• Pitch competitions, startup accelerators
• Networking events
Both documents can serve you, but understanding their differences helps you select the best tool for attracting investment or charting your company’s path.
In the past, business plans were the standard document to present a business idea to investors. However, simple business plans and pitch decks are increasingly popular, especially in startups.
Here’s how to choose the right tool for the job:
🎯 Pitches and investor meetings
Pitch decks provide a snapshot of your business or idea’s potential to spark interest and secure future investor meetings.
🎯 Early stages or for idea validation
Use a simple business plan or Lean Canvas, as the format forces you to focus on the core problem you’re solving and the solution.
🎯 Internal roadmap and planning
Formal business plans will aid in longer-term strategic planning, or they can be shorter since they are for internal use.
🎯 Complex business model
Create a thorough business plan with intricate details; short plans and pitch decks wouldn’t cut it for specific industries or complicated business models.
🎯 Fundraising, loans, or traditional financing
Banks, investors, and government-funded grant applications often require a detailed business plan. Whether you seek debt or equity funding, angel investors, VCs, and banks need compelling reasons to support your venture.
💡 Pro tip: You’ll still need a traditional business plan for detailed strategy or significant funding!
Pitch decks and business plans aren’t simply documents – they’re essential tools for driving your business forward. Now that you know the difference, consider your current needs. Ready to capture investor attention? Start crafting a compelling pitch deck. Need a detailed roadmap? Begin writing a winning business plan. Use the resources in this guide to get started and put your business on the right track toward success!
According to research by Harvard Business Review , between six and 12 months after deciding to start a business. For various reasons, crafting a comprehensive business plan either earlier or later doesn’t necessarily impact business success:
Planning is valuable, and entrepreneurs who plan are more likely to start a successful business. However, you don’t need a complex business plan to begin working on your business. It’s okay to create a plan early on but remember; it’s more about being strategic with your time than trying to forecast the future from the start.
They differ in complexity and length. Business plans are longer and more detailed and are typically used to secure funding from investors or financial institutes.
A canvas, Lean Canvas , or business plan canvas, is a 1-page business plan. The Lean Canvas template helps you deconstruct your idea and focus on finding customer problems worth solving without a significant time investment.
It is popular as a direct replacement for traditional business plans within startups. The canvas can be used for quick and efficient brainstorming of multiple business models in a few hours or less.
Once you’ve done the groundwork of creating a business plan, you can reuse some of the insights, data, and information for a pitch deck.
💡 Related article: 5 best free AI pitch deck generators 2024
No, while the primary purpose of a pitch deck is to attract funding, it can be adapted for various audiences and goals, such as partnerships, customers (especially enterprise customers), grant applications, startup or pitch competitions, or even for internal alignment within your team.
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Deciding between a pitch deck and a business plan for your next fundraiser? In reality, both documents play an important part in your fight for the next round.
Both documents require heavy research and are designed to convince investors to back your venture. However, they accomplish it in different ways.
Having raised over $505M in 2023 for startups with our pitch decks and business plans , we’ll walk you through a detailed Pitch deck vs. Business plan comparison and their role in the fundraising game.
A pitch deck is a 10-20-slide presentation showcasing the potential of your business idea and startup to investors. Briefly and compellingly, it introduces your company, product, market, business model and overall strategy.
An effective must showcase your market research, traction to date, and a roadmap to where you want to get. No one-sized pitch deck exists, so you can even pitch someone in the elevator .
Think of it as an introductory sales document designed to pique investor interest and encourage further dialogue.
A business plan is a 30-100-page document showcasing an in-depth analysis of your business idea to potential investors to convince them to invest. It elaborates on things like:
The business plan is the first part of the investor’s due diligence process before finalizing the deal. It lays out more detailed research on your industry and competitors, contains many charts, graphs, and pictures, and is very text-heavy.
Think of it as a comprehensive blueprint of your venture designed to persuade interested investors to pull the trigger and invest.
While the business plan and pitch deck give a view of your venture, they serve different goals, reach different audiences, and build the story differently. These distinctions manifest in the length, format, target audiences, and funding stages.
Length and Format
Brief and eye-catching 10-20 slides with engaging visuals, like images, charts, and minimal text. Generally highlights critical points, like product or service, target market, business model, and future potential.
Detailed 30-100 page text-heavy document armed with visuals like charts and graphs. It typically emphasizes projected revenue, expenses, and profitability through financial statements and forecasts. The document details strategies for sales, marketing, operations, and human resources, along with a description of team members’ expertise, experience, contributions to the company’s success, etc.
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Targeted Audience
Stages and Objectives
Frequency of use
Advantages:
Disadvantages:
There is no one-size answer; in most cases, you need both. The importance of each depends on your industry and fundraising stage. The pitch deck is crucial early on , but investors scrutinise the business plan for details as you progress .
The pitch deck is vital for visibility. Without it, you may miss opportunities with investors and hinder connections with mentors and partners essential for your startup’s success.
On the other hand, the business plan is crucial to validate everything you’ve outlined in your pitch deck. Investors can quickly spot unprepared founders or unrealistic propositions. While a compelling pitch may secure a meeting, a thorough plan will convince investors to back your venture.
Important: A well-crafted pitch deck often stems from a strong business plan.
Need to grab attention and lock connections? Use a pitch deck. Need to showcase in-depth details and long-term potential? Use a business plan. Both tools are paramount in navigating your fundraising journey effectively.
Want to know how to craft pitch decks that secure investor interest? Check our pitch deck hub to learn all about it straight from the trenches.
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Types of private equity funds and how are they different, startup funding stages guide: from pre-seed to ipo [2024], top-11 market validation methods, mistakes & slide examples, 6 pro tips for building superior startup kpi dashboard, how to value your startup: pre-seed to series a guidebook, how to calculate the cost of revenue: startup cheat-sheet, how to prove to investors you have product-market fit, a complete rundown of pitch deck mistakes and how to avoid them, startup operating expenses: what should they include, startup math: the key performance indicators you need to track, top 20 climate tech vc funds + startup ecosystem overview, top 30 vc firms in us in 2024.
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Pitch deck or a business plan—confused about which of these business documents you should create for your business?
Well, the short answer is both.
But, in a thriving startup world, where time’s a chase, knowing what will help you to make the most significant impact will make the choice easier.
Through this blog post, let’s help you understand the key differences between these two documents, i.e. pitch deck vs business plan , and instances when you will need them.
Ready to get started? Let’s dive right in.
A pitch deck is a concise visual presentation, often used by startups and emerging entrepreneurs, to introduce their business potential in front of investors and potential stakeholders.
These presentations explain the key details of your plan such as the problem, solution, revenue model, traction, financials, and organizational team through engaging visuals and simple text blocks.
Pitch decks hook the audience to your excellent business idea and persuade them to engage further or take action.
Pitch decks are important for a quick business introduction. But let’s now gather a basic overview of what a business plan is.
A business plan is a professional document outlining the goals, strategies, and operational aspects of your business. It serves as a guide for decision-making and offers a roadmap to achieve your business objectives.
Business plans, in general, include key components like executive summary, company overview, market analysis, products and services, marketing and sales strategy, operation plan, management team, and financial plan.
It’s one detailed document that will help you to secure funds from potential investors.
Now, that you have gathered a fair understanding of pitch decks and business plans, let’s understand what makes them different.
Pitch decks are crisp offering a macro overview of your business idea through sharp and remarkable visuals. Business plans, on the other hand, are immaculately detailed, offering a micro overview of what your business does and where it aims to reach.
Well, the differences between a business plan and a pitch deck are fundamental and we will now explore those differences in detail.
Pitch decks serve the purpose of familiarizing the audience with your business idea in a short time. They capture the audience’s attention, spark excitement about a business idea, and help you secure further discussions and meetings with potential investors.
Business plans, on the other hand, offer an in-depth detailing of your business framework, financial projections, and strategic objectives. They are required by banks to grant loans, investors to evaluate the business’s viability, and internally to guide the management and operations.
A slide deck is precise and concise. It summarizes your entire business idea within 10-15 slides, and sometimes even less.
These business documents are heavier on visual components. Instead of paragraphs, the important information is usually conveyed through crisp statements and bullet points.
Business plans, however, are extremely detailed and lengthy. While the length of a typical traditional plan varies between 20-100 pages, a startup business plan in a lean format can be as small as 1-2 pages.
These professional documents are heavier on text and include tables and charts to support the textual content. The design is kept minimal and professional and the information is organized neatly into digestible sections.
A pitch deck includes high-value information summarizing only the key aspects of your business plan. They focus more on the problem and the solution, revenue model, traction, competitive advantage, and key financial metrics of your business.
Such presentations also include your funding demand and are pretty straightforward in terms of content.
Business plans, however, provide extensive information detailing your business idea, strategies, resources, financials, and even the assumptions and justifications.
Generally, a comprehensive business plan includes an executive summary followed by a detailed description of the business, market analysis, products and services, marketing and sales strategies, operations, management, and financials.
However, one can adjust the contents and details of a business plan depending on their objective to write a business plan .
Pitch decks are essentially prepared to pitch to investors and venture capital firms for equity funding. However, that’s not it.
The very purpose of a business pitch deck is to educate the people about your business idea and stir their interest. So anyone who wants to acquaint themselves with the core fundamentals of your business in a short time is an ideal audience for a pitch deck.
Similarly, a business plan is also intended for a vast audience, including but not limited to, loan officers, investors, stakeholders, and the company’s internal team.
In fact, anyone who wants to have a deep, thorough insight into your business’s strategies, policies, operations, and finances can benefit from reading your business plan.
And those are the most fundamental differences between a pitch deck presentation and a business plan. However, let’s now understand different instances when you will require these business documents.
A pitch deck offers a snapshot of your business and is most suitable for situations, events, and audiences that prefer to gather a level of information within a short span.
Here are a few instances where you would definitely require a business pitch deck:
However, for all this to happen, you need a pitch deck that brilliantly captures the key essence of your business.
Well, it’s not that easy. From design to content—it takes a lot to create a 10-page, compelling pitch deck.
You must have figured out that creating a pitch deck is challenging given the crispness, conciseness, and briefness it requires.
Not anymore. You can now use AI to create your strategic pitch decks from scratch, requiring zero designing.
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A well-mapped business plan is an asset that will take your business to quite a few places helping you realize your business goals. If you are wondering where will you require a business plan, here you go:
Now, a business plan can only help achieve all those things when it offers a true and realistic overview of your business and its strategies.
Absolutely, it’s a difficult task. But with the right tools and aid, you can create a realistic plan that offers a roadmap to success for your business.
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Ideally, a business plan should be drafted before creating a pitch deck.
The business plan demands thorough analysis and research. Writing it first will encourage you to explore the business nuances in detail.
You are more in sync with your business idea and its strategies by the time you are done writing your business plan. Such understanding is essential to creating a pitch deck that reflects your startup’s potential in a true light.
It’s evident that you need both—a business plan and a pitch deck, to venture successfully into your market. Instead of contemplating, let’s make business planning easier for you.
Upmetrics offers a range of AI-powered solutions for all your business and strategic planning needs.
Whether you need an AI business plan generator to create a thorough business plan or AI pitch deck generator for a compelling pitch deck—Upmetrics has got you covered.
No need to spend any more time worrying about where and how to get started. Our perfectly designed solutions will guide you to create stellar business documents in no time.
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Is a pitch similar to a business plan.
Not really. Business plans are textual offering a detailed overview of your business idea. Pitch decks, however, are concise and visual. It can be said that pitch decks are a byproduct of business plans. However, they are not the same.
Business plans should be used when you want to obtain financing from traditional banks. However, even angel investors would ask for a business plan when the funding demand is substantial. Apart from this, you use a business plan for strategic planning and internal guidance.
Pitch decks should be used to introduce your business idea to different audiences. It is extensively used to pitch potential investors and persuade them for financing.
A business requires both a pitch deck and a business plan. It is preferable to write a business plan first before creating a pitch deck to capture the essence of your business effectively.
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Upmetrics is the #1 business planning software that helps entrepreneurs and business owners create investment-ready business plans using AI. We regularly share business planning insights on our blog. Check out the Upmetrics blog for such interesting reads. Read more
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If you are a new entrepreneur you might get confused with some of the business terminology and have trouble understanding what type of document an investor or other stakeholders may require from you.
Differentiating between business plans and pitch decks in particular is a well known struggle. Whilst they may feel like similar documents that can help you raise capital, a pitch deck varies significantly from a business plan in the way it is created, structured, and used.
Luckily for you, this guide covers what each of the documents are, how they differ, how they are used and what tools businesses can use to create them.
In this guide:
What is a pitch deck, business plan vs. pitch deck: what do they have in common, business plan vs. pitch deck: what are the differences, what tools can you use to write a business plan, what tools can you use to create a pitch deck.
A business plan is a document providing detailed information about your business and its objectives for the years to come (usually 3-5 years).
To keep it short and simple, a business plan consists of two parts:
Formal business plans are usually written: to secure financing, to get buy-in from stakeholders (board members, investors, business partners) on the plan of action for the coming years, to convince suppliers to do business with the company, or to communicate the company's vision to staff members.
Financial savvy businesses regularly track their actual financial performance against the forecast included in their business plan and re-assess their progress against what was planned, and update their plans as needed.
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Strictly speaking, a pitch deck is just a generic term to design a document format: a pitch deck consists of slides and can refer to any type of presentation given to stakeholders.
For example, you can use pitch decks to:
Pitch decks are used everywhere, for the rest of this guide however, we will focus specifically on pitch decks designed to help secure new funding from investors.
Business plans and pitch deck share similarities between them, let's have a look at some of them.
Both documents are used when trying to secure funding from investors for a business.
Typically, a pitch deck summarizes key information from the business plan and is used to pitch the highlights to investors before sending them your fully fledged business plan.
While a pitch deck may rely more on visuals, considering it is designed to be a presentation, both items use visual elements.
A business plan, just like a pitch deck, may contain graphs, charts, and pictures to illustrate information, especially in the market analysis section.
Since both are intended to provide information to stakeholders regarding the business, both a pitch deck and a business plan will likely contain projected financial information.
Since a pitch deck is more of an introductory pitch, it is likely to not go into as much detail as a business plan does.
Because both introduce potential investors to the business, a pitch deck and a business plan discuss business strategy.
They typically reflect how a business plans to operate and generate income, showing investors why it makes for a worthwhile investment.
As a result, both are used as decision-making tools regarding investing in the business.
While they boast some similarities, pitch decks and business plans vary significantly in many ways. Some of these differences include:
The way a pitch deck is presented is very different from a business plan - Being a visual presentation, it contains a series of slides with information about the business.
Pitch decks are not standalone items and are accompanied by a senior manager or partner providing commentary. The contents of the slides also typically do not go into much detail, simply highlighting key messages instead.
While the aim of the pitch deck is to draw investors to the business idea, the business plan provides more in-depth information to help them make a final decision about whether to invest or not.
Business plans carefully detail the business, its strategies, future goals and are written as formal documents that can be read and understood on their own.
Given the different modes of delivery, the format of both documents also differ. As mentioned previously, pitch decks use slides to convey information to the reader, and each slide is likely to hold limited information written in large(r) font.
Pitch decks are also likely to contain far more graphical elements such as charts, images, drawings and graphs. Business plans are often not as visually appealing but richer in substance and more formal.
The length of the two documents can vary but as a general rule, business plans tend to be longer than pitch decks.
A pitch deck will typically consist of about 10 to 15 slides (one slide usually takes 1-2 minutes to be presented), though further appendices may be added to answer specific investor questions.
A business plan usually spans between 20 and 30 pages and contains a lot more information, whilst also including appendices at the end of the document.
Both business plans and pitch decks contain financial information but the quantity and type usually differ.
Pitch decks usually have no more than one slide dedicated to financials and prefer to zoom in on key figures.
Business plans, however, include a detailed balance sheet, a profit and loss account, and a cash flow forecast.
In terms of presentation, a pitch deck is offered to investors first as an introduction to the business.
However, it can only be created once the business plan has already been produced, as the pitch deck summarizes the information presented in the plan.
A pitch deck is typically created for one-off use. Once the financing round is complete and you’ve met with all the potential investors, you’re unlikely to need the same document again.
