how to give a great business presentation to investors

Best Practices for Creating a Top-Notch Investment Presentation

Raising venture capital is difficult. On top of having a business or product that a VC finds “fundable,” you need to have a system in place to raise capital. This includes everything from identifying the right investors to pitching investors to nurturing investors.

Related Resource: How To Write the Perfect Investor Update (Tips and Templates)

Inevitably, you will have to present or pitch to investors over the course of a fundraise (typically using a pitch deck ). To learn more about how to best pitch and present to your potential investors, check out our tips below:

What is the purpose of an investment presentation?

An investment presentation or pitch is a tool to help founders share their company story and vision with investors. An investor presentation is a visual representation of your company narrative and includes things like metrics, roadmaps, team members, etc.

Kristian Andersen of High Alpha breaks down how founders should think about crafting their pitch deck and story below:

Related Resource: Tips for Creating an Investor Pitch Deck

How long should an investment presentation be?

There is no exact answer when it comes to determining the length of your pitch deck. Different businesses and pitches will require different pitch decks, but we have found that as a rule of thumb founders should shoot for a pitch deck that is 12 slides or less.

We studied our own data from our pitch deck sharing tool and found that the average number of slides in a pitch deck (where 100% of slides were viewed) was 12.2 slides.

Related Resource: Pitch Deck 101: How Many Slides Should My Pitch Deck Have?

Many investors agree with somewhere between the 10 to 15 slide range as well. Alex Iskold of 2048 recommends a short pitch deck that should be 10 or fewer slides.

What your pitch deck should look like for your investment presentation

As we mentioned previously, every business is different. The needs for different slides and narratives will differ from business to business. However, there are a few slides that are typically used regardless of the business. Check out a few popular pitch deck slides below:

1) Discuss the company overview

First things first, clearly present your company and what you do. This should be easy to digest and understand for the investors you are pitching.

2) Present the problem

Use data, stories, or a compelling way to present the problem you are solving. Ideally, you’d like your audience to feel the problem or have a good grasp of others experiencing the problem.

3) Present your solution

Once investors understand the problem you are tackling, you need to lay out how your solution solves the problem. Make the case why you and your solution are the ones to solve the problem.

4) Highlight the target market

Next, lay out the target market and what your ideal customer looks like. This can help investors answer the “why now?” question.

5) Illustrate the market opportunity

At the end of the day, investors want to invest in companies that can turn into huge companies. Demonstrate the market and how it is (or has the opportunity) to become a large market.

6) Identify the competition

Investors will want to understand the space. Lay out your competitors and explain how you are different and better than them.

7) Showcase your product

Next, showcase the status of your product and future plans. Use data or customer stories to share how awesome your product is.

8) Share why your team is the one to solve the problem

Show your executive team members and share their relevant experience and skills so investors understand why your team is fit to execute the problem and the solution.

9) Explain your business model and marketing strategies

Investors want to know that your business has a clear plan and strategy to generate revenue. Clearly lay out your acquisition strategy and sales & marketing efforts to date so investors can understand how your business will attract and close new customers.

10) Present financial data and metrics

Of course, investors want to see the data and metrics behind your business. Lay out key financial and core metrics so investors know the status of your business.

Qualities investors want to see

An investor’s job is to generate returns for their investors (limited partners, LPs). What investors look for in a potential investment will vary from firm to firm but we laid out a few of the common attributes investors want to see in a founder and their business below:

• Large market
• Clear customer acquisition strategy
• Experienced team
• Strong leadership
• Traction and growth
• Coachability

Of course, those are just a few of the traits investors will look for in a founder or startup. Different investors will place a different level of importance on different attributes. It is important to understand what an investor looks for in an investment and tailor your pitch to them.

Related Resource: Startup Metrics You Need to Monitor

Best practices for a top-notch investor presentation

As we’ve mentioned, different investors will look for different attributes in a presentation. However, most things investors look for can be boiled down to a few key areas. Below we lay out a few best practices for putting together a top-notch investor presentation.

Practice your pitch

This should go without saying but make sure you practice your pitch. You should know the ins and outs of your presentation and business. Of course, practicing in front of a mirror or friend can only go so far.

Some founders and investors recommend “ranking” your investors before approaching investors. E.g. Tier 1 investors are the best fit, Tier 3 are less of a fit for your business. If you rank your investors you’ll be able to spend some of your earliest pitches on “Tier 3” (or lower fit) investors to dial in your pitch and prepare for your pitches with better fit investors later on in your fundraise.

Related Resource: How to Pitch a Perfect Series B Round (With Deck Template)

Keep your message simple and clear

Investors see hundreds or thousands of pitches over a given year. Being able to clearly articulate your message and pitch is a surefire way to remove any confusion. By keeping your message simple and clear, you’ll remove any back-and-forth wasted on small details and be able to spend time on what matters most — having a conversation about your business.

Find ways to connect with the investors

At the end of the day, a founder is selling their company to potential investors. Like a good sales process, a good investor pitch starts by building a relationship and trust. When pitching potential investors, find ways to connect with them in advance of the pitch. This could be everything from following and interacting with them on Twitter to going to in-person events where they are present.

Highlight early successes and wins

Get potential investors excited about your business by sharing early successes and wins. This will get the presentation off on the right foot and allow everyone to build excitement around your business. Of course, try to back up your early successes and wins with data when possible.

Know your metrics

Inevitably, investors will want to dig into the metrics and data behind your business. For most investors, this is used to evaluate your business and could be considered the best predictor of success for your business.

However, metrics can also be a barometer for how well you know your business. You don’t need to remember every data point behind your business but need to know how different metrics are calculated and what causes any major fluctuations.

Include engaging visuals and graphics

An investor presentation is a tool used to pitch your business. In order to best engage with your audience, you should aim to have engaging visuals and graphics throughout your presentation. Of course, the underlying data is what is most important but having engaging and easy-to-understand visuals and graphics is a great way to support and improve your pitch.

Leave time for questions

The best pitches and presentations tend to be more conversational. You’ll want to balance feeding your investors with the material they need and also be able to have a constructive conversation about your business. By coming prepared, having a clear and simple presentation, and engaging with your investors beforehand is a surefire way to have a conversation about your business.

Communicate before your presentation

Investors need months of data and interactions to make a decision about a potential investment. In order to best help investors build conviction and have more meaningful conversations, make sure you are engaging with potential investors on a regular basis. This can be in the form of your monthly investor updates or sharing your pitch deck in advance before a meeting.

Sharing your pitch deck in advance of a meeting is a hot topic. Some investors will say you should and some will say the opposite. At the end of the day, it is important for you to feel out the investor and do what you believe is best for you and your business.

Related Resource: 18 Pitch Deck Examples for Any Startup

In-person vs remote investment presentations

Before 2020, investment presentations were generally in-person. However, since the way we work has shifted so have investment presentations. Investors are largely open to receiving pitches and making investment decisions via a remote presentation. Learn more about the pros and cons of both in-person and remote presentations below:

In-person presentation

Before 2020, in-person presentations were the go-to for investment presentations. In-person presentations come with both pros and cons. On the positive side, in-person presentations are typically a better way to build relationships and will make sure an investor’s time is undivided.

On the other hand, in-person presentations can be expensive (both financially and time-wise) for an early-stage startup founder that might not have the resources to travel across the country. This will likely limit the number of potential investors that a founder can meet with over the course of a fundraise.

Remote presentation

Remote presentations and investor pitches have risen in popularity since COVID. Many investors are becoming comfortable with investing in companies remotely and is largely accepted by most investors. Like in-person presentations, remote presentations come with their own unique set of pros and cons.

On the positive side, remote presentations allow founders to meet with more investors as it is more viable financially (and time-wise) to meet with investors remotely. On the flip side, some individuals might find that developing a relationship remotely is more difficult and can take more meetings and a different style of communication to build trust.

Share your pitch deck with Visible

With our suite of fundraising tools, you can easily find investors , share your pitch deck, and track your fundraising funnel. Learn more about our pitch deck sharing tool and give it a free try here .

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How to Prepare a Successful Investor Pitch Deck and Presentation

The investor pitch is one of the most important tools an entrepreneur has for raising capital. It is no secret that a successful investor pitch can make or break your chances of securing funding for your business venture. 

As an entrepreneur, you only have a limited amount of time to make a good impression on potential investors. Unfortunately, many entrepreneurs fail to prepare a successful pitch, resulting in missed opportunities and wasted time.

In this guide, we will cover everything you need to know to prepare a successful investor pitch deck and presentation. We will discuss topics such as what information should be included in your pitch, how to structure your presentation, and how to effectively deliver your message. By following the advice in this guide, you will be well on your way to impressing potential investors and securing the funding you need for your business venture.

One of the most important aspects of a successful investor pitch is the content. 

Your pitch should include information about your business model, your competitive landscape, and your financial projections. In addition, you will need to address any concerns that investors may have about your business. For example, if you are pitching a new technology product, you will need to explain why consumers will want to use it and how you plan on marketing it effectively. If you are pitching a new app or service, you need to explain what problem it solves and why people would be willing to pay for it. 

The key is to provide enough information so that investors can understand your business and see the potential for growth but not so much that they get bogged down in the details. The best pitches strike a balance between being informative and concise.

Content Structure

A typical structure we recommend to entrepreneurs includes the following

• Executive summary : The executive summary should be a one-page overview of your business that includes your company’s mission statement, a brief description of your products or services, and an overview of your target market.
• The problem : This describes the issue that your product or service is attempting to solve. Also, you should describe who faces this problem,how it is currently being dealt with today, and the shortcomings and costs of existing solutions.
• Your solution : This is where you describe the solution you will offer for the problem your potential customers currently face. 
• Your team : Highlight the team behind your product and their qualifications to be trusted in handling your project.
• The market size : Talk about the size of the industry you’re serving and its projected growth.
• Traction : What milestones have you achieved so far? Traction is the measurable demonstration of your business’s ability to solve the problem combined with the proof of the business’s potential to grow over time.
• Competition: How does the competitive landscape. What are your strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats vis-a-vis your competitors?
• Financial statement : This is where you include your financial models, income statement, cash flow forecast, and balance sheet.
• Your long-term future plans : These are your next steps. It explains what your plans are for future funding and how these funds will be used to continue your business growth.
• FAQ : The final section should be reserved for frequently asked questions. This allows you to answer any lingering questions that the investors may have about your business venture.

Let's probe into each of these in more detail.

Executive Summary

This is a one-page overview of your business that includes your company’s mission statement, a brief description of your products or services, and an overview of your target market. 

The purpose of the executive summary is to give investors a zoomed-out view of your business so that they can quickly decide if it is something they are interested in.

It should be clear, concise, and free from any unnecessary jargon or technical terms. The executive summary should be visually appealing and easy to read; bullet points are often helpful in this regard. Finally, you want to make sure it leaves potential investors wanting more by providing just enough information to pique their interest without giving away too much detail about your business plan.

Remember when crafting your own executive summary, the goal is to give investors a quick and easy way to understand what your business is all about. Keep it short, and free of any unnecessary fluff.

One great historic example of an executive summary is from Ronald Wayne, the third co-founder of Apple . In 1976, he wrote up a one-page agreement that summarized the key points about the new company. The document included information such as the name of the company (Apple Computer Company), its address (360 N Virginia St.), and its purpose (“To develop and sell personal computers.”)

It also listed out each founder’s roles and responsibilities within the company. 

While this executive summary was short and to-the-point, it provided enough information for investors to understand what Apple was all about and see potential in investing in the young startup.

You, too, can use the executive summary to give investors a quick overview of your business and what makes it unique.

By including key information such as your company’s mission statement, a brief description of your products or services, and an overview of your target market, you will be well on your way to preparing a successful investor pitch.

The next piece of information you need to include in your investor pitch is the problem that your product or service is solving.

The Problem

This should describe the issue that your potential customers are facing and how it is currently being dealt with. In addition, you will want to show investors why your solution is better than any existing alternatives. 

For example, if you are pitching a new app that helps people save money on groceries, you would want to describe the current methods people use for grocery shopping (such as clipping coupons or comparison shopping) and how they often fall short (such as not knowing which coupons are available or taking too much time comparing prices).

You would then explain how your app solves these problems by providing users with personalized recommendations for where they can find the best deals on groceries. By showing investors how your product solves a specific problem in a more effective way than existing solutions, you will be one step closer to impressing them and securing funding for your business venture.

When Peter Thiel was pitching PayPal to potential investors, he focused on the problem that people were facing with online payments. At the time, there were no safe and convenient ways to pay for goods and services online.

This created a major pain point for consumers as well as businesses who were trying to sell products or services online. Thiel’s solution was PayPal, which allowed users to securely send and receive money using only an email address. By focusing on the problem that people were facing with online payments, Thiel was able to show potential investors why his solution was needed and how it would revolutionize the way people interact with businesses online.

What problem is your product or service solving? 

How does it compare to existing solutions? 

By answering these questions, you will be able to craft a convincing argument for why investors should believe in your business and fund your venture.

When describing the problem your product or service solves, it can be helpful to use what is known as the “job-to-be-done” framework. 

This framework was popularized by Harvard Business School professor Clayton Christensen and focuses on understanding the underlying reasons why people purchase a particular product or service.

For example, when someone buys a drill, they are not actually buying the drill itself but rather the “job” that they need to get done (such as drilling a hole in their wall). 

By understanding the job that your potential customers are trying to get done, you will be better equipped to position your product or service as the best solution for them.

After describing the problem, now is your chance to show investors how your product or service solves the pain points that you have previously described.

The Solution

This is an opportunity for you to describe the solution to the problem your potential customers currently face. 

So, if you are pitching a new money-saving app for those purchasing groceries, you would want to explain how your app provides users with personalized recommendations for where they can find the best deals on groceries. 

When Mark Zuckerberg was pitching Facebook to potential investors, he focused on its unique ability to connect people online in a way that had never been done before. He explained how Facebook allows users to stay connected with their friends and family members no matter where they are in the world.

Zuckerberg also talked about how businesses could use Facebook as a platform to reach out directly to consumers and build relationships with them (something that was not possible with traditional advertising methods). By focusing on its unique ability to connect people online, he was able to highlight why Facebook deserved investment despite being just another social networking site at a time when there were already many established players such as MySpace.

Describe how your solution addresses the problem your potential customers currently face.

This is your chance to show investors how your product or service solves the pain points that you have previously described. 

Two key questions to ask yourself (and answer) are: a) what makes my product or service unique? And b) how does it solve the problem in a better way than existing solutions? 

Remember that when describing the solution, you want to focus on how your product or service is uniquely positioned to solve a specific problem. 

Tips for Presenting your Solution: 

• Keep it simple : The solution should be easy for investors to understand. Avoid using any technical jargon or terms that they may not be familiar with.
• Be specific : Describe exactly how your product or service solves the problem in a better way than existing solutions.
• Focus on the benefits : Explain how your product or service will make life easier for potential customers and why they would want to use it over existing alternatives.
• Paint a picture : Use visuals to help investors visualize how your product or service works. A demo video can be especially helpful in this regard. Make it tangible.
• Address any concerns : If there are any potential concerns that investors may have about your product or service, make sure to address them head-on. For example, if you are pitching a new technology product, you will need to explain how you will achieve the technological edge over your competitors, why consumers will want to use your solution and how you plan on marketing it effectively.

Let's now talk about the team behind your product and their qualifications to be trusted in handling your project. 

This is your chance to show investors that you have assembled an A team of qualified individuals who are passionate about solving the problem that your product or service addresses. 

For example, if you are pitching a new app that helps people save money on groceries, you would want to include information such as the experience of your team members in fields such as grocery-chain veterans, software development, user experience design, and marketing.

