Everything is a pitch- The art of creating a winning pitch deck by renure

Everything is a pitch- The art of creating a winning pitch deck An Ebook from INK PPT

Content What is a Pitch Deck?

Purpose of a Pitch Deck

Pitch deck VS Business Plan

Venture’s First Prototype

Key pillars in your investor pitch

Storytelling

Design

Pitch Deck Formats

Delivery

Get funded

Start your Pitch Deck Today

What is a Pitch Deck?

A pitch deck gives your potential clients or investors an overview of your business plan, products, services, and growth plan in the form of a brief presentation. Entrepreneurs know that their company or idea needs financing. Thus, a pitch deck is designed to effectively convey all those points of your business that the potential investors care about for making their investment decision. The pitch deck should work really well in itself as a strategic document, but its primary purpose should be to tell the story of your business potential rather

than just to secure funds from investors and make it to the next meeting. The first step of the ladder is a good, informative pitch deck in the multi-step funding process. An intriguing idea will get the VCs and investors to engage with you which will ultimately help you in raising funds from them. Several slides in a pitch deck help you to tell a compelling story. You can easily use software like PowerPoint, Prezi, Canva, Keynote or Google Slides to create an out-of-the-box presentation.

Purpose of a Pitch Deck Almost 90% of the startups fail because of hesitancies in investing in it from the end of the financers. They consider it a risky business. Investors doubt whether your company would still be around in a few years, and will they ever see a return on their investment or not? So the need to create an enticing, attention-grabbing, thought-provoking pitch deck is vital. Pitch decks should not be taken lightly, as getting that investment could be the difference between the life and death of your business. Pitch decks provide a clear representation of your company & the future to investors. A few different categories of information should be covered to provide investors with the right amount of data to ask questions and make investment decisions after adequately analyzing the markets.

Pitch deck VS Business Plan

As an entrepreneur which one you should be focusing on at first? A business plan or a pitch deck? The entrepreneurs and business owners for decades have believed that they need to focus on creating a comprehensive business plan and there were enough good reasons for that. But this has recently started happening that, many startup owners have almost gone exclusive with pitch decks in the place of a traditional business plan. Know that which among these two approaches, or whether both or using them one after the other will work the best for you depending on the type of your business or your fundraising efforts? A traditional business plan lays out all of the parts of the business and is a purely text-based and fairly lengthy document.

There is everything present in a business plan from the corporate structure to the startup needs, to the marketing and growth plans, and also the financial forecasts for the coming five years. It also includes the much longer-term game plan. A business plan begins with a brief executive summary and is made typically in a Microsoft Word style format. Now, on the other hand, a pitch deck is a slide-by-slide presentation just as PowerPoint or Google Slides formatting. It is quite a simple, short, and compact version of a traditional business plan. They specifically came into working for pitching the startups to the potential investors for their fundraising and are also replacing business plans at a fast pace.

Why a Business Plan? Are business plans still relevant among entrepreneurs these days? The answer to this is both yes as well as no. We know what failing to a plan means, therefore, it is a must for every business and entrepreneur to have a plan. Creating a business plan will help you in giving depth and length to whatever plan you have for your business. It provides a lot more clarity than you can ever fit into a pitch deck. Thus it helps the entrepreneurs really think through the big vision and long-term game plan of your business. It helps you explain your marketing plans, cash flow needs, startup costs, and financial projections more finely and deeply. It also gives a foundation and framework to start building on.

The Pros & Cons Of A Business Plan Pros: •

Forces potential investors to think through your business details

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Gives an in-depth plan and awareness of your actual requirements.

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Provides something tangible to back up your business hype.

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Offers credibility with early investors and potential partners

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Makes you prepared beforehand in case you are asked for it.

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Contributes a comprehensive guide and roadmap to follow

Cons: •

Higher chances of no one reading it again.

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There is a constant change happening, most of it may become irrelevant in just a few months.

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May turn out to be worthless in terms of the amount of your time, energy, and momentum given.

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Several entrepreneurs get jammed here and miss out on their best opportunities.

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Offers negligible returns to all the additional expenses made.

Why a Pitch Deck? Pitch decks are synonymous with startup fundraising. Yet, it is not exclusively tied to only fundraising, instead, it is a visual presentation that helps potential investors learn more about your business. It fascinates the investors to engage with your business by showing a compelling story. In fact, you’ll find pitch decks useful from even before day one to throughout your exit like in: • Shaping your initial concept and model • Gaining feedbacks initially • Cofounders recruitment • Advisors enrollment • Hiring the key team members early • Online and offline pitching of investors • ecuring strategic and customer partnerships early through multiple rounds of fundraising. • Reaching an exit

Pros & Cons Of A Pitch Deck Pros: •

Required while raising capital

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Creating a mini business plan within a streamlined framework

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Updated efficiently and very easily for multiple purposes and overtime

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Created in much less time

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Chances are high of using and referring to it quite often

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Can be shared quite easily.

