Developing A Winning Pitch Deck

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DAN JENKINS
Executive Board, Beall Center for Innovation &
Entrepreneurship
Co-Chair New Venture Competition
AGENDA

● Key dates, rules & awards

● Pitch deck overview
● Visual design: bad & good!
● "Winning” tips
● Slide-by-slide breakdown
● Summary
● Q&A
 April
ROUND 2
25th Workshop 8:
BoardRoom Round Rules Pitch & Deal With Q&A

8-10 Teams compete per track:

● 20 minutes total time
MAY 13th
● 10 minutes to pitch (recommended!)
● 10 minutes for Q&A (often seals the deal!) Semi-Final
● Top 2 Teams in each track are guaranteed cash prizes
and automatically advance to the Grand Finale
“BoardRoom Pitch”
at Beall Applied
Submit your Pitch Deck by May 2nd at 11:59PM
Innovation
https://forms.gle/nS6Dz9LY4jMxw6Cq8
RULES & REGULATIONS
IDEA
• Must be an ORIGINAL idea

• Not in existence before January 2020

• In pre-incubator form PARTICIPATION

• Have not received financial backing exceeding $10,000 in
total by professional 3rd party incubators, accelerators, • Open to ALL UCI grad & undergrad students
existing companies or VCs (Angels, Friends & Family not
• Open to UCI faculty, staff and alumni
included) at the time of the concept paper submission
• Open to the community/Non-UCI
• Team Size:
⚬ Minimum 2 registered UCI students
⚬ 4-member minimum
⚬ 6-member maximum
COMPETITION TRACKS
Business
Products & Life Consumer Social Consumer
Services Sciences Products Enterprise Services
Semi-Finals

$10K First Place First Place First Place First Place First Place

$5K Second Place Second Place Second Place Second Place Second Place
Grand Finale

$20K Grand Prize!

$1K Fan Favorite Prize!

In-kind Prizes (e.g. legal/IP services)

 SO WHAT’S
A
PITCH DECK?
 in a thumbnail:
what? …an engaging & compelling “story”

why? …to secure the next meeting w/ investors

when? …during your “100” presentations to investors

how? > by selling your “VISION” of the future

> by selling the market potential of your idea
> by telling your story with confidence & PASSION!
 “recommended” format
1. length: 12 slides max (including cover slide) + appendix
2. background:
a) white or black > high contrast to color palette; visually simple
b) simple & uncluttered > don’t let it compete with the content
3. words: 20 per slide max > (3 to 5 bullets)
4. images/charts/stats: YES! (easy to absorb; minimize copy)
5. palette: 2 contrasting colors > (e.g. blue/orange + gray/black/white)
6. fonts: 30-pt min; 2 fonts max (sans serif + bold/italic treatments)
7. consistent formatting throughout

Simple! Clear!! Compelling!!! Memorable!!!!

”Quick Reference Guide”
 with only 10 minutes to present…

resist the urge to toss everything in ... use an appendix!

QUESTIONS?
 “Winning” tips
1. Tell an engaging “story”
2. Use simple, clear & concise slides
3. Be: Compelling! Believable!! Realistic!!!
4. Finish presenting in less than 10 minutes
5. Practice & prepare for Q&A
6. NEVER be arrogant or defensive
7. Exhibit good team dynamics
POP
QUIZ!
A or B
A or B
 A or B

Keep it simple ... design for ”Grandma”

less is more!

simple is better!
QUESTIONS?
SLIDE by SLIDE
BREAKDOWN
 #
Slide 1: title/cover
How will
you kick off:
the catalyst; plain
BOLD!
shock & awe; a engaging back-
question; or an simple ground
anecdotal
story?

cool,
vision attention
thought getting
provoking logo
tagline

Intriguing & memorable … “hook them at hello”

 #
Slide 2: problem
the
problem
connect;
make it physical
relatable evidence!

draw a
conclusion

cite
evidence
obtained by
the survey
problem

Continue your storytelling…

 Slide #3: solution

visual appeal to
yet emotions
simple Simple
as 1-2-3

Te

design it for
an
economy Grandma!
of text; NO
jargon

…it’s always about much “better, faster, cheaper”

 Slide #4: market opportunity
cite
credible
sources!

TAM
SAM why you?
SOM why now?

market
trends?

Realistic & substantiated – it’s not a $200 B market…

QUESTIONS?
 #
Slide 5: product/service

flow
chart
numbers
guide
the eye

dumb it
down; left to
right
a take
away
box

A picture or diagram replaces lots of copy

 Slide #6: competition
strengths,
advantages,
“secret sauce”
barriers… where do
you fit?

who are
the key
players?

There is ALWAYS competition…if only the “status quo”

 Slide #7: revenue model

how will that’s as

you make simple as
money? it gets

CAC ?
LTV ?

Can you make money – the bottom-line for investors!

 Slide #8: go-to-market strategy
create
start small market
& focused; presence &
don’t bite awareness
off too
much

CAC
cost to
simply acquire each
explain the customer
selling
process

How will you reach & connect with prospects/customers?

 #
Slide 8b (optional): traction
key
milestones

# of
clients

strategic revenue
partnerships

“We’ve accomplished ‘X’ with only $$$ of bootstrapping!”

 Slide #9: financial projections
use Limit
use & state industry
realistic decimal
models points; NO
assumptions cents!
point
out key
metrics
1-5%
“round” market
the share is
numbers realistic
CAC ?
LTV ? breakeven
w/in 3
years

Be conservative…or be shot down!

 Slide #10: fundraise

Not required for this competition!

 #
Slide 11: team
pictures
detailed humanize
yet easy
to digest
use job
logos

experience
& what is
successes their value
add

“We have the right team to execute on this plan!”

 #
Slide 12: summary

reinforce
key
messages

usually
stays on
make it screen
compelling! name, during
title, Q&A!
phone &
email

Why YOU..? Why NOW..? Why should they CARE..?

 Appendix: examples
Timeline: history, milestones, R&D strongly
Detailed value propositions encouraged
for Q&A
Additional product screenshots you have only
be prepared!
Average revenue per user (ARPU) 12 minutes to
anticipate judges’
questions Pipeline of potential customers clarify confusion,
sell your idea
role play in Detailed financials; cash flows; breakeven
& impress the
advance Headcount projections and hiring plan
It’s there judges
Partnership arrangements in case the
question
Patents & patent filings arises

This is where you put the “kitchen sink”

Appendix Slide #1 (optional): why now?
Big names
underscore
market
viability and
potential
1/3 of a huge
market ripe
for entry

Trends? Niche opportunities? Timing?

QUESTIONS?
 Resources:
Need help with market research?
Schedule an Appointment with Sara Heimann, our Innovation
and Entrepreneurship Librarian! Please contact Sara to schedule
an appointment at [email protected]

Need help with your business concept or general guidance?

Schedule an Appointment with Jaune Odombrown, the
ANTrepreneur Center Manager! Please contact Jaune to
schedule an appointment at [email protected]
 Final thoughts:
Decide how to tell your story most effectively from 30,000 feet
Cover only key points central to your venture (put rest in appendix)
FOCUS on your target market’s primary problem
Gaining market traction quickly is key . . . learn, iterate & accelerate
Great ideas are just ideas; execution is everything
All that really matters is that someone will pay you money!

FOCUS . . . PRACTICE . . . HAVE FUN!

 T H IS CAN B E YO U !
Questions?

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 THANK YOU
[email protected]

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