However, you will need to refer to your business plan down the line to ensure that the business is on track to achieve its forecasted financials and goals (and adjust as needed).
In this section, we will review three solutions for writing a professional business plan:
Writing a business plan using Word or Excel has both pros and cons. On the one hand, using either of these two programs is cheap and easy to learn.
However, using Word means starting from scratch and formatting the document yourself once written - a process that can be quite tedious. There are also no templates or examples to guide you through each section.
Creating an accurate financial forecast with Excel is also impossible for a business owner without expertise in accounting and financial modeling. As a result, investors and lenders are unlikely to trust the accuracy of a forecast created on Excel.
Ultimately, it's up to you to decide which program is right for you and whether you have the expertise or resources needed to make Excel work.
Outsourcing a business plan to a consultant or accountant is another potential solution.
Consultants are used to writing business plans, and accountants are good at creating financial forecasts without errors.
This means that they will be able to create an effective business plan with accurate financial estimates without much effort.
However, accountants often lack the industry expertise to accurately forecast sales. And hiring consultants or accountants will be an expensive endeavour: budget at least £1.5k ($2.0k) for a complete business plan, more if you need to make changes after the initial version (which happens frequently after the initial meetings with investors).
For these reasons, outsourcing your business plan to a consultant or accountant should be considered carefully, weighing both the advantages and disadvantages of hiring outside help.
Ultimately, it may be the right decision for some businesses, while others may find it beneficial to write their own business plan using an online software.
Another alternative is to use online business plan software . There are several advantages to using specialized software:
If you're interested in using this type of solution, you can try our software for free by signing up here .
A pitch deck is presented as a series of slides and so applications such as Microsoft Powerpoint, Google Slides and Prezi are ideal to create the presentation.
Pitch decks are notoriously time consuming and tedious to produce: designing and correctly alligning elements in order to make the slides "look good" is a real time sink - especially for entrepreneurs who aren't expert at PowerPoint.
Therefore, the polishing of pitch decks is often outsourced to graphic designers or freelancers that specialize in creating presentations in order to save time and get a document that looks professional.
We hope that this guide helped you get a better understanding of the differences between pitch decks vs. business plans. don't hesitate to contact our team if you have any questions left unanswered.
Know someone in need of a little guidance in making a business plan? Share this article and help them out!
Founder & CEO at The Business Plan Shop Ltd
Guillaume Le Brouster is a seasoned entrepreneur and financier.
Guillaume has been an entrepreneur for more than a decade and has first-hand experience of starting, running, and growing a successful business.
Prior to being a business owner, Guillaume worked in investment banking and private equity, where he spent most of his time creating complex financial forecasts, writing business plans, and analysing financial statements to make financing and investment decisions.
Guillaume holds a Master's Degree in Finance from ESCP Business School and a Bachelor of Science in Business & Management from Paris Dauphine University.
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Uncover the differences between a pitch deck and a business plan and discover which is essential for your startup. Learn and create with PitchBob.
In this dynamic world, where ideas can spark revolutions and dreams become realities, two essential companions await your journey: the pitch deck and the business plan. These tools aren’t just documents but the wind beneath your entrepreneurial wings. Let’s set sail into the world of pitch decks and business plans, unraveling their magic and discovering when to wield their power.
Imagine standing at the helm of a ship, gazing at the uncharted waters ahead. Your startup is that ship, and at your disposal, you have instruments that can guide it through the unpredictable currents of the market. These instruments are the pitch deck and the business plan — crafted to impress and chart your course with purpose and strategy.
A pitch deck isn’t just a collection of slides; it’s the vibrant tapestry that weaves your startup’s narrative. Visuals, text, and passion converge to create a captivating story. Think of it as your startup’s cinematic trailer, offering a sneak peek into the adventure you’re embarking upon. It’s not just about presenting facts; it’s about evoking emotions and igniting curiosity.
When you’re at a startup event surrounded by potential investors and decision-makers, it is your chance to condense your startup’s essence into a visually striking, emotionally resonant package. The pitch deck shines brightest in scenarios where time is short, attention spans are fleeting, and impact is paramount.
Now, let’s steer our ship toward a different horizon. Imagine a comprehensive map that not only outlines your journey but also details every landmark, every challenge, and every resource needed. This map is your business plan — a strategic document that transcends mere ideas and dives deep into strategy, operations, and financial projections. It’s the blueprint that guides your ship through uncharted waters.
Where your startup has gained some traction, you’re no longer just presenting an idea. You’re showcasing a vision backed by research and planning. This is where the business plan takes center stage. The business plan becomes your guiding star when seeking substantial investments, forging partnerships, or outlining your startup’s long-term trajectory. The document demonstrates your commitment, knowledge, and foresight to potential investors and stakeholders.
Let’s pull out our magnifying glass and explore the nuances that set these two powerhouses apart:
1. Purpose and Usage:
3. Audience Focus:
4. Creation Process:
As you journey through the startup landscape, timing is everything. Knowing when to whip up your pitch deck and business plan is essential for a delectable startup recipe, just as a chef adds ingredients at precisely the right moments. Let’s break it down, shall we?
Imagine you’re at the starting line of a grand marathon. The gunshot goes off, and you sprint to capture attention, make connections, and spark interest in your startup. This is where the pitch deck becomes your secret weapon. In the early stages of your venture, when your idea is ripe with excitement and potential, your pitch deck steps into the limelight. Think of it as your startup’s dazzling overture — a concise yet impactful introduction that beckons investors, partners, and decision-makers to notice.
You’ll want your pitch deck ready when you’re:
Now, picture your startup as a mighty oak tree. It began as a tiny seed, and now it’s growing tall and strong, casting its shadow across the industry. But as it grows, it requires a well-thought-out plan to sustain and nurture its growth. Enter the business plan. When your startup has evolved beyond the ideation phase and is gearing up for significant growth, that’s the cue for your business plan to take center stage. It’s not just about capturing interest; it’s about showcasing your startup’s depth, potential, and strategic prowess.
It’s time to unleash your business plan when you’re:
Hold on to your compass because we’re introducing you to a game-changer — PitchBob! Imagine a platform where creating pitch decks and business plans is efficient and creative. PitchBob empowers you with customizable templates, user-friendly tools, and the freedom to infuse your unique voice into your documents. Whether you’re aiming for elegance or innovation, PitchBob has you covered.
In a world where startups rise like constellations, your pitch deck and business plan are the guiding stars that illuminate your path. They’re not just documents^; they’re your dynamic ensemble, your tag team. The pitch deck takes the stage, captivating hearts, and minds, while the business plan works backstage, ensuring your startup’s strategy is solid and future-proof.
As you navigate the waves of uncertainty and opportunity, remember that you’re armed with these potent tools. Whether stepping onto a stage bathed in the spotlight or sitting across the table from investors in a boardroom, your startup’s journey is powered by the fusion of innovation, strategy, and vision. May your pitch be as compelling as your plan is meticulous, and may your startup voyage be filled with discovery, triumphs, and the realization of your dreams.
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Learn the differences between a business plan and a pitch deck and when to use each one. Discover the pros and cons of both and how to create a winning pitch deck or compelling business plan.
November 20, 2023
Pitch deck vs. business plan: which one do you need for your business, and when? As a businessman or entrepreneur, do you sometimes wonder why your potential investors aren't responding after you've sent them a long and detailed business plan or a catchy pitch deck? This could be due to the minimal information provided in the pitch deck or the lengthy, boring, and irrelevant details in the business plan that repelled them from reaching back to you. However, you should also know how to send pitch decks to investors. Therefore, it's crucial for an entrepreneur to understand which approach is best for their venture. Before seeking out investors, one should be very well aware of the difference between a pitch deck and a business plan. Luckily, we have all the information you need. Check out our resource on how to send a pitch deck to investors.
What are pitch decks and business plans, and how do you write them? Let’s find out.
A business plan identifies, describes, and analyzes a business opportunity and/or an existing business. It focuses on the technical, financial, and economic viability of the idea, and explains in detail the plans your company has for the next 1, 3, and 5 years. This document is used as a reference point by potential investors when deciding whether or not to invest in your company. Furthermore, it's frequently used in a due diligence step in the funding process. A pitch deck, on the other hand, is a much more summarized version of a business plan that aims to excite investors about a company, to set up a second meeting and the possibility of an investment discussion. It is a pitch presentation used by business owners or entrepreneurs to give potential investors, like venture capitalists or angel investors, a concise but informative overview of their startup or company. Investors can use it to see where your business stands and where it is going, and decide whether they want to support it in getting there. It is purposefully sent to potential investors in order to set up a face-to-face meeting or used as a visual aid during a live presentation to potential investors.
A business plan contains the research you have conducted on your industry and competitors as well as your company's operational, marketing, and sales strategies. It also includes financial analysis, growth, success projections, and a road map of where your business will be in the future and how it will get there. These nine sections are combined in a traditional business plan design in one way or another:
If you want a professional business plan, it is highly recommended to use a business plan consultant. On the other hand, a pitch deck usually covers the following sections:
You can find all the details in our Pitch Deck Outline article. Another element of information that should be included in a pitch deck is how much money the company intends to raise, for what amount of equity, and how the money will be spent. Therefore, it must contain expected financials and a pre-money company valuation. You can also include a timeline of significant events in the company's history, which will help convince investors to approve the funding.
The business plan is a lengthy, in-depth document that typically has 10–100 pages and is created in Word. It is primarily text-based. On the other hand, the pitch deck's length ranges between 10 and 20 pages and is produced using PowerPoint with the intention of using visual aids such as pictures, graphs, tables to convey as much of the critical information as quickly as possible.
For an in-depth guide on startup business models , click here.
At the initial phase of a business, a fundamental document called a business plan is written. This plan is updated as the business develops and as needs and goals change over time. The lengthy document can serve a variety of purposes, including internal use within the company or in banks that still require business plans for loan applications today. Additionally, the business plan document can be very useful in creating a compelling pitch deck. In the eyes of professionals, the pitch deck is considered a child of the business plan. Having a prepared business plan makes it much easier to get depth and length in your plans, which eventually results in more clarity and strong points that you could include in a pitch deck. Research is already completed when writing a business plan, which allows the pitch deck to focus on composing the already-existing information in such a manner that encourages the investor to approve the funding you need.
Both business plans and pitch decks have their advantages and disadvantages. Let's take a closer look at the pros and cons of each.
Ultimately, the decision to use a business plan or a pitch deck will depend on the specific needs of your business and the goals you hope to achieve. It's important to understand the pros and cons of each and use them appropriately to effectively communicate your ideas to potential investors.
Creating a pitch deck that stands out can be a challenging task, but it's essential if you want to attract investors to your business. Here are some tips to help you create a winning pitch deck:
Your introduction slide should grab investors' attention and make them want to learn more about your company. Use a catchy tagline, a powerful image, or a compelling statistic to draw them in.
Your pitch deck should explain the problem you're solving and why it matters. Use real-world examples and statistics to illustrate the problem and show why it's important.
After you've described the problem, explain how your product or service solves it. Be clear and concise, and focus on the benefits of your solution.
Investors want to see that your company is gaining traction and making progress. Include data on customer acquisition, revenue, and growth to show that your business is on the right track.
Your pitch deck should explain how you plan to market and sell your product or service, including specifics on your target market, your marketing channels, your sales process, and any startup market research services you may use to gain insights into your target audience and industry.
Investors want to know what sets your business apart from the competition. Explain your competitive advantage and show how it gives you an edge in the market.
Your pitch deck should include financial projections, but they should be realistic. Don't exaggerate your projections or make unrealistic promises. Instead, focus on achievable goals and realistic timelines.
Your pitch deck should be simple and easy to follow. Use visuals, such as graphs, charts, and images, to convey your message and make your presentation more engaging.
Finally, practice your pitch deck until you're comfortable delivering it. Practice in front of friends, family, or colleagues, and ask for feedback. Refine your presentation until it's polished and persuasive.
By following these tips, you can create a winning pitch deck that will help you attract investors and grow your business. Remember to start with a strong introduction, focus on the problem you're solving, explain your solution, show traction, describe your marketing and sales strategy, highlight your competitive advantage, be realistic about financial projections, keep it simple and visual, and practice, practice, practice.
Writing a business plan can be a daunting task, but it's an essential step in securing funding for your business. Here are some tips to help you write a compelling business plan:
Before you start writing your business plan, it's essential to know your audience. Who will be reading your plan? What are their goals and objectives? What information do they need to make a decision? By understanding your audience, you can tailor your plan to their needs and increase your chances of success.
While a business plan is a detailed document, it's essential to keep it concise. Avoid using jargon or technical terms that your audience may not understand. Instead, use short sentences and simple language to convey your message. Use bullet points and headings to break up the text and make it easier to read.
Your unique value proposition is what sets your business apart from the competition. It's essential to focus on this in your business plan. Explain why your product or service is better than what's already available in the market. Show how you plan to differentiate yourself and capture market share.
When writing your business plan, it's essential to be realistic. Don't exaggerate your projections or make unrealistic promises. Instead, focus on achievable goals and realistic timelines. Provide evidence to back up your claims and show that you've done your research.
Financial projections are a crucial part of any business plan. They show how you plan to make money and when you expect to become profitable. Include projected income statements, balance sheets, and cash flow statements. Be sure to explain your assumptions and include a sensitivity analysis to show how your projections could change under different scenarios.
Before submitting your business plan, get feedback from others. Ask friends, family, or colleagues to review your plan and provide feedback. Consider working with a business coach or mentor who can provide guidance and support.
By following these tips, you can write a compelling business plan that will help you secure funding and grow your business. Remember to tailor your plan to your audience, keep it concise, focus on your unique value proposition, be realistic, include financial projections, and get feedback.
A business plan and pitch deck have different components that are essential to the success of your company. Here are the key components of each:
Keep in mind that these are just the basic components of a business plan and pitch deck. Depending on your industry and your company's unique needs, you may need to include additional information.
Both a pitch deck and a business plan are essential tools for entrepreneurs seeking funding for their ventures. While a business plan provides a comprehensive overview of a company's operations and financial projections, a pitch deck is a more concise and visually appealing document that seeks to excite potential investors about a company's potential. Understanding the differences and appropriate use cases for each document can greatly increase an entrepreneur's chances of securing funding and growing their business. By following the tips outlined in this article, entrepreneurs can create compelling pitch decks and business plans that effectively communicate their vision and attract potential investors.
A business plan analyzes a business opportunity and/or an existing business, while a pitch deck aims to excite investors about a company and set up a meeting for an investment discussion.
A business plan is a lengthy, text-based document, while a pitch deck is a concise document that uses visuals to convey critical information as quickly as possible.
A business plan is helpful for obtaining debt financing from conventional banks, managing a bigger board of seniors in the company, and fundraising over $500k, while a pitch deck is useful for starting a conversation with an investor, pitching in a competition, and seeking equity funding.
A business plan is comprehensive and strategic, while a pitch deck is concise and engaging.
Both business plans and pitch decks have their advantages and disadvantages, so it's essential to understand the pros and cons of each and use them appropriately to communicate your ideas effectively.
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Alright, aspiring founder, let’s talk about your startup dreams. You’ve got an amazing idea, the drive to make it happen, but maybe a little uncertainty about the next steps. That’s understandable!
Let’s be real, the startup world throws around a lot of jargon. Business plans, pitch decks, investor meetings… it can feel overwhelming. But here’s the thing: You don’t need a fancy MBA or a pocketful of cash to get started. All you really need is a solid plan.
In this guide, we’re breaking down the two essentials of any successful startup: the business plan and the pitch deck. We’ll explain what they are, why they matter, and how they fit into your unique journey. No fluff, no complex language, just straightforward advice to help you build your business, your way.
Think of a business plan as your startup’s roadmap. It outlines your vision, strategies, and financial projections, giving you a clear direction to follow. And your pitch deck? That’s your chance to shine, your opportunity to showcase your idea and captivate potential investors.
Whether you’re bootstrapping your business or seeking funding, understanding these two documents is crucial.