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Allows to easily get down to business much faster

Cons: •

An excuse for not having a real plan or model

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Causes dangerous gaps in the plan from not thinking through the details

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It leads to an absence of preparation when a business plan is requested

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Lays more emphasis on fluff and hype than substance

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Quite a short term outlook

Venture’s First Prototype A pitch deck isn’t just about securing funds from investors. It is also about defining your business, writing your ideas down, and summarizing all you want. Creating a pitch deck in less than 20 slides also forces you to consider how practical your idea is. It highlights any of your initial problems, allows you to find solutions, and strengthens your business model. There is no faster or cheaper way to build your business in the early stages of a startup than a pitch deck. A pitch deck is a prototype for your venture hence it provides enough detail to others in quickly comprehending your idea. This allows your family, friends, and colleagues to offer relevant advice, by identifying obstacles and thus suggesting improvements. When you launch your business, you have a strong prototype and the best possible chances of success as this type of presentation can be swiftly and easily adapted to incorporate new ideas.

Key pillars in your investor pitch A pitch deck presents the facts that show why your company is a good bet for investors. So for all those startups trying to seek funding a pitch deck is a must-have tool. Most successful pitch decks typically have these belowexplained ten slides in common. Read on to know the essential slides for a winning pitch deck.

PROBLEMS TO SOLVE The very first thing every investor looks for is the presence of a feasible market opportunity in your business idea. What problem you are solving? Who all is facing that problem? What all is this problem impacting? And how to monetize this opportunity? In this slide, you can tell a story to capture your potential investors’ attention immediately and make your pitch an unforgettable experience for them.

Source: pitchdeck.io

THE SOLUTION AND THE UNIQUE VALUE PROPOSITION Paint a clear picture of the value of your products or services to the target market along with the solutions you are offering. How is your solution the best if compared to the existing options for solving the problem? You can also, make use of this slide to explain is this the right time to launch. What’s is currently happening in the industry? What all forces are actually taking effect in the market? Where are all these developments heading? Show financers that how your business will be scalable so that they clearly understand how their investment will keep growing.

Source: pitchdeck.io

ABOUT YOUR PRODUCT You can use this slide as an opportunity to express the vision for your product. Show a prototype in action and help your investors to better understand it. Investors will be able to judge your product’s potential a lot better if they can easily visualize your product. In case there is no prototype for your product, you can use diagrams and flowcharts to present, which is also representative of your product. Make sure to share the technology overview that you use and stay prepared to explain all the reasons for your choices.

Source: pitchdeck.io

SHOW MARKET OPPORTUNITIES This slide is of the topmost interest to all financers. They want to learn about the size of the market opportunity, which will straightaway impact their expected ROI. Try to cover all your competitors in this slide and point out all the spaces that they are not filling out. Present why your product solves the problem in a precisely distinctive way and also review your value proposition. Showcase the timeline of the market growth, displaying how the market has grown and developed altogether.

Source: pitchdeck.io

EXPLAIN BUSINESS MODEL Describe your proposed business model to the investors in this particular slide. Explain how you will make money, the structure of your pricing, and the plan to reach your target audience. You need to get very specific here. You will have to tell whatever business model you are planning on using whether it’s A flat fee model? A free trial model or a monthly subscription model? Investors also want to know that you have a strong monetizing strategy for your product, which can easily attract and retain your customers.

Source: pitchdeck.io

THE MARKETING PLAN Jump into the details in this slide about your plan to connect with your audience. Talk about your experience in marketing or sales if any of you are planning to partner with someone else with the right experience. What marketing strategies you are planning to use to begin, and how will these strategies change as you start to grow? What resources to lean on?

Source: pitchdeck.io

LEADERSHIP TEAM The team is also essentially important to the financers. In the absence of a skilled, experienced, dedicated, and intelligent team for execution, even a great idea would be nothing. On this slide, you can tell who leads your startup and what makes them qualified for executing your vision. Show the photos and biographies of your co-founders, key employees, and strategic partners. Present all relevant accomplishments to exemplify why your team is the right choice to bring your idea to action.

Source: pitchdeck.io

SHOW MOMENTUM GAINED Remember that your investor pitch is not your debut with your product. In order to make the investors commit, they want to see some momentum. Preferably, you will have a blueprint that you’ve already tested in the market along with some presales that reassure the investors in the willingness of the market to pay for your product. You can also showcase all the key metrics like growth, revenue, and customer acquisition. In case you are in your early stages, then you can share the results of one-on-one interviews or survey responses in this slide.

