I bumped into many founders (including myself) that tend to overcrowd or overcomplicate this part of pitch deck with too many infos of industry details. Remember investors seeing your deck might not be familiar with how it works. This could be their first time encounter to your target market, or to your industry. Be simple, and relatable to almost anyone. 

Airbnb’s pitch deck to Y-Combinator in 2008 was a classic text book example that I love to use as reference. Its so simple: What they did in their problem statement is to establish the reality of travel that they want to tackle and solve. It is so simple, no complicated jargon. You dont want to start your pitch with a statement that will make investors question your actual industry expertise. 

Tips: Practice elevator pitch. Imagine your grandmother ask you what your business does. How do you explain it in 10 words or less? If she gets it, it means you found it! 

In pitching to investors, numbers and facts matter, but the real magic happens when you tell a good story connecting them. Looking back at my time crafting pitch decks for Carpedia, I used to focus a lot on painting the grand vision,thinking it would wow everyone. 

Truth be told, many times, my presentations left people scratching their heads. That’s when I learned a valuable lesson: Keep it simple. Tell your business story like you’re talking to a 5-year-old, bit by bit. As simple as it sounds, I wish that I listened to this advice sooner, it definitely saved me a lot of time. 

For small businesses, focus on your niche first. It’s like building blocks; each piece adds up to create the big picture. It’s ok to keep in mind about the big picture that you are saving the world, but even superhero needs somewhere small to start. Superman started with his own small town called Smallville! Tell that small story first!

Make sure your audience gets what you’re about—explain the problems you’re solving and why it matters to them. It’s not just about having a solution; it’s about making it clear and essential for them.

You have similar idea? Share it with me in the comments below.