Best Pitch Deck Examples for Startups in 2024

Did you know that there are more than 1,000 pitch decks created and sent to investors every day? This may not sound as huge of a number, but it sure does sound high when you get to know that only 1,500 companies are selected for investment by VC investors every year.

Suffice it to say, having a great startup idea is important but if you can’t convey it through your pitch deck, it won’t take you anywhere. Investors, typically, spend around 2 and a half minute per deck. So, that’s all the time you have to convince them to invest in your business.

Quite overwhelming, right? Let’s make it easier for you. This article highlights 10 pitch deck examples of big names in the tech world that helped founders get investment from VC firms. But first, let’s first know why a pitch deck is important for your startup:

Why Do You Need a Pitch Deck?

The journey to acquiring funding for your startup often begins with a compelling narrative that captures the essence of your venture—a narrative best encapsulated in a well-crafted pitch deck.

A pitch deck, simply put, is not just a presentation; it's a powerful tool that communicates your startup's vision, strategy, and potential to investors.

First Impressions Count

When approaching potential investors, you rarely get a second chance to make a first impression. Your pitch deck is your introduction, setting the tone for all subsequent discussions.

A clear, concise, and visually appealing pitch deck demonstrates professionalism and a serious commitment to your venture. It helps in making a strong first impression that can intrigue investors and make them eager to learn more about your business.

Bringing Your Vision to Life

A compelling narrative is at the heart of every successful pitch deck. It's about telling the story of your startup—how it began, the challenges you're addressing, and where you see it going.

This narrative helps investors understand your passion and motivation, making them more inclined to invest not just in your business, but in your vision. Remember, a well-told story can make your startup relatable and memorable, distinguishing it from the multitude of pitches investors hear.

Highlighting Key Information

As stated above, investors are flooded with opportunities, so capturing their attention quickly is crucial. A pitch deck allows you to distill complex information about your startup into slides that highlight the most important aspects—your product or service, market opportunity, business model, competitive advantage, financial projections, and team.

By focusing on what truly matters, you can engage investors' interest and encourage them to delve deeper into your proposal.

Facilitating Conversation

An effective pitch deck is not the end of the conversation; it's the beginning. So, it should spark interest and provoke questions, serving as a foundation for deeper discussions. The goal is to engage potential investors in a dialogue, allowing you to elaborate on details, address concerns, and showcase your knowledge and passion for the business.

This interaction is crucial for building relationships with investors and gauging their interest in your venture.

Attracting Investment

Ultimately, the goal of a pitch deck is to secure funding. A persuasive pitch deck that clearly articulates your value proposition, differentiators, and growth potential can make the difference between securing the capital you need and falling short.

So, take it as an opportunity to convince investors that your startup represents a viable and promising investment opportunity.

Best Pitch Deck Examples

1. Airbnb

Among the best pitch deck examples, Airbnb’s early presentation shines bright. It is simple, easy to understand, and conveys the message very clearly. The fact that it helped Airbnb, called AirBed&Breakfast at that time, raise over $112 million testifies to this fact.

Each part of the Airbnb pitch deck is simple, sharing information in a straightforward way. They don't just use words; they also use pictures and charts to make their points clear. It talks numbers, which gave investors a clear idea of what to expect.

The Takeaway

You want to keep your audience interested and make sure they really get what your product or service is all about. Airbnb's presentation style is all about keeping things simple and clear.

2. Tinder

Once called Matchbox, Tinder is now one of the top dating apps around.

Even though the Tinder presentation we are talking about wasn't part of their money-raising efforts, Tinder still managed to get over $50 million from investors in just a few rounds.

So, what lands it among the best pitch deck examples?

First, they start with a short story that many can relate to. It highlights the problem they are addressing. Then, instead of just talking about how they solve the problem, they show it through the app itself.

Following that, they explain how the app works and the benefits it offers by showing pictures from the app. This makes it easier for people to understand.

To wrap up, the Tinder Pitch Deck briefly talks about new features they are working on and how they plan to make money, all in just a couple of slides.

The Takeaway

Sharing a story that people can see themselves in helps make a problem more understandable. A strong presentation makes the investors feel like they are the users. This can sparkle their interest in the solution.

Tinder excels by showcasing the app's features with clear screenshots. It basically highlights the journey a user takes within the app.

3. Uber

Called UberCab in the beginning, Uber’s big idea was almost magical: taxis that could come pick you up quickly without you needing to call or wait on the street.

Even though their first plans weren't exactly what Uber is now, their original pitch deck is a perfect example of how much they believed in their idea.