A business plan is the cornerstone of any successful startup. But what exactly is it? In simple terms, it’s a detailed roadmap that outlines your vision, strategies, and financial projections. Think of it as your GPS for navigating the exciting, sometimes bumpy, road of entrepreneurship. Studies have found that entrepreneurs who write formal plans are 16% more likely to achieve viability than otherwise identical non-planning entrepreneurs.
If your business plan is the roadmap, your pitch deck is “the movie trailer”—a highlight reel designed to spark excitement and interest. It’s a visual presentation, usually in the form of slides, that tells the story of your startup.
While a business plan is essential for you and potential lenders, a pitch deck is typically used to grab the attention of angel investors, venture capitalists, and other potential investors. It’s your chance to make a memorable first impression and leave them wanting more. A compelling pitch deck can open doors to funding opportunities and valuable connections.
Key Elements of a Pitch Deck
Now that we’ve explored both business plans and pitch decks, let’s compare and contrast these two essential documents. Understanding their differences will help you determine when and how to use each one effectively.
In essence, your business plan is the foundation of your startup, while your pitch deck is the polished facade that attracts attention and investment. Both are essential tools for different stages of your entrepreneurial journey.
Remember, a business plan and a pitch deck should complement each other, not compete. A well-crafted business plan can serve as the basis for your pitch deck, providing the data and analysis to back up your claims. Conversely, a compelling pitch deck can generate interest that leads investors to request your full business plan for a more thorough review.
There you have it – the essentials of business plans and pitch decks. Think of your business plan as the foundation, and your pitch deck as the showcase. One is detailed and comprehensive, the other is visual and concise. Both are essential tools to guide your journey and share your story.
Remember, every great startup has a story to tell. It’s time to write yours. Start with a business plan to clarify your vision, and then craft a pitch deck that will captivate investors and set your startup on the path to success.
And if you’re looking for a helping hand to craft a compelling story, our team at Numberly is here to help! We specialize in helping startups articulate their vision, develop robust business plans, create pitch decks that wow investors, and even build accurate financial projections to showcase your potential. Your story is unique, and we’re here to help you tell it in the most impactful way possible. SCHEDULE A FREE CALL with our expert to get started today!
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A pitch deck is a brief presentation that gives potential investors or clients an overview of your business plan, products, services and growth traction.
As an entrepreneur, you probably know this: your company or idea needs financing.
Oftentimes, this financing will come from external sources—i.e. people who aren’t friends or family. This means that you’ll need to communicate your ideas to potential financiers in a way that gets them excited about investing in your business.
In other words, you’ll need a pitch deck .
Here’s a short selection of 8 easy-to-edit pitch deck templates you can edit, share and download with Visme. View more templates below:
What is a pitch deck, what’s included in a pitch deck presentation, 8 real-life pitch decks to know, the dos and don'ts of pitch decks, how to create a pitch deck in 3 easy steps, pitch deck faqs, looking for presentation software.
A pitch deck, also known as a start-up or investor pitch deck, is a presentation that helps potential investors learn more about your business.
As strange as it sounds, the primary goal of a pitch deck is not to secure funding—it’s to make it to the next meeting.
Securing funding is a multi-step process. A good, informative pitch deck is the first rung on the ladder. You’ll want to present investors with an idea that intrigues them and gets them to engage with you.
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A pitch deck presentation usually consists of several slides that help you tell a compelling story about your business . You can put one together using a generic software like PowerPoint or use a modern tool like Visme to create an out-of-the-box presentation.
An investor deck is a presentation entrepreneurs prepare when seeking financing rounds from investors. It presents valuable information about the business, which is critical when seeking financing or looking to convince the best investors.
Interested in learning more about creating compelling investor decks? Read this article and take advantage of our professional design templates to get started.
It’s tempting to dump information onto investors. As a founder, every part of your business is important to you. But the best pitch decks are ones that are short and easy to follow.
A good rule of thumb is to include no more than 19 slides in a pitch deck.
There are many different opinions about the components of a pitch deck. But when we looked at some successful startup pitch decks out there, we noticed 10 key slides included in most of the presentations.
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Let’s take a look at each of these slides in detail.
The first slide of your pitch deck is also the most important one. It’s your chance to make a great first impression, so make sure you don’t let this opportunity go.
Keep the introduction slide short and sweet—tell people who you are and why you’re here.
You can also use this slide to communicate the value proposition of your business . Try to articulate it in a single phrase or sentence, like:
“We make video games for doctors.”
“We make Happy Meals for adults.”
“We’re Sephora for pets.”
You get the point.
A good value proposition will make your audience sit up straight and want to listen to the rest of your presentation.
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If your business idea doesn’t solve an actual problem, what are you doing?
You should identify a problem your target audience faces, a gap that the market is currently not addressing.
A good problem slide will identify two or three problems your product will tackle without being long-winding. Keep the text focused so that investors will have an easy time following.
Airbnb’s ‘problem slide’ from their original pitch desk is a great example.
In this slide, identify a concise and clear solution that investors can easily follow. This is an important slide that makes your product deck captivating.
Airbnb’s solution slide highlights how they aim to solve each of the three problems they pointed out earlier in big and bold letters.
In this slide, identify a concise and clear solution that investors can easily follow.
Airbnb’s solution slide highlights how they aim to solve each of three problems they pointed out earlier in big and bold letters.
Avoid making grand statements like “we are the only ones doing this.” Most people in the room will probably know multiple companies trying to address the problem you’ve identified.
Another good strategy is to offer multiple possible solutions to the problem presented and then move on to the one you have chosen and why. This shows investors your dedication and research.
Instead of uniqueness, focus your presentation on your research, drive, commitment and capability in solving the problem.
But make sure you don’t put all of that on your slide. Keep it simple and to the point, and let these guidelines shape your entire presentation.
Here's a pitch deck template inspired by Airbnb that you can customize for your own startup.
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Customize this pitch deck template to make it your own! Edit and Download Now
Visme's AI Writer is a game-changer for crafting pitch decks. It provides clear, concise information, making sure your pitch deck impresses every audience. Just explain the tool about what you want write and it will take care of the rest.
When creating a sales pitch structure, be sure to include a summary of your market research.
The market will determine if you get your funding or not. If you are operating in a small market, investors might find that the potential ROI is too small or too risky to fund you.
Using sources from your research, a solid market slide will graph out past market growth and future potential market growth so that investors can easily see what the potential of your product is.
A good example of a market size slide is from Lunchbox’s pitch deck.
Notice how the slide clearly shows the market size and identifies the opportunity in measurable numbers.
This is the part where you show off the actual product or service your business is selling.
If it’s a physical product, add professional photos of your product from different angles. You can also include exploded or cutaway views that highlight the materials and features of your product.
If your product is an app, online tool or service, consider adding screenshots that show off its most unique features.
Dandelion Energy's product slide includes a comprehensive explanation of their product in a concise and easy-to-understand manner with an illustrated graphic.
To take things further, you can also do a physical demo of your product in the middle of your presentation. Or embed a video or link into your slide to do a virtual demo.
Here's a pitch deck template inspired by TouristEye that you can customize for your own startup.
This slide should be all about the growth of your business—the numbers of sales you’ve made, the major goals you’ve achieved till now and the next steps.
Most startups include a hockey stick growth chart in the traction slide of their pitch deck.
This slide in Buffer’s pitch deck is a great example of how you can show off your current achievements to investors.
The traction slide plays a crucial role in crafting a compelling pitch deck for investors as it reduces risk in their eyes. They want to see proof that your business idea or solution has what it takes to be profitable.
Here's a pitch deck template inspired by Buffer that you can customize for your own startup.
Your pitch deck outline will include your core team members. The investor is interested in the drive of these people and what makes them unique enough to see this project to its success.
Under each core team member, consider including bullets, descriptions or titles that show why they are central to your mission.
Here’s an example of a team slide from Teton AI's pitch deck.
Keep the members here limited to your core team. Advisors need not be included.
Utilize the competition slide to visually illustrate your competitors and communicate the factors that make your startup special.
Airbnb has a great slide in this regard.
Notice how they use affordability and ease of access as the driving force setting their business apart from other travel or listing companies.
Buzzfeed also does great by showing how they offer more than what their competition can. They use their plan to reach across the aisle and offer the services of multiple competitors as their selling point.
Here's a pitch deck template inspired by Buzzfeed that you can customize for your own startup.
The financials slide in your pitch deck is one that investors spend the most time looking over.
Your pitch deck outline should contain your company’s projected growth over the next three to five years, along with details about your business model and finances.
Enlive’s pitch deck does a good job at showcasing their income statement projection in this slide.
The use of colors and a bar chart makes the financials easier to understand and definitely look more interesting than a boring spreadsheet full of numbers.
A lot of this information is not set in stone. No one can accurately predict where you’ll be in the next three years, but investors expect to see you outline your plan and show that you have the financial knowledge to reach it.
You can also explain your economic plan here. This includes your operating structure and distribution channels as well as your plan to make money.
Before you wrap up, don’t forget to tell investors what you need from them.
But instead of just asking for a certain amount of funding, also let them know what you plan to do with the money.
When you justify your ask, it helps build trust and lets investors take you seriously.
Here’s a no-nonsense investment slide from Intercom’s original pitch deck as an example.
Remember to be strategic here. Let your investors know the amount you are asking for, but keep it real. You don’t want to lose out on a big investment simply by aiming too high. Cover your bases.
Here's a pitch deck template inspired by Intercom that you can customize for your own startup.
While there’s no universal structure for creating pitch decks, make sure your pitch deck outline contains the slides we’ve highlighted.
When it comes to choosing pitch deck dimensions, you can either use the 4:3 aspect ratio or 16:9 aspect ratio. When emailing your pitch, ensure the file size isn’t larger than 10MB.
Learning from real examples is like getting advice from experts. By looking at what has worked for other businesses, you can better understand how you should design your own pitch deck.
So, here are some real-life pitch deck examples that these companies have used recently to secure funding.
Finix's pitch deck presents a tailored solution for businesses to manage payments, emphasizing their platform's efficiency and scalability. It effectively visualizes their unique value proposition, revenue model and market opportunity with a sleek and professional design that reflects their purpose well.
Softr's deck uses aesthetic consistency with clear visuals to highlight their no-code platform's functionalities. Their compelling narrative includes discussion on market trends, competitive differentiation and growth plans, capturing the essence of their vision.
Lunchbox is a restaurant technology platform that enhances the customer experience by offering online ordering, loyalty programs, and other digital solutions to streamline operations.
They've cleverly included lots of additional visual elements like icons, illustrations, charts and data visuals in their presentation. Everything in their deck shows how they mix food and technology together.
If you want to elevate your pitch deck's visual appeal using unique and high-quality graphics, like this example, Visme's AI image generator is there to help.
It can help you generate any graphic in different formats, like icons, illustrations, drawings, abstracts and more. Use the tool to generate a high-quality graphic to emphasize your pitch deck content.
With its sleek, minimalist design, Plum's pitch deck establishes its mission to automate wealth management effectively. Their slides are rich with data on target markets, growth strategies and financial projections, reflecting their drive to democratize personal finance. Also, they limited their slides to 9 and still managed to cover enough.
Teton's pitch deck features a clean and professional design, aligning with its focus on cutting-edge AI technology in healthcare. They've used Venn diagrams, charts, shapes and high-quality, relevant images to emphasize their deep learning and computer vision products.
Vue Storefront's pitch deck smartly incorporates its brand color – a refreshing green scheme. This not only aligns with their brand identity but also infuses vibrancy and a distinctive sense of innovation into the design.
They used boxes for text organization to convey clarity and structure, making information easily digestible.
Party Round, with a recent funding of $7 million, is dedicated to simplifying the fundraising process for founders.
This pitch deck is smartly designed with a balanced layout that quietly hints at automation and user-friendliness. The use of big letters boldly captures attention, while adding 3D design elements adds a layer of dynamism, creating a visually engaging presentation that stands out.
The color choice of Dandelion Energy's pitch deck aligns with the company's focus on sustainable energy, evoking warmth and eco-friendliness. The deck incorporates visual elements such as bar graphs, images, and an illustration to vividly explain how their geothermal product works.
Now that you’re clear on what a pitch deck is and what a good one contains, let’s take a look at some common dos and don’ts for creating and giving powerful pitch presentations.
Do use bullet points on slides..
Remember that this is a presentation with a short time span. Make your sales pitch structure brief and to the point.
Don’t overwhelm your audience with a lot of text. Explain the things you want to explain in detail but don’t cram them onto your slides.
As you can see from the examples above, it’s best to have bullets, not paragraphs, on slides.
Furthermore, use large font sizes, lots of visuals and a readable color scheme. This will help you put together an engaging and informative presentation.
Make sure you include your contact information at the end of your presentation to let your audience know who to reach out to for queries.
Here is the contact slide from Facebook’s 2004 pitch deck.
This slide also allows your business to have a ‘face’ and encourages investors to look this person up.
In your Team slide, stick to core members. Too many executives can overwhelm; your investors want to know who is piloting the ship.
Do tell a story..
Make sure you present your audience with an engaging narrative that allows them to feel why your business is tackling the problem it is and how this will affect them.
Without a cohesive narrative and a bigger picture dealing with the why of your business and what it will bring to your customers, all your stats sound dry and boring.
Make sure a purposeful narrative runs throughout your presentation, not just at the beginning. The stats are important, especially financial stats, but they aren’t the only important thing.
What is on the slides is important, but so is how you present it.
As you’re speaking, gauge your audience, their interests in the particulars of your business, and what they most care about. Then, tailor your presentation to their needs.
Tailor your presentation to keep your audience engaged and never just recite what is written on your slides.
Remember, investors can read. The reason this is a presentation and not an email is so you can engage with them.
Creating a startup pitch deck doesn’t need to be difficult. If you’re short on time, you can use a design tool like Visme to put one together in literally just a few minutes.
No more starting from scratch and creating slides one by one. You can simply use ready-made templates and replace the placeholder content with your own.
Here’s how it works.
To get started, sign in to your Visme dashboard and choose a pitch deck template that fits well with your content and type of business.
There are hundreds of presentation templates in Visme’s library, and they’re all fully customizable.
Customize your favorite pitch deck template! Edit and Download
You can also mix and match slides of a similar style using our presentation themes.
When you find a pitch deck template you like, click on Edit to start customizing it inside the Visme editor.
You can change anything and everything to fit your content needs. The editor is easy-to-use with drag-and-drop functionality. You can use it even without any prior design experience.
Change colors, fonts and images. Swap icons for relevant ones using our free icon library. Add and customize data visualizations to make boring numbers more interesting. Insert animations and links, embed videos, and more.
You can also add, remove or rearrange slides as you see fit. Use Dynamic Fields to keep your personal, company and other key information accurate and consistent throughout your presentation.
The entire customization process will barely take you an hour if you just replace the placeholder content with your own.
You can download your pitch deck in image or PDF format, or as a PowerPoint file.
Generate a link to share it privately with specific people, like in an email. You can also publish your presentation on the web so it can show up in search results on Google.
You can also embed the pitch presentation on your company website using a responsive code. Once you’ve shared your deck, you can start tracking analytics to see how many people viewed it or have taken action.
Running out of time? You can generate a complete and captivating presentation in minutes using Visme's AI presentation maker . Just describe the type of presentation you want the tool to create with more context.
Visme's Chatbot will suggest different template styles. Go ahead and choose the most relevant for your presentation, and then wait for the tool to create the design.
You can preview, regenerate or open your project in the Visme editor. Once you're sold on the template design, you can customize it further with the wide range of design tools and assets available in Visme.
Here are some frequently asked questions that will help you clear any doubts about creating your pitch deck.
When developing a pitch deck, you should take care of several pitfalls to deliver an effective and impactful presentation:
The ideal pitch deck should be about 10 to 15 slides long. Each slide should discuss critical business aspects, like problem statement, market size, solution, business model, etc. However, the number of slides may change based on your business complexity and target audience.
A pitch deck and a business plan are both critical for startups but serve different purposes:
Pitch Deck: A pitch deck is a brief presentation to give your audience (typically potential investors, partners, or customers) a quick overview of your business plan. It's generally used during face-to-face or online meetings and should be engaging, concise and to the point.
Business Plan: A business plan, on the other hand, is a formal document that details the tactics and strategies you intend to employ to start and grow your business. It covers minute aspects such as your business model, detailed market analysis, organizational structure, cash flow projections, etc.
