What Do Investors Want to See in a Pitch Deck [Answered in Detail]
- Ink Narrates | The Presentation Design Agency
- Jun 9, 2024
- 7 min read
Updated: Aug 4
Our client Mark asked us an interesting question while we were making his investor pitch deck.
“What do investors actually look for in a pitch deck?”
Our Creative Director answered,
“Clarity, proof, and a reason to care.”
As a presentation design agency, we work on many pitch decks throughout the year. And in the process, we’ve observed one common challenge: most founders try to impress, but forget to connect.
So in this blog, we’ll talk about what investors want to see in a pitch deck and how to show them exactly that.
In case you didn't know, we specialize in only one thing: making presentations. We can help you by designing your slides and writing your content too.
Why It’s Important to Think from the Investor’s Point of View
Let’s be honest. Most pitch decks are founder-first. They talk about “my vision,” “my product,” “my journey,” and “our hustle.” All of that is great, but it’s not what gets the funding conversation going.
Investors are not there to applaud your ambition. They’re there to evaluate risk, return, and timing.
So if you’re not thinking from their point of view, you’re basically talking past them.
And they don’t have the patience for that.
An investor might flip through hundreds of decks in a week. They’ve developed a mental checklist. They’re not looking to be sold. They’re looking to be shown.
What does that mean for you?
It means every single slide in your deck has to answer one unspoken question:
“Why should I bet my money, reputation, and time on this?”
If your deck doesn’t make that case clearly, confidently, and quickly, it gets skipped. Not because your idea isn’t great, but because you didn’t tell your story in a way that matched their lens.
Thinking from their point of view isn’t about pandering. It’s about aligning. Showing them you understand how the game works. That you’re not just a builder, but a strategist.
And investors don’t fund ideas. They fund teams who know how to navigate the real world. A pitch deck is your first real-world test.
When you approach it from their side of the table, your story changes. Your tone changes. The structure becomes less about you and more about what’s in it for them.
Now you’re not pitching. You’re partnering.
What Investors Actually Want to See in a Pitch Deck
Let’s not overcomplicate this. Investors are not waiting to be wowed by your color palette or how hard you’ve hustled. They’re scanning for signals — proof that you’re solving a real problem, in a real market, with a real plan.
When you approach pitch decks like storytelling for smart, busy people who’ve heard it all, your odds improve dramatically. We’ve worked on enough decks across industries to see the same patterns — and mistakes — repeat. So here’s the straightforward answer to what investors want to see in a pitch deck, no sugar-coating.
1. A One-Liner That Tells the Truth
Start with clarity. Not catchiness.
This is your elevator pitch in its purest form. The one-liner on your cover or intro slide should tell the investor what you do, for whom, and how it’s different.
The mistake? Founders try to sound visionary. What comes out is either vague or bloated.
Here’s what works:“We help logistics companies reduce failed deliveries by 30% through real-time route optimization.”
Now, the investor knows:
Who this is for (logistics companies),
What pain it solves (failed deliveries),
And how (real-time route optimization).
Avoid phrases like “transforming,” “redefining,” or “revolutionizing” unless you can prove it on the next slide. Investors want to understand, not decode.
2. A Problem That’s Painful and Proven
The problem slide is your hook. If the investor doesn’t believe this problem matters, the rest of your pitch is noise.
Don’t just state a problem — prove it exists. Use data, anecdotes, customer quotes, or analogies that land. Make the pain real.
Weak:“Remote teams struggle with collaboration.”
Stronger:“88% of remote teams report losing project clarity due to scattered tools and inconsistent updates.”
You’ve now quantified the problem and made it relatable.
What makes a problem slide convincing:
A specific user persona (not “everyone”)
A measurable pain point
A sense of urgency (why this needs solving now)
3. A Solution That Feels Obvious in Hindsight
Once you’ve defined the problem, your solution should feel like a logical, well-thought-out answer.
But this is where founders often do too much. They pack this slide with every feature and technical detail. Investors don’t need a tutorial. They need a clear picture of how you fix the problem.
Focus on:
The core outcome for the user
What makes your approach unique or defensible
One strong visual or mockup that ties it all together
For example, show how your product fits into the user's workflow or where it replaces a painful step. Make them think, “Why doesn’t this already exist?”
And no — listing “AI,” “blockchain,” or “machine learning” without context doesn’t make it better.
Show how your tech solves the problem differently or faster. Not just that it’s buzzword-approved.
