Do's and Don'ts for Investor Decks

Writing investor decks is a tricky process. You want to be thorough, but concise, and not overwhelm your potential investor with information. You want to communicate a need that your organization is able to fill, and convince the audience that your business is viable. However, it is often hard to find the balance between the right information and too much information. Below are a few do’s and don’ts for writing investor decks:

DO's:

• Describe a need for funding that is relevant to your potential investors

• Make a ppt presentation roughly 15 slides in length

• Speak in terms that investors will actually understand (looking at you, engineers!)

• Use graphs and charts to show your finances

• Explain company mission, vision and purpose

DON'Ts:

• Make slides that are too wordy or crowded. (Remember the 5x5 rule!)

• Have an outdated presentation

• Expect your audience to have background info on your business

• Forget a demo!

• Underestimate your competitors or assume your business is better