It depends on your business, but you’ll generally want to choose software that blends the ease of use with cutting-edge functionalities. In that case, Visme is the best software for creating a pitch deck with advanced features like data visualization tools , presenter notes , presenter studio , animated graphics and more.
The cost of making a professional pitch deck can vary depending on whether you hire a designer or do it yourself. Hiring a designer to create a custom deck from scratch could cost hundreds or thousands of dollars.
However, tools like Visme allow you to easily create high-quality decks without design experience or costs. Visme offers free online presentation software with hundreds of professionally designed templates for pitch decks and other types of presentations.
There is no universally accepted classification of investment pitch decks into specific types, but they vary based on the nature of the business or the purpose of the pitch.
However, there are a few common types or themes of pitch decks that companies often use:
A powerful pitch deck can help you secure the funding you need to make your business idea a reality. This article will give you the confidence you need to design and present a killer investor pitch deck .
If you want to learn more about pitch decks and giving great presentations, check out some of the resources below.
You can also watch this video on how to structure your presentation to keep your audience hooked till the very end.
If you're looking for an easy-to-use, professional presentation software to help you make a powerful pitch deck, Visme can be just what you're looking for.
You can browse through fully designed pitch deck templates that are inspired by real-life pitch decks of successful companies, such as Airbnb, Buffer and more.
Each template is customizable, so you can easily plug in your own content, graphics and brand assets, and download it in PowerPoint or PDF format, or publish it online.
Ready to create your very own pitch deck? Sign up on Visme for a free account and take it for a test drive!
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Mahnoor Sheikh is the content marketing manager at Visme. She has years of experience in content strategy and execution, SEO copywriting and graphic design. She is also the founder of MASH Content and is passionate about tea, kittens and traveling with her husband. Get in touch with her on LinkedIn .
A pitch deck is a ppt presentation that summarizes a business. It is a presentation or a deck of slides that one brings to potential investors and clients. The pitch deck includes a summary of the key terms in the business plan and includes details about what one intends doing with the funds from the investors. The presentation is either sent to investors to get them interested in taking a meeting with the entrepreneur or used as a visual aid during a live presentation to investors. A pitch deck is meant to share information about a business, who it serves and why, the size of the market, the uniqueness of the idea, etc. It often gives out market strategies and gives some detail on future plans.
It relies on the research of the parent industry and understanding of the business’ plan for growth. It helps an investor to see where the business is, where the business is going and enables them to decide if they want to help the business get there. The goal of a pitch deck is to score an investment.
A business plan is a detailed description of a business. A business plan is a well researched 10-100-page document. It usually has two functions: It is used as a blueprint and it acts as a reference document for the future. A business plan is not sent too often. It is needed for one’s clarity and incase if the investor asks. Simply, a business plan is the document that includes all of the data about a business, including the business model, financial details, and all other details about distribution channels, operations, technical details, etc. The document is used to store and convey in detail business’ plans for the coming years. The business plan lays out the research done in the parent industry and competitors. It examines sales, marketing, and operational plans. The document usually includes a significant number of charts, depictions, and pictures, but relies heavily on text to convey the information. The business plan is used as a document that is shared with potential investors for them to use as a reference point when deciding whether or not to invest in a company. It is often used in a ‘meticulous’ step in the funding process. The goal of a business plan is to lead a business to success over the next few years and to show an investor how one plans to be successful with their investment.
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When launching a new business, founders need to effectively communicate their vision to attract potential investors, partners, and customers. The two most common tools used are the pitch deck and business plan. Understanding when and how to use each is crucial.
A pitch deck is a brief, visually focused presentation aimed at sparking interest in your business. Meanwhile, a comprehensive business plan offers an in-depth analysis of all aspects of your company. While related, these serve different purposes at different stages.
Pitch Decks: The Initial Movie Trailer
A pitch deck is equivalent to an appealing movie trailer, providing a snapshot of your startup to grab attention. Typically 10 to 15 slides long, pitch decks use bold graphics, minimal text, and inspiring messaging to showcase your idea’s potential.
Pitch decks are used to initially introduce your business to prospective investors, partners, or media outlets. Their goal is to secure follow-up meetings to pitch in more detail. Useful in the early stages, a pitch deck aims to convey:
Your pitch deck is often the first impression investors have of your company. It needs to quickly communicate what makes your business unique, useful, and financially viable.
Business Plans: The Full Feature Film
If your pitch deck is the trailer, think of your business plan as a full-length movie, detailing all aspects of bringing your startup to life. Business plans are lengthy documents, usually 20-50 pages, outlining your venture’s operational and financial plans.
Business plans come into play after initial interest has been established, requiring comprehensive analysis before major investments. Key contents include:
Your business plan serves as an in-depth reference for planning and decision-making. It demonstrates thorough market validation and financial planning for sustainable growth.
When Pitch Decks and Business Plans Are Used
Generally, pitch decks come first in your startup journey to generate initial interest. Business plans support subsequent meetings for securing major investments.
Founders create crisp pitch decks when applying to startup incubators or accelerators, attending demo days, reaching out to angel investors, or trying to schedule meetings. The visuals and brevity resonate with busy investors inundated with proposals.
Later-stage venture capital firms, strategic investors, banks, and government lenders will expect comprehensive business plans to back up your pitch and quantify assumptions. Partners may also request business plans to evaluate joint ventures or supplier relationships.
Customizing Your Materials
Experts recommend crafting tailored versions of your pitch deck and business plan for specific stakeholders. Identify which aspects matter most to target audiences and highlight your competitive advantage.
For example, tech investors may want more technical specifications, while consumer goods investors seek your branding and positioning strategies. Strategic partners look for operational synergies. Lenders care about risk analysis and financial credibility.
Keep pitch decks bold and brief across the board, but adjust business plan details accordingly. Ongoing refinement is key.
Key Differences Summarized
In summary, while a pitch deck and business plan are complementary, their key differences include:
Pitch deck – Generate interest
Business plan – In-depth evaluation
Pitch deck – 10-15 slides
Business plan – 20-50 pages
Pitch deck – Highlights and visuals
Business plan – Comprehensive details
Pitch deck – Initial meetings
Business plan – Due diligence
Creation needs:
Pitch deck – Graphic skills
Business plan – Analytical skills
Building both a solid pitch deck and business plan tailored to your goals and audience is vital for startup success. If needed, enlist professional support through resources like pitch deck creation services and business plan writers to put your best foot forward.
With these core materials mastered, you’ll be equipped to secure the funding and partnerships needed to turn your big idea into a thriving company.
When it comes to raising capital, investors expect to receive very specific documents from founders to present the investment opportunity. And this for a good reason: VCs are said to spend less than 4 minutes in average per pitch deck . Preparing the right document is vital for investors to even dare looking at it.
You might have heard of business plan and pitch decks when raising capital for your startup. So, what’s the difference between the two? Which one should you prepare, and for whom?
In this article we explain you which one you should prepare if you plan to raise capital from investors. Read on.
A pitch deck is a presentation that summarises a company’s business plan. Often prepared using PowerPoint or Keynote, a pitch deck usually has 15 to 20 slides. It can either be used as a visual support for in-person meetings or sent as a standalone document to potential investors.
A pitch deck is not only short, it also follows a clear structure investors are used to. Read Guy Kawasaki’ and YC’s guides below to know which slides you should include in your pitch deck:
The goal of a pitch deck is to get investors’ attention and obtain funding. With a pitch deck, you summarise, in a few slides, where your business is today and where you are going.
Because pitch decks are trying to catch investors’ attention who often have never heard of the business itself, the presentation uses a lot of charts, pictures and limited text. Text should be limited to bullet points to make text as easy as possible to read.
It’s actually good practice to prepare 2 pitch decks: one for in-person meetings and another that can be sent as a standalone presentation. Indeed, when pitching investors (either via video or face-to-face) you should be the centre of attention. Whilst key information should be on the slide, most information should be voiced over instead. Else, investors would simply read your presentation.
If you are preparing a pitch deck for your startup, read our detailed guides and craft the best presentation.
Expert-built financial model templates for tech startups
A business plan is a long document that contains a detailed description of your business and business plan. Unlike a pitch deck, a business plan is prepared as a word document and often includes 30 up to 100 pages.
A business plan only is a standalone document: unlike a pitch deck, it should never be used as a visual support when presenting to investors.
Whilst a business plan includes charts, tables and images whenever relevant, most of the information is in plain text. Bullet points can be used, yet longer paragraphs are more common.
So, is a business plan a longer, more detailed version of a pitch deck?
Well, yes and no. Yes, because all the information included in a pitch deck should be in your business plan. No, because the business plan includes information that shouldn’t necessarily be included in your pitch deck. A few examples of pieces of information that aren’t required in your pitch deck yet a must in your business plan are:
Of course, if you have prepared the information, you could include it in your pitch deck as an appendix. But remember, nothing too wordy either: sometimes less is better.
Whether you should prepare a pitch deck or business depends on your objective, and the type of investor you are targeting.
As a general rule, you should prepare a pitch deck if you are raising equity from venture capital firms, angel investors and crowdfunding platforms . These investors prefer (even require) pitch decks as they expect you to be able to sum up your investment opportunity in a concise, yet attractive 15-20 slides presentation. Indeed, VCs, angels and crowdfunding investors all have hundreds, if not thousands of investment opportunities to look at. Clarity and conciseness are key.
Government-funded grant applications often require a business plan instead . If you aren’t sure, read carefully their requirements as not submitting the right document might simply result in the failure of your application, without really knowing why.
Banks and other standard debt investors will also very likely ask for a detailed business plan . The simple reason is that debt investors accept a lower level of risk, unlike equity investors. Debt investors do not benefit from any upside (the startup valuation) but instead make money on the repayment of the debt and the associated interests. For downside protection they are simply requiring more documentation.
Prepare a pitch deck if there are no clear specific requirements . For instance, if the crowdfunding platform or angel investors website doesn’t list clearly which document(s) you should upload. Or if you have an email address to send your documents to without any requirements.
Why should you choose a pitch deck over a business plan when in doubt? For 2 main reasons:The person receiving your document for the first time will likely not spend 4 hours of their time to read through a 50 pages business plan. Instead, a 15 slides presentation can be read very easily (and quickly). The message you are trying to pass on is clear end-to-end. From what your business is, to your future strategy and the funding ask, investors get it under a few minutes
Preparing a 15 slides pitch deck takes much less time than a 50-100 pages business plan. Running a startup is already quite hard, focus your time on what’s best for your business. If you don’t need a business plan but a pitch deck instead, save some time. Less in better in some cases
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In the realm of startups and entrepreneurship, two essential documents stand out: the pitch deck and the business plan. Both are crucial components of any successful venture, but they serve distinct purposes and cater to different audiences. Understanding the differences between these two documents is paramount for entrepreneurs seeking funding, validation, and strategic direction for their ventures.
A pitch deck is a concise presentation that provides an overview of a startup’s business model, product or service offering, market opportunity, competitive landscape, and financial projections. Typically, pitch decks are used to attract potential investors and secure funding for the venture. They are often delivered in person or virtually during meetings, pitch competitions, or demo days.
Components of a Pitch Deck:
A business plan is a comprehensive document that provides a detailed roadmap for how a startup intends to operate and achieve its objectives. Unlike a pitch deck, which focuses on conveying the essence of the business in a visually appealing manner, a business plan dives deeper into the operational, strategic, and financial aspects of the venture. While pitch decks are primarily used for fundraising, business plans serve a broader purpose, guiding the startup’s day-to-day operations and long-term growth strategy.
Components of a Business Plan:
While both the pitch deck and the business plan are essential tools for startup success, they serve different purposes and cater to distinct audiences. Here are the key differences between the two:
While both the pitch deck and the business plan are indispensable tools for startup founders, understanding their distinct purposes and audiences is crucial for maximizing their effectiveness.
A well-crafted pitch deck is essential for capturing investor attention and securing funding, while a comprehensive business plan provides the strategic framework and operational guidance necessary for long-term success.
By leveraging both documents effectively, entrepreneurs can articulate their vision, attract stakeholders, and navigate the complexities of the startup journey with confidence.
What’s the difference between a pitch deck and a business plan?
A pitch deck is a concise presentation, typically used to attract investors and secure funding, focusing on key elements like problem statement, solution, market opportunity, and financial projections. In contrast, a business plan is a comprehensive document that provides a detailed roadmap for a startup’s operations and growth strategy, catering to a broader audience beyond investors.
How is the structure of a business plan different from the structure of a pitch deck?
The structure of a business plan is typically more detailed and comprehensive, covering aspects such as executive summary, company description, market analysis, financial projections, and appendix. On the other hand, a pitch deck has a more condensed structure, with sections like introduction, problem statement, solution, market opportunity, and call to action, focusing on brevity and visual appeal.
How is the length of a business plan different from the structure of a pitch deck?
A business plan is usually longer, ranging from 20 to 50 pages or more, depending on the complexity of the venture and the depth of analysis required. In contrast, a pitch deck is much shorter, typically consisting of 10 to 20 slides, emphasizing concise communication and impactful visuals.
Which is More Important, the Pitch Deck or the Business Plan?
The importance of either the pitch deck or the business plan depends on the stage of the startup and the specific objectives. For early-stage startups seeking funding and validation, a compelling pitch deck may be more critical to capture investor interest quickly. However, as the startup progresses and requires detailed strategic guidance, a comprehensive business plan becomes indispensable for operational planning and long-term growth.
When You Need a Business Plan and Not a Pitch Deck?
A business plan is essential when detailed strategic planning, operational guidance, and comprehensive financial projections are required, such as when seeking long-term financing, partnerships, or internal alignment within the company. In contrast to a pitch deck, which may be too brief to provide the necessary depth for these purposes, a business plan offers a comprehensive roadmap for the startup’s trajectory.
When You Need a Pitch Deck and Not a Business Plan?
A pitch deck is necessary when seeking initial investor interest, securing funding, or participating in pitch competitions or demo days where brevity, clarity, and visual appeal are crucial. Unlike a business plan, which may be too detailed for these contexts, a pitch deck provides a concise overview of the startup’s value proposition, market opportunity, and growth potential, aiming to captivate the audience’s attention within a short timeframe.
Hello, I'm Ivan Smith, a graduate with a Bachelor of Business Administration in Marketing. Currently, I'm actively engaged in practicing business plan writing.
Text to speech
A relatively common question we get revolves around business plans. A good amount of our customers asks us if we can write a business plan for them, and we always respectfully decline.
I believe a startup should NOT write a business plan. It's a terrible waste of time for the founders in the early stages of the company when they should be focusing on validating their business premises.
We are going to look into why the business plan is an outdated way to approach starting a business, and how new frameworks like The Lean Startup are a much more effective way to build companies.
"A document setting out a business's future objectives and strategies for achieving them."
If you look at most business plan templates available online, you are often looking at a 20-40 page document that touches on The Opportunity, Problem, Market Size, Execution, Sales Plan, Company, Team, Financial Plan...
Well, guess what, a pitch deck touches on every single one of those topics; the difference between a pitch deck and a business plan is that a pitch deck can take a few hours to write (less than an hour if you use that a really awesome tool we've mentioned before). In contrast, a business plan will take you days and days of writing, proofreading...
An angel investor or venture capitalist evaluating a startup for a seed round is not going to sit down and read a 40-page document. They want to know that you are on the right track. They want to confirm that you have a plan to grow the business, but that doesn't need to be a 20-page document.
Any starting business is built on assumptions. On the assumption that this product or service is going to appeal to these users. The assumption that these marketing tactics are going to be effective in converting them. Yet, all of these assumptions might be wrong, and it's the CEO's job to test these assumptions fast, and if the premises incorrect, pivot the company in the right direction as fast as possible.
In the end, it's a race against time. How many iterations of your product, audience, and marketing/sales strategy can you go through before you run out of time? For a startup, time = Funding/Money.
If you had to spend two weeks putting these assumptions on paper, proofreading them, and styling that business plan, you literally wasted two weeks of precious time. You could have run two audience experiments at that time and find out right away, instead of just 'planning.'
That's my problem with business plans, in a nutshell. They take too long to write. You should spend that time validating instead of planning.