4. Market Size That Isn’t Guesswork
Investors care about TAM (Total Addressable Market), but they also care whether you understand what slice of it is actually yours.
The bad decks go big: “We’re in a $600B industry.”The smart ones go focused: “Our initial beachhead is the $3B specialty coffee retail segment in the U.S., growing at 11% YoY.”
That tells the investor:
You know where you’re starting
You’ve done the math
You understand your user and your lane
If you can, present bottom-up numbers — like number of customers × average spend × frequency — rather than just quoting market research PDFs. Bonus points if you’ve tested pricing and have early customer spend data.
5. A “Why Now” That Actually Holds Water
Timing matters. In fact, many investors would fund a “decent” product if it’s timed right over a “perfect” product that’s five years too early.
Use this slide to explain why the world is finally ready for your solution.
Could be:
A new regulation (e.g., ESG requirements)
A behavior shift (e.g., remote work habits)
A tech unlock (e.g., GPT-style language models)
A market gap (e.g., a big player exited)
What you’re showing here is awareness — that you understand not just your product, but your environment. It says you’re not in love with your idea in a vacuum. You’re in tune with the market and how it’s moving.
6. A Business Model That’s Realistic
Your business model is not just “how you make money.” It’s also a litmus test for how well you understand the customer journey.
This slide should answer:
Who pays you?
How much?
How often?
What does retention or LTV look like?
Be transparent. If you're pre-revenue, walk them through your planned model and why you believe it works — maybe based on competitor patterns or initial user willingness to pay.
Avoid generic statements like “freemium leading to paid plans.” Instead, be precise: “Freemium for small teams with a 14-day upgrade trigger. Paid plans start at $49/month. We’re targeting 8% conversion within 6 months.”
Specificity wins.
7. Traction That Proves Movement
This is where the investor leans in. Traction isn’t just revenue. It’s momentum.
You can show:
Signups and growth rates
Monthly active users
Retention stats
Waitlist numbers
Early customer testimonials
Paid pilots
Partnerships
The key is: don’t fudge it. If you’re early, say so. But show progress.
The best traction slides show a chart that’s headed up and to the right, even if the numbers are modest. If nothing else, show learnings: “10 discovery calls led to 3 pilot runs with recurring feedback on XYZ feature — now live.”
That shows you’re listening, building, and improving.
8. A Team Slide That’s Focused
Investors want to know two things about your team:
Why you are the right people to solve this
Whether you can execute
Don’t make this a resume dump. Keep it sharp:
Name
Role
Key relevant experience (1 line each)
Logos of past companies (if meaningful)
Highlight real advantages. For example:
“Built and scaled ops at Uber LATAM”
“10 years in B2B sales with $50M closed”
“PhD in biotech, published in Nature”
Skip vague titles like “visionary” or “product ninja.” Investors aren’t looking for cute. They’re looking for credibility.
9. A Roadmap With a Purpose
This isn’t a 5-year dreamboard. This is a 12 to 18-month execution plan.
Structure it around the current raise. Investors want to see how you’ll use the money — and what results that spend will lead to.
Break it down:
Product milestones (MVP, V2, mobile version)
Go-to-market actions (paid campaigns, pilot launch)
Team hires (CTO, sales lead, support)
Clarity here tells the investor: “We’ve thought this through. We know what we’re doing with your capital.”
And please — use actual months or quarters. “Soon” and “later” are not timelines.
10. The Ask (Clean and Confident)
Here’s where you tell them:
How much you’re raising
What the round is for
What your current status is (open, committed, lead secured, etc.)
Also, outline use of funds clearly. Don’t just say “growth” and “product.” Break it down:
40% product development
30% customer acquisition
20% key hires
10% ops and legal
Make it feel like you’re not just asking for money — you’re offering an opportunity backed by thought and planning.
Optional Slides
Depending on your stage and strategy, you might also include:
GTM (go-to-market) strategy
Competitive landscape (with honest positioning)
Exit potential (if relevant to the investor type)
Customer journey (especially for D2C)
But if your core 10 aren’t strong, these won’t save you. Get the basics right first.
Why Hire Us to Build your Presentation?
If you're reading this, you're probably working on a presentation right now. You could do it all yourself. But the reality is - that’s not going to give you the high-impact presentation you need. It’s a lot of guesswork, a lot of trial and error. And at the end of the day, you’ll be left with a presentation that’s “good enough,” not one that gets results. On the other hand, we’ve spent years crafting thousands of presentations, mastering both storytelling and design. Let us handle this for you, so you can focus on what you do best.