Some key points to keep in mind when crafting this part of your presentation include:

• Keep it short: You only have a limited amount of time to make an impression on potential investors so make sure not to bog them down with too many details about each team member’s background. Instead focus on highlighting their most important credentials and why those credentials make them well-suited for working on this particular project. 30 to 45 seconds for every key team member should suffice, and no more than 4 highlighted individuals.
• Focus on diverse backgrounds: Potential investors will often look favorably upon teams with diverse backgrounds as it shows that different perspectives are being represented
• Highlight Awards & Recognition: Be sure to mention any major awards or recognition

Take some time to think about the different backgrounds and skillsets that your team members bring to the table. Then, highlight why those credentials make them well-suited for working on this particular project.

The Market Size

It can be helpful to provide some context around why this particular market is growing or changing. For example, an increase in online shopping due to Covid-19. Show investors that there is a large potential customer base for your product or service and explain why this market is attractive.

A couple of questions you should answer are:

• How big is the total addressable market for your product or service?
• Is this particular market growing or changing (and if so, why)? 

Consider the following resources when researching the size of your market:

• Industry reports : These can be helpful in understanding the overall size and growth of a particular market. For example, if you are pitching a new app for pet owners, you could look at industry reports such as the American Pet Products Association’s “Pet Owners Survey” to learn more about this market. Also consider websites like statista.com, pewsocialtrends.org , edisonresearch.com
• Government data : Websites like census.gov can provide useful information on population trends that might impact the potential customer base for your product or service. Consider websites like census.gov and usa.gov/statistics
• Secondary research : In addition to industry reports and government data, there are a number of other sources that can provide helpful insights into the size of your target market. These include trade associations, market research firms, and business directories. Consider websites like nasdaq.com , www.dnb.com, marketsandmarkets.com , bcg.com

Traction is a measure of your business’s growth and momentum within the market you are addressing. It can be helpful to think of traction as the “proof” that your business is working and that there is customer demand for your product or service.

There are a number of different ways to measure traction, but some common metrics include pilots, numbers and names of customers, revenue growth, user growth, and engagement metrics. 

Some other metrics could include marketing campaigns (and their success), press coverage (the more prestigious the media outlet - the better), brand mentions on tweets and big-shots that have tweeted about your idea or company, testimonials, subscribers, and more. 

Including information about your business’s traction in your investor pitch can be helpful in convincing potential investors that now is the right time to invest in your company. After all, if you can show them that you have already achieved significant growth with limited resources, they will likely be more interested in supporting your venture moving forward. 

How do you go about including this information in your presentation? 

Start by focusing on one or two key metrics that best demonstrate the momentum behind your business. Then provide context around these numbers by explaining what they mean and why they are important. For example, if you are pitching a new app for pet owners and have seen strong revenue growth over the past six months, highlight this trend by showing investors a graph depicting this increase over time. You could then explain why this uptick is important (perhaps pet ownership has increased during Covid-19) and how it positions your company for continued success in the future.

Imagine you are pitching a new social media platform to potential investors.

One way to showcase the traction behind your business would be to include information about the number of users who have signed up for your platform, as well as how much time they are spending on the site each day.

You could also highlight any partnerships you have formed with other businesses or influencers and mention any press coverage you have received. All of this information will help show potential investors that your business is gaining momentum and has what it takes to be successful in the long run.

The Competition

Be sure to address the competition in your investor pitch. This will show that you have done your homework and are aware of the other companies in your industry. Reviewing your competition openly will give you an opportunity to discuss why you believe your company is better positioned for success than others. If you come to the conclusion that you don’t have any direct competitors, it may be that investors who hear this might decide that you have not performed your due diligence and will decline to back your business.

There are a few key points you’ll want to hit when discussing the competition in your investor pitch:

• Competitive landscape: Provide an overview of the competitive landscape. Consider all the products similar to yours in the market, and all the companies that solve similar problems to the one you are addressing. List your key competitors, and what they've done to succeed. Include a brief description of each competitor and their respective market share. Investors will be particularly interested in hearing customers' complaints about your competitors' products. 
• Your uniqueness: Discuss what makes your company unique and better positioned for success than others. This could be anything from a new technology you have developed to a more efficient production process. 
• Threats: Don’t forget to mention any potential threats that could impact your business down the road such as new entrants into the market or changes in consumer preferences.

Including this information in your presentation will show investors that you have taken the time to research the industry and understand where your company fits within it.

We recommend using a competitive analysis framework to help you organize your thoughts and gather the relevant information to include in your pitch. One great framework to use is known as the Five Forces framework. 

The Five Forces is a tool created by economist Michael E. Porter that can be used to assess the competitive intensity of an industry and the corresponding attractiveness of opportunities within that industry. The five forces are:

• Threat of new entrants : How easy is it for new firms to enter the market and compete against existing firms? (e.g., high barriers to entry)
• Bargaining power of buyers : How much negotiating leverage do buyers have when purchasing products from suppliers in the industry? ( e. g., few buyers, switching costs)
• Bargaining power of suppliers : How much negotiating leverage do suppliers have when selling inputs to firms in the industry? ( e. g., many supplier options, differentiated products)
• The threat posed by substitute products : What alternatives do customers have if they decide not to purchase your product? (e.g., close substitutes, low switching costs)
• Intensity of competitive rivalry : How intense is competition among existing firms in this market?

The Five Forces framework can help you identify which areas of the industry are most attractive for opportunities and where there may be more competition. By taking the time to assess the competitive landscape prior to pitching your business, you will be better prepared to discuss why your company has what it takes to succeed in spite of any challenges that exist.

One critical question to address during this part of your investors deck is - what is your moat? A moat is a competitive advantage that makes it difficult for other companies to compete against you. This could be anything from a loyal customer base to patents or proprietary technology. When assessing your company’s moat, ask yourself the following questions:

• What does my company have that others don’t? 
• How hard would it be for another firm to replicate what I have built? 
• What are the costs associated with replicating my business model? 
• What switching costs do my customers face if they decide to leave me for another supplier?

To assess your company’s moat, you will need to spend some time researching your industry and looking at what others are doing. Once you have a good understanding of the landscape, you can begin to identify areas where you may have an advantage over others.

Financial Statement

The next step is to provide potential investors with an overview of your financial situation. This should include information such as your current revenue, expenses, and burn rate (the rate at which you are spending money). 

In addition, it is often helpful to include a short-term and long-term forecast of your finances so that investors can see how you expect your business to grow over time.

Think of your financial statement as a snapshot of your company’s health. For example, if you are currently generating $1 million in annual revenue but anticipate doubling this figure within the next year, be sure to mention this on your financial statement slide. 

By providing potential investors with a clear picture of your current financial situation as well as where you expect things to be in the future, they will be able to get a better sense of whether or not investing in your company is a wise decision.

Remember when crafting your financial statement that the goal is to provide potential investors with a clear picture of your current financial situation as well as where you expect things to be in the future. Warren Buffet is famously quoted as saying, “If you can’t write it down on one page, I don’t want to hear about it.” Buffett understands that by looking at the numbers, he can get a clear picture of a company’s financial health and make more informed investment decisions. As an entrepreneur, you should take a page out of Buffett’s book and make sure that your financial statement is clear, concise, and easy for potential investors to understand. 

We suggest the following format for your financial statement:

• Income Statement : Showing revenues, expenses, and profits over a period of time
• Balance Sheet : Showing what the company owns (assets) and owes (liabilities) at a specific point in time
• Cash Flow Statement : Showing how cash is moving in and out of the business over a period of time.

Terms of the Round

The financial plan is a critical component of your investor pitch deck. This section will give investors a clear idea of your business’s financial situation, including your current revenues and expenses, as well as your projected revenues and expenses for the future.

In addition, the financial plan should include information on how you intend to use any funding that you are seeking from investors. For example, if you are looking for $1 million in funding, what specific purposes will this money be used for? 

Will it be used to hire new employees? To launch a new marketing campaign? To open up a new office location? Be sure to include these details in your financial plan.

Some key elements you will want to include in your financial plan are:

• Amount you’re seeking, amount of equity you are giving away and conditions
• Use of proceeds: how you intend to use the investment money
• A detailed description of how you intend to generate revenue
• Your short-term and long-term business goals
• A breakdown of your costs and expenses
• A valuation assessment of your company
• Current cap table
• Shares outstanding pre-money and post-money
• Funding source for previous rounds

A well thought out financial plan will give investors confidence that you have a clear understanding of your business model and how you intend to generate revenue. It will also demonstrate that you have put serious thought into the feasibility of your business idea and its potential for long term success.

Your Long-term Future Plans

You will also want to include some information about your long-term plans for the company. 

This is important because it shows investors that you are thinking ahead and have a vision for where you see the business going. 

It can be helpful to include things such as long term product pipeline, milestone syou hope to achieve, projected financials (revenue, expenses, etc.)

We recommend addressing the following items when presenting your long-term plans:

• Plan of action
• Sources of revenue, projected sales, margins
• Profitability forecasts
• Balance sheet projection
• Growth and opportunity timeline
• Impact of team expansion on cash flow
• Exit strategy

Plan of Action

Your plan of action is a high-level overview of the steps you will take to achieve your long-term goals. It should include things such as when you plan on launching new products, expanding into new markets, or hiring additional staff.

Include information about your projected sales and margins for the next few years. This will give investors an idea of how much revenue you expect to generate and what kind of profit margin they can expect from investing in your company. It is also important to include any assumptions that you are making about future sales (e.g., market growth rate, product pricing). Being transparent about your projections will help build trust with your investors.

Exit Strategy

An exit strategy is a plan for how (and to whom) you may sell your company or when you plan to offer it on the public market. This information is important because it helps investors understand what they can expect from investing in your business. It shows that you have thought about the future of the company and have a plan in place for when it is time to capitalize on the initial investment. There are many different types of exit strategies, so be sure to include the one that makes the most sense for your business. Some common examples include selling the company to a larger company or taking it public through an IPO.. 

Discussing your exit strategy shows that you have thought about your investors’ interests and that their investment will generate more value down the road, and not just help you to keep the lights on for another month.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Make time in your investors' pitch to allow for questions and be prepared to answer them, even if the question is not directly relevant. It shows that you're truly interested in what they think and care about their input. While it's nearly impossible to predict every question an investor may ask you, prepare for some of the most common questions that were not covered in your pitch:

• How did you come up with the idea for your business?
• Why do you believe your team is qualified to execute on this opportunity?
• What are your unit economics?
• How have you validated your market opportunity?
• Describe your competitive landscape and how you plan to differentiate yourself in the market.
• When do you anticipate reaching profitability?
• What are the biggest risks and challenges facing your business?
• How did you come up with your valuation?
• Have you had any conversations with potential acquirers?
• How much money are you looking to raise and for what purpose?
• Do you have any existing relationships with potential investors?

Consider these questions and prepare to answer them with confidence.

Now you know the critical ingredients you should prepare for your pitch. 

Before we let you go, here are a few key tips to delivering an effective presentation. Remember - content is only half of the ingredients of a successful pitch.

Presentation Tips

If you were making a cake, the content would be the ingredients, and how you mix them together and bake them would be your presentation skills. Here are a few key tips:

• Practice, practice, practice - A successful investor pitch requires careful planning and execution in order to convince investors to provide funding for your startup. Knowing your material cold is not enough; it is important to rehearse your delivery daily so you come across as polished and professional. Preparing well will allow free you from the dreadful reading from your slides or notes.
• Start strongly - Grab investors' attention from the beginning with a compelling story or statistic that will make them want to hear more.
• Be clear and concise - Use simple language that can be understood by everyone in the room, and get to the point quickly without beating around the bush. Being concise is so important that, perhaps somewhat ironically, Y Combinator partner Kevin Hale speaks about the importance of this point for seven whole minutes in his outstanding lecture about pitching startups .
• Be passionate - Show excitement about your business and market opportunity; you're trying to convince others to believe in your vision!
• Visuals matter - Use high-quality visuals (e charts, graphs, photos) throughout your presentation to support your points; slides should complement what you're saying, not repeat it verbatim.
• Do not read off your slides - This is a surefire way to lose investors' attention. Instead, use your slides as a guide and speak extemporaneously about the topics you've prepared.
• Be prepared for questions - Have answers ready for commonly asked questions about your business and industry. Be sure to answer each question thoroughly but concisely; if you don't know the answer to a question, be honest and say so.
• Speak slowly and clearly - An investor presentation is not the time to speed up your talking or try out a new vocal fry.
• Make eye contact - With each person in the room, if possible. This will help you come across as sincere and trustworthy.
• Smile! - A genuine smile goes a long way in making a good impression; it makes you appear more likable and creates a positive association with your business in investors' minds.
• Avoid filler words such as “um” or “like“   -  Using filler words makes you come across as nervous and unprepared, two qualities that will not instill confidence in investors.
• Dress the part - First impressions matter, so be sure to dress professionally in clothing that is clean and wrinkle-free. This shows that you're taking the pitch seriously and are respectful of investors' time.
• End on a strong note - Thank investors for their time and interest, then provide a brief overview of your key points to leave them with a lasting impression of your business.

One Final Tip...

Always follow up. After the pitch, be sure to send a thank-you note or email to each investor. You can use this interaction to send answers to questions you didn’t have the answer to during the presentation. 

This not only shows your appreciation and professionalism, but also keeps you top of mind in case they have any additional questions or are interested in investing.

Follow these tips, and you'll be well on your way to delivering a successful investor pitch and securing the funding you need to grow your business.

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How to Make a “Good” Presentation “Great”

• Guy Kawasaki

Remember: Less is more.

A strong presentation is so much more than information pasted onto a series of slides with fancy backgrounds. Whether you’re pitching an idea, reporting market research, or sharing something else, a great presentation can give you a competitive advantage, and be a powerful tool when aiming to persuade, educate, or inspire others. Here are some unique elements that make a presentation stand out.

• Fonts: Sans Serif fonts such as Helvetica or Arial are preferred for their clean lines, which make them easy to digest at various sizes and distances. Limit the number of font styles to two: one for headings and another for body text, to avoid visual confusion or distractions.
• Colors: Colors can evoke emotions and highlight critical points, but their overuse can lead to a cluttered and confusing presentation. A limited palette of two to three main colors, complemented by a simple background, can help you draw attention to key elements without overwhelming the audience.
• Pictures: Pictures can communicate complex ideas quickly and memorably but choosing the right images is key. Images or pictures should be big (perhaps 20-25% of the page), bold, and have a clear purpose that complements the slide’s text.
• Layout: Don’t overcrowd your slides with too much information. When in doubt, adhere to the principle of simplicity, and aim for a clean and uncluttered layout with plenty of white space around text and images. Think phrases and bullets, not sentences.

As an intern or early career professional, chances are that you’ll be tasked with making or giving a presentation in the near future. Whether you’re pitching an idea, reporting market research, or sharing something else, a great presentation can give you a competitive advantage, and be a powerful tool when aiming to persuade, educate, or inspire others.

• Guy Kawasaki is the chief evangelist at Canva and was the former chief evangelist at Apple. Guy is the author of 16 books including Think Remarkable : 9 Paths to Transform Your Life and Make a Difference.

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How to Present to Investors: 5 Proven Ways to Nail Your Pitch

Presenting a business pitch can be nerve-wracking, especially if it’s your first time doing so. Before you can get your investor’s nod of approval, you must first succeed in getting them to listen to your business plan. After all, your goal is to persuade your investors into funding your startup. With enough funding, you’ll be able to take your small business to the next level.

If you want to learn how to present to investors, here are some tried and true tips for creating a successful pitch for your business.

Table of Contents

Getting a suitable investor to invest in your business isn’t a walk in the park. You must succeed in proving that your business has the potential to grow. For this to happen, you’ll need to come up with a  convincing business pitch presentation .

How to Present to Investors? Tips to Improve Your Business Presentation

You might ask yourself how to present to investors in a way that will pique their interest. While showcasing your enthusiasm can be a good thing, it won’t be enough to incite your investors to give you some funding. Below are some tips on how to successfully present your pitch to potential investors:

1.) Skip the small talk.