This mentality comes from the framework most startups these days abide by, laid out on The Lean Startup by Eric Ries . It's a fantastic book any entrepreneur should read, and we'll be giving away a few- so stay tuned on how to get them.
The methodology that the book proposes is the Build - Measure - Learn cycle.
- First, you BUILD an iteration of your product. That may be an MVP, a website, a version of your app or service.
- Then, you MEASURE . You throw this iteration to the world and measure its success. That may be conversion rate, sales, click-through rate. You need to understand if your premise is correct and if it has a measurable impact on your company performance.
- Finally, you LEARN . You study the results, understand if they were positive or negative, and create a new premise based on them. Once you are done with this analysis, you BUILD again.
Every key aspect of our business was built this way.
We first launched a simple landing page to figure out if people would be interested in this pitch deck, AI design product. We measured conversion rate, compared it to our expectations, and then built our next iteration, which became our first beta.
Every single marketing campaign we do is a Lean Startup product. We come up with a new campaign, "BUILD" it as fast as we can, MEASURE it, LEARN, and then improve on it.
Our last relevant iteration was our pitch deck consulting service. We had a theory that many startups who were using our product to build pitch decks would benefit from a real human assisting them. We didn't know.
Instead of running market studies or business plans, we BUILT a quick landing page, threw some traffic in there, and MEASURED results.
When I say build a landing page, this was a few-hour project. The first few leads were landing directly on my cell phone, and I used to handle both the sales, quoting, writing, and design stuff. This is as lean as you can get.
Only when we LEARNED that this business made sense, that the economics worked, and that we could scale it, we went back to BUILDING a new iteration, with a much more elegant page, sales and nurturing process.
We had the answer to this question in less time than it would have taken us to write a business plan, and that's the moral of the story.
We've also built countless lean startup experiments that have failed, by the way. But that's the point, we MEASURE fast, LEARN that we were wrong, and carry on.
A pitch deck is The Lean Startup version of a Business Plan.
To write a compelling pitch deck, you also need to have figured out your Total Addressable Market and your Go to Market Strategy. The difference is the pitch deck fulfills the purpose of pitching this to an investor without requiring the extended version.
More importantly, the reality for any company is that they are going to be wrong about their assumptions in the early stages. Their pricing might change, or their 4-page sales plan might not work at all, so they need to be able to change course as fast as possible.
On your pitch deck, you should be passionate about your expansion strategy; you should believe in it, and show your metrics to prove whether it's working or not. Still, everybody in the room knows your success will depend on your ability to come up with new strategies and deploy them faster than your competition.
Another pair of fantastic tools that can help you replace a Business Plan is the Business Model Canvas and the Lean Validation Board. Both of them can help you figure out the answers to these questions.
Make sure you can answer these key questions about your business.
Most of the companies we work with are missing one of those questions, which makes it really hard to define the type of investor they need to look for.
If YOU can answer them, then summarizing them into a slide is a no-brainer, especially with a platform like Slidebean that takes care of the design for you. Don't forget to subscribe to our channel !
Upcoming events, financial modeling crash course, how to close a funding round.
Ai pitch deck software, pitch deck services.
A pitch deck is what gets investors on board to fund your company. The best way to do this is by summarizing your company story, using a series of strategically arranged slides to argue why your company has unicorn potential and is worth investing in.
A pitch deck is the standard document used by startups to present their case to investors; it’s a brief deck of about 10 to 20 slides. See examples here.
This is a functional model you can use to create your own formulas and project your potential business growth. Instructions on how to use it are on the front page.
In a hurry? Give us a call at
This question has come up a lot. Not that people don’t get there is a difference- clearly these are two different things… right?
But what is the difference and what purpose does each one serve? Do you need both?
In this post, I’ll try and resolve the questions that most often come up around these two related but overlapping documents so critical to new startups success.
Let’s start with definitions, always a good way to get going:
A Pitch Deck is: a set of slides used to present a business concept, usually to secure funding from investors.
A Business Plan is: a written document outlining the details of a business launch or expansion with supporting information meant to provide a pathway to achieving the goal and addressing potential issues that will impact that result. A business plan also typically includes detailed financial projections for the business.
So for starters, a pitch deck is meant to be presented and a business plan is meant to be read. A pitch deck, looked at on it’s own, may seem incomplete or unable to address the questions that will arise from reviewing it, but that’s OK as those are things the presenation should cover.
On the other hand, a business plan should be comprehensive and anticipate all the objections and issues a reader may have and attempt to answer those in the narrative. A business plan should cite its sources for claims and be as thorough as possible in all aspects it covers.
A pitch deck is used when you are meeting with investors, either in person (preferably) or over a video presentation. They may have read your business plan already, but assume and present like they haven’t. The expectation is that you quickly get to your point, make your most compelling arguments here and stick to the high level facts and figures.
A business plan is provided either to generate enough interest to get a meeting or after a meeting is held and the investors want to “dig in” further on what they perceive to be worth further consideration.
You can sometimes get away with only an executive summary, which is the first section of the business plan that essentially serves as a written version of the pitch deck and gives the highlights of the business to get things going. Even if you provide a complete business plan, very often the only part that gets read, at least at first, is the executive summary.
Probably easiest to just do a list for each:
A pitch deck:
A business plan:
If you have an amazing track record or team, or have already had several rounds of funding, you may be able to get away with just a pitch deck and skip the business plan for the round you are pitching.
If you are new, you absolutely need both elements.
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What is a pitch deck.
A pitch deck is a presentation that entrepreneurs use to sell their business idea to potential investors. The purpose of a pitch deck is to give an overview of the business, its products or services, its market opportunity, and its team in order to persuade the audience to invest in the company.
A business plan is a document that outlines the goals, strategies, and financial projections of a business. It is used to persuade potential investors to invest in the company.
Pitch decks and business plans are different in their purpose, content, and format.
Whether you need a pitch deck vs a business plan will depend a lot on the type of business you are running or planning to set up.
Both these documents help entrepreneurs navigate their businesses over the next few years. Both these documents help investors in deciding whether to fund the business or not. However, where business plans are essential for traditional businesses that have a more concrete pathway to success, startups don’t require business plans. A pitch deck is more appropriate for a startup as a lot will change in the course of business.
In this post, we will discuss the differences between pitch deck and business plan and help you determine which one is necessary for your business.
The purpose of a pitch deck is to raise money from venture capitalists and angel investors. The purpose of a business plan is for traditional businesses or late-stage companies to raise money from investors and banks and also to forge partnerships with other organizations.
A pitch deck is a summary to help investors get a decent understanding of the business and helps create opportunities for entrepreneurs to get meetings with venture capital firms and angel investors. Business plans on the other hand serve as full-proof research to help investors understand whether they should invest.
As mentioned previously, pitch decks are more apt for tech startup companies whereas business plans are prominently used by established businesses, small or big.
Suppose I am an angel investor or a venture capitalist investing at a seed stage (up to $1 million). In that case, I am more interested in the team and the idea and how the business could disrupt a whole industry or create a new one. When the company has grown from an idea to a company with employees and millions of dollars in revenue, I am more interested in seeing how they will reach stability and become the number 1 or 2 player in the market, and I am interested in detailed strategies. That is when I want to look at the business plan and understand how they will execute their plans.
Pitch decks can range between 10-50 pages and depend on the stage of the startup. For example, investors who invest in very early-stage startups require not more than a 10-page pitch deck. However, as the startup grows and raises more money, investors who come in at a later stage would want more information and might require a detailed pitch deck that can range up to 70 pages.
Business plans on the other hand are very detailed as cover every aspect of the business and can easily be 100 pages long. A business plan can even contain forecasts for the next 5 years.
A typical investor will spend 2-3 minutes going through a pitch deck but needs to spend more time going through a business plan as there are more details.
A pitch deck focuses on the team, product, market, and traction metrics. These are 4 primary features investors look at to decide whether to invest or not. And these features can easily fit into a 10-page deck.
When the relevant audience looks at a business plan, they want to know if the business they are getting into is/can be profitable and also runs stable operations. In other words, since business plans look at a much longer-term, it includes a lot of details.
Pitch decks are more visual compared to business plans and are presented vocally to an audience or a set of investors. Business plans are presented verbally as they are read by the relevant audience. Since business plans are longer, they are not presented to an audience.
Pitch decks are usually created with software like Microsoft PowerPoint or Google slides. There is also other software like Prezi and Slidebean which specifically help in preparing pitch decks.
Business plans are usually prepared in Word format as they are heavily text-based.
These are the key differences between startup pitch decks vs business plans.
A pitch deck typically covers key aspects of your business, such as the problem you’re solving, your solution, target market, business model, team, financials, and competitive advantage. It’s a concise overview designed to capture the essence of your idea and pique the interest of potential investors or partners.
On the other hand, a business plan is a comprehensive document that delves into every aspect of your business. It includes an executive summary, company description, market analysis, operations plan, management team details, financial projections, and risk analysis. The business plan serves as a roadmap for starting and operating your company.
A pitch deck is a high-level overview that concisely presents key points and visuals. It focuses on the most critical aspects of your business, leaving out granular details.
In contrast, a business plan is an in-depth and comprehensive document that covers all aspects of your business in great detail. It provides a thorough analysis of your industry, target market, competitive landscape, and operational strategies.
A pitch deck is often focused on the present and near future, highlighting the current opportunity and potential for growth. It’s designed to capture the attention of investors or partners and convince them to support your business in its early stages.
In contrast, a business plan typically covers a longer time frame, usually spanning three to five years. It outlines the long-term vision, goals, and strategies for your business, providing a roadmap for sustained growth and success.
The tone of a pitch deck is persuasive and compelling. It emphasizes the unique opportunity and potential of your business idea, aiming to excite and convince the audience to invest or partner with you.
On the other hand, a business plan adopts a more formal and objective tone. It presents the facts, figures, and analyses in a straightforward manner, focusing on the feasibility and practicality of your business plans.
Pitch decks are typically shared externally with potential investors, partners, or stakeholders. They are designed to generate interest and secure funding or resources.
Business plans, however, are often kept confidential and shared only internally or with select stakeholders, such as investors or lenders who require a comprehensive understanding of your business plans.
Pitch decks are updated as needed for different pitches or rounds of funding. As your business evolves and new information becomes available, you may need to revise your pitch deck to reflect the latest developments and tailor it to specific audiences.
In contrast, business plans are living documents that should be updated regularly, typically on an annual basis or whenever significant changes occur within your business or industry. As your company grows and plans shift, the business plan needs to be revised to reflect the current state and future strategies.
Here’s a table summarizing the differences between the two.
Aspect | Pitch Deck | Business Plan |
---|---|---|
To quickly and concisely present a business idea to potential investors or partners. Pitch decks apply mostly to startups. | To serve as a comprehensive guide for starting and operating a business. Business plans apply mostly to traditional businesses. | |
Used to pitch investors, partners, or stakeholders for funding or resources. | Used internally by the founders and management team for planning and execution. | |
Typically 10-20 slides. | Typically 20-50 pages. | |
Focused on capturing the interest of external parties and convincing them to invest or partner. | Focused on providing a detailed roadmap for the internal team to follow. | |
Visually appealing with concise bullet points, graphics, and minimal text. | Narrative style with detailed descriptions and comprehensive information. | |
Presented in-person or virtually as a slide deck. | Printed or digital document, often bound or shared electronically. | |
Highlights the problem, solution, target market, business model, team, financials, and competitive advantage. | Includes an executive summary, company description, market analysis, operations plan, management team, financial projections, and risk analysis. | |
High-level overview with key points and visuals. | In-depth and comprehensive, covering all aspects of the business. | |
Focused on the present and near future. | Covers the present and long-term future (3-5 years). | |
Persuasive and compelling, emphasizing the opportunity and potential. | Formal and objective, with a focus on feasibility and practicality. | |
Typically shared externally with potential investors or partners. | Often kept confidential and shared only internally or with select stakeholders. | |
Updated as needed for different pitches or rounds of funding. | Updated regularly as the business evolves and plans change. |
The pitch deck is a teaser and comes first. If you are running a business and have decided to raise funds from investors, it’s obvious that you probably don’t know most of them. So, a pitch deck is a great way to get your foot on the door and make a good first impression.
With many new entrepreneurs starting up, you can imagine that every investor gets plenty of pitch decks and business proposals to invest in. Probably hundreds, every month. So, if they have to read lengthy business plans, they won’t have time to actually make investments. That’s why it’s essential to capture their attention with a crisp 10-15 page pitch deck that introduces them to the team, the idea, and how the business can make investors rich.
A good pitch deck gives you the opportunity to grab the attention of investors. A good pitch deck contains most of the necessary information required for investors to make a decision on whether they should talk to you. Take the free assessment to find out if you have all the elements that should be included in your pitch deck .
Also, check out our post on how to create a good elevator pitch to get investors interested in what you’re building.
Here are a few tips for creating a successful pitch deck:
– Keep it short and sweet: Remember that you only have a few minutes to make your case, so make sure your deck is concise and to the point.
– Focus on the key points: Investors will want to know about your team, your business model, your traction, and your financial projections. Make sure you hit on all of these points in your deck.
– Use visuals: A pitch deck is a great opportunity to show off your company with some visuals. Include slides with graphs and charts to illustrate your key points.
– Practice, practice, practice: Before you ever step in front of investors, make sure you’ve practiced your pitch a few times. This will help you deliver it confidently and ensure that you don’t leave anything out.
Aspect | Pitch Deck | Business Plan | Elevator Pitch |
---|---|---|---|
Purpose | To present a concise overview of a business idea to potential investors or partners. | To provide a comprehensive plan for starting and operating a business. | To quickly and effectively communicate the core idea of a business to someone in a short period of time. |
Format | A slide presentation, usually 10-20 slides. | A formal written document, typically 20-50 pages long. | A verbal pitch, lasting about 30-60 seconds. |
Content | Covers key aspects like the problem, solution, target market, business model, team, financials, and competitive advantage. | Includes an executive summary, company description, market analysis, operations plan, management team, and financial projections. | Highlights the unique value proposition, target market, and competitive advantage of the business idea. |
Level of Detail | High-level overview with key points and visuals. | In-depth and comprehensive, covering all aspects of the business. | Brief and focused on the core concept and benefits. |
Audience | Potential investors, partners, or stakeholders. | Founders, management team, investors, and lenders. | Anyone who might be interested in the business idea. |
Use Case | Pitching for investment, partnerships, or resources. | Planning and guiding the business operations and strategy. | Generating initial interest and setting the stage for further discussion. |
Delivery Method | In-person or virtual presentation. | Printed or digital document. | In-person or impromptu conversation. |
Partha Chakraborty is a venture capitalist turned entrepreneur with 17 years of experience. He has worked across India, China & Singapore. He is the founder of Tactyqal.com, a startup that guides other startup founders to find success. He loves to brainstorm new business ideas, and talk about growth hacking, and venture capital. In his spare time, he mentors young entrepreneurs to build successful startups.
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by Alejandro Cremades
Business plan vs. pitch deck? Which should you be focusing on first as a startup founder?
For decades entrepreneurs and business owners believed they needed to focus on building a comprehensive business plan. All before taking real action. There were good reasons for that. More recently, many entrepreneurs have gone almost exclusively with pitch decks in place of a traditional business plan.
The ultimate guide to pitch decks.
Here is the content that we will cover in this post. Let’s get started.
A traditional business plan is a fairly lengthy text-based document. It lays out all of the parts of the business.
From the corporate structure to marketing plans to startup needs and growth plans and financial forecasts for the next five years. Plus the much longer-term game plan. This is typically in a Microsoft Word style format, and can easily run 25 pages. It begins with a brief executive summary . Which can be 1-3 pages long on its own.
A pitch deck is a slide-based presentation. Think PowerPoint or Google Slides formatting. Ideally, your pitch deck will run between 5 to 20 slides. It is a very short, simple and compact version of a traditional business plan. Pitch decks emerged specifically for pitching startups to potential investors for fundraising. However, they are increasingly replacing business plans.
Are business plans still relevant today?
Yes and no. Every business and entrepreneur should have a plan. We all know what failing to plan means. Yet, what is effective and valuable in terms of business plans may be changing and evolving.
