Foundations of Raising Capital
with Jay Clouse
Example Deck
Your Company Name
A tagline about what you do
What’s the Problem?
• Break down the problem you’re solving
• Use a couple bullet points if you need to
• Be as concise and clear as possible
• Data is great too—100% of investors appreciate data
Who Feels This Problem?
• Make it clear exactly who has this problem
• Is this a problem for individuals or businesses?
• Be specific about each potential persona
How Many People Feel This Problem?
• This helps us understand your market size
• Use real numbers to show how many potential customers or users there are
• Slides 2–4 can be one single slide if you’d like
What Is Your Solution?
• How does your company solve the problem?
• Be concise and specific
Why Is This the Right Time?
• Why is this moment in time well-suited for your company to grow and be successful?
• Timing can play a big factor—what has changed or will change soon about the world that
makes your solution the obvious choice?
Do You Have Any Traction?
• Are you already solving this for users or customers?
• If so, how many and for how long?
• Show specific numbers
• What are users or customers saying about your solution?
• Show specific feedback
How Does It Work?
• What is the process or technology that makes your solution work?
• Is that proprietary or patented?
• Keep it simple—we don’t need to know every detail about the technology
Foundations of Raising Capital with Jay Clouse 1 of 2
Foundations of Raising Capital
with Jay Clouse
How Does This Make Money?
• What is the business model behind your company?
• How much could this company earn, given your estimated market size?
• How much money are you making now, given your traction?
• This should make the overall investment opportunity clear and compelling
○○Investors give you money so they can earn a return on that investment—
this slide should make it clear that this investment could generate a large return
Competitive Marketplace Analysis
• Who are your competitors or alternatives?
• How are you different or better than those competitors?
• There are always competitors or alternatives—even if it’s “doing nothing”
Who Are You, and Why Are You on the Team?
• Who is on your team?
• What are their skill sets?
• What is their relevant experience to solving this problem?
• This slide should make it clear that you have a well-balanced and talented team
that has credibility in this space
What Are the Next Steps and Timeline?
• For your company to succeed, what do the next 6, 12, and 18 months look like?
• Share a timeline and the key milestones that your team will accomplish along that timeline
What Is Your Ask?
• For you to successfully reach those milestones and follow the timeline,
what kind of resources do you need?
• Share a specific total for your overall fundraising, as well as what you’re asking from this specific investor
• Be brave—remember that it’s an investor’s job to write checks
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