It is fairly well known that no entrepreneur ever received a check after giving an investor presentation and yet, an outstanding presentation is one of the most important tools in the funding tool box. Whether doing an investor presentation one on one or in a group format, it is your chance to make a great first impression, build trust, and establish credibility.
The goal of the investor presentation should be to create enough interest that your audience will ask to see your business plan or schedule a next meeting. The most effective presentations usually run 10-15 minutes and with the help of PowerPoint slides are typically organized in the following sequence.
A 2 minute introduction will allow you to communicate to your audience what they can expect in the next 12 minutes and why what you have to say should be important to them. Provide a brief background on your business or technology in terms of the market opportunity. Remind them that what’s really important here is not so much the product or service but your team’s ability to execute on a sizable opportunity.
Next, you will want to take roughly 4 minutes to describe your market opportunity, target market and the features and benefits of your solution. This will be a good time to explain your business model and how you generate profitable revenue.
Take the next 3 minutes to introduce your team. Who are the key individuals and what do they bring to the company’s ultimate success? Think previous accomplishments here. If there are key team members yet to be added, simply indicate what those positions are and when those positions will be filled.
Spend the next 2 minutes of your investor presentation on your sales strategies, your channels of distribution and your marketing strategies.
In a very big picture format, you will want to spend just a few minutes on your financial information. Show a slide on your annual revenue and income projections and then explain the amount of capital that will be required to achieve your financial goals and how that capital will be employed.
In the last two minutes of your investor presentation remind your audience of the market opportunity and indicate the value proposition for the investor. And finally, have a call to action.
Written by Jimmy Lewin