It used to be that only the facts mattered, but now the competition to raise capital is fierce. Thus, standing out from the crowd is more important than ever. Therefore, the art and power of a brilliantly told and designed capital raise deck are crucial.
We see a lot of capital raise and investor pitch decks at Brand Iron. I would say that the vast majority are a bunch of boring facts, spreadsheets, data, and charts. Most come up short on telling a good visual story.
Below, I teach you how to pitch to investors and highlight my favorite elements of the art and power of a brilliantly told and designed capital raise and investor pitch deck.
Use your pitch deck to tell a powerful story.
Most of us left the art of storytelling back when we were young. You need to regain that art again to be able to raise the capital you need to power your business. Your story should have a tight message line and powerful supporting visuals. You may want to develop a deck outline with chapters that spell out a compelling story.
Make your pitch deck visual and entertaining.
In my experience, capital raise decks that perform the best tell a fantastic, visually appealing, and compelling story. Wise investors want to feel a connection, be entertained, and be a part of a winning story and team, so paint that story and make it solid and gripping.
A picture is worth a thousand words.
Some of the best stories investors love are told via images, photos, and infographics that spell out a story visually. Text-heavy models explaining the concept and story are unengaging. Be sure to paint a picture of what your company’s story and model look like using supportive visuals.
Convey a powerful and engaging financial story through your pitch deck.
I’ve seen a lot of spreadsheets or elementary financial worksheets. While you’ll probably need an actual proforma or economic model to accurately and effectively tell your financial story, you can make it engaging. What I mean by your financial story is that making these facts and figures tell a powerful and exciting story that compels people to find out more about your economic model and potentially invest, which leads us to the next point.
Utilize charts and graphs to win the imagination of investors.
Utilize and create graphics and charts that effectively show your revenue growth. In addition, indicate the following:
Profit/EBITDA
IRR (internal rate of return)
ARR (annualized recurring revenue)
Growth of invested capital
Increase in subscribers
Growth of enterprise value
Asset value, etc
Put this information into a great visual story that conveys your solid financial story.
Summarize your value and the opportunity.
Once you’ve laid out your story, you may want to run through it again, summarize your value and why this is such a great opportunity and investment, and ask for the investment.
I have found that these six steps to creating a beautiful and practical capital raise and investor pitch deck that looks great and tells a story will help you grow the capital you want to raise.
- Tell a powerful story
- Make it visual and entertaining
- A picture is worth a thousand words
- Convey a powerful and engaging financial story
- Utilize charts and graphs to win the imagination
- Summarize your value and the opportunity
Remember that the art and power of a brilliantly told and designed capital raise and investor pitch deck lies within your story. My team and I at Brand Iron will help bring that story to life and secure the funds you need to get your vision off the ground.
Let’s get started. Connect with us today.
Brand Iron is an independent, multi-faceted branding and marketing agency passionate about shaping businesses and transforming brands. We are a collective of independent thinkers, artists, and doers committed to forging unrivaled outcomes for our clients. And most recently, recognized as one of the best SEO firms in Colorado!
CEO | Brand Champion
Michael Doyle has been changing the face of Brand Marketing for over two decades. He built a tech-based advertising agency, DNA Advertising, into a multi-million dollar company. Michael sold the company as part of a national IPO in 2000. Michael founded Brand Iron in 2002 and has since lent his expertise to hundreds of other businesses in dozens of industries around the world.
