Here’s the one crucial detail that founders often miss out in their pitch decks

Photo credit: Guardian Liberty Voice.

Picture this. After months of preparing for Demo Day, you give your best performance on stage and there are good vibes all around.

Weeks later, all you’ve received are lukewarm interest from investors, but none of them were ready to commit to further discussion. You’ve covered all the bases, but aren’t getting the calls you’ve hoped for. What’s going on?

Investors hear hundreds of pitches a month, so if yours is forgettable or not a priority in their minds, your business might just get swept under the carpet.

Most people would recommend you follow one of the many iterations of the 11-slide pitch deck formula as popularised by VC firms when preparing your pitch deck:

1. Elevator Pitch
2. Market potential
3. Problem
4. Solution
5. Business Model
6. Traction
7. Growth Strategy
8. Team
9. Financials
10. Competition
11. The ‘Ask’

Don’t get me wrong, it’s the industry standard template for a reason. We recommend it to startups that we consult with and those that attend our trainings as well, because the structure is great and covers almost everything investors need to know.

Problem is, most startups end up harping too much on the problems they’re solving and miss out one very important detail in their presentation story that intrigue investors: “Why now?”

Why is the market ripe for penetration today? Why investors shouldn’t wait any longer to fund your startup now?

It’s common practice for investors to ask questions and mull over your business before committing to writing that cheque, but you shouldn’t encourage them to sit on it for too long. (It might take longer sometimes depending on numerous factors like the amount or lack of information.)

Startups seek funding to move faster, to dominate new industries while they’re untapped and lucrative. If there’s no urgency, what’s the point? You need to remind them that with any valuable offer, there’s an expiration date to get on-board. Of course, don’t be pushy about it.

Your “why now” slide