Neil Patel

I hope you enjoy reading this blog post.

If you want help with your fundraising or acquisition, just book a call click here.

Now that you’re ready to raise funding for your venture, it’s advisable to check the best pitch deck from startups. You’ll get some great ideas on how to proceed.

Raising money for a startup can be tough, it requires lots of dedication. Entrepreneurs have to network with the right group of investors, have several investor meetings, and most importantly, give a pitch.

Central to all the meetings with the investors is a pitch deck. The pitch deck has to follow specific rules and format to capture the venture capitalists’ interest and secure funding.

We shall follow some of the most successful pitches and explain what they did right so you can create your killer pitch deck. Great pitch decks allow companies to get big funding as they are rarely overlooked.

They follow an intelligent persuasion method that is almost artistic. Following the same formulae can get your business on its feet in no time.

Detail page image

*FREE DOWNLOAD*

The Ultimate Guide To Pitch Decks

Tips For a Great Pitch Deck

Before we can list the best pitch decks, we have done thorough research to capture some of the common threads in successful pitch decks.

We have highlighted the juicy parts to inspire startups and entrepreneurs seeking funding. We dissected each pitch deck and found out that to create a successful one that gets the attention of venture capitalist, you have to:

Create a Story

Check the best pitch decks from startups and you’ll find that every investor is looking for a perfect story. They’re looking for a concept they can be part of.

Your work is to make your story more compelling. People with a similar idea may pitch the same investors or have pitched them recently with your idea.

What sets you apart? Make your story creative and compelling, and logical in response to the problem your business is solving.

Keep the story coherent and passionate as everyone wants to see that the founders are serious about solving the problem set before them.

The trick is to make the story relatable and timely to meet the current market forces and the narrative inexorable. Founders have to present the business as simply as possible, as if it was starting afresh.

Use data and a logical presentation to convince and convict the need to invest in the idea.

Have An Up To Date Pitch Deck

The market is ever-changing, and your pitch deck should evolve to meet market needs. The presentation should be dynamic and changing to show new business interests and marketing needs.

It should also be refreshed for every new audience as different investors will love to see different issues and questions answered in the pitch.

Numbers such as sales data, traction should be continually updated to reflect the most current data.

Outdated data may call into question the credibility of the team and risk funding. Let the content and the pitch deck look modern and refreshed throughout as the audience and the market evolve.

Just because the companies we cover have become great business successes doesn’t mean their initial pitch decks would get funded today.

Keep the Pitch Deck in Context

Context can make or create the pitch. When creating the pitch deck, try to evaluate the context in which the audience will read or listen.

How familiar are you with your product or company? Try to familiarize them with the technology in question.

However, if they already understand it, it’s better to avoid adding that in the slide. You can create different pitch decks for different audiences to entice and spark interest in the audience for more meetings.

Anticipate Questions

A successful pitch will raise a few questions. To ensure you are prepared for the pitch presentation, anticipate questions, and get answers ready in advance.

You can include some questions and answers in a FAQ page in your online data room too. That’s one of the key elements of the best pitch decks from startups.

Keep Them Polished and Professional

The content can lose its meaning to the venture capitalists if it’s not visually pleasing. You have to keep the content aesthetically pleasing to keep the audience glued to the pitch.

It is advisable to use the company’s theme colors to keep the pitch deck consistent and professional. The document should display the company’s branding and image.

Keep in mind that in fundraising storytelling is everything. In this regard for a winning pitch deck to help you here, 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.

Best Pitch Decks from Start-ups

Below are some of the most successful startups in terms of funding and traction. We will take apart the most successful pitches and draw some parallels.

1.Airbnb Pitch Deck

Airbnb is a web service that allows visitors visiting another nation or area a streamlined process to book rooms from the locals. The product makes it easy for renters to generate income and renters to get affordable rooms.

Airbnb Pitch deck is pretty straightforward in its message using 11 slides to create a visually appealing message. Its brevity means that it takes less than four minutes for investors to complete reading the pitch deck.