It explained in detail how UberCab could completely change the taxi system forever. The slides used simple bullet points to make their points clear and concise. These weren't long stories, but short, straight-to-the-point facts.

It's clear the founders were confident in their idea and just needed investors to see it their way. However, they didn't have charts or growth numbers to show since they were still small and just starting out.

Their main argument was simple: their idea was going to change the game. And it simply did. The company raised $1.3 million through its fundraising rounds.

The Takeaway

Believing in your idea is powerful, even if that's all you have at the start. You don't always need fancy graphs or lengthy details — the best presentations are simple and direct.

4. Buffer

Buffer's Pitch Deck is a fantastic example of being open and having faith in what you are offering. It helped the company raise $500,000.

The company was among the pioneers to share their pitch deck with everyone. This move not only helped others with their own presentations but also showed their good intentions. The most important part of this presentation is the slide about their progress, which the founders say was key to their success.

From the start, Buffer's presentation showed they were really focused on following market trends. This helped them tell a strong story, making it clear how Buffer fits into the bigger picture of the industry. In addition, they dedicated two slides to show how much interest and progress Buffer's product was making.

The Takeaway

Being open and honest is something that both customers and investors like. It shows you are trustworthy and lets them understand how your product functions. Additionally, it really shows you believe in what you are selling.

5. Wise

Previously known as TransferWise, Wise was able to raise around $1.3 billion in funding over 13 rounds.

The London-based company became popular for its tactful way of charging very low fees and telling customers exactly what they will pay upfront.

The pitch deck Wise used was simple and to the point, which was actually the best thing about it. They didn’t waste time with unnecessary details or try to be overly creative. They showed they knew exactly what they were talking about.

The presentation had a good mix of words and pictures, so it didn’t feel like too much to take in. They also shared their plans for the near future and longer term. This showed they were thinking ahead.

The Takeaway

What we can learn from this pitch deck is that when making your presentation to impress and convince investors, let what your product does and the problem it solves be the main focus. If your product’s main selling point can be explained simply, stick to the basics and highlight the numbers.

For Wise, their key selling point was (and is) their affordable way to send money. They made sure to point that out clearly, as evident from its pitch deck.

6. Shift

Shift started in 2013 as a trusted place to buy and sell cars. It made things easy for both sellers and buyers — if you were selling a car, it would give you a price and check your car for you. If you wanted to buy, it could bring the car to you for a test drive.

Shift’s pitch deck for Series A funding helped it raise about $24 million. It has made its way to the best pitch deck examples because the presentation is clean and simple with lots of pictures. They use images, screenshots of their website and app, and icons to make important points stand out.

Furthermore, they do a great job showing how their service works and explaining who it's for, why it's useful, and how it operates.

One of the most impressive parts is that they are open about the problems they might face. Not many new companies are brave enough to talk about their challenges. This honesty shows that Shift knows the road ahead might be tough, but they are prepared to face it.

The Takeaway

It's good to be upfront about the challenges ahead, as long as you are ready to handle them or willing to find solutions. It demonstrates you are serious, down-to-earth, and responsible. Use this approach inspired by Shift to share your startup's story honestly and make your pitch memorable.

7. Crunchbase

Crunchbase has proven itself as a reliable platform to discover new startups and businesses. It has lots of info like how much money companies have raised, big business deals, and who's in charge.

Its pitch deck for getting Series C funding worked really well, helping the founders raise about $30 million. So, needless to say, there's a lot we can learn from how Crunchbase, a company all about investments, made their pitch.

Firstly, the pitch deck started with a story. It helped investors see why Crunchbase's idea was needed and the problems people have when they try to find trustworthy info about companies. By the time they showed their solution, investors were all ears.

It's also amazing how Crunchbase used pictures and graphics to really show how big the problem was and how much opportunity there was to fix it.

The Takeaway

Begin with a story instead of just throwing big numbers at investors. This catches their interest and helps them see why your product matters. And using pictures and graphics, where possible, to explain your points can make your message stick better than just words.

8. Intercom

Intercom's pitch deck keeps things simple by using its logo's hand-drawn style for the headings and bullet points. This approach makes the presentation feel unique and keeps it in line with Intercom's style, adding a lively, human touch to each slide. It also shows that Intercom is straightforward but also has a fun side.

The slides have a calming light blue background, making everything feel relaxed and friendly. They chose an easy-to-read font for the main text, using bold here and there to make certain points stand out.

The titles are placed so you can quickly glance at the slides and catch the main points.

The Takeaway

The look of your presentation really matters. Make sure your slides are clear and easy to look over quickly, the colors work well together, and the fonts are easy to read, even when they are fun or look like handwriting.

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