Startup Pitching

Tips for a successful presentation

www.aepartners.fi

Your business idea pitch should be concise, captivating, and convincing.

Here are some tips for a 10 slide presentation for a startup.

Cover slide 3. Business Model

• Your captivating tagline
• How do you make money?

• Your vision or mission

• What resources and partnerships will
• Your contact information
you need?

• What costs do you need to cover?

1. The Problem
• What is required to become
• Plausible problem description,
profitable?

illustrated with a short personal story,

if possible
4. Underlying Magic/Technology
• Is it a real problem (not only my own • Less words, more diagrams,
one)?
flowcharts and pictures

• What happens if we do not solve it?

• Bring prototype along, show it,
• How big is the market opportunity?
results of studies

• How established (or nascent) is the • Intellectual protection strategy

market?

5. Marketing and sales

• Do you have a credible claim on
• Who are your customers (list)?

being one of the top two or three

• How will you reach the target
players in the market?

customer?

2. Your Solution • What is your sales, marketing and

• What is your product/service?
distribution strategy?

• How does it solve your customer’s • What is the current sales pipeline?

problem?
• Always mention market research
• What is unique about your product/ studies source (Forrester etc)

service?

• What are the benefits of your

solution?

© AE Partners Oy 1
6. Competition • What has been the progress to date
• Who is your existing & likely (make reality and future clear)?

competition?
• What are your future milestones?

• What are the competing

10. Summary and call to action
technologies?

• Summary of what you are offering,

• Who is adjacent to you (in the
and why it is a feasible investment.

market) that could enter your market

• What are the proposed next steps.

(and compete) or could be a co-

• Questions/answers.

opted partner?

• What are their strengths/

Inspiration and sources
weaknesses?

• Why are you different?

Jean-Pierre Vuilleumier, Guy Kawasaki

Brad Feld, David Cowan

7. Team
• Who is your management team?

• What is their experience?

Tips from investor/advisor

• What pieces are missing and what is
David Cohen
the plan for filling them?

• Grab me!

8. Projections and milestones

• Tell me quickly what you do and
• No graphs (investors prefer financials
why I should care.

in a table)

• Make it painfully obvious that I

• For each time period, add headcount
should pay attention.

and cash balance. It should be clear

• Establish credibility.

how you expect the company to

• Be specific, not general.

perform top line and bottom line

• Don’t rely on things outside your
three years out, and how much
control.

capital will be required now and later.

• Contradict conventional wisdom.

• Pricing and quantities could be

• Play on a known fear.

helpful

• Make me laugh.

• What funds have already been

• Be appropriately different.

raised?

• Make me think.

• How much money are you raising

• Show, don’t tell.

and at what valuation?

• Illuminate the problem.

• How will the money be spent?

• Explain the pain.

• How long will it last and where will

• Get another meeting!

the company "be" on its milestones

progress at that time?

• People will listen or read – They

• How much additional funding do you
will not do both!

anticipate raising & when?

• I’m really going to remember one

or two things you said.
9. Status and Timeline
• What is your stage of development
(technology/product, team, financial
metrics/revenues)?

These tips are provided by Aarni Heiskanen, Founder and

CEO of AE Partners - www.aepartners.fi 2