There is a clear product section with the product clearly explained without going overboard. Though the pitch deck is deliberate on what it wants to include, it could do with more slide categories.

There is missing information on why the product should be invested in at the moment. At least partially thanks to their deck, the good structure and great messaging, the company has raised over $4.4 billion.

2. Facebook Pitch Deck

Facebook is the most popular social media platform in the world, with over two billion users globally. It, however, began from humble beginnings as tailored to university student’s interests.

Their pitch deck is very effective in communicating the message to the investors. The slides define the product, effectively presenting the message to the investor and explaining the functionalities to the customers.

The transitions between the slides are properly spaced, which gives a natural pause between them. This gives investors time to prepare for the next topic.

The slides show the right amount of information, enough to decide but not too much to confuse the audience. Facebook, however, had too many slides on traction data and could have used the space for other slide categories.

They needed a team category to explain the team that was working on the product. The narrative is not well developed. Nonetheless, the pitch deck attracted a lot of investors, raising a funding of $1.3 billion before going public in 2012.

3. Coinbase Pitch Deck

Coinbase is a digital currency trading platform that makes it easy to exchange digital currencies such as Ethereum and Bitcoin.

The platform is so large that it earned a revenue of a billion dollars in 2020. You’ll want to examine one of these best pitch decks from startups for ideas.

Clear use of side labels with large fonts makes it easier for readers to understand topics discussed on each slide. The slide could have done better with a business model to understand how business works.

See How I Can Help You With Your Fundraising Or Acquisition Efforts

  • Fundraising or Acquisition Process: get guidance from A to Z.
  • Materials: our team creates epic pitch decks and financial models.
  • Investor and Buyer Access: connect with the right investors or buyers for your business and close them.

Book a Call

Also add a team slide to explain the kind of people charged with raising the business from ashes. A nice choice of traction figures such as signups and transaction values helps to market the business to its investor quickly as a valuable business.

It has a strong explanation of its industry in a context where cryptocurrencies were unknown and explains why it’s the best solution.

Coinbase had revenue of $1 billion in 2017 in addition to over $547.3 million in funding.

4. BuzzFeed Pitch Deck

Buzzfeed is a popular internet media and entertainment company that tracks news trends online. It is popular on most platforms, amassing a following of 17.2 million subscribers on Youtube.

The pitch deck is well delivered to grab the attention and bring the message home. There is sufficient information to describe the product with sufficient screenshots in the slideshow and other valid info like the revenue model.

The creators take sufficient time to give the narrative and traction of BuzzFeed’s current traction and where they are heading.

The competitive analysis is top-notch as the pitch does not try to concentrate on the difference between it and other advertising and media competition.

Still, it shows how it will fit to cross both media and advising. BuzzFeed was able to collect $496 million before its acquisition.

5. Pendo Pitch Deck

Pendo gives businesses an opportunity to study customer behavior on a website or mobile app. It can monitor page loads, clicks, focus, form submissions, and other stats.

These data can make it easy for businesses to make insights and make strategies to improve user engagements. The pitch deck is detailed and has the optimum number of slides and information online.

It is well designed with a good flowing theme. The team is featured to show the authority of the business. Visual appeal is maximized in the slide without compromising the content, as a single theme is used throughout the slide.

Graphs and charts quickly explain concepts and help bring investors on board. They managed to raise $108.3 million over seven funding rounds before acquisition.

6. Match Box (Tinder) Pitch Deck

There are many dating apps, but Tinder has taken over the market with gamification features that allow users to swipe left and right to express interest or pass on other users.

The app was initially called matchbox before it was rebranded to Tinder. Its pitch deck is simple and uses real-life situations that are relatable to the venture capitalists and investors.

The pitch deck subtly gives an idea of how the app can be used and clearly defines the monetization strategy and revenue model. The pitch deck has a clear problem and solution definition that makes it easy to create an overarching narrative.

Sparing use of screenshots does not obscure the message, but yet it easily grabs investor’s attention.

It is a bit lengthy but they’ve managed to receive investments of $1.4 million. That makes it one of the best pitch decks from startups that every entrepreneur should learn from.