A business plan really helps you get depth and length in your plans. It gives more clarity than you could ever fit into a pitch deck. This process helps entrepreneurs really think through the details and big vision and long term game plan. It helps you get granular with marketing plans, startup costs, cash flow needs, and financial projections.
It also helps to give you a framework to start building on. As well as really thinking through a functional business model .
Investors, advisors and other key players may be completely satisfied with seeing a one-page business plan, executive summary, and bullet-pointed action plan. Providing that accompanies a great pitch deck.
However, there may still be some scenarios in which you will be asked for your business plan. This includes applying for some types of loans, leasing space and joining certain groups or applying for licenses.
The advantages of business plans:.
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In fact, you’ll find pitch decks useful from before day one through your exit.
The advantages of pitch decks:.
If you want to go more in detail you can view the video below where I cover this.
There are many advantages and disadvantages of solely running on a traditional business plan or new modern pitch deck. Trying to juggle both simultaneously can further compound the cons, distraction, and length of time before you really get into the game.
Today, it seems the best-prepared entrepreneurs, especially when it comes to getting funded are those with a strong pitch deck, and at least a one-page business plan, and strong executive summary.
Do not dismiss the importance and value of having a real plan. You could be sabotaging your own mission and future. If you plan to stay small local business or solopreneur forever a real business plan is smart. Though as the founder of a fast-moving startup that needs funding, a pitch deck can be even more important. You’ll probably be moving so fast your business plan will never keep up.
If you have to choose one, it should be focusing on knocking out a winning pitch deck. This process will also give you many of the answers and framework for fleshing out your real business plan. At least this way you’ll be poised to raise money, and build out your team and gain early clients in the meantime.
Remember that storytelling plays a key role in fundraising and you will need capital to scale things up. This is being able to capture the essence of the business in 15 to 20 slides. For a winning deck, take a look at the template created by Silicon Valley legend, Peter Thiel ( see it here ) that I recently covered. Thiel was the first angel investor in Facebook with a $500K check that turned into more than $1 billion in cash.
Remember to unlock the pitch deck template that is being used by founders around the world to raise millions below.
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Hello, everyone. This is Alejandro Cremades, and today we’re going to be talking about the main difference between a pitch deck and a business plan. Essentially, a pitch deck is a 15 to 20 slide presentation, while a business plan is a 10 page to a 100-page document. Both have been sent in the past or have been used to be sent to investors when you’re raising capital. So with that being said, let’s go into it and really understand the difference between one and the other.
In terms of the actual use: the actual use of the business fund, I think it’s a great way to give a complete inside to the business to the investor. Remember: it’s a 10 page to 100-page document. The thing about a business plan is that it tends to be lengthy. Data shows that typically investors, right off the bat, especially doing the first discussions, they’re going to be only allocating to reviewing your opportunity about 2:41. That’s it.
With that being said, the main difference here is that, for example, on the pitch deck, you’re really giving that possibility to the investor of reviewing everything in those 15 to 20 slide of the business, understanding the 30,000-foot view, and really knowing if that’s an opportunity that they want to pursue further, or perhaps that it makes no sense because maybe it’s not a fit with their investment thesis.
In terms of the actual disadvantages of maybe pitch decks or business plans, the main disadvantage of a business plan is the fact that your business is going to be constantly changing. No single business plan is completely bulletproof to the market. So you may be investing a ton of time in putting those 100 pages. Then you go to the market, and you realize that you need to either optimize or iterate on the business model in order to get it right. So that’s basically going back to the drawing board.
What I like about the pitch deck is that it’s just a 15 to 20 slide presentation where you can continue to iterate and optimize the presentation as you go based on the feedback that you’re getting from investors, from customers, from employees, whoever that is that is helping you to understand how you’re positioning this better towards the investors that are going to be reviewing the document.
In terms of the business plan today, certainly, it has taken a backstep towards the fundraising process when it comes to pitch decks. Pitch decks today are used more than business plans, and they’ve been taking the lead over the course of time.
Now, the beauty here of business plans, though, is that they’ve taken a backstep, but they’re a great document that you could use with your team and then also to showcase to investors if there’s further interest as an 18 to 24-month roadmap as to how you’re planning to execute the business.
For the pitch deck, again, it’s a great way to showcase the 30,000-foot view of your business in a way in which you can continue to change depending on the concerns and those questions that you’re receiving while you’re out there raising the capital.
Lastly, as part of the difference between the business plan, and then also the pitch deck, remember timing. Timing is the reason why you’re going to be sending a business plan is because the investor is about to make the investment. It’s one of the last things that they need in order to push forward and give you the money.
Then while you’re sending the pitch deck is because you want a secure meeting because you want to maybe convince the investor further. But, really, the difference is that one is going to be lengthy, while the other one is going to provide a 30,000-foot view of the business.
So with that being said, if you like the video, make sure that you Like this video and then also hit the Subscribe so that you don’t miss any other videos, and then leave a comment. And don’t forget to check out the fundraising training where you’re going to be able to see how we help founders from A all the way to Z with everything related to fundraising, live Q&A, templates, agreements, you name it. Thank you so much for watching.
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by admin | Jul 27, 2017 | Pitch
Before we start the big pitch deck vs. business plan comparison, we need to understand the basic information.
A pitch deck is a number of slides which summarizes your company. A pitch deck is not something you present, but rather something you send to potential clients or investors. Because of this, you should make sure that the pitch deck includes all the information required, since you can’t add information during a presentation.
A business plan is a detailed description of your company. It explains what your company does, how things are going and what your future plans are. A business plan can be as long as anywhere between 10 and 100 pages.
A business plan usually has two functions:
So now you know a little bit about the differences between a pitch deck and a business plan. Does this mean you should only create one of them?
No. For your company you should always have both of them. I’ll explain why.
It’s not always pitch deck vs. business plan. In fact, you should create them both.
Since a pitch deck and a business plan have a very different set up, you should also treat them differently. A pitch deck is used when a potential investor, partner, or client wants to know the basic information about your company. Since it takes a long time to read a business plan, this one is usually sent over only when an investor is seriously contemplating investing in your company.
Because of this a pitch deck is usually the way to go. The ratio ‘sending a pitch deck’ vs. ‘sending a business plan’ will probably be around 10:1. As a rule of thumb, you only should send a business plan when somebody explicitly asks for it.
10-20 slides | 10-100 pages | |
Try to minimize the text and use a good amount of visuals. To create your pitch deck you can use PowerPoint, Prezi or Keynote. | Describe the details of your company as good as possible. A business plan is usually created in Word. | |
You send over a pitch deck when you want to have a meeting with an investor, partner of client. | You send over a business plan when an investor considers an investment, or when somebody explicitly asks for it. |
Pitch deck: As descried, a pitch deck can be sent early in the process. This can be done through cold ‘acquisition’, but preferably from an introduction via a mutual connection.
business plan: As described, a business plan doesn’t get sent too often. You need to have a business plan for yourself as a reference guide, but also for cases when an investor asks for it.
Since you’ll be sending a pitch deck way more often than a business plan, you might say that a pitch deck is more important. However, a pitch deck is usually created after creating your business plan. The business plan is the foundation for your pitch deck, and therefore is equally important.
If you don’t have experience with creating a pitch deck it can be a tough ride to create one. You want it to have a slick design, but even more important, it should communicate the right things. We can help you with this. Drop your information at https://pitchskills.com/pitch-deck/ and we’ll create one for you!
Over the years we encountered confusions between our startup clients regarding whether they should have a business plan before making a pitch deck or if they need one in the first place. So let’s put it like this, the business plan is your house, the pitch deck is your window that shows the indoor beauty and the elevator pitch is your alley to the house.
First things first, you need all three of these materials prepared when you want to start a business. Before we start to talk about the differences between them, let’s go through some basic information.
A business plan is a document that contains a detailed description of your business. You will use it as a roadmap for how to structure, run and grow your new business. It is built to store and transmit your plans for the next 1, 3 or 5 years, including the research of the industry, the competitors. It covers the sales predictions, the marketing strategy and the operational plans.
The document is based on charts, representations of growth and financial strategy, but mainly the information is transmitted through plain text. A common business plan has a length of 10 to 100 pages. As nobody has the patience to go through a 100 pages document you should keep it simple, but well structured.
In the end you are making the business plan for you, to reflect the vision and the direction you are going. After that, the goal of a business plan is to give investors information about your company, to show them how do you plan to use their investment.
Tip: You should be honest with yourself in your business plan, which is why it’s important to consider challenges and opportunities. If you’ve got a strong idea, let it stand on its merit.
A pitch deck is a presentation that summarises the business plan and it gives an overview of your company. It is usually made using PowerPoint, Keynote or Prezi as a visual support and used in face-to-face/ online meetings with potential investors, customers, partners or presented in pitch competitions.
The pitch deck contains 10 – 20 slides and should include all the information required, as you may be asked to send it after the presentation. The structure can vary from business to business, but it must include company details, who it serves and why, the size of the market, you added value.
The goal of the pitch deck is to show investors where you are, where you are going and most important to get a meeting or start a conversation with one about funding you.
If you want to know more about what to put in a pitch deck read
How to create a great pitch deck .
As its name says an elevator pitch is a brief description of your business, like a movie trailer, that can be presented during an average elevator ride 10 – 30 seconds. An elevator pitch should be pre – prepared so when the occasion arises you will know exactly what to say.
You can also look at it as a positioning statement. Start with Who do you help , this is also important to set for yourself. Now they are listening to you so you continue with what you help them with .
The elevator pitch can be used in other situations, such as job fairs, networking events, your LinkedIn bio. It is a great way to introduce you to people that you meet as a conversion starter.
The goal of this speech is to be short and spark interest to your elevator ride so they want to know more about your business.
Focus your elevator pitch around “ We are X and we help Y to do Z “
Basically all three of them have the same content, but it’s a matter of details. You start with the business plan that has everything about the business, then make a more compact version for the pitch deck and finally you create an elevator pitch that has the essence of your business.
We talked about the differences, but now let’s see what is the connection between these three.
As we know the pitch deck and the business plan include mostly the same section and while the business plan is more detailed, the pitch deck offers high level information on some sections ( problem, solution, product, market, team). We can consider the pitch deck a visual summary of the business plan.
The elevator pitch is used without an additional support, but when presenting a pitch deck the first information has the role of an elevator pitch, to catch the attention of the investors for the rest of the presentation. You open the pitch deck presentation with the elevator pitch.
Looking at the big picture we can see that the elevator pitch is included in the pitch deck, which in his turn is included in the business plan.
Download a Free Guide to design your pitch deck
We recommend having all of them prepared. For the business plan you can use all kinds of templates and platforms to build one or having a consultant working with you. The pitch deck should be made with a pitch deck designer as it needs to be compelling, but there are also a lot of tips for how to create one. And for the elevator pitch follow a structure that puts your advantages in the spotlight.
Hope this helped you to have a clear perspective about what is a business plan, a pitch deck, an elevator pitch, when to use them and what are the differences between them.
If you already decided that you need to have an stunning design for your pitch deck we are here to make that for you.
Our team can help with everything from research, to creating your presentation flow, writing the content, designing and building your slides.
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As readers of either my Mentor’s Perspective or Mentor’s Journal series will know, one of the most common themes that I come across is that of fundraising in all its guises.
Maybe that is because it is a topic that most businesses will consider at some point in their growth, or maybe it is because it is often the area of running a business that many founders feel most uncomfortable with, or know the least about. I will discuss the art of fundraising in a future article but here I wanted to focus on two of the most important steps that must be taken before setting out to raise any funds – that is writing a business plan and producing a pitch deck.
Indeed, in my opinion, the business plan is such an important document that it is a crucial exercise that should be undertaken for any business, irrespective of whether it wishes to raise funds or not.
For any new business it is an extremely valuable exercise to write a business plan, as this will force you to analyse all of the areas that need to be taken into consideration when deciding upon the focus of your business and your product or service. The process should start with the simplified Business Model Canvas (many examples and templates are available online) as this is a bit more of a brainstorming exercise to try and make sure that you have pulled together all of the areas that need to go into the business plan and then grouped them together sensibly. Once you have spent some time on that exercise you can then start to write the business plan. This does not need to be excessively large or detailed but should go into sufficient detail to cover all aspects of the business.
Do not worry if your plan brings out some areas of difficulty as this is to be expected. What is important is that it demonstrates that you know these areas exist and that you have thought about them and found solutions.
There should be a one or two page executive summary at the front that pulls out all of the really important points from the main business plan. Be warned, this summary is extremely important as many readers, especially potential investors, will only read the full plan if you have grabbed their attention sufficiently in the executive summary.
Once the initial plan is written it can be extremely beneficial to discuss it with your Mentor or other trusted advisors as it is likely that they will point out areas that they feel should be included and they should also challenge some of the assumptions made, especially in the financial forecasts. This process ensures that after any revisions that you may decide to make, either to your plan, or indeed your actual business, you have a robust plan and you are able to defend all of the assumptions made.
Once the business plan has been produced it is a very useful document to revise periodically and to update as your business grows and your needs and aspirations change over time. As I mentioned at the beginning of this article, I feel that preparing a business plan should be done simply as a good exercise to clarify your thoughts, but certainly if you are looking to raise funding by way of debt or equity then it becomes a necessity. As such, updating and refining an existing plan is a much easier task then writing one from the start, and because it is not the first attempt it should also be a better document.
If you are looking to raise equity funding then clearly the company needs to have a valuation and the only real way that this can be obtained is by producing a full business plan with financial projections and clear assumptions, together with the future plans of the company. If indeed the company is considering raising equity it is crucial that the management team provides a broad range of experience and any gaps in experience should ideally be filled with non-executive directors and a good advisory board.
The pitch deck complements the business plan and stands alongside it. Just as it is important that the full business plan has a one or two page executive summary which must catch the readers’ imagination and encourage them to read the whole business plan, then the pitch deck can be seen as an alternative form of executive summary but used in a different way.
The business plan is a long, detailed document typically produced in Word, whilst the pitch deck is normally between 10 to 20 pages in length and often produced in PowerPoint, but it is a much more visual document designed entirely to sell the business to potential investors or lenders, or anyone else that reads it. It must grab the reader’s attention immediately and encourage them to want to know more.
It is important to use pictures, graphs, tables and the like, to get as much of the important information over as succinctly as possible and to reduce the number of words required. It needs to tell a story and there is of course a real art to this. Think of it as a trailer to a forthcoming blockbuster film and you start to get the right picture.
The information contained should enable the reader to understand the company’s product or service, the advantages it has over rivals, the size of the market, how much it is raising for what amount of equity and how the money will be spent. It must therefore include projected financials and a pre-money valuation of the company (that is the value of the company before any additional funds are raised). It is also best to include a timeline of significant events in the company’s history.
Producing the bones of a pitch deck is relatively easy once the business plan has been done but given that it effectively acts as the elevator pitch of the company, and first impressions are crucial, I would suggest that it is one thing that is worth spending good money on to ensure that it looks the part and includes all the required information.
Both the business plan and the pitch deck can of course be produced fully in house but I also know of some very good companies out there that can produce extremely professional documents for a modest fee. Like everything, that decision will be dependent upon the in house ability and time available, but do not underestimate the time needed to do either of these properly. Both of these documents could be crucial to securing external investment so they are well worth doing well.
To summarise, all businesses should do a business plan and keep them regularly updated whether they want to raise finance or not. Any company that wishes to raise finance must also produce a first class pitch deck.
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Do you have a brilliant business idea that you can’t wait to bring to life? As exciting as it is to start a new business, it’s essential to have a solid plan in place to ensure your success. Two critical tools for any startup are a business plan and a pitch deck , but which one do you need, and what’s the difference between the two?
In this article, we’ll delve into the world of business planning and pitching, explore the key differences between a business plan and a pitch deck, and help you determine which one is best suited for your business.
A business plan is a detailed document that outlines your business’s goals, strategies, and financial projections. It typically includes an executive summary, market analysis, competition analysis, target audience, product or service description, and financial projections.
A well-crafted business plan can help entrepreneurs and business owners obtain funding, attract customers, and stay focused on achieving their objectives. A business plan is usually a more comprehensive document that provides a roadmap for the business.
