaps and Why
- Consumer Validation
3 . PRODUCT AND BRAND INTRODUCTION
This slide more fully presents your product and how it satisfies and addresses an unmet need. It lays out the key elements of the Brand Strategy.
Content Elements:
- Product Pack Shot and Brand Name/Descriptor
- Positioning Statement/Concept Statement
- Its Meaningful Perceptible Difference
- How the Product/Brand satisfies an unmet consumer need
4 . PRODUCT / BRAND RATIONALE
This slide should validate the Product and its Brand Strategy.
Content Elements:
- Results of consumer testing – Proof of Performance
- Formulation/Packaging details
- Scientific Documentation
- 3rd Party Endorsement Seals and Accreditations
5 . PRICE, COST, AND MARGIN STRUCTURE
The purpose of this section is to validate the financial viability of the product throughout the Supply Chain. This includes the key financial cost and pricing metrics that are sufficient to achieve profit viability to all members of the value chain (Manufacturer, Vendor, Distributor, Retailer, and the Consumer). Consumer validation of retail price is crucial.
Content Elements:
- Retail Pricing Strategy and Consumer Acceptance within the Competitive set.
- Retailer and Supply Chain Margins and Profitability
- Product’s Invoice Selling Price
- Trade Spend and Support Levels
- Product Cost Structure and Net Margin levels in P&L
6 . SUPPLY CHAIN AND SOURCING
This slide outlines the key elements of manufacturing, distribution, and selling into a retail environment.
Content Elements:
- Manufacturing Company and Facility
- Capacity, Capability, Validation
- Distributor Network and Selling Infrastructure
- Identifies key production/launch/introduction dates
- Key ship and on-shelf dates
7 . SALES PLANS
This section covers how Sales will be achieved and built over time. Presenting historical Sales actuals will be very helpful.
Content Elements:
- Go to Market Strategy (Bricks and Mortar/Online)
- Channel and Account Priorities and Sequencing
- Show build of store counts distribution
- Sales Per store per SKU over time (volume and dollars)
- Sales Revenue Build over next 3 years (Year 1 quarterly + Full Year, Year 2, Year 3)
- Trade Spend (show gross sales and net sales) – Amounts and Components
- Listing Fees Budget
- Commentary on 4Ps, and Promotion Strategy
8 . MARKETING PLAN
This section covers the Consumer Marketing plans to acquire Consumer Awareness, Trial, and Repeat.
Content Elements:
- Media (includes Social)
- Sampling
- PR
- Promotion
- Advisory/Endorsements
- Other
- Should show what programs will be done, timing, and phase in
Ready to WOW Investors With Your Pitch?
Don’t miss out on these important pieces!
9 . FUTURE BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT
10 . ORGANIZATION AND G&A EXPENSES
11 . KEY ISSUES
12 . KEY ACTIVITY GRID
13 . 3 YEAR P&L
14 . FUNDING NEEDS REQUESTED
15 . USE OF INVESTMENT FUNDS AND LONG – TERM ROI
16 . SUMMARY CONCLUSIONS
17 . NEXT STEPS
DOWNLOAD THE COMPLETE CHECKLIST BELOW