Cut to the chase. Don’t try to appeal to your investors using small talk. Investors want to know more about how you plan to take your business to the next level. Avoid overloading them with information. Instead of overfilling your slides with charts and graphics, focus on coming up with a good business narrative. 

Being straightforward also helps create a positive first impression. You’re demonstrating professionalism by understanding the value of time.

2.) Know your investor.

Before you meet up with your investor, do some background research first. Take time to learn about your investor’s level of commitment and expected returns. Knowing who your investor is will make it easier for you to communicate your needs upfront. It’ll also help you determine whether your potential investor is the right fit for your business.

3.) Be transparent with your financial needs.

When presenting your pitch, be authentic and clearly state the amount you need to fund your business or project. Be transparent about your financial statements and expected returns. Don’t even attempt to bluff your way into getting the funds. Investors are keen on observing whether you’re telling the truth or not.

4.) Practice some effective relaxation techniques.

Anxiety can ruin your presentation. No matter how confident you are with your pitch, your nervousness could ruin your chance at presenting a perfect business proposal. It’ll help a lot if you practice some relaxation techniques. If you’re relaxed, you can focus on the presentation instead of worrying about what could go wrong.

5.) End on a good note.

When presenting to investors, never forget to end your presentation on a good note. The last slide of your pitch deck should consist of something that will leave a positive and lasting impression. Remember that the purpose of your pitch is to get your investor engaged and interested. Concluding your presentation with a bang helps cultivate your investor’s eagerness to get on board. 

Free Template: Investment Proposal

Getting your next investment for your business can be challenging. Simplify the process by using a template that’s proven and tested.

Download the  Investment Proposal template  below for FREE:

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What Is a Business Pitch Presentation?

An investor presentation, also known as pitch deck, is a type of presentation you present to an investor or group of investors. The primary objective of a pitch deck is to give your investors an overview of your business in such a way that they’ll be able to grasp its growth potential. Your business presentation could be in the form of an email or letter, but one of the most effective ways to do it is via a 10-20 slide presentation .

How to Create a Good Pitch for an Investor?

An effective pitch should have the essential elements that can get investors to understand the potential worth of your business or company. Before you schedule that meeting with your potential investor, you better iron out the details that you need to include in your pitch deck first.

In designing a successful pitch, you need to provide concise answers to the following questions:

• What is your business all about?
• Who is your target market?
• What makes your business stand out from your competitors?
• What is your marketing and sales strategy?
• How much money is needed to fund your project?

Keep in mind that your business pitch plays a crucial role in getting investors on board. If you succeed in attracting the interest of your potential investors, then you are certainly off to a good start.

Click here to learn more  about the essential elements of a good pitch.

What Is the Best Software for Presenting a Business Pitch?

Apart from knowing how to present to investors, you’ll need a reliable presentation tool to help deliver your pitch without a hitch. While MS PowerPoint has always been the go-to tool for creating slides, there are plenty of good alternatives like Prezi, Visme, and Canva.

Having a secure document-sharing tool like Fill will also help you gain a strategic advantage. It enables you to share important files with investors without risking your security and privacy. You can also keep track of your documents in real-time using audit logs and analytics. 

With Fill , you can:

• Streamline your document signature workflow
• Enable multi-party signing, making it possible for multiple people to sign your documents simultaneously regardless of location
• Simplify your deal management by providing an intuitive digital signing experience

Key Takeaway

No matter how  carefully crafted your pitch deck  is, it won’t be as effective unless you succeed in delivering its objective. Thus, it is crucial to prepare ahead. If you manage to present your pitch successfully, then you’re already one step closer to reaching your funding goal.

Are you in need of a reliable tool for document signing and deal agreements? Fill offers an innovative approach that aims to simplify the way you sign, fill and share documents. It also uses state-of-the-art security to protect your data while you sign documents on the go.

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How to Create an Effective Investor Presentation

Investor presentations are a crucial tool for entrepreneurs and business owners seeking funding or investment opportunities. A well-crafted presentation can captivate potential investors, showcase your business's potential, and ultimately secure the financial support you need. To help you create an effective investor presentation that stands out from the crowd, we've compiled some essential tips and strategies.

Understanding Your Audience

Before diving into the details of your presentation, it's crucial to understand your audience. Investors have specific expectations and interests, so tailoring your pitch to their needs is essential. Research the individuals or firms you will be presenting to, and consider their investment preferences, industry focus, and track record. By understanding your audience, you can customize your presentation to resonate with their specific interests and increase your chances of success.

Crafting a Compelling Story

Every great investor presentation tells a compelling story. Start by clearly articulating your business's mission, vision, and unique value proposition. Describe the problem your product or service solves and how it addresses a market need. Use storytelling techniques to engage your audience emotionally and make your presentation memorable. By connecting with investors on a deeper level, you increase the likelihood of their investment in your business.

Presenting a Solid Business Plan

A well-structured and comprehensive business plan is the backbone of any investor presentation. Start with an executive summary that provides a concise overview of your business, highlighting key aspects such as market opportunity, competitive advantage, and financial projections. Then, dive into the details of your business model, target market, marketing strategy, and sales projections. Be prepared to answer questions and provide supporting data to back up your claims.

Creating Visually Engaging Slides

Investor presentations often rely heavily on visual aids, such as slides, to convey information effectively. When creating your slides, keep them clean, concise, and visually appealing. Use high-quality images, charts, and graphs to support your key points and make complex information more digestible. Avoid overcrowding your slides with text and opt for bullet points or short phrases instead. Remember, your slides should complement your presentation, not overshadow it.

Demonstrating Market Potential

Investors are often interested in the market potential of your business. Clearly articulate the size of your target market, its growth rate, and any emerging trends that support your business's viability. Use market research and industry data to back up your claims and demonstrate a thorough understanding of your industry's dynamics. Present a compelling case for why your business is well-positioned to capture a significant share of the market.

Highlighting Your Team's Expertise

Investors not only invest in ideas or products but also in the people behind them. Showcase your team's expertise, experience, and track record to instill confidence in potential investors. Highlight key team members and their accomplishments, emphasizing how their skills align with the business's goals. Demonstrating a strong and capable team can significantly enhance your presentation and increase investors' trust in your ability to execute your business plan successfully.

Addressing Potential Risks

No business is without risks, and investors understand that. Acknowledge and address any potential risks or challenges your business may face. Be transparent about your mitigation strategies and contingency plans, showing investors that you have considered potential obstacles and have a plan in place to overcome them. This demonstrates your preparedness and commitment to ensuring the long-term success of your venture.

Crafting an effective investor presentation requires careful planning, research, and attention to detail. By understanding your audience, telling a compelling story, presenting a solid business plan, creating visually engaging slides, demonstrating market potential, highlighting your team's expertise, and addressing potential risks, you can create a presentation that stands out and captures the attention of potential investors. Remember, practice makes perfect, so rehearse your presentation thoroughly to deliver a confident and impactful pitch. Good luck!

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6 Powerful Tips for Crafting Outstanding Investor PowerPoint Presentations

In today's competitive business landscape, effectively communicating your company's potential to investors is crucial for securing funding and driving growth. Investor PowerPoint presentations play a significant role in conveying your vision, business model, financials, and growth prospects in a visually appealing and engaging manner. A well-prepared and compelling presentation can capture investors' attention and convince them to invest in your business.

This guide provides you with powerful tips and best practices for crafting outstanding investor PowerPoint presentations. By following these guidelines, you will be better equipped to create a presentation that clearly communicates your business's potential, showcases your achievements, and highlights the key information investors are looking for. This will ultimately increase your chances of securing investment and driving your business toward success.

Key Information Investors Look For

When creating investor PowerPoint presentations , it's essential to understand what information investors are typically looking for to make well-informed decisions. By focusing on these key aspects, you can ensure that your presentation effectively addresses investors' concerns and interests.

• Business Model and Market Opportunities: Investors need a clear understanding of your business model and market opportunities. This includes information about market saturation, market shares, and the overall size and growth potential of the industry. Additionally, they will want to know about your competitors, their strengths and weaknesses, and how you plan to differentiate your product or service. Any regulatory requirements or outstanding major lawsuits that could impact your business should also be addressed.
• Management Team and Key Employees: Investors want to meet the management team and recognize key employees. Including short CVs or bios in your PowerPoint presentations can help investors understand the team's capabilities, track record, and how they plan to lead the company to success.
• Financials and Key Metrics: Your investor PowerPoint presentations should include key financial data such as revenue, profit margins, working capital, debt position, and cash flow. Industry-specific key metrics, such as customer acquisition cost, lifetime value of a customer, and churn rate, should also be presented. These metrics help investors assess your company's financial performance and potential.
• Growth Prospects and Potential Returns: Investors want to see that your company has strong growth prospects and the potential to generate significant returns. Be sure to outline your growth plans and how you intend to achieve them in your investor PowerPoint presentations.

By incorporating these key aspects into your investor PowerPoint presentations, you can effectively address the information investors are most interested in and increase your chances of securing the funding you need.

Crafting a Compelling Story

A successful investor PowerPoint presentation tells a captivating story that highlights your business model, market opportunities, and investment benefits. By weaving together a compelling narrative, you can better engage your audience and provide a memorable context for the information you present. Here's how to craft a compelling story for your investor PowerPoint presentations:

• Start with a Strong Opening: Begin your presentation by clearly stating the problem your business is solving or the opportunity it is addressing. This sets the stage for your story and immediately captures your audience's attention.
• Showcase Your Business's Journey: Provide a brief overview of your company's history, including major milestones and achievements. This helps build credibility and demonstrates your team's ability to execute their vision.
• Highlight Your Unique Value Proposition: Clearly articulate what sets your product or service apart from the competition. Focus on the unique aspects of your business that give you a competitive advantage and support your success.
• Share Customer Success Stories: Including testimonials or case studies from satisfied customers can humanize your business and make your story more relatable. This also provides evidence of the value your product or service delivers to its users.
• Present Your Future Vision: Outline your company's goals and objectives for the future, and explain how you plan to achieve them. This demonstrates your ambition and commitment to growth, creating excitement and anticipation among investors.
• End with a Clear Call-to-Action: Conclude your investor PowerPoint presentation by summarizing the key points of your story and clearly stating what you want from investors. Be specific about the amount of funding you need and how it will be used to help your business achieve its goals.

By crafting a compelling story in your investor PowerPoint presentations, you can create an emotional connection with your audience and leave a lasting impression that can significantly impact their decision to invest in your business.

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Keeping It Focused and Simple

Investor PowerPoint presentations should be concise and easy to understand, allowing investors to quickly grasp the essential information about your business. By keeping your presentation focused and simple, you can ensure that your audience remains engaged and retains the key points you want to convey. Here are some tips for maintaining focus and simplicity in your investor PowerPoint presentations:

• Prioritize Key Points: Identify the most crucial aspects of your business that investors need to understand, and prioritize those points in your presentation. By concentrating on the most relevant information, you can avoid overwhelming your audience with excessive detail.
• Use clear and concise language: Present your ideas using straightforward, concise language. Avoid jargon and complex terms that confuse your audience. Remember, not all investors will have an in-depth knowledge of your industry, so it's essential to make your presentation accessible to everyone.
• Limit the Number of Slides: Aim for a concise presentation with a limited number of slides. A general rule of thumb is to have no more than 10-15 slides for a typical investor PowerPoint presentation. This helps you maintain a focused narrative and ensures you don't lose your audience's attention.
• Keep Visuals Uncluttered: Use clean, minimalistic visuals that clearly illustrate your points without distracting from the message. Avoid cluttered slides with too much text or too many images. Instead, opt for simple charts, graphs, and images that effectively convey your message.
• Highlight One Idea per Slide: To keep your presentation focused, present only one main idea per slide. This approach ensures that each concept is given adequate attention and makes it easier for your audience to follow along and digest the information.
• Rehearse and Refine: Practice delivering your investor PowerPoint presentation and refine it based on feedback from peers or advisors. This process helps you identify areas where you can simplify or clarify your message, ensuring that the final version is as focused and easy to understand as possible.

By keeping your investor PowerPoint presentations focused and simple, you can effectively communicate your business's key information and make a strong impression on your audience, increasing your chances of securing investment.

Utilizing Visuals Effectively

Visuals play a crucial role in making investor PowerPoint presentations more engaging and impactful. When used effectively, visuals can illustrate complex ideas, support your narrative, and emphasize key points. Here are some tips for utilizing visuals effectively in your investor PowerPoint presentations:

• Choose the Right Visuals: Select visuals that accurately represent the information you want to convey. Use charts and graphs for presenting data , diagrams for illustrating processes or relationships, and images or icons for emphasizing key concepts.
• Maintain consistency: Use a consistent visual style throughout your presentation to create a cohesive look and feel. This includes using similar colors, fonts, and graphical elements that align with your company's branding.
• Simplify Data Visualization: When presenting data, opt for clear and straightforward charts or graphs that are easy to read and understand. Avoid overly complicated visuals that confuse your audience or obscure the main message.
• Balance Text and Visuals: Strive for a balance between text and visuals on each slide. Too much text can be overwhelming and difficult to read, while too many visuals can be distracting. Aim to create a harmonious blend of both elements that effectively convey your message.
• Use High-Quality Images: Ensure that all images, icons, and graphics used in your investor PowerPoint presentations are of high quality and resolution. Blurry or pixelated visuals can appear unprofessional and detract from your message.
• Opt for Readable Fonts and Colors: Choose fonts and colors that are easy to read and provide sufficient contrast between text and background. Avoid using excessively small font sizes or color combinations that strain the eyes.
• Animate with a Purpose: If you use animations or transitions, use them sparingly and for a clear purpose. Excessive or overly flashy animations can distract and detract from your presentation's overall message.

By utilizing visuals effectively in your investor PowerPoint presentations, you can create a more engaging and memorable experience for your audience, ultimately increasing your chances of securing investment and driving your business forward.

Highlighting Key Metrics and Data

Presenting key metrics and data in your investor PowerPoint presentations helps demonstrate your company's financial performance , growth potential, and overall viability. By effectively showcasing this information, you can provide investors with a clear understanding of your business's strengths and the potential return on their investment. Here are some tips for highlighting key metrics and data in your investor PowerPoint presentations:

• Identify the Most Important Metrics: Determine the most relevant and impactful metrics for your business and industry. These may include financial figures such as revenue growth, profit margins, and cash flow. In addition, they may include industry-specific metrics like customer acquisition cost, lifetime value of a customer, and churn rate.
• Use appropriate data visualization: Present your metrics and data using clear, easy-to-understand charts and graphs. Choose the most suitable visualization method for each data set. This includes line charts for displaying trends over time, bar charts for comparing values across categories, or pie charts for showing proportions.
• Emphasize Key Data Points: Draw attention to the most relevant data points or metrics by using bold colors, larger font sizes, or other visual elements. This helps ensure that investors can quickly identify and understand crucial information in your presentation.
• Provide Context for Your Metrics: When presenting metrics and data, provide context to help investors understand their significance. This may include comparing your figures to industry benchmarks, discussing historical trends, or explaining the impact of specific events on your numbers.
• Include Projections and Forecasts: Investors are interested in your company's future growth potential, so include projections and forecasts in your investor PowerPoint presentations. Clearly outline your assumptions and methodologies, and demonstrate how your plans align with these projections.
• Be transparent and honest: Present your data and metrics accurately and transparently. Be prepared to explain any discrepancies or anomalies, and avoid manipulating figures to create misleading impressions. Transparency and honesty help build trust with investors and support your presentation's credibility.

By effectively highlighting key metrics and data in your investor PowerPoint presentations, you can give investors the information they need to evaluate your business' potential. Enabling them to make informed investment decisions, in turn, increase your chances of securing the funding necessary to grow and succeed.