Business Plan:
A pitch deck is a visual representation of your business concept and highlights the key elements of your business plan. It is typically a 10-20 slide presentation that provides a brief overview of your business, including your unique value proposition, target market, revenue streams, and financial projections.
The purpose of a pitch deck is to grab the attention of potential investors, partners, or customers quickly. Unlike a business plan, a pitch deck is meant to be a concise, persuasive tool that can be presented in a short amount of time, such as during a pitch meeting.
Pitch Deck:
While both a business plan and a pitch deck are essential tools for any startup, they serve different purposes. A business plan provides a comprehensive and detailed overview of the business, while a pitch deck provides a high-level view of the business in a concise and engaging way. A business plan is typically used to secure funding, while a pitch deck is used to generate interest and excitement in the business.
Let’s take a closer look at the key differences between a business plan and a pitch deck:
It’s important to note that a business plan and a pitch deck are not mutually exclusive. While a business plan provides a more comprehensive overview of the business, a pitch deck can be used as a supplement to provide a visual and engaging presentation of the key elements of the business. In fact, many investors and potential partners will want to see both a business plan and a pitch deck to get a complete understanding of the business.
If you are just starting and need to plan every aspect of your business, a business plan is the best option. A business plan allows you to map out every detail and anticipate potential obstacles. If you are seeking funding from investors or lenders, a business plan is a must-have.
On the other hand, if you want to quickly grab the attention of potential investors or customers, a pitch deck is a great option. A pitch deck allows you to highlight the most critical elements of your business and can be presented in a concise, persuasive way. If you plan on pitching your business to investors or customers, a pitch deck is essential.
In conclusion, both a business plan and a pitch deck are essential tools for any startup. While they serve different purposes, they are both crucial for planning and pitching your business. Understanding the differences between a business plan and a pitch deck and choosing the right tool for your needs can help you achieve success and make your business idea a reality.
Are you struggling to create a winning business plan or pitch deck? Don’t worry; we’ve got you covered! Our team of experienced professionals can help you develop a business plan that addresses every aspect of your business and provides a comprehensive roadmap for success. We can also help you create a visually stunning and persuasive pitch deck that grabs the attention of potential investors or customers quickly.
Don’t let a poorly crafted business plan or pitch deck hold you back from achieving your entrepreneurial dreams. Contact us today, and let us help you take your business to the next level!
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Understanding the Difference Between a Pitch Deck and a Presentation Deck
In the startup world, effective communication is crucial for conveying your business vision to potential investors, partners, or customers. Two essential tools for this purpose are the pitch deck and the presentation deck. While they might seem similar, they serve distinct purposes and are used in different contexts. Understanding the difference between these two can significantly enhance your ability to communicate your message effectively.
A pitch deck is a concise, focused presentation designed to provide a high-level overview of your business to potential investors. Since it is usually emailed and needs to stand on its own without your presence, it should contain clear, detailed text to thoroughly explain your business idea.
Following are the key characteristics of a pitch deck:
1. Self-Explanatory Content
Because pitch decks are typically reviewed without you being in the room, they need to be
self-explanatory. This means including more text and detailed descriptions on each slide to
ensure clarity and comprehension.
2. Conciseness and Clarity
Investors have limited time and review many decks. A pitch deck should be brief, usually around 10-15 slides, focusing on delivering key information clearly and succinctly.
3. Investor Focused
The primary audience for a pitch deck is investors. The content is tailored to highlight the business model, market opportunity, financial projections, and potential return on investment. The goal is to stand out and make it crystal clear what you are selling and how the investor stands to make money.
4. Balanced Visuals and Text
While visuals are still important, pitch decks include more text to ensure that all key points are communicated clearly in your absence. Charts, graphs, and infographics can be used to support the text.
A presentation deck is used when you are presenting in person to an audience, whether it be investors, partners, clients, or conference attendees. The presence of the speaker allows the slides to be more visually engaging with less text. Here are the main characteristics of a presentation deck:
1. Speaker Support
Presentation decks are designed to complement your spoken presentation. Since you are there to explain the content, the slides can focus more on visuals with minimal text.
2. Visually Engaging
These decks rely heavily on images, charts, graphs, and infographics to capture and maintain the audience’s attention. Visuals should take up more space than text to create a dynamic and engaging presentation.
3. Flexible Audience
The audience for a presentation deck can vary widely, from investors and clients to industry peers and public audiences. The content is tailored to the specific needs and interests of the audience, with you providing the necessary context and detail.
4. More Slides for Impact
Presentation decks can include more slides because they are likely to use more images to elicit reactions from the audience. The additional slides help keep the presentation dynamic and engaging.
Purpose : A pitch deck is designed to provide a concise, standalone overview to secure interest when you are not present, whereas a presentation deck supports your live presentation, making it more engaging and dynamic.
Length and Detail : Pitch decks are shorter (10-15 slides) due to the need for conciseness and clarity, while presentation decks can have more slides to accommodate additional visuals and elicit audience reactions.
Content : Pitch decks contain more explanatory text to stand alone, ensuring the investor is crystal clear about the business and potential returns. Presentation decks use visuals to complement the spoken presentation.
Audience Interaction : Pitch decks are meant to be read independently by investors, who review many decks and have limited time. Presentation decks are used in person, allowing for interaction and immediate clarification.
The Startup Ladies recommend the following slides in a pitch deck when sending it to a prospective investor. We train our investors to look for the following information, so be sure to include it in your slide deck:
1. Company Logo
Start with your company logo to create brand recognition.
Clearly define the problem your business aims to solve.
3. Solution
Explain your solution and how it addresses the problem effectively.
4. Competition + Differentiation
Highlight your competitors and what sets you apart from them.
5. Market : TAM/SAM/SOM
Define your Total Addressable Market (TAM), Serviceable Available Market (SAM), and Serviceable Obtainable Market (SOM).
6. How Do You/Will You Make Money?
Outline your revenue model and how your business generates income.
7. If Product - What Does It Cost to Produce?
Provide the cost of production for your product if applicable.
8. Financial Projections (Income vs. Expenses for 3 Years)
Include detailed financial projections showing income versus expenses for the next three years.
9. Traction: Sales, Beta Testers, Letters of Intent, Followers
Showcase any traction your business has gained, such as sales figures, beta testers, letters of intent, and social media followers.
10. Team (Employees and Advisors)
Introduce your team members and advisors, highlighting their expertise and roles.
11. Exit Targets (Who Might Want to Purchase Your Company?)
Identify potential exit targets or companies that might want to purchase your business in the future.
12. Fundraising Goals + Expenses (How You Will Spend the Money Raised?)
Specify your fundraising goals and detail how you plan to allocate the funds raised.
Ask for a specific dollar amount from the investors.
Request introductions to others who may be interested in investing.
Seek contacts who may be helpful to your business.
14. Thanks + Contact Information
Conclude with a thank you and your contact information to make it easy for investors to reach out.
Understanding the difference between a pitch deck and a presentation deck is crucial for effectively communicating your message in different contexts. By tailoring your approach to the audience and purpose, you can enhance the impact of your presentations and better achieve your business objectives. Whether you're emailing a pitch deck to investors or presenting a deck in person, knowing which tool to use and how to use it can make all the difference.
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Decktopus vs Pitch: Discover which AI crafts superior decks for your presentations with our headto-head comparison.
What's Inside?
In the dynamic world of presentation software, Decktopus and Pitch are two leading contenders that offer users a range of tools to create engaging and professional presentations. While both platforms aim to enhance the presentation creation experience, they diverge significantly in their features, target audiences, and overall approach. This comparison will explore the main differences between Decktopus and Pitch across several key aspects, providing a comprehensive understanding of how each platform serves its users and why Decktopus may offer a superior experience.
The areas we'll examine include:
Functionality, pre-built templates, sharing and collaboration options, flexibility and customization presentation options, affordability, presenting tools, familiar, deck-based ui.
By delving into these categories, we can highlight the unique strengths and potential drawbacks of each platform, guiding you toward making an informed decision about which tool best suits your presentation needs.
Decktopus and Pitch both provide powerful tools for creating presentations, but they have different strengths and focuses. Decktopus leverages advanced AI to streamline the design process and provide personalized recommendations, making it ideal for users seeking efficiency and innovation. Pitch, on the other hand, excels in collaboration and team-based workflows, making it a strong choice for organizations that prioritize collaborative efforts in their presentation creation process.
Decktopus revolutionizes the presentation creation process with its AI-powered features, allowing users to generate fully designed presentations tailored to their needs in a matter of seconds. By simply entering the presentation topic, Decktopus's advanced algorithms utilize AI-driven content creation and user preferences to craft comprehensive decks. This eliminates the need for manual work, saving users valuable time and ensuring professional-quality presentations with minimal effort.
Pitch, in contrast, does not currently offer AI-driven presentation creation. Users must rely on manual design and input, which can be time-consuming and requires a higher level of design expertise. While this approach offers greater control over the final product, it lacks the efficiency and ease of use provided by Decktopus's AI capabilities.
Another standout feature of Decktopus is its AI-powered image suggestions. The platform automatically finds and integrates contextually relevant images to enhance the visual appeal of presentations. This not only saves users the hassle of searching through stock photo libraries but also ensures that the images used are high-quality and relevant to the content.
Pitch does not offer AI image suggestion capabilities. Users must manually search for and insert images, which can be a tedious and time-consuming process. This lack of automation can hinder the speed and efficiency of creating visually compelling presentations.
Decktopus also excels in providing intelligent slide notes through its AI technology. Users receive AI-generated insights and suggestions to refine their content and delivery. These notes help ensure a more polished and effective presentation, guiding users on key points to emphasize and areas to improve.
Pitch, on the other hand, does not offer AI-generated slide notes. Users must rely on their own knowledge and expertise to create notes, which may not be as comprehensive or insightful as those generated by AI. This can result in presentations that are less cohesive and impactful.
Decktopus goes a step further by offering AI-driven tips and recommendations to enhance storytelling techniques and audience engagement. These personalized tips empower users to create presentations that resonate with their audience and achieve their objectives. From structuring the narrative to optimizing slide content, Decktopus's AI provides valuable guidance throughout the presentation creation process.
Pitch does not provide AI tips, focusing instead on user expertise and manual adjustments. While this approach allows for greater creative freedom, it lacks the tailored assistance that Decktopus offers, potentially leading to presentations that are less engaging and effective.
Anticipating potential questions and concerns from the audience is a crucial aspect of delivering a successful presentation. Decktopus addresses this need with its AI-generated recommendations for crafting tailored Q&A sessions. By seamlessly integrating Q&A sessions into the presentation flow, users can engage their audience more effectively and address queries with confidence.
Pitch does not offer AI-driven Q&A recommendations. Users must prepare for Q&A sessions manually, which can be challenging and may result in less interactive and responsive presentations.
Functionality serves as the backbone of any presentation software, dictating the user experience and workflow efficiency. Decktopus excels in providing users with a seamless and intuitive interface, coupled with a robust set of features designed to streamline the presentation creation process. With its user-friendly design and AI-driven functionalities, Decktopus empowers users of all skill levels to craft captivating presentations effortlessly.
Conversely, Pitch prioritizes collaboration and cloud-based accessibility , offering users the ability to work collaboratively on presentations in real-time from any device with internet access. While this focus on collaboration is a strong point, it may come at the expense of the streamlined, AI-driven approach that Decktopus offers.
A well-designed template serves as the foundation for a visually appealing presentation. Decktopus excels in this regard with its extensive library of pre-built templates . These meticulously crafted templates cover a wide range of presentation styles and themes, providing users with a diverse array of options to choose from. Additionally, Decktopus incorporates AI-generated layouts and design suggestions, further enhancing the customization possibilities and ensuring that presentations resonate with audiences.
While Pitch also offers a range of professionally designed templates , it lacks the AI-driven customization found in Decktopus. Users can choose from various templates, but the level of personalization and dynamic design assistance is limited compared to what Decktopus provides. This can result in presentations that may not be as visually impactful or tailored to specific needs.
Collaboration lies at the heart of effective teamwork, and both Decktopus and Pitch offer robust sharing and collaboration options to facilitate seamless collaboration among users. Decktopus provides real-time editing and intuitive sharing options, enhanced by AI-driven collaboration features that streamline the collaborative process. These features allow multiple users to work together on presentations simultaneously, with personalized tips and recommendations guiding the way.
Similarly, Pitch excels in collaboration with its cloud-based accessibility and real-time editing capabilities. Users can collaborate on presentations from anywhere with an internet connection, making it an excellent choice for teams that prioritize remote work and collaborative efforts. However, it lacks the AI-driven enhancements that Decktopus offers, which can make the collaboration process more efficient and effective.
Flexibility and customization options are paramount for users seeking to tailor their presentations to specific needs and preferences. Decktopus offers users a wide range of customization options, including AI-driven design suggestions and layout customization tools. With its intuitive interface and customizable templates, Decktopus empowers users to create visually stunning presentations that capture the essence of their message.
In contrast, while Pitch provides varying customization options and professionally designed templates, its focus remains primarily on collaboration and cloud-based accessibility. Users can customize their presentations to a certain extent, but the lack of AI-driven enhancements limits the level of personalization and dynamic design assistance available.
Cost-effectiveness is a crucial consideration for users seeking a presentation solution that offers the best value for their investment. Decktopus offers competitive pricing plans, providing excellent value for its comprehensive feature set. This makes it an affordable option for users seeking a streamlined and innovative presentation solution that caters to their specific needs.
Pitch's pricing details vary based on the plan and team size, potentially resulting in higher costs for larger organizations. While it offers strong collaboration tools, the lack of advanced AI features may not justify the higher expense for some users, especially those who prioritize efficiency and innovation in their presentation creation process.
Delivering a captivating presentation requires more than just visually appealing slides; it also necessitates effective presenting tools to engage and captivate the audience. Decktopus equips users with a range of presenting tools, including intuitive slide navigation, presenter notes, and interactive Q&A sessions. Additionally, Decktopus's AI-driven features enhance the presentation delivery process by providing personalized tips and recommendations to speakers.
Pitch offers solid presenting tools such as slide transitions and speaker notes, enabling users to deliver engaging presentations. However, it lacks the AI-driven enhancements and personalized tips found in Decktopus, which can result in presentations that are less dynamic and engaging.
A user-friendly interface is essential for efficient presentation creation, and both Decktopus and Pitch feature a familiar, deck-based user interface. Decktopus's interface is intuitive and easy to navigate, with AI enhancements that simplify the presentation creation process and provide dynamic design assistance. This makes it accessible to users of all skill levels, from beginners to experienced presenters.
Pitch also offers a user-friendly deck-based interface, with a strong emphasis on collaborative elements and team input. While it provides a smooth user experience, it lacks the AI-driven enhancements that make Decktopus stand out. This can make the presentation creation process more manual and less efficient.
Decktopus vs pitch comparison.
Feature | Decktopus | Pitch |
---|---|---|
AI Features | Comprehensive AI tools for design, notes, tips, Q&A | Limited AI capabilities |
Functionality | Streamlined, AI-driven interface | Collaboration-focused functionality |
Pre-built Templates | Extensive, customizable, AI-enhanced | Professionally designed, limited customization |
Sharing and Collaboration | Real-time editing, AI-enhanced sharing | Robust collaboration tools |
Customization Options | Extensive, AI-driven customization | Customizable templates, manual adjustments |
Affordability | Competitive pricing | Varies, potentially higher for large teams |
Presenting Tools | AI assistant, interactive features | Solid tools, lacks AI enhancements |
Deck-based UI | Familiar, intuitive, AI-enhanced | User-friendly, collaboration-focused |
In conclusion, while both Decktopus and Pitch are strong contenders in the presentation software market, Decktopus's advanced AI features, extensive customization options , and competitive pricing make it a superior choice for many users. Whether you are an individual looking for a streamlined and efficient presentation creation process or a team seeking robust collaboration tools, Decktopus offers a comprehensive solution that caters to a wide range of presentation needs.
Decktopus is a great tool for creating presentations quickly and easily with its AI-driven content suggestions and user-friendly interface. It is considered superior to other tools such as Pitch with its AI integration.