7. Castle’s Pitch Deck

Castle is a niche market real estate solution for rental property owners. It has a good slogan, Put Your Properties On Autopilot!. It is meant to reduce the hassle of being a landlord. Though the business targets a niche market, it has a great pitch deck.

It weaves a clear and cohesive narrative that can persuade anyone to support the business. The pitch deck is well-themed with a good visual appeal; it has clear info that gives sufficient information per slide.

Its visual appeal reduces any barriers to the slide’s comprehension. Individual bios and Linkedin profiles can be incorporated to improve the team slide.

There is also a need to explain why the idea is ideal at the moment. But its $3.3 million in investor funding is a testament to its great pitch delivery.

While checking top pitches is a good starting point, you’ll need some additional ideas on how to write a pitch deck. Check out this video I have put together explaining in detail how to successfully execute the perfect pitch.

8. Linkedin Pitch Deck

Linkedin is the largest online professional social network with millions of users globally. It helps professionals connect and extend their networks in the online space.

The pitch deck idea is one of the greatest, with a streamlined message and theme. The pitch deck does a good job of explaining how the internet works and predicts patterns and trends.

That’s how it makes it clear to venture capitalists how the business venture will survive in the new online space. The projections are so great that they were outpaced by the actual growth of the firm, which helped the investors have more confidence in the venture.

The revenue model is well defined, but like most other pitches, it would be great to add a slide on its team.

9. Transferwise (Wise) Pitch Deck

Transferwise is one of the most extensive peer-to-peer money transfer services that work across the globe. Its services are available in all but seven countries and territories.

The pitch deck has clear slide labels making it easy for the reader to understand what information each slide is trying to convey. Bright yellow transitions are very clear and easy to understand for any eye.

A good balance of words and aesthetics helps to enhance the message and convey information to their business. It is easier to read.

The deck was great but would have been perfect if it included an appendix that could answer any question that lingers in the venture capitalists mind.

The slides could do better to highlight the competition and explain the market size. This pitch deck attracted $1.3 million.

Study it as one of the best pitch decks from startups that highlight what not to do.

10. TeaLet Pitch Deck

Tea is one of the most popular commodities in the world despite that the market is filled with middlemen who make it difficult for farmers and consumers to purchase quality tea.

The business uses blockchain technology to connect wholesale buyers and retailers. The business helps farmers get profits, and consumers get premium tea.

The pitch deck has lots of stats, data and traction statements that capture attention and emotion at the beginning. The problem and solution are well developed as well as the revenue model.

There is enough emphasis on the why and what. It is well-designed with good themes to create good messaging. There is a perfect mix of images and words to hammer the message home.

The team slide could however be improved further to explain the team’s credentials or link it to the LinkedIn profiles. It’s another of the best pitch deck from startups you would want to learn from.

11. Uber Pitch Deck

Everybody has at least heard of uber, if not taken a ride in one of the many taxis that use the Uber app. The app enables cab divers and customer interactions as well as helps in charging the fares per ride.

A great explanation of the statement problem is explained in depth. The length is appropriate and it has all the most important aspects of the pitch deck to perfectly communicate with the audience.

12. WeWork Pitch Deck

Wework is an office leasing company that leases office spaces and rents them out to other third-party companies after partitioning and creating more beautiful office spaces. Their series D pitch deck starts with clear stats of where the company is at the time before going to the next slide to share its vision goals and opportunities hence it is able to draw in even the onlooker at a glance to its huge value.

There is a healthy amount of bar graphs, images, charts, and other graphics that drive the point home more clearly.

13. Mattermark Pitch Deck

Mattermark is a platform that researches, prospects, tracks, qualifies, and benchmarks signals of growth, allowing for businesses to build actionable leads to help grow their potential. The pitch deck efficiently uses whitespaces to help amplify the message across and reduce any visual distractions. There are lots of visual data such as a screenshot from Google searches and a proper explanation of the problems so it segues to the solution.