Polishing and Practicing Your Presentation

A polished and well-rehearsed investor PowerPoint presentation demonstrates professionalism but also helps you deliver your message confidently and effectively. Taking the time to refine and practice your presentation can significantly impact investors' impressions. Here are some tips for polishing and practicing your investor PowerPoint presentation:

• Review and Edit Your Content: Carefully read through your presentation, checking for errors in grammar, spelling, and punctuation. Ensure that your content is clear, concise, and easy to understand. Consider asking a colleague or advisor to review your presentation and provide feedback.
• Ensure Consistent Design and Branding: Check that your presentation's design elements, such as colors, fonts, and graphics, are consistent throughout and align with your company's branding. Consistency creates a cohesive and professional look, reinforcing your company's identity.
• Optimize Slide Transitions and Animations: Make sure that any slide transitions or animations you include are smooth and serve a purpose, such as emphasizing a point or guiding the audience's attention. Avoid excessive or overly flashy transitions that can distract or detract from your message.
• Test on Different Devices: To ensure that your investor PowerPoint presentation displays correctly on various screens and devices, test it on different monitors, projectors, or laptops. This helps identify and resolve any formatting or compatibility issues before presenting to investors.
• Practice Your Delivery: Rehearse your presentation multiple times, focusing on your pacing, tone, and body language. Practicing helps you become more comfortable with the material and enables you to speak confidently and clearly.
• Anticipate Questions and Prepare Answers: Think about potential questions investors might ask and prepare thoughtful, data-backed responses. This demonstrates your expertise and preparedness, building trust and credibility with your audience.
• Adjust Based on Audience Feedback: After practicing your presentation, consider any feedback or reactions from your test audience. Be open to adjustments to improve your presentation's clarity, engagement, and effectiveness.

By polishing and practicing your investor PowerPoint presentation, you can ensure a professional, engaging, and impactful presentation that effectively communicates your business's potential and increases your chances of securing investment.

Creating an effective investor PowerPoint presentation is crucial for capturing potential investors' attention and securing the funding needed to grow your business. By focusing on the key elements discussed in this guide, you can craft a compelling and engaging presentation that showcases your company's potential:

• Craft a compelling story that highlights your business model, market opportunities, and investment benefits.
• Keep your presentation focused and simple, prioritizing key points and using clear, concise language.
• Utilize visuals effectively to enhance your message and engage your audience.
• Highlight key metrics and data that demonstrate your company's financial performance and growth potential.
• Polish and practice your presentation to ensure professional and confident delivery.

By following these tips and putting in the necessary effort to create a well-structured, engaging, and data-driven investor PowerPoint presentation, you can significantly increase your chances of securing the investment needed to propel your business forward.

Ready to supercharge your PowerPoint presentations?

Try Zebra BI for Office for free. Don't miss the chance to create engaging presentations that drive results for free!

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Top 10 Investor Presentation Templates with Samples and Examples

You are a dogged entrepreneur about to seize a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity: presenting your concept to prospective investors. You need the people to believe in your idea to get that funding.

Did you know that 75% of investor presentations bomb in their investment pitch ? Which means, you need the right Investor Presentation Template to be a part of the 25%. SlideTeam is here to help, providing you with the best means to capture your audience. With our Top 10 Investor Presentation Templates that will wow your backers, you will stand out.

Want a short, customizable investor pitch to get your idea funded anyway? Read out blog on investor pitch deck slides

Unleash Your Investor Pitch with SlideTeam's Investor Presentation Templates

Believe us; YOU WILL ROCK IT! Try our templates and increase your chances of getting the money you need. Are you ready? Here we go!

Template 1: Investor Presentation to Raise Capital from Series C Funding PowerPoint Presentation Slides

Renowned business author and industry expert Brian Tracy once said, " Investment in knowledge pays the best interest ." This sentiment holds true with this Series C funding comprehensive template that covers all the essential elements, starting with an agenda for the company's operational overview, highlighting key metrics such as store count and revenue split.

Present current business statistics, showcasing the market opportunity, and the problem your company solves. Highlight your unique selling points and the vision and values ​​that drive your organization forward. Showcase your achievements with detailed descriptions, and delve into your product categories and features. Convey your value proposition and attract potential investors for Series C funding today.

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Template 2: Investor Presentation to Raise Private Equity Funds PowerPoint Presentation Slides

Want to grow your company by investing in private equity? This PPT Deck of 47 slides contains everything you need, including a detailed agenda, an in-depth company analysis, convincing figures, and a concise summary of the key issues and core values. Demonstrate why your business idea is the greatest investment opportunity, lay out your team's organizational structure, and emphasize your venture's competitive advantages. Get your message through with a download of this this impressive set of slides.

Template 3: Investor Presentation to Raise Capital from Series A Round PowerPoint Presentation Slides

Is your business prepared to take the next step by participating in a Series A round of funding? We've got you covered! 

This comprehensive deck includes various issues crucial to your success, with captivating backdrop graphics and pertinent material. It includes everything you need to make an impression for capital fundraising , including an agenda that sets the scene, information that grabs attention, pictures of your team in action, discussion of obstacles and triumphs, and an emphasis on your core values.

Template 4: Multiplayer Gaming System Investor Presentation PPT Template

In the competitive gaming industry, a fascinating investor presentation is essential. This amazing template attracts gamers with a mission statement that encapsulates your brand and highlights the exponential audience growth.

You'll see your gaming platform's potential with data-driven presentations on product development, sales, distribution methods, and revenue. Introduce your leadership team to platform performance metrics using this template. SWOT analysis features may reveal the gaming industry's landscape and top companies' advantages. Ready to jump in? Elevate your investor presentation and dominate the gaming industry!

Template 5: Sustainable Farming Investor Presentation PPT Template

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Template 6: Bio-Processing Firm Investor Presentation Complete Deck

Augment your investor presentations! Use our pitch deck template! It informs investors with convincing data and highlights your firm's value proposition, massive potential market size, and lucrative business strategy.

Showcase industry leaders to compete. Show investors your company's chronology. Present confident financial predictions and capital requirements. Introduce your bio-processing firm's key clients, capable leaders, and renowned board members and advisors. Download the deck to begin your success journey.

Learn more about the same presentation templates Amazon uses to lure investors. Read blog Amazon investment templates .

Template 7: Supply Chain Logistics Investor Presentation Template

Chris Caplice, author and logistics expert, said, "Supply chains compete, not companies." Logistics efficiency can make or break a firm. And this is the presentation template you need to make it.

Show investors how your courier management solution addresses industry challenges using slides. Promote automated shipping tracking and customer services. It comprises logistics industry data, market forecasts, and a sound corporate strategy with significant revenue streams. Present your company's mission, values, target audience, premium services, significant clients, headquarters, and experience.

Template 8: Investor Presentation for Software Development PPT Template

Software development funding requires a good investor presentation. And this template emphasizes application pitch essentials.

Start with your company's history and product value propositions. Lists your app's main concerns. The deck analyzes your software and monetization strategies. This presentation identifies your ideal customer, analyzes the industry landscape, and shows major competitors' market share and application information. It shows your organization's overall fundraising and assets . Use this template to shine as software development success awaits!

Template 9: B2B SaaS Investor Presentation PowerPoint Complete Deck

This PPT Template lets you explain your solution's concept, business approach, and the huge market potential. Showcase your talented and dedicated workforce and explain why investors should select your B2B SaaS above the competition.

Discover growth-guaranteed client acquisition tactics and show how you're different from the competition. Present your vision and product roadmap . Give your audience the best presentation with this deck and watch their enthusiasm increase.

Template 10: Investor Presentation PowerPoint Template Bundles

A well-designed presentation influences 65% of investors' decisions. Don't take a chance on success.

You may communicate your vision with these 12 slides. This template is ideal for expert talks and gatherings. Explore the company overview, portfolio , investor-specific client composition dashboard, competitive analysis, and 2030 vision. Track profitability and growth with a dashboard and share your strategic objectives to generate confidence. Avoid mediocrity. Improve investor presentations to stand out and boost your pitching with this PPT Template.

Get Desired Investments with Us!

Level up your investor pitches with SlideTeam's Investor Presentation Templates . Unleash your creativity, captivate investors, and secure the funding you deserve. Get access to the ultimate toolkit for successful presentations. Revolutionize your pitch today!

You can also try out the beverages presentation template if you own a beverage business. Find out more by reading the blog.

FAQs on Investor Presentations

What is in an investor presentation.

Attracting investors and securing cash may be accomplished with the help of a well-crafted investor presentation. The company's history, goals, and values ​​are all staples of any such document. The presentation emphasizes the issue addressed, the company's USP, and its intended audience. Details on the market, its potential, the company's management, its finances, and its future forecasts are all included. The product or service, expansion plans, and early successes may all be highlighted in a presentation to potential investors.

How do you structure an investor presentation?

To convince investors to back your company, you must give them a well-organized presentation. Get them interested immediately by opening with a strong statement of your value offer. Then, please explain the issue your company is trying to tackle and how it differs from any other. The market study should be included, highlighting the current size, projected growth, and intended audience. Then, present your company plan, income sources, and financial forecasts. Draw attention to your team's expertise and distinguishing features.

How do you conclude an investor presentation?

It's important to make a strong impression on investors when you wrap up your presentation. Summarize your main arguments, stressing the possible ROI and reiterating your value offer. Focus on the market's potential and highlight any progress or accomplishments you've made to bolster your argument. Reaffirming your team's knowledge and competence is important to carry out the company strategy. Give investors a glimpse into your plans and explain what you want to do next, whether that's more conversation or asking for their financial backing. In closing, thank investors for their time and attention and give them a clear call to action.

What are the key highlights of a good investment pitch?

Following are the highlights of the investment pitch:

• A concise description of the company's offering, including its value proposition and distinguishing features.
• development potential and market opportunity are already apparent
• Knowledgeable about and empathic with the intended audience
• Good financial estimates and a well-defined revenue strategy.
• Team with a proven track record of achievement, backed by years of expertise
• in market distinctiveness and competitive advantage, were emphasized
• Proven success with a combination of measurable objectives and user feedback
• Excellent preparation, interesting delivery, and stimulating imagery.
• Direct appeal to the interest of possible backers.

Related posts:

• Top 7 Brand Pitch Templates with Samples and Examples
• Top 5 One-Page Film Pitch Example Templates with Samples
• Top 5 Business Services Proposal Examples with Templates and Samples
• Top 10 Startup Pitch Deck Templates with Examples and Samples

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Beyond the pitch deck: Building a strong investor presentation

Your pitch deck is one of three key elements of your investor presentation:

• Your slides — simple, clean and to the point
• Notes that you refer to as you make your presentation — either cue cards or the notes feature in PowerPoint or Keynote
• A detailed handout to leave behind

Remember that the pitch deck supplements your presentation to your investors . Try not to stand in front of the audience and read out the slides to them — they can do that themselves.

Tips for building an effective investor presentation

• Good slides in your deck support you as the speaker/presenter and enhance your overall presentation. Use the pitch deck as a tool during your presentation, not as a crutch to rely on as you list the items (as bullet-by-bullet points) you are trying to get across. Simplicity in slides sets the stage for more effective presentations.
• Practise your pitch until you can deliver it in a natural and confident way. Some experts recommend running through it 25 times until it is familiar and comfortable.
• The CEO should be the lead presenter, with either the technical or financial person presenting the slides if necessary.
• Remember that you are speaking to make a connection with the audience (that is, your investors). You want to get them excited and persuade them that you have a great idea. You want to demonstrate that you are the team to execute the idea and convince them that you are someone they want to partner with and invest in.
• Test every statement you include in your pitch deck by asking “So what?” In other words, “What’s my point and why does it matter?” Remember to keep your message simple, short and clear.
• Think about the flow of a natural conversation with an investor and organize your slides to match what questions they might have at each stage of the presentation. For example, once you explain to them what your mission is, the next obvious questions could be, “How will you do it?”, “Why you over someone else?”, “Who’s the team”, and so on.
• Be professional, responsive and respectful of your audience. Investors, particularly venture capitalists (VCs), are notorious for trying to push buttons to see how the entrepreneur reacts. They are trying to determine if they can partner with you for the next four to seven years.
• When an investor is actively looking at new deals, keep in mind they may see one or two presentations per day (up to ten per week). Make your opportunity stand out and be memorable.

Bottom line: The pitch deck should reinforce your words instead of just repeating them.

How to develop a presentation

When making your slide deck, remember Guy Kawasaki’s 10/20/30 rule .  You can also use the “1/7/7 rule” from Garr Reynolds’ Presentation Zen — have only one main idea per slide, insert a maximum of seven lines of text and use a maximum of seven words per line.

Keep in mind that people remember visuals more than bullet points. Consider using pictures (high quality images) and graphics or charts to effectively get your point across and make a more emotional connection with your potential investors.

Also consider the three elements of your presentation — your slides, notes and handouts. The notes contain the bulk of the message for each slide, and are meant to help you with your presentation; they are not to be given to your audience. Consider providing a detailed handout as a leave-behind, but not a copy of your presentation. This way, you will not feel compelled to say everything as you speak, but you will ensure that the key messages get across.

Examples of effective presentations/presenters:

• John Doerr: Salvation (and profit) in greentech
• David S. Rose: How to pitch to a VC

It’s not just about the business proposition

Investors will be evaluating not only the business proposition, but whether or not they will invest in you. According to David S. Rose (aka The Pitch Coach ), you must demonstrate:

• Experience — investors prefer to fund serial entrepreneurs or individuals who have deep sector experience
• Knowledge or domain expertise
• The right skill set — to get the company started and managed effectively
• Leadership — to hire and retain the right people
• Commitment — early-stage companies will face many ups and downs; investors are assessing whether or not you will see it through
• Coachability — investors want to know that they can work with you and that you will internalize and act on their feedback

Investors will also be evaluating you on the four Cs:

• Competence — Do you have the skill set to build the business?
• Continuity — Are you going to see the venture through to the end?
• Connections — Do you have the networks to build the company?
• Chemistry — Is there chemistry between the team members and between the investors?

Practical considerations as you prepare your presentation

Garr Reynolds’ book Presentation Zen  provides a list of questions to understand about your audience before you make your business presentation:

• How much time do I have for my first business presentation? Typically, the first meeting with an investor will last 45 minutes to one hour. Arrive 15 minutes early. Prepare a pitch deck that you can present in 20 minutes, leaving time for late starts and questions. Be respectful of the time they’ve allotted. If you are interrupted or time is cut short, try not to let it throw you off. If an investor is not paying attention, continue to be respectful and professional.
• What is the venue like? You’ll generally present in a boardroom at their location. A site visit to your company is usually the next step in the investment evaluation process.
• What time of day will you be meeting? Take the meeting whenever the investors want to see you.
• Who is the audience? Try to find out which members of the investment team will attend the session. You’ll also want to determine if anyone else will be in the room (for example, outside consultants).
• What is their background? This is key to help tailor your talk. Will you be speaking with technically-savvy investors with deep experience in the targeted space or general investors? Do they have connections to help you get financed or to help you build your company further? Ask around and get as much information as possible about them in advance. Do your homework.
• What do I want them to do? You’ll want to think about what you want to achieve from your meeting. Do you want to move to the next step in due diligence ? Do you want them to provide business or financing leads? Investors have very specific investment mandates. Even though your opportunity may not be a fit for them, most investors will provide advice and contacts if you’ve convinced them that you have a strong business proposition.
• What visual medium is most appropriate for this particular situation or audience? Once you’ve determined this, consider what equipment you’ll need and check that it will be available.
• What is the fundamental purpose of my talk? Investors can help you to build your company by providing access to funding or opening their networks. You want to sell them on your concept/company to move to the next step with them. It is unlikely that they will open their cheque book until they complete further due diligence.

Additional resources

• Presentation Tips (tips from Garr Reynolds on presentation design, delivery and more)
• Communication tools for raising money (MaRS article)
• What investors want in place when they invest in your startup (MaRS article)
• Taking your Series A pitch on the road: Are you ready for prime time? (MaRS article)
• Business valuation: How investors determine the value of your business (MaRS article)

Read next: Data room basics for startups: Stage 1 data for the term sheet

Samples of successful pitch decks, communication tools for raising money, investor engagement: the importance of relationship building, sign up for our monthly startup resources newsletter about building high-growth companies..