Source: pitchdeck.io

INFORM FINANCIAL PROJECTIONS This slide becomes a bit precarious because you and your investors very well know that unless there is an existing business in the making you don’t have a track record of financials to inform your projections. But then there are certain ideas to provide meaningful data here. You can share your customer counts which also include your presales, your conversion metrics, and-to-date average sales to back up your projections. The main aim of this slide is to show investors the financial direction of your business. To help demonstrate that others have seen promise in your company you can also share any of your prior funding.

Source: pitchdeck.io

THE INVESTMENT Now comes the time to tell your investors what level of investment you’re seeking from them. Show this level as a range in this slide. Describe that how you will use these funding and the results you are expecting to see from them. Tell the investors the equity that you will provide them in exchange for their investment and how and when you expect to pay it back to them.

Source: pitchdeck.io

Storytelling

Why is your story so important to your potential investors? Always remember, stories are easier to recall than facts and figures when you are looking for investors to fund your startup. A nicely conveyed story of your business creates an emotional link between your business and your investors, highlights your solution’s effectiveness, and shows how well you know your audience. Try to explain each of your slides with your narrative, which links them together telling the story of your business. You can even use elements or characters from your story to add personality to a reading deck or answer investors’ questions.

How to Use Storytelling for Writing Your Pitch Deck? Storytelling can work only when you know how to correctly embrace it in your pitch deck. Here we have shared a few points that you definitely should keep in mind when you create a pitch deck. The three major things which every business should focus on while storytelling is building a scenario, the problem, and the solution.

The Scenario This is about creating a character along with a scene that potential investors can connect with. Your audience is never interested in learning about your product right away. Rather, what they want to know about a person — who has a name, a designation, and more about his/her life. No matter what your domain is if you know the art of storytelling, then you can easily raise the right amount of funds required.

The Problem After you are done setting up the entire scenario, now you need to discuss the problem that is bugging your character. The problem cannot randomly come up out of nowhere, your character should discover it — tell your audience about it too. Try to compare your character’s problem with your potential investor’s problem as it is one of the best ways to make more impact. Ensure that they start to feel that it is actually something that requires to be taken care of.

The Solution When you talk about the solution, you have to ensure that your product gets enough attention. You not only have to focus on the solution to the problem but mainly on how your product can solve that problem. Moving ahead further, mention how your product is going to scale, how it is best and better than others available in the market (only in case if there’s any). This is not enough; you also have to show them how your entire team has worked so hard to make the product. Tell investors about each team member’s role separately.

Example Storytelling is one of the core pillars in a successful pitch deck but that doesn’t mean data can be neglected. If your startup has been operating for the past few years and if you have generated some amount of revenue, you definitely should not avoid adding your stats. Some of the stats that you should add can be your: • • • • •

Growth rate Number of clients using your product Past Investments The generated revenue so far How you figure out your clients/customer behaviour and then make changes to your product • The marketing strategy and more.

Three approved ways to use storytelling in your pitch deck The story of a pitch deck should also have the same elements just as a good book, like excitement, action, success, and failure. You should work hard to get the audience on your side by including as many details as possible. Investors should start caring about your business by the end of your pitch. Here you will get three examples of a pitch deck story highlighting different features of the venture and tailored to meet the needs of particular investors.

The Hero’s Journey This classic story format follows a proven and tested 4-steps: • Hero living a normal life being unaware of what’s wrong. • He faces a problem which he is unable to fix. • He then builds a solution which no one has ever thought of so far. • Thus as he finds his purpose, he dedicates himself to solving that problem. This tale is about why you decided to launch your startup. Since it is personal, it thus explains where you have come from and your motivation. Since it creates a bond between you and your audience, it is the best format for new products, innovative concept pitches, and charities. It highlights your experience showcasing your passion for the project.

The Customer’s Tale This story focuses on the customer’s perspective about your product. Since this kind of story shows your investors that you know your market and highlights the value of your product among the common people, it is an excellent way to secure startup funding. Here is its basic format:

First, someone is introduced with a problem • Then explain the person’s everyday life and what all he/she tried to fix the problem • Then tell how that person got to know about your product which helped him to solve his problem. • Highlight the difference to your investors that your product made to this person’s life. •

This tale also works very well for those pitching consumer goods and also tech startups as it being another brilliant choice for concept decks. Customer Tales also help in demonstrating your advantage over your competitors.