Decktopus can help create both types of decks, but a pitch deck specifically focuses on presenting an idea or business to potential investors, whereas a presentation deck can be used for various general purposes.
Decktopus can be used to create both brand decks, which highlight a company's identity and values, and pitch decks, which are designed to attract investment by showcasing a business idea.
Decktopus is considered one of the powerful AI apps for creating professional presentations and business proposals efficiently.
Decktopus offers AI-driven content creation and an extensive library of templates, making it user-friendly and efficient for generating polished presentations, while Pitch is more focused on collaboration and real-time editing features.
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Re:cap, a German revenue-based financing startup, has raised $14.6 million in Series A funding.
Founded in 2022, the Berlin-based company offers a proprietary software platform that helps businesses connect with investors. The platform uses data to help with credit decisions and financing availability. Borrowers can use financing on re:cap to borrow up to 5 million euros, or about $5.5 million, over terms of up to five years. The company partnered with HSBC Innovation Banking — the acquirer of SVB's European assets following the bank's demise — to offer longer-term products.
Debt-based lending via revenue-based financing has been a tough model in recent years, as margins became tighter for companies due to fears of recession, higher inflation hitting consumer spending, and increased interest rates.
"Overall, the private debt market is growing tremendously, faster than most if not all alternative asset classes, so the opportunity generally is huge," Paul Becker, CEO and cofounder of Re:cap, told Business Insider. "Looking at the hype in the startup world, which started roughly three years ago, things have changed a bit. Today, you can see that some players were just jumping on a trend, whereas we took things very seriously from day one."
Re:cap told BI its focus on data will help it avoid similar issues to its competition.
Re:cap has brought in funding from Entree Capital, alongside existing investors Felix Capital and Project A. Becker told Business Insider that his existing investors wanted to lead the funding round, given the wider market for fintech funding, which has been arduous and could be overly time-consuming.
According to Atomico , funding for European startups dropped by 45% year-on-year to $45 billion in 2023, but investment in European fintech dropped well below the wider slump. According to Finch Capital, funding for fintech startups declined 70% to $5 billion in the first half of 2023 from $17.1 billion compared with the same time in 2022.
"Of course, going out for fundraising has its advantages, but in this case, the upside of keeping the group of investors as it is, having a fast process, and focusing on building the business was better," Becker added.
The funding will double the company's team to around 80 employees by the end of 2025. The company will also expand its SaaS product, which offers cash flow management tools to funds such as Channel Capital and Avellina Capital.
Check out Re:cap's pitch deck below:
SAN FRANCISCO — The Giants failed to sign Aaron Judge . They couldn’t coax Shohei Ohtani or Yoshinobu Yamamoto to join them. They came up short in their bid for Bryce Harper . They could not convince Giancarlo Stanton to waive his no-trade clause to come to San Francisco, either. The one time in recent years that an elite free agent agreed to take their money, Carlos Correa ’s megadeal fell apart over a failed physical.
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The Giants’ three World Series titles defined the 2010s. But if there’s a franchise-defining narrative in this decade, it has been their disappointment at missing out on elite free-agent targets — or their inability to develop a star hitter of their own.
If the Giants wish to realign their sights and try again next winter, then there’s no questioning which elite hitter will represent the biggest prize. Juan Soto gave them the roughest possible reminder Sunday afternoon.
Soto hit a home run off left-hander Blake Snell in the first inning, and when the Yankees required his intercession again in the ninth, he tagged a two-run home run off closer Camilo Doval that erased New York’s one-run deficit. Soto scampered around the bases, enlivening the pro-Yankees contingent in the stands, and Doval yielded a career high-tying four runs in the ninth inning as the Giants absorbed a stunning, 7-5 loss and were swept out of their own ballpark by the team with the best record in the American League.
If these three games reinforced anything to the Giants, it’s the notion that star players truly are difference makers.
The Yankees used interstellar power to beat the Giants in all three games. Judge’s two home runs on Friday and his 464-foot shot on Saturday against the team from his boyhood fueled the Yankees to the first two victories in the series. It was Soto’s turn on Sunday, going deep against the reigning NL Cy Young Award winner and then flipping his bat like a rotor blade after his two-run shot against an All-Star closer rattled the top of the right field arcade in the ninth.
Stop and Stare. #RepBX pic.twitter.com/ag0b3axZPY — New York Yankees (@Yankees) June 2, 2024
If the Giants seek to shoot the free-agent moon this winter, then Soto and Chiba Lotte Marines ace Roki Sasaki figure to be the most luminous players on the open market. At this point, after so many failed attempts to lure a big-name slugger to a ballpark where 70 degrees at first pitch qualifies as a heat wave, any hopes of landing either player would have to be manufactured.
A prime aspect of last winter’s Plan B isn’t working out so well, either.
Snell was on the verge of completing five innings for the first time this season when he reinjured his left groin while throwing a pitch to Alex Verdugo . The 31-year-old left-hander walked off the mound following a short discussion with trainers. He will go for an MRI exam on Monday with the hope that any strain will be milder than the one that sent him to the IL on April 19 and forced him to miss a month.
But Snell is certain to miss a minimum of two starts. And every turn through the rotation he misses is another 1/30th of his season that the Giants will get zero return on their $32 million investment in him. Even extreme second-half performers like Snell need a little runway to generate momentum. Now it’ll be hard to imagine Snell gathering that momentum before the All-Star break. And his absence won’t help the Giants preserve a talented but taxed bullpen that has thrown the most relief innings in the National League.
“I felt confident,” said Snell, who struck out seven in 4 2/3 innings and departed with a 3-2 lead before Erik Miller relieved him and gave up a two-run double to Verdugo. “The stuff’s there. It was all coming together. It’s definitely a bummer, frustrating.
“Changeup, I was battling it but made it competitive. Curveball was good. Fastball command was probably its best. A lot was getting better. I was really excited at what was to come. We’ll get there. There’s been a lot I’ve learned this year that will help me get back quicker and start dominating. It sucks that this happened but it happened. Face it head on and get back.”
The Giants will have to piece together the back end of their rotation beginning with a potential bullpen game Monday at Arizona. Even when they have a day off, it won’t be as simple as moving up the rotation to pitch guys on regular rest. Neither rookie Kyle Harrison nor converted reliever Jordan Hicks are expected to throw much more than 150 innings this season. Right-hander Keaton Winn , whose forearm wasn’t an issue in two full-go side sessions, might be an option to return soon but not immediately. He’s scheduled to make a rehab start on Tuesday for Triple-A Sacramento.
Alex Cobb won’t be an option any earlier than July after he’s endured repeated setbacks stemming from nerve issues in his shoulder that became so pronounced that some days he couldn’t lift his arm more than a few inches. Cobb began taking gabapentin, a nerve medication, and said he started to turn a corner last week. He has resumed his throwing progression. But the 36-year-old acknowledged that he is “running out of time” because of the buildup process to start games and cannot afford to go back to square one again.
The Giants continue to have positive hopes for rehabbing left-hander Robbie Ray to impact their rotation, but the former AL Cy Young Award winner won’t be a candidate in the near term, either. Ray has completed his bullpen progression in his return from Tommy John surgery and will throw an inning in the Arizona Complex League on Tuesday.
The Giants have played 11 games behind Snell or a fill-in for Snell. They have not received five innings from a starter or bulk reliever in any of those games. Those kinds of demands usually have a cumulative impact on a team’s season eventually.
With the Giants’ rotation depth continually tested, they will have to keep leaning on their bullpen and hope to get even more spirited offensive contributions from their young position players. They had enough of those to win on Sunday. Heliot Ramos , getting his first major-league start in the leadoff spot, hit a solo homer in the third and lined a tie-breaking, two-run single in the sixth. Casey Schmitt hit an RBI single along with his second home run of the series.
“We played well today,” Giants manager Bob Melvin said. “Just didn’t shut it down in the ninth.”
Doval got in an immediate jam, allowing a leadoff single to Gleyber Torres and a one-out triple to Anthony Volpe . With the tying run at third base, Doval had every reason to pitch carefully to Soto — except for the fact that Judge, the major league’s leading home run hitter, stood behind him in the on-deck circle. Doval’s 1-0 pitch was a 98-mph two-seamer that tailed over the middle of the plate. Soto was strong enough to turn on it and send it flying into the arcade.
The Yankees added on when Judge walked and scored on Stanton’s double. It was the first time in Doval’s career that he gave up four hits in an appearance.
“There’s always a first time for everything,” Doval said through Spanish interpreter Erwin Higueros. “Today was not my day. You’ve just got to accept it and move on. … He’s a great hitter. I missed my spot. And when you miss against a great hitter, that is the result you will see.”
The blown save prevented the Giants from salvaging a game in the series and splitting a six-game homestand against the Philadelphia Phillies and Yankees, the teams that own the best records in their respective leagues.
“I felt good with Doval,” said Melvin, after his closer blew just his second save in 11 attempts. “Any time he’s in the game you feel good. He’s had a couple tough ones this year, but especially those save situations, those are the ones that really inspire him. I’ll take him against anybody. They just got him today.”
Sometimes that’s just what superstars do.
(Photo of Soto and Judge celebrating Soto’s homer: Brandon Vallance / Getty Images)
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Andrew Baggarly is a senior writer for The Athletic and covers the San Francisco Giants. He has covered Major League Baseball for more than two decades, including the Giants since 2004 for the Oakland Tribune, San Jose Mercury News and Comcast SportsNet Bay Area. He is the author of two books that document the most successful era in franchise history: “A Band of Misfits: Tales of the 2010 San Francisco Giants” and “Giant Splash: Bondsian Blasts, World Series Parades and Other Thrilling Moments By the Bay.” Follow Andrew on Twitter @ extrabaggs
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A detailed and comprehensive business plan covers elements such as market analysis, financial projections, and strategic planning. In contrast, a pitch deck is concise and visually engaging, highlighting key aspects like the problem you're solving, your solution, and your business model. This section will provide an overview of what to ...
A business plan is a fully researched 10-100 page document. The document is used to store and convey in detail your business' plans for the next 1,3, 5 years. The business plan lays out the research you've done in your industry and competitors. It discusses your sales, marketing, and operational plans.
Differences Pitch Deck Business Plan; Purpose: Tell a compelling visual story about the business's potential. Provide a comprehensive roadmap of the business's strategy, operations, and financial projections. Goal: Capture investor interest and secure the subsequent meetings.
What are the differences between a pitch deck and a business plan? While the business plan and pitch deck give a view of your venture, they serve different goals, reach different audiences, and build the story differently. These distinctions manifest in the length, format, target audiences, and funding stages. Length and Format. Pitch Deck:
Difference between a pitch deck and a business plan. Pitch decks are crisp offering a macro overview of your business idea through sharp and remarkable visuals. Business plans, on the other hand, are immaculately detailed, offering a micro overview of what your business does and where it aims to reach. Well, the differences between a business ...
Both business plans and pitch decks contain financial information but the quantity and type usually differ. Pitch decks usually have no more than one slide dedicated to financials and prefer to zoom in on key figures. Business plans, however, include a detailed balance sheet, a profit and loss account, and a cash flow forecast.
The business plan becomes your guiding star when seeking substantial investments, forging partnerships, or outlining your startup's long-term trajectory. The document demonstrates your commitment, knowledge, and foresight to potential investors and stakeholders. Main Differences Between Business Plan and Pitch Deck
Key Components of a Business Plan and a Pitch Deck. A business plan and pitch deck have different components that are essential to the success of your company. Here are the key components of each: Business Plan. Executive Summary: This section provides an overview of your entire business plan. It should be concise and highlight key points about ...
Level of Detail. Business Plan: Goes into depth on each aspect of your business, providing a thorough analysis and explanation. Pitch Deck: Offers a high-level overview, leaving room for further discussion and questions during a pitch meeting. When to Use Each. Business Plan: Use it to develop a clear roadmap for your business, secure traditional funding, and guide your decision-making process.
A pitch deck is a brief presentation that gives potential investors or clients an overview of your business plan, products, services and growth traction. As an entrepreneur, you probably know this: your company or idea needs financing. Oftentimes, this financing will come from external sources—i.e. people who aren't friends or family.
The goal of a pitch deck is to score an investment. A business plan is a detailed description of a business. A business plan is a well researched 10-100-page document. It usually has two functions: It is used as a blueprint and it acts as a reference document for the future. A business plan is not sent too often.
In summary, while a pitch deck and business plan are complementary, their key differences include: Purpose: Pitch deck - Generate interest. Business plan - In-depth evaluation. Length: Pitch deck - 10-15 slides. Business plan - 20-50 pages. Content: Pitch deck - Highlights and visuals.
A pitch deck is a presentation that summarises a company's business plan. Often prepared using PowerPoint or Keynote, a pitch deck usually has 15 to 20 slides. It can either be used as a visual support for in-person meetings or sent as a standalone document to potential investors. A pitch deck is not only short, it also follows a clear ...
Pitch Deck vs Business Plan: Key Differences. While both the pitch deck and the business plan are essential tools for startup success, they serve different purposes and cater to distinct audiences
Well, guess what, a pitch deck touches on every single one of those topics; the difference between a pitch deck and a business plan is that a pitch deck can take a few hours to write (less than an hour if you use that a really awesome tool we've mentioned before). In contrast, a business plan will take you days and days of writing, proofreading ...
A Pitch Deck is: a set of slides used to present a business concept, usually to secure funding from investors. A Business Plan is: a written document outlining the details of a business launch or expansion with supporting information meant to provide a pathway to achieving the goal and addressing potential issues that will impact that result. A ...
Pitch decks are typically shorter and more visual than business plans. They are used to give an overview of the business and its opportunity, and to persuade the audience to invest in the company. Business plans are longer and more detailed. They are used to outline the goals, strategies, and financial projections of the business.
This is Alejandro Cremades, and today we're going to be talking about the main difference between a pitch deck and a business plan. Essentially, a pitch deck is a 15 to 20 slide presentation, while a business plan is a 10 page to a 100-page document. Both have been sent in the past or have been used to be sent to investors when you're ...
Pitch deck: As descried, a pitch deck can be sent early in the process. This can be done through cold 'acquisition', but preferably from an introduction via a mutual connection. business plan: As described, a business plan doesn't get sent too often.
As we know the pitch deck and the business plan include mostly the same section and while the business plan is more detailed, the pitch deck offers high level information on some sections ( problem, solution, product, market, team). We can consider the pitch deck a visual summary of the business plan. The elevator pitch is used without an ...
A pitch deck is a shorter and more concise document that outlines your business strategy and goals. It is typically used to give investors an overview of your company and to get them excited about ...
Pitch Deck vs. Business plan. The pitch deck complements the business plan and stands alongside it. Just as it is important that the full business plan has a one or two page executive summary which must catch the readers' imagination and encourage them to read the whole business plan, then the pitch deck can be seen as an alternative form of ...
Let's take a closer look at the key differences between a business plan and a pitch deck: Key Differences: Business Plan vs. Pitch Deck. Length and Detail: A business plan is typically longer and more detailed than a pitch deck. A business plan can range from 30 to 100 pages, while a pitch deck is typically 10 to 20 slides.
In the startup world, effective communication is crucial for conveying your business vision to potential investors, partners, or customers. Two essential tools for this purpose are the pitch deck and the presentation deck. While they might seem similar, they serve distinct purposes and are used in different contexts. Understanding the difference between these two can significantly enhance your ...
Familiar, Deck-based UI. A user-friendly interface is essential for efficient presentation creation, and both Decktopus and Pitch feature a familiar, deck-based user interface. Decktopus's interface is intuitive and easy to navigate, with AI enhancements that simplify the presentation creation process and provide dynamic design assistance.
Read the 23-page pitch deck that ShopMy used to raise $18.5 million to shake up affiliate and influencer marketing. Cofounders of ShopMy from left to right: Harry Rein (CEO), Tiffany Lopinsky (COO ...
Re:cap, a German revenue-based financing startup, raised $14.6 million using this 13-slide pitch deck. Re:cap has raised $14.6 million in Series A funding to expand its team and SaaS platform. The ...
A prime aspect of last winter's Plan B isn't working out so well, either. ... stood behind him in the on-deck circle. Doval's 1-0 pitch was a 98-mph two-seamer that tailed over the middle of ...