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Blog Business

How To Create A Winning Business Proposal Presentation

By Krystle Wong , Jun 28, 2023

In the corporate landscape, a good business proposal presentation can be a game-changer to seal the deal with your prospective client or investors.  

Think of your business proposal presentations as your chance to showcase your groundbreaking ideas, products or services to potential clients, investors and stakeholders. Whether you’re convincing investors to fund your dreams or clients to choose your services, creating a compelling presentation can make them go, “You know what? I’m sold!”

A good presentation simplifies the complex. It breaks down complicated concepts into bite-sized pieces that even those who are not in the industry can understand. I know I know, it’s no easy work and you’ve got enough on your plate — so let our selection of pitch deck templates take the load off the design work. 

Customizing a compelling business proposal presentation takes only minutes thanks to Venngage’s user-friendly drag-and-drop editor. Just so you know, some of our presentation templates are free to use and some require a small monthly fee. Sign-up is always free, as is access to Venngage’s online drag-and-drop editor.

Now that you’ve got one less thing to worry about, let’s get back to business on how to create and deliver a winning proposal presentation. 

Click to jump ahead:

What makes a good business proposal , 10 tips to create an effective business proposal presentation, 8 steps to deliver a winning business proposal presentation, create a business proposal presentation that will win over your clients with venngage.

If you’ve read our guide on how to write winning business proposals , you’ll know that a successful business proposal is one that answers the following questions: 

• Who you are and what your company does
• The problem your buyer is facing
• The solution your company offers to alleviate the problem
• How your company will implement this solution effectively
• An estimate of resources (time, money, etc) required to implement the solution

Well, picture this: you’ve spent countless hours crafting a comprehensive business proposal that has the potential to revolutionize your industry. But here’s the catch – you need to condense all that information into a presentation that grabs attention, engages your audience and leaves a lasting impression. 

It’s not easy, but it’s also not impossible. If you have an important proposal presentation coming up, I highly recommend you check out this guide on how to summarize information for presentations . 

A good presentation gets things moving! Check out the top qualities of awesome presentations and learn all about how to make a good presentation to help you nail that captivating delivery.

Now, before we dive deep into the tips and tricks of creating and delivering a successful business proposal presentation, here are some business pitch examples to help you get inspired and win over new clients and investors. Alright, let’s get started!

Still working on your business proposal? Check out our selection of business proposal templates designed by our professional team.

In this competitive business environment, a good presentation gives you an edge over your competitors. It allows you to showcase your unique selling points, competitive advantages and differentiates you from others in the industry.  

Whether it is securing a new client, securing funding or obtaining a favorable business agreement, a successful presentation can ultimately bring significant opportunities and long-term business growth. 

Tip number one: always start with a solid presentation layout . Your presentation should emphasize the most important aspects of your business proposal, ensuring that they stand out and resonate with your audience. To do that, here are 10 tips along with some professionally crafted business proposal presentation templates to help you ace your next business proposal presentation. 

1. Crafting a compelling storyline

A strong narrative structure is the backbone of any successful proposal presentation. Start with a captivating opening that grabs attention and clearly articulates the problem or opportunity at hand. Present your solution with confidence, providing solid evidence and data to support your claims. Finally, conclude with a powerful call to action that leaves your audience inspired and ready to take the next steps.

A timeline graph can help you organize your ideas as you create a compelling storyline for your presentation and make your content more engaging.  Determine the important events or milestones that are relevant to your presentation topic. This will provide a sense of direction and structure for your storyline.

2. Focusing on the problem and solution

One of the keys to an effective business proposal presentation is highlighting the problem or challenge your audience is facing. Clearly communicate how your proposal provides a viable solution in bullet points, emphasizing the benefits and advantages it offers. Show your audience that you understand their pain points and present your proposal as the ideal answer to their needs.

This example of proposal presentation talked about the challenges that beginners face when going to the gym and how they provide the solution for it.

3. Using a consistent and professional template

To create a polished and cohesive visual experience, choose a clean and professional slide template that aligns with your brand colors. Consistency in design throughout the presentation not only enhances the overall look but also reinforces your professionalism and attention to detail.

Last-minute presentations are the worst, but don’t panic! Customize one of our professionally designed business presentation templates to save time and hassle.

4. engaging with visuals.

A picture is worth a thousand words and in the case of your proposal presentation, visuals can be your secret weapon. Visuals play a crucial role in capturing your audience’s attention and making complex information more digestible. Utilize charts, graphs, images and diagrams strategically to support your key points and reinforce your message. 

As a business owner, a well-thought-out finance pitch deck provides a platform to outline the business’s strategic direction and growth plans. It allows you to highlight your unique value proposition, competitive positioning, marketing strategies and expansion plans. Here’s a template I figured you could use:

No idea what goes into your financial pitch deck? This guide on how to make successful pitch decks for start ups might help. 

5. addressing potential objections.

Many business proposal presentations fail to anticipate potential objections or concerns audiences might have. Showing that you’ve considered challenges and providing persuasive counterarguments or solutions boosts your preparedness and increases the credibility of your proposal. Addressing objections head-on demonstrates your ability to handle potential hurdles and builds trust with your audience.

6. Using multimedia elements in your slides

To add depth and variety to your presentation, consider incorporating multimedia elements such as videos, audio clips, interactive charts or animations. These elements help illustrate concepts, showcase product demonstrations or provide real-life examples, making your proposal more engaging and memorable.

7. Incorporating interactive elements

Depending on the platform or setting of your presentation, incorporating interactive elements can enhance engagement. Live polls, Q&A sessions or group exercises encourage active participation, clarification and a deeper understanding of your proposal. Creating opportunities for interaction keeps your audience engaged and invested in the presentation.

8. Testing the readability and accessibility of your slides

Ensure that your slides are easily readable on different devices and screen sizes. Test for color blindness accessibility by using tools or viewing your presentation in grayscale. Consider incorporating alt text for images to make your presentation accessible to visually impaired individuals. Ensuring readability and accessibility demonstrates your commitment to inclusivity and professionalism.

Sometimes, using a simple presentation template makes all the difference as they promote effective communication, minimizes confusion and ensures that the audience can grasp the main points effortlessly. Try it out for your next presentation!

9. practice, practice and practice again.

Even the most well-prepared presentation can fall flat if you stumble through it. So, practice, practice and practice some more. Rehearse your presentation until you feel comfortable and confident. Pay attention to your tone, pace and body language. Incorporate pauses for emphasis, maintain eye contact and engage with your audience. I promise — the more you practice, the more comfortable and effective you’ll become as a presenter.

10. Ending with a memorable closing statement

Leave a lasting impression by crafting a memorable closing statement. Summarize the key benefits of your proposal, reinforce its importance or leave your audience with a thought-provoking quote. End your presentation with a call to action that inspires action and demonstrates the urgency of taking the next steps.

Ready to get started? Pick from these engaging presentation templates that can get your audience hooked on your presentation till the end.

Your business proposal presentation can be the key to securing new clients, partnerships or investment opportunities. That said, delivering a winning presentation requires careful planning, effective communication and a deep understanding of your audience’s needs. 

Follow these 8 essential steps to deliver a persuasive and impactful business proposal presentation:

Step 1: Understand the requirements

Before diving into your business proposal presentation, take the time to clearly understand the requirements. Familiarize yourself with the format, time limit, submission date and any specific guidelines provided by the audience or client. This ensures that you meet their expectations and deliver a presentation that aligns with their needs.

Step 2: Research your audience

To make a lasting impact, conduct thorough research on your audience. Gain insights into their industry, needs, challenges and goals. This information allows you to tailor your presentation to their specific interests, speak their language and demonstrate the relevance of your proposal. It will also help you show that you understand their pain points and present your solution as the perfect fit for their requirements.

For example, this business proposal presentation targets food entrepreneurs and manufacturers who are passionate about the plant-based lifestyle to attract franchisees for their local green ingredients franchise. 

Step 3: Plan your content

A well-organized presentation keeps your audience engaged and makes your proposal more compelling. Develop a clear and logical structure to help strengthen your message and deliver a winning business proposal presentation. Define the key points you want to convey and outline the flow of information and make sure your content effectively addresses the audience’s pain points and emphasizes the benefits of your proposal. 

The opening moments of your presentation hold immense power – check out these 15 ways to start a presentation to set the stage and captivate your audience.

Step 4: Create compelling slides

Design visually appealing slides that support your content and enhance its impact. Use a consistent template that aligns with your branding and maintains a professional look. Incorporate high-quality visuals such as relevant images, charts or graphs to convey information effectively. 

Creativity is important but keep the design clean, uncluttered and focused on conveying your message clearly. Remember, visually engaging slides capture attention and reinforce your professionalism.

Don’t know where to start? Here are 5 ways how you can design winner presentation slides . Or you could browse our library of creative presentation templates that’ll easily set your presentation apart from competitors.

Step 5: engage your audience.

Active audience engagement is key to a successful business proposal presentation. Encourage interaction throughout your presentation by asking thought-provoking questions, seeking input or incorporating interactive elements like polls or group exercises. Show genuine interest in your audience’s feedback and questions as this builds rapport and demonstrates that you value their perspective. Engaging your audience creates a dynamic and memorable experience.

Giving an online presentation? Here are some tips on how to adapt your in-person presentation into a virtual presentation that will leave a lasting impression. 

Step 6: communicate with clarity.

Focus on the key messages and benefits of your proposal. Clear communication is vital to conveying your ideas effectively, so be sure to use language that is easily understandable and free from jargon. Support your points with concrete examples or stories that resonate with your audience. By communicating with clarity, you ensure that your message is easily comprehensible and memorable.

Step 7: Adapt and respond

Flexibility is crucial when delivering a business proposal presentation. Pay close attention to your audience’s reactions, questions and feedback. Be prepared to adapt your presentation on the fly to address their specific needs and concerns. 

The trick is to listen attentively and respond thoughtfully, demonstrating your ability to cater to their requirements. This flexibility and responsiveness build trust and show that you genuinely care about meeting their expectations.

Step 8: Follow up

After concluding your presentation, don’t let the momentum fade away. Follow up with your audience to address any remaining questions, provide additional information or clarify any points. 

Following up with your audience helps maintain the relationship and keeps the conversation going. By staying in touch, you demonstrate your commitment to their success and increase the chances of moving forward with your proposal.

Have another round of presentations coming up? Give it your best with these tips on how to improve your presentation skills . 

A business proposal presentation is not just a chance to present your business idea; it’s a prime opportunity to showcase the unique value, potential and profitability of your business concept 

By following the tips and tricks in this article, I’m confident that business professionals like you can easily win over potential investors and prospective clients.

Venngage offers a wide range of pre-designed templates specifically tailored for business proposals. With the help of Venngage’s presentation maker , creating visually appealing and professional business proposal presentations becomes easier than ever.

Step 1: Sign up for a Venngage account (P.S. It’s free!). 

Step 2:  Browse through Venngage’s template library and choose a business presentation template that suits your needs (they’re all created by our expert in-house designers).

Step 3: Replace the placeholder text in the template with content from your business proposals.

Step 4: Customize your business presentation in just a few clicks with our user-friendly drag-and-drop editor tool. Modify various elements such as text, colors, fonts, backgrounds and layout. Enhance your presentation with visual aids such as images, icons, charts and graphs.

Step 5: Share your presentation publicly or upgrade to a business account to export the presentation to PowerPoint or PDF. You can also choose to present straight from Venngage’s presentation software.

Home Blog Business Business Presentation: The Ultimate Guide to Making Powerful Presentations (+ Examples)

Business Presentation: The Ultimate Guide to Making Powerful Presentations (+ Examples)

A business presentation is a purpose-led summary of key information about your company’s plans, products, or practices, designed for either internal or external audiences. Project proposals, HR policy presentations, investors briefings are among the few common types of presentations. 

Compelling business presentations are key to communicating important ideas, persuading others, and introducing new offerings to the world. Hence, why business presentation design is one of the most universal skills for any professional. 

This guide teaches you how to design and deliver excellent business presentations. Plus, breaks down some best practices from business presentation examples by popular companies like Google, Pinterest, and Amazon among others! 

3 General Types of Business Presentations

A business presentation can be given for a number of reasons. Respectively, they differ a lot in terms of content and purpose. 

But overall, all types of business presentations can be classified as:

• Informative
• Persuasive 
• Supporting 

Informative Business Presentation 

As the name suggests, the purpose of an informative presentation is to discern the knowledge you have — explain what you know. It’s the most common type of business presentation out there. So you have probably prepared such at least several times. 

Examples of informative presentations:

• Team briefings presentation 
• Annual stakeholder report 
• Quarterly business reviews
• Business portfolio presentation
• Business plan presentation
• Project presentation

Helpful templates from SlideModel:

• Business plan PowerPoint template
• Business review PowerPoint template
• Project proposal PowerPoint template
• Corporate annual report template

Persuasive Business Presentation 

The goal of this type of presentation is to persuade your audience of your point of view — convince them of what you believe is right. Developing business presentations of this caliber requires a bit more copywriting mastery, as well as expertise in public speaking . Unlike an informative business presentation, your goal here is to sway the audience’s opinions and prompt them towards the desired action. 

Examples of persuasive presentations:

• Pitch deck/investor presentations
• Sales presentation  
• Business case presentation 
• Free business proposal presentation
• Business proposal PowerPoint template
• Pitch deck PowerPoint template
• Account Plan PowerPoint template

Supporting Business Presentation 

This category of business PowerPoint presentations is meant to facilitate decision-making — explain how we can get something done. The underlying purpose here is to communicate the general “action plan”. Then break down the necessary next steps for bringing it to life. 

Examples of supporting presentations:

• Roadmap presentation
• Project vision presentation 
• After Action Review presentation 
• Standard operating procedure (SOP) PowerPoint template 
• Strategy map PowerPoint template 
• After action review (ARR) PowerPoint template 

What Should Be Included in a Business Presentation?

Overall, the content of your business presentation will differ depending on its purpose and type. However, at the very minimum, all business presentations should include:

• Introductory slide 
• Agenda/purpose slide
• Main information or Content slides
• Key Takeaways slides
• Call-to-action/next steps slides

We further distill business presentation design and writing best practices in the next section (plus, provide several actionable business PowerPoint presentation examples!). 

How to Make a Business Presentation: Actionable Tips

A business presentation consists of two parts — a slide deck and a verbal speech. In this section, we provide tips and strategies for nailing your deck design. 

1. Get Your Presentation Opening Right 

The first slides of your presentation make or break your success. Why? By failing to frame the narrative and set the scene for the audience from the very beginning, you will struggle to keep their interest throughout the presentation. 

You have several ways of how to start a business presentation:

• Use a general informative opening — a summative slide, sharing the agenda and main points of the discussion. 
• Go for a story opening — a more creative, personal opening, aimed at pulling the audience into your story. 
• Try a dramatic opening — a less apparent and attention-grabbing opening technique, meant to pique the audience’s interest. 

Standard Informative Opening 

Most business presentation examples you see start with a general, informative slide such as an Agenda, Problem Statement, or Company Introduction. That’s the “classic” approach. 

To manage the audience’s expectations and prepare them for what’s coming next, you can open your presentation with one or two slides stating:

• The topic of your presentation — a one-sentence overview is enough. 
• Persuasive hook, suggesting what’s in it for the audience and why they should pay attention. 
• Your authority — the best technique to establish your credibility in a business presentation is to share your qualifications and experience upfront to highlight why you are worth listening to. 

Opening best suited for: Formal business presentations such as annual reports and supporting presentations to your team/business stakeholders. 

Story Opening 

Did you ever notice that most TED talks start with a quick personal story? The benefit of this presenting technique is that it enables speakers to establish quick rapport and hold the listener’s attention. 