The Industry’s Point of View This is the tale about your industry and why it needs you. This tale shows investors that your startup has a role to play. It also demonstrates how well you know the current industry trends and your market. This tale shows: • Based on the industry’s environment, it has always operated according to a set of assumptions. • These assumptions stop holding true anymore because of the technological, economic, or social changes which cause problems for the big players present in the industry. • This, in turn, creates unique opportunities for new businesses to step in and take advantage of these changes. • Thus, this becomes the perfect time for your business to get launched. You have to show investors now that you understand the impact your product will have. You must show with confidence that your venture will become a success with or without them. This format of storytelling works best for all data pitches and ground-breaking startups. It demonstrates the way your business will fit into the wider industry, your competitive edge, and also the size of your potential customer base.

Design

How and why design matters in a pitch deck? We’ve already discussed how storytelling matters to create an impactful pitch deck. Even though storytelling can greatly improve the impact of your pitch deck, but still it’s not enough. Designing your pitch deck is equally important which is why you need to pair storytelling with an awesome pitch deck design. The combination of a great pitch deck design along with the right visuals can be used to tell your story in a much better way. They help to establish brand consistency and make your pitch unforgettable.

The three main reasons how and why design matters in a pitch deck are discussed below: It’s a chance to showcase your expertise Every business knows well how good they are and what they are talking about. But, thoughtlessly packing all this information into a deck can alienate your audience within seconds. By combining your expertise with a deck full of eye-grabbing visuals your audience will easily understand the information you are sharing.

There’s a science involved When presenting your pitch to investors, you need to get a lot of information across as quickly and briefly as possible. Thus, you need to design it in a way that will flick that switch in the investor’s brains from off to on. Different colours evoke different emotional responses among your audience. A well-designed pitch deck tells a story, influence people and make information easier to comprehend and remember. There is a theory behind it known as the cognitive load theory. Getting it right can mean the difference between winning or losing your investors interests.

Your brand will get reinforced Presentation decks are extensions of your company and you essentially, therefore it needs to be consistent. If you give a presentation with a deck that looks and feels nothing like your existing business brand, you will surely confuse potential investors.

Pitch Deck Formats A pitch deck is laid out to provide a short summary of your company which includes your business plan and your startup vision within just a few slides. Many of the authors, startup founders, venture capitalists, and evangelists use different versions of what they consider a successful pitching presentation for their distinct requirements when presenting to their investors:

Here are the two pitch deck formats: Presentation Decks and Reading decks

Presentation Deck The presentation Deck contains very little information and is designed to accompany a verbal pitch, and should be used to highlight only the key points important for the investors to make an investment decision. In this: • Use fewer words as possible as your slides are here to introduce only an idea; your verbal pitch will provide most of the information. • Instead of words always use images and charts and limit yourself to 10 words per slide.

Reading Deck Reading Deck gives a detailed overview of your business model, team, and solution to readers which is more than enough information. It is not presented to investors in person. In this: • Carefully select words, each one conveying a meaning. • Take care to avoid or keep away from useless adjectives and impressive phrases as the investors should see that your strategy for customer acquisition is effective, your product is exciting, and you don’t require wasting space on lengthy phrases.

Delivery All your hard work which you have made so far in making your perfect pitch deck will go waste if you go anywhere wrong with its delivery to the investors. Read on to know more about the right ways of pitch deck delivery:

Printed Deck Delivery • Take your deck slides to a print shop to get them properly bound. This means your deck will remain neat and ordered and will show investors how serious you are. • Professional standard steel binding is recommended. Spiral binding is the next best option if you cannot find a print shop with a steel binder. Do not go for comb binding, which can fall apart and completely avoid, using a staple.

Digital Deck Delivery • A PDF is the best format to deliver your digital deck. • The layout remains the same across all operating system be it Windows, Apple, or Android. You also get the added benefit of password protection, giving you some control over who can view your deck. • You can also host your deck on a cloud service platform which will provide investors with an access link. This will allow you to update the deck even after the investors have received it.

Get Funded Now after knowing almost everything about a successful pitch deck, you need to know about how to get funded to bring your business vision to life. After doing solid research and generating big ideas, and presenting them all in your pitch deck, you should be well aware of the suitable funding sources for your type of business. We have discussed them here.

