Business
Keet Van Zyl
11
19:09
Handbook
Keet Van Zyl, founder of and partner at Knife Capital, shares valuable tips on how to create a pitch deck for investors.
Keet Van Zyl, founder of and partner at Knife Capital, shares valuable tips on how to create a pitch deck for investors.
Keet Van Zyl Teaches
If you’ve watched enough episodes of Shark Tank or Dragons’ Den, pitching your business to investors is probably the scariest thing you can imagine. Fear no more, however, because in this recipe Keet Van Zyl guides you through putting together a pitch deck that will make you memorable for the right reasons.
Whether you’re looking for investment, a new key customer or strategic support, don’t go into your next pitch without this advice.
How To Create a Pitch Deck
See moreEp 1: Why Is It Important For Entrepreneurs to Understand Their Audience?
You pitch to different people for different reasons.
Understanding your audience enables you to personalise your pitch.
While most of your pitch deck will stay the same, you need to personalise your call to action.
Ep 2: How Should Entrepreneurs Define Their Key Message?
Your key message is what your business does and what it offers.
Try to distil that into a 4-word story.
State your value proposition, or key message, upfront in your pitch deck.
Ep 3: What Should Entrepreneurs Consider When Structuring Their Pitch Deck?
Address the core elements of your business in sequence.
Include a sense of urgency, something that explains why your business is relevant right now.
Visual structure and design elements are important to keep the audience interested.
Ep 4: Why Should Entrepreneurs Consider The Opening of Their Pitch Deck?
You need a strong opening to establish yourself and get people’s attention.
Start by establishing what it is you do.
Explain why you exist quickly and concisely.
Ep 5: How Should Entrepreneurs Communicate The Problem They Are Solving?
The best way to articulate the problem is a few bullet points.
A single image or photo can also explain it.
Your purpose is to get the audience to connect with the fact that a problem exists.
Ep 6: How Should Entrepreneurs Showcase Their Solution To The Problem?
Put the solution next to the problem to connect the dots.
It can be on the same slide/s or in sequence.
Bullet points are a good way to present the solution.
Ep 7: How Should Entrepreneurs Approach Market Opportunity in Their Pitch Decks?
The market size is not the same as your addressable market.
You have to understand who in that market wants your solution and will pay for it.
The more granular you get about the real size of your market, the more investors will take you seriously.
Ep 8: How Should Entrepreneurs Highlight Their Team In A Pitch?
Don’t just put CVs or photos on slides.
Add a short description to each photo that conveys execution ability.
Show your team’s diversity.
Ep 9: How Should Financials Be Presented In A Pitch Deck?
Keep your financials slide/s simple.
The rule of 40 is something investors look for.
Use an infographic to show past, present and future.
Ep 10: How Should Entepreneurs End Their Pitch Deck?
Close your pitch with “the ask”.
Say what it is you want and how you will use it.
Without the ask, the pitch becomes pointless.
Ep 11: What Is Your Secret Ingredient?
Keet Van Zyl reveals his secret ingredient.