Here’s how Nancy Duarte, author of “Slide:ology: The Art and Science of Creating Great Presentations” book and TED presenter, recommends opening a presentation: 

You know, here’s the status quo, here’s what’s going on. And then you need to compare that to what could be. You need to make that gap as big as possible, because there is this commonplace of the status quo, and you need to contrast that with the loftiness of your idea. 

Storytelling , like no other tool, helps transpose the audience into the right mindset and get concentrated on the subject you are about to discuss. A story also elicits emotions, which can be a powerful ally when giving persuasive presentations. In the article how to start a presentation , we explore this in more detail.

Opening best suited for: Personal and business pitches, sales presentations, other types of persuasive presentations. 

Dramatic Opening 

Another common technique is opening your presentation with a major statement, sometimes of controversial nature. This can be a shocking statistic, complex rhetoric question, or even a provocative, contrarian statement, challenging the audience’s beliefs. 

Using a dramatic opening helps secure the people’s attention and capture their interest. You can then use storytelling to further drill down your main ideas. 

If you are an experienced public speaker, you can also strengthen your speech with some unexpected actions. That’s what Bill Gates does when giving presentations. In a now-iconic 2009 TED talk about malaria, mid-presentation Gates suddenly reveals that he actually brought a bunch of mosquitoes with him. He cracks open a jar with non-malaria-infected critters to the audience’s surprise. His dramatic actions, paired with a passionate speech made a mighty impression. 

Opening best suited for: Marketing presentations, customer demos, training presentations, public speeches. 

Further reading: How to start a presentation: tips and examples. 

2. Get Your PowerPoint Design Right

Surely, using professional business PowerPoint templates already helps immensely with presentation deck design since you don’t need to fuss over slide layout, font selection, or iconography. 

Even so, you’ll still need to customize your template(s) to make them on brand and better suited to the presentation you’re about to deliver. Below are our best presentation design tips to give your deck an extra oomph. 

Use Images, Instead of Bullet Points 

If you have ever watched Steve Jobs’s presentations, you may have noticed that he never used bullet-point lists. Weird right? Because using bullet points is the most universal advice in presentation design. 

But there’s a valid scientific reason why Jobs favored images over bullet-point texts. Researchers found that information delivered in visuals is better retained than words alone. This is called the “ pictorial superiority effect ”. As John Medina, a molecular biologist, further explains :

“Hear a piece of information, and three days later you’ll remember 10% of it. Add a picture and you’ll remember 65%.”

So if your goal is to improve the memorability of your presentation, always replace texts with images and visualizations when it makes sense. 

Fewer Slides is Better

No matter the value, a long PowerPoint presentation becomes tiring at some point. People lose focus and stop retaining the information. Thus, always take some extra time to trim the fluff and consolidate some repetitive ideas within your presentation. 

For instance, at McKinsey new management consultants are trained to cut down the number of slides in client presentations. In fact, one senior partner insists on replacing every 20 slides with only two slides . Doing so prompts you to focus on the gist — the main business presentation ideas you need to communicate and drop filler statements. 

Here are several quick tips to shorten your slides:

• Use a three-arc structure featuring a clear beginning (setup), main narrative (confrontation), ending (resolution). Drop the ideas that don’t fit into either of these. 
• Write as you tweet. Create short, on-point text blurbs of under 156 symbols, similar to what you’d share on Twitter. 
• Contextualize your numbers. Present any relevant statistics in a context, relevant to the listeners. Turn longer stats into data visualizations for easier cognition. 

Consistency is Key 

In a solid business presentation, each slide feels like part of the connecting story. To achieve such consistency apply the same visual style and retain the same underlying message throughout your entire presentation.

Use the same typography, color scheme, and visual styles across the deck. But when you need to accentuate a transition to a new topic (e.g. move from a setup to articulating the main ideas), add some new visual element to signify the slight change in the narrative. 

Further reading: 23 PowerPoint Presentation Tips for Creating Engaging and Interactive Presentations

3. Make Your Closure Memorable 

We best remember the information shared last. So make those business presentation takeaways stick in the audience’s memory. We have three strategies for that. 

Use the Rule of Three 

The Rule of Three is a literary concept, suggesting that we best remember and like ideas and concepts when they are presented in threes. 

Many famous authors and speakers use this technique:

• “Duty – Honor – Country. Those three hallowed words reverently dictate what you ought to be, what you can be, and what you will be” . Gen. Douglas MacArthur.
• “Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness” are the unalienable rights of all humans that governments are meant to protect.” Thomas Jefferson 

The Rule of Three works because three is the maximum number of items most people can remember on their first attempt. Likewise, such pairings create a short, familiar structure that is easy to remember for our brains. 

Try the Title Close Technique

Another popular presentation closing technique is “Title Close” — going back to the beginning of your narrative and reiterating your main idea (title) in a form of a takeaway. Doing so helps the audience better retain your core message since it’s repeated at least two times. Plus, it brings a sense of closure — a feel-good state our brains love. Also, a brief one-line closure is more memorable than a lengthy summary and thus better retained. 

Ask a Question 

If you want to keep the conversation going once you are done presenting, you can conclude your presentation with a general question you’d like the audience to answer.

Alternatively, you can also encourage the members to pose questions to you. The latter is better suited for informational presentations where you’d like to further discuss some of the matters and secure immediate feedback. 

Try adding an interactive element like a QR code closing your presentation with a QR code and having a clear CTA helps you leverage the power of sharing anything you would like to share with your clients. QR codes can be customized to look alike your brand.

If you are looking for a smoother experience creating presentations on the fly, check out the AI PowerPoint maker —it offers everything you can ask forfrom presentation design in a couple of clicks.

12 Business Presentation Examples and What Makes Them Great 

Now that we equipped you with the general knowledge on how to make a presentation for business, let’s take a look at how other presenters are coping with this job and what lessons you can take away from them. 

1. N26 Digital Bank Pitch Deck 

This is a fine business pitch presentation example, hitting all the best practices. The deck opens with a big shocking statement that most Millennials would rather go to the dentist than step into a bank branch. 

Then it proceeds to discuss the company’s solution to the above — a fully digital bank with a paperless account opening process, done in 8 minutes. After communicating the main product features and value proposition, the deck further conceptualizes what traction the product got so far using data visualizations. The only thing it lacks is a solid call-to-action for closing slides as the current ending feels a bit abrupt. 

2. WeWork Pitch Deck

For a Series D round, WeWork went with a more formal business presentation. It starts with laying down the general company information and then transitions to explaining their business model, current market conditions, and the company’s position on the market.

The good thing about this deck is that they quantify their business growth prospects and value proposition. The likely gains for investors are shown in concrete numbers. However, those charts go one after another in a row, so it gets a bit challenging to retain all data points. 

The last part of their presentation is focused on a new offering, “We Live”. It explains why the team seeks funds to bring it to life. Likewise, they back their reasoning with market size statistics, sample projects, and a five-year revenue forecast. 

3. Redfin Investor Presentation 

If you are looking for a “text-light” business presentation example, Redfin’s investor deck is up to your alley. This simple deck expertly uses iconography, charts, and graphs to break down the company’s business model, value proposition, market share, and competitive advantages over similar startups. For number-oriented investors, this is a great deck design to use. 

4. Google Ready Together Presentation 

This isn’t quite the standard business presentation example per se. But rather an innovative way to create engaging, interactive presentations of customer case studies .

The short deck features a short video clip from a Google client, 7-11, explaining how they used the company’s marketing technology to digitally transform their operations and introduce a greater degree of marketing automation . The narrated video parts are interrupted by slides featuring catchy stats, contextualizing issues other businesses are facing. Then transitions to explaining through the words of 7-11 CMO, how Google’s technology is helping them overcome the stated shortcomings.

5. Salesforce Business Presentation Example 

This is a great example of an informational presentation, made by the Salesforce team to share their research on customer experience (CX) with prospects and existing customers.

The slide deck errs on the lengthier side with 58 slides total. But bigger topics are broken down and reinforced through bite-sized statistics and quotes from the company leadership. They are also packaging the main tips into memorable formulas, itemized lists, and tables. Overall, this deck is a great example of how you can build a compelling narrative using different statistics. 

6. Mastercard Business Presentation

This slide deck from Mastercard instantly captures the audience’s attention with unusual background images and major data points on the growth of populations, POS systems, and payment methods used in the upcoming decade.

Perhaps to offset the complexity of the subject, Mastercard chose to sprinkle in some humor in presentation texts and used comic-style visuals to supplement that. However, all their animations are made in a similar style, creating a good sense of continuity in design. They are also using colors to signify the transition from one part of the presentation to another. 

In the second part, the slide deck focuses on distilling the core message of what businesses need to do to remain competitive in the new payments landscape. The team presents what they have been working on to expand the payment ecosystem. Then concludes with a “title close” styled call-to-action, mirroring the presentation title.

7. McKinsey Diversity & Inclusion Presentation 

This fresh business slide deck from McKinsey is a great reference point for making persuasive business presentations on complex topics such as D&I. First, it recaps the main definitions of the discussed concepts — diversity, equity, and inclusion — to ensure alignment with the audience members. 

Next, the business presentation deck focuses on the severity and importance of the issue for businesses, represented through a series of graphs and charts. After articulating the “why”, the narrative switches to “how” — how leaders can benefit from investment in D&I. The main points are further backed with data and illustrated via examples. 

8. Accenture Presentation for the Energy Sector

Similar to McKinsey, Accenture keeps its slide deck on a short. Yet the team packs a punch within each slide through using a mix of fonts, graphical elements, and color for highlighting the core information. The presentation copy is on a longer side, prompting the audience to dwell on reading the slides. But perhaps this was meant by design as the presentation was also distributed online — via the company blog and social media. 

The last several slides of the presentation deck focus on articulating the value Accenture can deliver for their clients in the Energy sector. They expertly break down their main value proposition and key service lines, plus quantify the benefits. 

9. Amazon Web Services (AWS) Technical Presentation 

Giving an engaging technical presentation isn’t an easy task. You have to balance the number of details you reveal on your slides to prevent overwhelm, while also making sure that you don’t leave out any crucial deets. This technical presentation from AWS does great in both departments. 

First, you get entertained with a quick overview of Amazon’s progress in machine learning (ML) forecasting capabilities over the last decade. Then introduced to the main tech offering. The deck further explains what you need to get started with Amazon Forecast — e.g. dataset requirements, supported forecasting scenarios, available forecasting models, etc. 

The second half of the presentation provides a quick training snippet on configuring Amazon SageMaker to start your first project. The step-by-step instructions are coherent and well-organized, making the reader excited to test-drive the product. 

10. Snapchat Company Presentation

Snapchat’s business model presentation is on a funkier, more casual side, reflective of the company’s overall brand and positioning. After briefly recapping what they do, the slide deck switches to discussing the company’s financials and revenue streams.

This business slide deck by Snap Inc. itself is rather simplistic and lacks fancy design elements. But it has a strong unified theme of showing the audience Snapchat’s position on the market and projected vector of business development. 

11. Visa Business Acquisition Presentation 

If you are working on a business plan or M&A presentation for stakeholders of your own, this example from Visa will be helpful. The presentation deck expertly breaks down the company’s rationale for purchasing Plaid and subsequent plans for integrating the startup into their business ecosystem. 

The business deck recaps why the Plaid acquisition is a solid strategic decision by highlighting the total addressable market they could dive into post-deal. Then it details Plaid’s competitive strengths. The slide deck then sums up all the monetary and indirect gains Visa could reap as an acquirer. 

12. Pinterest Earnings Report Presentation 

Annual reports and especially earnings presentations might not be the most exciting types of documents to work on, but they have immense strategic value. Hence, there’s little room for ambiguities or mistakes. 

In twelve slides, this business presentation from Pinterest clearly communicates the big picture of the company’s finance in 2021. All the key numbers are represented as featured quotes in the sidebar with diagrams further showcasing the earning and spending dynamics. Overall, the data is easy to interpret even for non-finance folks. 

To Conclude 

With these business presentation design tips, presentation templates , and examples, you can go from overwhelmed to confident about your next presentation design in a matter of hours. Focus on creating a rough draft first using a template. Then work on nailing your opening slide sequence and shortening the texts in the main part of your presentation when needed. Make sure that each slide serves a clear purpose and communicates important details. To make your business presentation deck more concise, remove anything that does not pertain to the topic. 

Finally, once you are done, share your business presentation with other team members to get their feedback and reiterate the final design.

Like this article? Please share

Business Presentations, Corporate Presentations, Design, Design Inspiration, Examples, Executive Reports, Inspiration, Presentation Ideas Filed under Business

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How to Make a Successful Business Pitch: 9 Tips From Experts

You’ve just had your lunch, and you’re about to get back to work. 

While making your post-lunch tea (or coffee), you can’t stop thinking about being your own boss. 

You wonder if it’s about time for you to turn your side hustle into a full-time business and become an entrepreneur. 

Or perhaps you want to propose the idea of a four-day workweek to your CEO. 

If you want to introduce investors and prospects to your business idea and convince them to take the plunge with you,  you need a strong and persuasive business pitch. 

How to create a persuasive business pitch according to experts 

The good news — it’s possible to craft a convincing and successful business pitch. 

Even better news: This Piktochart business pitch guide shows you how. 

Grab your drink of choice and take notes as we explore the different ways to pitch business ideas (from a sales-style elevator pitch to an innovative workplace pitch), as well as understand what makes a great business pitch. You’ll also get a glimpse into our business pitch templates, and learn expert advice from those who have pitched their way to success (and failure too). 

You can also watch the video below if you don’t have time to go over this guide. It’s also easier to follow along if you sign up for a free Piktochart account and edit the templates yourself (learning by doing).

What is a business pitch? 

A business pitch is a presentation of a business idea to a group of people who can help turn your idea into a reality.

You can pitch to: 

• Investors who can help fund your idea
• Potential customers who will pay for your product or service
• Advocates who will support your idea

In some cases, a business pitch doesn’t have to be all about presenting a new idea. You could be asking for more funding or continued support for an already established business venture. 

Whether through an investment, purchase, or advocacy, a business pitch becomes successful if you can convince people to believe in your idea or pique their interest and get them to learn more. 

Now that you understand what a business pitch is, let’s take a closer look at the different types of business pitches. 

Types of pitches in business

Your business pitch can be narrowed down to the following five types of presentations: 

1. Investor pitch

In this type of business pitch, you present a  persuasive presentation or pitch deck to a group of potential business partners and/or investors. 

Sign up for a free Piktochart account to get started on creating professional-looking pitch deck templates that you can edit in minutes.

An investor business pitch should typically last for 45 minutes . The best practice for this type of pitch is 20-30 minutes of presentation followed by discussion or a Q&A afterward.

Alternatively, business pitch competitions follow a different best practice. These presentations should last around five to 10 minutes and focus on pitching to investors.

Lastly, the most stringent type of business pitch is most commonly referred to as an ‘elevator pitch’, and should only last around 30-60 seconds.

Let’s dive in so you can learn how to make the perfect business pitch!

2. Sales pitch 

The goal of a sales pitch is to answer the question “What’s in it for me?” from the lens of the potential customer. 

The best and most effective salespeople can make a sales pitch in as short as one minute. Also known as the ‘ elevator pitch ‘, this type of business pitch should be able to be delivered in a single elevator ride (30-60 seconds on average). In this format, a short sales pitch should include four key components:

• Your unique product name and category
• The specific problem you are trying to solve
• The innovative solution you offer
• the unique selling point of benefit to your solution

3. Product pitch 

A product pitch is similar to a sales pitch, however, the spotlight should be on the product and/or solution itself. 

For example, a sales pitch for an email automation software will highlight one or two of its benefits. Meanwhile, a product pitch of the same automation software will focus more on its features, how it works, and how you can integrate the software into your existing setup. 

In a product pitch, you should aim to:

• Explain your product or offering clearly and concisely
• Identify and address the target audience and/or industry your product supports
• Specify the problem the aforementioned faces and how your solution can solve it
• Provide a realistic example of your solution in action
• Make sure to use accurate facts backed up by relevant and recent data

4. Job pitch 

If you’re applying for a job or internship and you’re wondering how you can stand out from the crowd (consisting of your peers and other qualified applicants), consider pitching yourself to a prospective employer. 