14. Dwolla Pitch Deck

Dwolla is a money transfer service. It is used for sending, receiving, and facilitating ACH payments between banks. A great number of images, infographics, and graphs to fortify the message and get the message home.

The pitch deck helps show its clientele and the potential market size while showing real-life problems people experience with Visa cards, ACH systems, and checks and present a more natural solution to the problem. 

15. Mint Pitch Deck

Mint is a free personal finance management tool that helps the customer see their working budget at a glance. It is easy to use sync with different accounts to provide informative graphics and enables you to pay bills on time.

The slides go overboard to explain the potential benefits of using mint and how mint goes a long way in resolving financial management issues.

16. SEOmoz Pitch Deck

Moz is an online tool to help websites track local and international searches to get an overall view of how the site ranks compared to the competition. They have a crawler that digs through a site and helps fix problems on the sites as well as track marketing, link building, social media, and brand mentions.

The pitch deck has beautiful visualizations. It goes in length to present much of the company’s traction data for easy absorption by the audience and stamping credibility.

17. Front Pitch Deck

Front is a ticketing software that enables businesses to manage their mail from a single point. It has interactive features like comment assignment and many others that enables teams to efficiently collaborate and manage email tickets. Their pitch deck is so excellent that it raised $66 million in funding.

The founder does a great job explaining how Front works in creating a shared mailbox and how it is the appropriate solution for business.

18. Yalo Chat Pitch Deck

Yalo is a timely solution that enables businesses to interact with their customer base better through text hence streamlining customer support. Yalo makes extreme use of icons to portray the message clearly and reduce verbosity. The blue theme perfectly runs from slide to slide for a professional-looking pitch deck.

19. FourSquare Pitch Deck

Foursquare is an independent app for letting friends know where you are as you play from the app to collect tokens. The deck is very clear on how to use the app from the second slide. The use of graphical screenshots helps to increase understanding and get VC on board. 

20. Intercom Pitch Deck

Intercom is a ticketing software that brings chat features to the email and app. It is a helpful solution to help businesses make real conversations with real people. A lot of emphasis has been laid on revealing the team. Something many pitch decks often leave out.  In addition to the statement problem, the competitive landscape is well set out in the 8 pages.

21. Alan Pitch Deck

Alan insurance is a  digital insurance in Europe. The pitch deck is rather straight to the point highlighting the goals of the business. It is rather too long covering 42 slides, but is extensive giving the team section at least two slides. The pervasive use of images and graphs helps it stand out from other decks.

22. AppNexus Pitch Deck

AppNexus operates as an ad exchange where digital ads can be bought and sold. It offers both the supply and demand side functionality. The pitch deck is minimal with a monochrome theme and very few images. The content has well defined sections that are easy to differentiate.

23. Brex Pitch Deck

Brex is a financial company that offers credit card facilities to startups or early stage firms. The firm makes it possible for firms to get company credit at a level which very few financial institutions offer.

The pitch deck is great at explaining the data with clear images, graphs and slides used to explain to bring the message home. The slide count is of the right length and offers all the right details.

24. Dropbox Pitch Deck

Dropbox is a cloud storage service that allows individuals and companies to store data in the cloud and access it on the fly from different devices.

The pitch deck is clear at showing the strengths of the service against its competitors in multiple industries, with a clearly defined model.

25. Monzo Pitch Deck

Monzo is a financial institution that helps to manage and facilitate salary transfers, sets up direct debits, standing orders, enables money withdrawal with a contactless Mastercard, and transferring money. There are clear goals on why they need seed funding. The overall deck is beautifully designed with icons, images, graphs, and maps helping to explain the message.

26. MySQL Pitch Deck

My SQL is a common relational database based on Structured Query Language. The database system has great application in multiple industries such as eCommerce, logging applications, and warehousing. One thing that this pitch deck has is a table of contents for easy navigation through to the pitch deck. Giving it a portfolio of customers like Google makes it a strong contender with a large clientele which helps lure investors on board.