Funding Sources There are five primary funding sources: Self-Funded You can maintain complete ownership of your businesses and don’t have to accommodate others in the decision-making process. It is the cheapest way to finance your venture among all the others. Only thing is that you might miss out on the networking opportunities and expert advice. Funds here typically come from re-invested profits where founders sell other services and invest that money earned into the business. Friends and family In order to support you, your friends and family most likely will invest in your venture, but you should clarify beforehand that they will be buying equity in your company. Ensure they understand all the risks involved. They probably won’t get their money back as most startups fail. To raise relatively small amounts for the initial stage investments from friends and family is the best option. Crowdfunding This funding method grows in popularity with five-figure campaigns becoming more and more common among all those who are looking to raise seed capital. All founders must choose whether to sell equity or reward backers with perks such as discounted products or early delivery as no one wants something for nothing. If campaigns meet their pledge goal then only they get funded. There is a high failure

rate, but there are additional benefits to running a campaign as well. These benefits can be used to increase pre-sales, market a product, and test pricing for those that are successful. Accelerators Accelerators offer a gateway to funding. These closed groups provide selected startups access to a network of investors, suppliers, vendors, mentors, and other useful contacts. They also supply advice and educational services to help you in refining your business model. Typically, approved startups give up equity in exchange for getting access to an accelerator’s network. It is important to research accelerator groups thoroughly when applying to them. Many are a lot better than others, and many are also industry-specific. Angel investors Angel investors are small trusts or wealthy individuals who are personally ready to invest in your venture. They can provide valuable advice and industry contacts and seed funding as they are often successful entrepreneurs. In exchange for future profits an angel investor will buy equity in your company, but they often take interest in business operations as well unlike the other financing methods. So it becomes, important to research angels before you decide to approach them. Make sure they have a good reputation, as well as the skills and contacts that will help your business grow. Venture capitals (VCs) Venture capitals provide seed funds just like angel investors in exchange for equity. Venture capitals have the resources to invest millions of dollars in your business unlike angels, who typically commit relatively small sums. They pool money from pension funds, institutional investors, and insurance companies and invest in high-risk enterprises. They are expected to deliver their clients very high returns because of the high-risk nature of their investments. Thus, they also often take an active role in the company’s direction and prioritize revenue over the company’s original vision in which they are investing. Including its current needs and long-term objectives, start-up founders will have to consider which investor is best suited to their venture.

Approaching The Investors

Investors recognize the tenacity of an idea and how it may turn out to be profitable for them. Investors provide solid financial backing and ensure that you focus on the product rather than worrying about the financial nitty-gritty. However, these investors are hard to come by.

Here we have shared what all will help you in approaching your investors confidently: Accelerators: •

Find information on their website about the accelerator application process or by directly approaching them.

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Research their network and their work with other startups.

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After finding the right program, follow their instructions for joining. Don’t forget to make sure that your venture meets the program specifications before submitting to it.

Angel Investors: •

Personal introductions work the best to approach them.

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You can also use LinkedIn and your networks to find a common connection who is willing to endorse you.

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You can use conferences and industry events if you don’t have someone to seek an introduction.

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If all the above fails, then straight away pick up the phone and try to arrange a meeting.

Venture Capitals: •

Again, personal introductions will also work best here.

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Startups regularly approach these companies, so when you get an introduction, be ready to move quickly.

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The same day you exchange your business cards send the reading deck and never get into a presentation pitch without all additional documentation ready with you.

Start your Pitch Deck Today Congratulations, you made it to the end. The ton of great tips that were covered in this E-Book will definitely help you create the best pitch deck possible for your company.

Some of our topmost favorite parts from this include: •

Need of creating an enticing, attention-grabbing, thought-provoking pitch deck.

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An apparent difference between a pitch deck and a business plan explained.

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What all should be there in a successful pitch deck.

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The importance of storytelling and designing for grabbing the full attention of potential investors.

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Approved ways of using storytelling in your pitch deck.

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The primary sources of funding.

Now that you have learned about how to create the best pitch decks to communicate your ideas and raise venture capital. So are you ready to get started? And if you still feel that you want to learn more, it would be best to start working on your pitch deck today without any further procrastination. Once you begin developing the presentation, all the little doubts you still have will automatically start to diminish.

All the best :)

We Help You Present Better

INK PPT is a Presentation & Communication design consultancy based out of Gurugram, India. We serve individuals and organizations globally to bring distinctive and substantial improvements through professional design and communication services. We make annual reports interesting by carving out a story of your numbers to make your stakeholders understand your growth story well. We beautify your reports using interesting graphics, designs so that you can display the work using media for greater engagement with the audience. Write to us on renure@inkppt.com for your queries.

Everything is a pitch- The art of creating a winning pitch deck

Articles inside

Start your Pitch Deck Today

Get funded

Key pillars in your investor pitch

Delivery

Pitch Deck Formats

Venture’s First Prototype

Design

What is a Pitch Deck?

Pitch deck VS Business Plan

Purpose of a Pitch Deck