Applying the same logic used for a sales or product pitch deck; sell yourself!

A job pitch or personal summary pitch should be concise, personalized, and consistent. In a job pitch you should include:

• A brief introduction to you
• An explanation as to why you’re a great fit for the company and role
• Relevant experience and achievements
• Your goals and career aspirations

“It’s not about bragging or showing off — it’s about giving the other person evidence that you can actually do what you say you can do,” assures Starla Sampaco , TV news anchor at KCTS 9 and founder of Career Survival Guide .

5. Workplace pitching 

Do you have an idea or initiative that will help your colleagues and help boost the company’s profitability?  Pitch it internally within your workplace, to your team or boss! 

For example, you can pitch a  remote-first culture  or the four-day workweek to your HR, and/or the rest of the leadership team.

Another workplace pitch example? Maybe you might want to propose the creation of a new role in your team which can help advance your career and address a challenge in the organization at the same time. 

To do this, simply create a pitch deck including your main points, the benefits, and proposed next steps to turn your idea into a reality. Piktochart’s workplace pitch decks can help you get your point across through our workplace templates.

The structure of a successful business pitch 

If creating a business pitch sounds intimidating, the team at Piktochart has your back. 

You can address this worry by making sure that you have a business pitch structure that is sure to succeed, using our tips & templates. 

When you have a formulated pitch deck structure, template, and agenda, you’ll know exactly what you’re going to say next, taking the bulk of the stress out of presenting. Additionally, these best practice presentation structures make your business pitch more memorable to your audience and leave a lasting impression. Statistically, it turns out that people retain structured information up to  40 percent more accurately  than information presented in freeform. 

The WHAC Method

Whether you’re pitching to a group of potential investors or you’re selling real estate, use the WHAC method when structuring your perfect business pitch. 

The WHAC method is introduced in  The 3 Minute Rule   by Brandt Pividic, an award-winning film director and television producer. He wrote the book to detail his experience and tips as he made hundreds of pitches in Hollywood. 

This well-known WHAC method stands for: 

What is it and what do you offer? 

You start your business pitch by answering the questions: what is it, and what do you offer? 

At this point, you share your business plan and quickly outline the problem and solution you offer. For example, let’s say that you want to pitch the idea of having a UX researcher on your product team. 

You list down existing problems and challenges that your team and/or organization are currently experiencing without a dedicated UX researcher. Afterward, you propose your solution — hiring someone who can step in and do user research. 

How does it work? 

Next, explain your proposal. Provide a quick summary of the benefits of your solution. In our example, share how the UX researcher will help the product team accomplish its objectives.

It can be tricky explaining how your business idea works. Figuring out how to deliver this information in an entertaining and simple manner can turn potential investors into partners, as we’ve seen from some of the best startup pitch decks .

Since you don’t have much time and attention spans are short, the key is to boil down how your idea works into a few key points. Explain how it works from a high-level overview and weave this in as part of your compelling story.

Are you sure? 

Once you have provided the solution, the people listening to your elevator pitch are likely saying to themselves, “will it really work?”

This is the point where you have to provide solid proof in your pitch. You can use testimonials, a short case study, or statistics.

You should also mention financial projections in order to leave a positive impression. If your manager or potential investors will provide funding for your idea, they’ll want to know what the ROI is.

Can you do it? 

The final part of your pitch should answer this question.

Now that your audience has heard you talk about the problem, solution, and proof that it works, you need to show them how you’re going to implement the solution. Think of this point as the “actionable” part of your pitch. You can even provide steps to break down how this can be achieved in a certain timeframe.

“Show how you have thought about how to turn your idea into a commercial outcome or true partnership. This is really an opportunity to start or continue building trust and showing that you care about creating real value for the people in the room is the best way to put you on the right foot,” shares Michael Rosenbaum , CEO of Spacer ,  one of the biggest parking marketplaces in the U.S. 

Like any good sales pitch, you need to show how achievable the results are. At this particular stage, you need to tie in any additional information to show what resources or specific and unique skills are required to make it happen.

Being transparent about what’s required can build trust with potential investors.

How to persuade your audience with your business pitch 

Now that you know the best practice structure of a successful business pitch, take note of the following tips to help make your business pitch more interesting, relatable, and most of all, convince your audience to say “yes”. 

1. Understand what your audience wants from you 

It’s standard advice across all facets of industry to “know your audience”.  

However, if you’d like to become better at your business pitches, go the extra mile by understanding what your audience wants from you. 

There’s a  difference between understanding and knowing  your audience. Instead of just  knowing  where your client comes from, try to  understand  their pain points, goals, and motivation. 

How do you do this? 

Talk to them in advance, read about the things they publish online (tweets, blog posts), and understand what excites them. By doing so, you’ll be able to tailor your business pitch to their needs, wants, and preferences. 

For example, if you’re pitching to potential clients and investors who are eco-conscious at the same time, it makes sense to highlight how your idea can positively impact the environment. 

Stephen Keighery , CEO of Home Buyer Louisiana and Founder of Bald Eagle Investments USA, shares this tip when it comes to customizing your pitch to your audience: 

“Learn ahead and research about the company or the client you’ll be pitching to, just be sure that every information you obtain is for public knowledge. You can also observe their behavior and their words during the transaction; and perhaps while pitching, use the jargon they use to establish connection and a favorable impression to them.”

2. Have your elevator pitch ready 

Imagine this. You just bumped into Mark Cuban of Shark Tank at the airport lounge, and you can’t believe that you’re sitting next to him! He looks at you and asks you about yourself and what you do. 

This is when you need your elevator pitch handy! 

The Asana team recommends the following  elements of a good elevator pitch : 

• Introduction
• Value proposition
• CTA (call to action)

You don’t have to follow the exact formula. You can mix it up based on the situation, your personality, and the audience you’re pitching to. 

It’s also worth noting that you might not immediately notice the benefit of your elevator pitch.  Think of it as an opportunity for you to make a great first impression. 

3. Use visual aids

If you have the chance to present beyond the elevator pitch, you should never pitch with a presentation that’s filled with texts, numbers, or endless rows of data. 

As humans, our  brains are hardwired to love visuals   — from photographs to infographics to icons. 

When pitching an idea, product, or service, get your audience’s attention (and support!) by telling a story visually and adding a bit of creativity to your PowerPoint slides. 

Images trigger empathy  which in turn can make your audience understand your pitch better. 

The more they understand your idea, the greater the likelihood of angel investors, venture capitalists, and potential customers supporting or advocating for you. 

Another added benefit is that  visuals can elicit emotions  and emotions play an important role in decision-making. 

Watch these 10 legendary pitch decks for visual inspiration.

4. Explain your business model clearly

When pitching to investors, imagine them asking, “what’s in it for me?”. 

After learning about how your idea can help solve a problem, they’re interested in how you’re going to advertise to your target market and generate revenue consistently. 

Johannes Larsson , CEO of  Financer.com  explains that being able to articulate their business model was what made them successful in getting business partners on board. 

“We were relatively unknown in the industry, so it took us quite a few tries before we signed our first deal. After that, however, things became much easier — not just because we were building up a name for ourselves but also because we improved our approach. We learned that being able to clearly explain our business model was the key to earning potential partners’ trust. Once we mastered that, we focused on providing proof of fruitful partnerships. It was obvious that this information was what our affiliates cared about, so we made sure to gather evidence of our success and present it in every pitch.”

5. Weave your passion or story with your pitch

Your business pitch doesn’t have to sound like you’re reading it straight from a script that someone else wrote for you. 

When appropriate, add a bit of your personal touch.  In short, humanize your pitch and slide deck. 

It will not only improve your relatability factor but also make you feel less nervous. After all, you’re talking about something that you’re passionate about. 

Take it from Debbie Chew, an SEO Specialist at  Dialpad .

“As part of my hiring process, I had to pitch a marketing campaign idea. I started brainstorming a list of potential ideas and their projected impact to decide which one to go with. While doing this, one idea kept coming back to me, and I realized I was most passionate about pitching a campaign related to video meetings. People now spend so much of their time in video meetings, but how much time? And how can we have better meetings? So I built my pitch around this concept and really enjoyed pitching my idea (which also helped me feel less nervous),” shares Chew.  If you can share a personal story or something you’re passionate about in your pitch — while also tying it back to your audience — they won’t forget it. And yes, I got the job!” 

6. Put the spotlight on benefits

Once you have your audience’s attention, circle back to how your product or service will address customer needs and benefit business partners. 

For  Carsten Schaefer  of  Trust.io , it boils down to being able to share the benefits of your product or service from the get-go. 

“When I first had to get funding for my product, I had to deliver a sales pitch in front of a board of investors. It didn’t succeed, and I learned a lot from it. “Investors want cold, hard facts and the benefits to the end-user. In the end, they want to see if it makes money for them or not. I’m glad I failed because I learned that for an effective sales pitch, you really need to put yourself in the shoes of someone thinking about profit and pure common sense from a business perspective.

Create a successful business pitch

Select a template that sparks your imagination. Clone, add or delete blocks. Visualize concepts, processes, lists, timelines and data. Use charts and graphs. Sync them with spreadsheets. Export the visual in PDF or PNG format. Start for free.

7. Highlight why you’re different from the competition

Your business pitch is also an opportunity for you to explain what sets you apart from other businesses or organizations, and essentially explain your unique selling point. What makes your idea different? Why is your business model unique? 

It also helps to address relevant competition head-on in your pitch. For  Brogan Renshaw  of Firewire Digital, this tactic shows clients and investors that you’re an expert on what you are talking about, giving them confidence in your offering.

“I notice that this is a part of my business pitches that completely wins the client over because it answers their questions and concerns on the market position of competitors,” says Renshaw. 

8. Share the story behind your team

Investors and business partners are also curious about the people, employees, as well as the team behind your idea. When creating this presentation slide in your pitch deck, don’t forget to include information highlighting your team and each team member’s relevant skills. 

“Investors want to know whether the founders have worked together before, if your startup’s early hires have complementary skill sets, and whether you’ll be flexible, open-minded, and willing to embrace different perspectives, “  writes  Lauren Landry ,  associate director of marketing and communications for Harvard Business School Online.

9. Have an impressive one-pager

As its name implies, a one-pager is a one-page document outlining your business plan and mission. Think of it as a business brochure . With Piktochart’s online brochure maker , you can easily create one within minutes.

Imagine that an investor or client is too busy to listen to your pitch, you can simply email or hand out your one-pager; your entire business pitch in an easy-to-digest format.  

According to Greg Cullen , Sr. Account Executive at Dialpad, your one-pager should have these three components: 

• What is the business pain?
• How the solution you’re positioning can solve said business pain
• The value of the solution accompanied by the resulting positive impact by moving forward with the platform

“This one-pager condenses everything that is important succinctly into an easy-to-digest easy to digest format for everyone to read – and it ensures that all parties are on the same page. And most importantly, this can be used by the champion you’re working with to sell this internally, whether it’s to the CEO, procurement, etc. The better you make this one-pager, the better the result you’ll have,” recommends Cullen. 

Get funding, win clients, and gain support with Piktochart’s pitch deck creator 

While it may be nerve-wracking, particularly if it’s the first time that you’re creating a business pitch, use the expert tips above as your guideposts for a successful pitch. 

You’ll eventually find your very own unique style and approach to business pitching as you do it more frequently.

If you need help creating any type of business or personal pitch deck, create your pitch deck quickly with Piktochart’s pitch deck creator. The first step is to get your free Piktochart account .

Want additional insight on how to better prepare and deliver a business pitch that you’ll be presenting online? Go to our guide to stress-free, engaging Zoom presentations .

We’re rooting for you and your business!

Kyjean Tomboc is an experienced content marketer for healthcare, design, and SaaS brands. She also manages content (like a digital librarian of sorts). She lives for mountain trips, lap swimming, books, and cats.

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Do you want to be part of these success stories, join more than 11 million who already use piktochart to craft visual stories that stick..

5 Tips for Creating a Great Business Presentation

At some point, as an entrepreneur, you’re going to have to make a business presentation. Whether you are sharing your vision with your employees, trying to sell an audience through a webinar , or looking for new investors, your presentation matters.

So, as you put together your business presentation, here are five tips to keep in mind.

Table of Contents

1. Tell a Story

No, your business presentation doesn’t have to be a work of fiction. But you should try to connect with your audience — whoever that is.

Take your audience on a journey. When presenting to potential investors, help them see the story of success and what it will bring. Get your audience emotionally involved and you will be more likely to convince them.

2. Keep it Simple

Don’t overwhelm the audience with a lot of points. Try and keep your presentation to between three and five main points. When presenting to others, you don’t want to try to include  everything . Instead, choose out powerful points that you want to make. Keep your business presentation as simple and straightforward as possible while still bring your audience with you on a journey.

3. Know Your Stuff

No, you don’t want to try to cram everything into a single presentation. However, that doesn’t excuse from knowing your stuff. There’s a good chance that you’ll need to answer questions at the end of your business presentation.

That means you need to know your stuff. You might not have every figure in a presentation, but you should be able to provide it — or at least have an idea of where to find it very quickly in your supplementary materials.

Review pertinent information beforehand until you know it very well. Not only will it help you answer questions later, but it will also give you more confidence during your presentation so you refer to your notes less and connect with your audience more.

4. Speak Naturally

Don’t try to sound smart during your business presentation. Instead, speak naturally as possible. Only make small tweaks to your normal conversational style. You want to sound approachable and competent. Avoid swearing and vulgarity (unless you know it fits the style you’re going for), and stay away from big or unusual words.

The idea with a presentation is to communicate clearly. Make sure you’re doing that without sounding like you’re talking down to your audience. It can take a little practice, but when you’re comfortable with the material and concepts, you should be able to explain them in a friendly and professional way.

5. Don’t Put Everything on the Slides

We’re all used to using slides and visuals in our presentations . However, you want to be careful. Don’t put everything on the slides. Display a few points and use the slides to show compelling images or figures, but don’t cram all the information on the slides. You should be telling the information, with the slides supporting you.

If all you’re doing is reading off the slides, it gets boring and it’s something that your audience could do themselves.

In the end, a business presentation is about ideas. Describe your ideas, and how you can turn them into reality, and you’re more likely to succeed.

Check out some of our other business tips

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How to pitch to investors when fundraising (and close the deal)

Any pitch is a high-stakes event, so how do you give yourself the best chance? Learn the secrets to successful pitching in this complete guide.

DocSend’s Startup Index reveals changing trends among venture capitalists. The data reveals investors now take just 3 minutes to think about your deck. And that’s if you’re successful. 

Simply put, if your pitch deck doesn’t immediately charm investors, chances are you’ve already missed your opportunity. So, what do investors want, and how do you give yourself an edge?

Join us, as we reveal all—and learn how to pitch to investors, with our complete guide to creating an unforgettable investment pitch.

Jump into a section for your next pitch

What do investors look for in a pitch?

• Give your elevator pitch
• Tell your story
• Show your market research
• Introduce and demonstrate your product or service
• Explain the revenue and business model
• Clarify how you will attract business
• Pitch your team
• Explain your financial projections
• Justify your fundraising needs
• Illustrate your exit strategy
• Common mistakes

What investors want is a simple, data-driven drill-down on the math of your business—with a clear overview of your ideas. Here are the main criteria that investors will expect:

• Your idea —no idea, no pitch, and another ‘no’ on your (probably) long list
• Your USP —unless you’ve invented something investors want to know how you’re different
• Financial projections —DocSend research says granular data is a common demand today
• A business plan —details on where the money is going, again the more granular the better
• A top-notch pitch deck —it’s crucial that this is easily digestible and concise

How to prepare before making a pitch

Identify potential investors 

You need to prepare yourself with a solid investor candidate search, which will depend on the type of business you have. 