27. Noah London Pitch Deck

Noah London is a fintech, online brokerage, and online betting firm. The Mobile Bank, helps individuals manage their bank accounts on the go, track expenses, and set aside money in real-time. The pitch deck uses very few words and pictures for enhanced readability and easy understanding. There are lots of graphics, pictures in the pitch deck that help illustrate the pitch deck. The pitch deck includes testimonials from Reuters and CNBC that increase the company’s credibility.

28. Nutanix Pitch Deck

Nutranix is an American tech company that offers software, cloud services, and software-defined storage. Here is a wonderful pitch deck that delves deeply into the data storage facilities and explains the data problem and tries to market clearly as the only real solution to the problem. It uses traction data such as wide adaptability by big firms which are displayed in the second last slide of the pitch deck.

29. Oscar Health Insurance Pitch Deck

Oscar is a health insurance firm that revolutionizes the way people access health insurance in a cost-effective way with a deep reliance on technology. The pitch deck makes it easier for the customer to access health insurance. It minimizes words with most slides filled with just images, graphs, and icons to help increase understanding.

The use of images rather than words can help people understand how to use the service faster.

30. Revolut Pitch Deck

Revolut is a digital banking platform that includes prepaid debit cards, peer-to-peer payments, and currency exchange. It is on a path to revolutionize money by making it easy to move cash around the world. It is a short pitch deck that doesn’t cover everything, but has all the most relevant details in the pitch deck.

The theme flows properly from slide to slide with the revenue structure, competition structure, and marketing strategy for different clients.

32. Sendgrid Pitch Deck

Sendgrid is a cloud-based communication platform that drives engagement and stimulates business growth. It helps send emails for many businesses like Airbnb, Pandora, HubSpot, Spotify, Uber, Intuit, and Costco.

The pitch deck has clear headlines that make it easy to follow the content. There are improved visualizations and increased dissection of the market while highlighting the market strategies.

 

33. Snyk Pitch Deck

Snyk is for developers to help fix vulnerabilities in container images and Kubernetes workloads. The pitch deck is short and has a lot of texts that make it a bit difficult to read, but the length helps balance that out.

There is a clear development of the problem to help and a solution. The team slide is developed with lots of information on the founders.

34. Yammer Pitch Deck

Yammer is a freemium enterprise social networking service for private communication within organizations. The business was acquired by Microsoft in 2016. The pitch deck jumps straight into how the workplace is evolving and how it falls into the work environment.

There is a section dedicated to showcasing their testimonials, accolades, awards, and information that it has raised capital from top-tier venture capitalists.

35. Square Pitch Deck

Square is a cash app that allows users to send and receive money through a mobile application or a point of sale. The free application lets merchants process payments via the app turning mobile and computer devices via payments. It is one of the best pitch decks that uses its unique selling point and value proposition on the first slide.

It highlights its experienced team as one of its biggest selling points as the founder has founded large tech firms such as Twitter, PayPal, and Google.

36. Zenpayroll Pitch Deck

Gusto, formerly Zenpayroll, is a fully integrated payroll with centralized employee data. It has a clean design that enables seamless enrolment, accurate benefit deductions, and automatic compliance, in addition to offering users a dashboard to manage their payroll and benefits information.

The pitch deck has clean style integration with no visual destruction or pictures. There is a single flowing theme from slide to slide, though  a bit short, and without any graphics.

Conclusion

These ten pitch decks have driven the message home and grabbed the attention of the venture capitalists. They have many aspects that any startup can learn from and use to raise millions of dollars.

Just make sure yours is modernized to what investors want now. Start somewhere and create a world-class pitch deck from this inspiration.

You may find interesting as well our free library of business templates. There you will find every single template you will need when building and scaling your business completely for free. See it here.

Facebook Comments

Neil Patel

I hope you enjoy reading this blog post.

If you want help with your fundraising or acquisition, just book a call

Book a Call

Swipe Up To Get More Funding!

X

Want To Raise Millions?

Get the FREE bundle used by over 160,000 entrepreneurs showing you exactly what you need to do to get more funding.

We will address your fundraising challenges, investor appeal, and market opportunities.