The most important consideration in your search will be the type of investor, which is usually one of the following types:

• Venture capitalists —who provide private equity funding
• Angel investors —who are normally high-net-worth individuals
• Personal investors —who might include anyone within your company network

There are also peer-to-peer investors and, of course, banks.

Assess the current investing climate

After you decide on the investor, you need to look at the current investing landscape. DocSend data reveals the following insights:

• Investors are increasingly more selective
• There has been an economic downturn alongside an expansion of competition
• Investors are looking for niche underrepresented groups, such as the LGBTQ community

This means the landscape is tougher than ever. You’ll have to compete ever harder than ever for a shrinking pool of funds. 

And you’ll have less time to catch investors’ attention, the data shows that from 2021 to 2022 the time venture capitalists spend on a successful deck is lower from 3:30 to 2:45. Mere minutes! 

Every second counts. And an attention span drop of 20% is only going to add pressure to the situation. 

Get your story straight

Now that you know who the investors are and what to expect, the focus can turn to you.

During a pitch, investors will likely have a barrage of questions ready for you. Questions like:

• “Why this particular type of investment?”
• “What’s stopping you from going to a bank?”
• “Why come to me in particular as an investor?”

You’ll need good answers as to why you want their money specifically. Understand your circumstances, know if you are an early-stage or a growth-stage startup if you need pre-seed or seed fundraising—and prepare yourself for questions.

All of this gives you ammo for whatever type of investor you’re pitching. You’re not ready to pitch if you don’t know their priorities, your position—and ultimately how you can make money together.

Build your charisma and confidence

Ever wish you could get an objective view of yourself when you’re getting ready for a big presentation? With Dropbox Capture , you can practice your charisma and share your deck with your team, using the screen recorder to record your pitch and then play it back to critique yourself.

How to make a pitch to investors

It’s a lot of work to understand who you are pitching to and why. So, assuming you have that in mind, we can focus on how to pitch. Use the following tips for a better chance of success.

1. Deliver your elevator pitch

An elevator pitch is the condensed version of all the information you are about to present. Investors want a roadmap of where you are heading during the pitch in about 30 seconds.

Make sure your snappy, smooth but serious elevator pitch can hit the following points:

• The nature of your business, your company structure, founders, and other details
• Your product or service, anything relevant to what your company provides
• Your value proposition, the benefits that your product or service delivers

Above all else, be prepared—you have to be ready to deliver your pitch in any situation. You never know where you might need to explain your idea to a potential investor.

2. Tell your story

Try to share the desire and the dreams that inspired you to start pursuing the idea—and hopefully, when you’re done, they will be rooting for you and want to see you succeed.

Everything you say at this stage will require data to back up your claims. Information on audience segmentation, financial projections, and other numbers will help to sell your company story.

So, when planning the story slides of your deck, make sure you include the following:

• The consumer problem or market gap you see
• How your company and the investor's funding will solve this problem
• Your audience or customer base, who your business will help, and how
• Why your business needs funding at this point more than any other

3. Show your market research

Grounding your product in hard data will make it less of an idea and more of a plan. This part of the pitch can create a sense of urgency for the investor, who will see the plan is ready for action.

Make sure you cover the following in your market research slides for a successful deck:

• Competition, demonstrate how competitive your market is—investors don’t like too much saturation but too little may indicate your plan is unviable
• Industry status, including market history up to the pitch-and sector projections beyond
• Audience or target customers, who are they and what are their values, wants, or needs?
• Market growth potential
• How to avoid risks in the market, whether that is legal, regulatory, or other potential pitfalls

4. Introduce and demonstrate your product or service

While an investor will broadly understand the product at this stage, it’s time to get into some detail. The most important thing is some kind of demo, where the investor will see, try, or use the product or service.

A demo in a pitch for a digital service or physical product will require careful preparation and testing. For example, if you’re pitching an app, you’ll want to be absolutely certain that its core functions can be demoed flawlessly during the pitch.

You should iron out any kinks before you get to the pitch! An investor wants a real-time experience so you better check and re-check, right up until the moment of truth.

5. Explain the revenue and business model

If your pitch has investors sold on the idea, everything now rests on one factor—the business model. This is the slide that investors will care about more than any other in your deck.

So, aim to include the following details to show how your business will make them money:

• Price points for each product or service
• Fee structure, is it a per-item charge or a monthly/yearly subscription?
• Services or product classes and their pricing, such as a premium plan for business
• How the prices fit into your revenue goals, selling X number of products to achieve Y
• Projections for return on investment, including the amounts and when to expect it

This can be the clincher stage for many investments pay close attention here, as astute investors will be aware of irregularities and ask plenty of questions.

[ Try Dropbox Sign ]

6. Clarify how you will attract business

Investors don’t back projects without major audience demand.

You need to keep your approach to acquiring new business and key metrics as the focus of these slides. Make sure you include the following details on how you will attract new business.

• Marketing channels you will use, such as social media, direct sales, digital and traditional PR
• Growth metrics, like customer acquisition cost (CAC), customer retention rate (CRR), and conversion rate
• Sales process breakdown, what is the journey from a lead to a sale for the company?

Investors are looking for growth potential, so they will be very familiar with metrics and the different stages of the sales process. Prepare for questions and know the metrics inside out!

7. Pitch your team

Aside from the idea, state of the market, and financials, an investor wants to know that their money is in good hands. You need to sell the merits of your team so the investor can trust your abilities.

The DocSend data demonstrates that both seed and pre-seed decks are more successful when teams are introduced towards the beginning. The fact that decks with team slides toward the end are less successful indicates just how important a team is to investors! Consider moving it up in your deck to make sure you succeed.

Keep the following in mind for a better pitch result:

• Celebrate your team's skills, experience, and qualifications
• Don’t deny any shortcomings you may currently have-and explain how you will deal with them
• Chart the next steps, ambitions, and improvements of your team as part of the pitch

8. Explain your financial projections

You need to project your revenue goals over the next 3 to 5 years. Break down the revenue per product and be certain to carefully explain how and when the business will see these numbers.

A revenue projection slide should be concise. Make sure you don’t get swept up in numbers. Keep it simple.

9. Justify your fundraising needs

All investors will prefer to give you a lower level of funding if that’s what your idea requires. You have to make investors understand why you need the funding you are asking for.

Make sure you cover the following to justify what you ask for and to help close the deal.

• Current funding levels, how much you have to date, and where this came from
• Ownership levels, what stake will investors get and what is the current equity distribution?
• How much more investment do you need to achieve your goals?
• Where the money will go and what you will use it for
• The position of the business, once the funding runs out

This is a good point in the pitch to remind everyone how shrewd and trustworthy you will be with the investor's money. Make everyone in the room comfortable with what they are about to offer.

10. Illustrate your exit strategy

As fundraising progresses from the seed stages, you’ll find investors are eager to know what the exit strategy is for the business: a large company may acquire you, the management might want to buy out the stake—or maybe you will go public.

Whatever the exit plan looks like, explain to the investor why it makes sense for the company and what it means for their investment. Investors may not care about the method of exit, but they’ll want to know how they’ll get their money back 5 or 10 years down the line.

What are some common mistakes made when pitching to investors?

We want to give you a positive list of things to do to make your pitch great, but there are a few things to avoid too. Try to avoid the following common fundraising pitch pitfalls:

• Not understanding your audience or customer
• Not doing the market research
• Not being transparent with the data you have or your sources
• Not leaving enough time for questions during the meeting
• Not following up with people in the pitch after the meeting
• Not listening to investor feedback or refining your deck after an unsuccessful pitch

Pitching can be a lot of build-up with a whirlwind of activity that follows—or a fast “no”. Prepare for each stage as if it was the final step, which is stepping into the room and delivering.

How can Dropbox help me pitch to investors?

Dropbox makes it easy to share, collaborate and work on your deck. When your pitch lands the investment you need, DocSend can make sending files quick, simple, and safe. 

Try Dropbox Capture to record screens during your pitch meetings and preparation, or the pitch itself. You can also use Dropbox Sign to get legally-binding eSignatures, so whether you are preparing a pitch or have a winning agreement to send—you can rely on our tools at every stage.

Nail your next investment pitch

Our practical guide will give you the best chance of success in your pitch. Combine a strong pitch with our powerful products, and you’ll be ready for a “yes” in your funding journey.

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It's not just you: Reddit is taking over Google

• Google's AI search engine and the rise of forum posts like Reddit and Quora are upheaving SEO.
• Google's shift to promoting more human, helpful sites has led to a surge in traffic to Reddit.
• This rise in Reddit's visibility is being exploited by spammers, raising concerns.

If you think you've been seeing an awful lot more Reddit results lately when you search on Google, you're not imagining things.

The internet is in upheaval, and for website owners the rules of "winning" Google Search have never been murkier.

Google's generative AI search engine is coming from one direction. It's creeping closer to mainstream deployment and bringing an existential crisis for SEOs and website makers everywhere.

Coming from the other direction is an influx of posts from Reddit, Quora, and other internet forums that have climbed up through the traditional set of Google links.

Data analysis from Semrush, which predicts traffic based on search ranking, shows that traffic to Reddit has climbed at an impressive clip since August. Semrush estimated that Reddit had over 132 million visitors in August 2023. At the time of publishing, it was projected to have over 346 million visitors in April 2024.

None of this is accidental. For years, Google has been watching users tack on "Reddit" to the end of search queries and finally decided to do something about it.

Google started dropping hints in 2022 when it promised to do a better job of promoting sites that weren't just chasing the top of search but were more helpful and human.

Last August, Google rolled out a big update to Search that seemed to kick this into action. Reddit, Quora, and other forum sites started getting more visibility in Google, both within the traditional links and within a new "discussions and forums" section, which you may have spotted if you're US-based.

The timing of this Reddit bump has led to some conspiracy theories. In February, Google and Reddit announced a blockbuster deal that would let Google train its AI models on Reddit content. Google said the deal, reportedly worth $60 million , would "facilitate more content-forward displays of Reddit information," leading to some speculation that Google promised Reddit better visibility in exchange for the valuable training data. A few weeks later, Reddit also went public .

A Google spokesperson told BI: "Our agreement with Reddit absolutely did not include ranking its content higher on Search."

Indeed, SEO experts have watched this Reddit bump since August when Google rolled out a crucial search update six months before the deal was announced.

It's not just Reddit. Q&A forum Quora is getting a huge visibility bump in Google search results, per Semrush and Sistrix data. Google says "hundreds" of other forums and communities across the web are also getting the bump.

Still, given Reddit's size, its rise is the most noticeable. Per Sistrix data, Reddit is now as visible in top Google Search results as Instagram.

Steve Paine, marketing manager at Sistrix, called the rise of Reddit "unprecedented."

"There hasn't been a website that's grown so much search visibility so quickly in the US in at least the last five years," he told Business Insider.

Right now, Reddit ranks high for product searches. Reddit's main competitors are Wikipedia, YouTube, and Fandom, Paine said, and it also competes in "high-value commercial searches," putting it up against Amazon. The "real competitors," he said, are the subreddits that compete with brands on the web.

Giving the people what they want

Why is Google doing this, and why now ?

The company's stance here is simple: it's giving users what they want.

"Our research has shown that people often want to learn from others' experiences with a topic, so we've continued to make it easier to find helpful perspectives on Search when it's relevant to a query," a Google spokesperson told BI. "Our systems surface content from hundreds of forums and other communities across the web, and we conduct rigorous testing to ensure results are helpful and high quality."

Responding to a post on X , Google search liaison Danny Sullivan said users not only like seeing "forum content" but that they "proactively seek it out."

This shift in search behavior has already been happening for several years. In July 2022, Google's search head Prabhakar Raghavan said younger users were turning to alternative sources such as TikTok and Instagram for information and recommendations. Last year, during the Reddit blackout in June, Google Search got considerably worse .

Google's Reddit deal and its endorsement of Reddit content in Search show how much it sees Reddit as a crucial part of the future of search.

Related stories

"It's obvious that Google has this vision that they need more user-generated content," said Aleyda Solis, an SEO consultant for Orainti, who added that this is one way Google can respond to the rise in TikTok, Instagram, and other social spaces.

While Google might not be pumping Reddit results in exchange for training data, Google's AI systems would benefit from the more up-to-date information Reddit can give, especially when SGE rolls out in full .

Furthermore, a paper written by several Google employees , published in late 2023, claims that pulling information from an internet search can better improve the accuracy of chatbots.

Named FreshPrompt, the method would incorporate "relevant and up-to-date information retrieved from a search engine" to improve a chatbot such as Google's Gemini or OpenAI's ChatGPT .

Grifters can hijack search

The question is whether this Reddit bump will continue or Google will nerf it. There are risks associated with Reddit, which relies on unpaid moderators to police unsavory content and spam.

Google told BI its systems work on all websites, including Quora and Reddit. Still, there's evidence that people are already abusing the rise of these sites in Google rankings. In a February study , SEO blogger Glen Allsopp found that 51% of Reddit's top-ranking threads in Google Search's forums sections contained spam as a top comment.

YouTube already has heaps of videos offering advice on hijacking Reddit to rise to the top of Google Search. One of the most popular videos right now teaches viewers to purchase abandoned Reddit accounts, seek out popular Reddit posts to post comments filled with affiliate links, and then artificially inflate their popularity using "upvotes" purchased from third-party websites. This way, they can feasibly rocket to the top of Google.

It might not be that difficult. Search Engine Journal reported this week that one Reddit user climbed to top-ranking Google Search results in minutes (BI could confirm the post ranked in the top 10, but couldn't independently verify the time it took to get there).

A Google spokesperson said the company's anti-spam policies apply to all content and that it takes particular attention to searches for sensitive topics such as health or finance.

Still, it's unclear how much Google's spam-attacking systems, which just got a boost , work right now. Reddit is "heavily manipulated at the end of the day," and people can easily take advantage of it by posting content there, Solis said.

Lily Ray, vice president of SEO strategy and research for marketing agency Amsive, told BI she is concerned that Google is "shifting the burden" of monitoring abuse onto Reddit moderators. Neglected subreddits risk getting spammed with unhelpful or even false content.

Ray wrote on LinkedIn last week that she found an example of Reddit ranking prominently at the top of Google when she searched "How to lose 10 pounds in a week".

"A redditor suggested 'cutting your arm off,'" she wrote.

This raises questions about whether Google can keep bad content from being eaten by its AI-generated search engine, which often sources its responses from the top search results. Already, Google is fighting an influx of AI-generated content flooding the web. At the same time, rivals such as OpenAI and Perplexity try to steal Google's lunch with AI chatbots that work like search engineers.

A Google spokesperson told BI that the company's analysis did not find that more harmful content on Search comes from forums.

There's room to grow - and that's good news for Reddit investors

The assessment in the SEO community right now is that Google has leaned too hard into community discussion, and it may need to recalibrate once users start complaining that, actually, too much Reddit in Google results can be a bad thing.

Sistrix's Paine said 48.9% of the reddit.com ranking content appears in the top 10 Google Search results, yet only 8% show in the top 3, according to a study from his firm — giving plenty of room for Reddit only to grow, which is something Reddit investors will be pleased to know.

Google may also decide to course-correct.

"Personally, I would expect this current dominance by Reddit to calm down once Google notes that the search experience has not been improved by the increased inclusion of Reddit," SEO consultant Natalie Slater told BI.

"One of the questions is, will it retain this visibility?" Paine said of Reddit. "On one hand, this is unprecedented growth, and there's a feeling that it must end soon."

On the other, he added, there's plenty of space for Reddit's presence in Google Search to grow even bigger.

For now, Reddit and Google need each other, and it may be in neither of their interests to stop a good thing.

On February 28, Axel Springer, Business Insider's parent company, joined 31 other media groups and filed a $2.3 billion suit against Google in Dutch court, alleging losses suffered due to the company's advertising practices.

Watch: What is ChatGPT, and should we be afraid of AI chatbots?

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