Let’s be honest: getting money to build or scale your nature venture is challenging right now. The unstable global situation leads investors banks & co. to make more secure investments.
One of the main keys in order to get investment is to know how to make a pitch deck.
People who manage or have money don’t have time. So, you often have one shot to spark their interest, and that is usually when your pick deck slides come into action. This is your shot. So today, let’s have a look at it.
This exercise is also interesting if you run an NGO or other nature project. It helps you explain what you do quickly. Like this, you always have material you can share with potential grant providers, investors, donors, etc.
Disclaimer before we start. I haven’t raised money yet (because so far, I didn’t need to). Initially, I only wanted to write this article when I secured funding. But a biodiversity hero mentioned this week to me that he has some questions about it. This is why I thought I would share my Wildya pitch deck with all of you and my thought process behind it. You can then take from it whatever suits you.
7 quick pitch deck tips before getting into the real stuff:
- Use your brand colors, fonts, etc., to lure the person in directly.
- Keep the text short & precise. No one will read lengthy text.
- Use strong visuals to accompany your text.
- This is a teaser, so keep the slides to the minimum of what is necessary.
- Keep your pitch decks alive. They should constantly evolve because, hopefully, you get clearer, roll out new features, etc.
- Use storytelling & statistics to speak to the reader’s brain and heart.
- Adapt it to the reader so that each pitch deck is unique based on the criteria of the angel, impact VC, etc.
The 20 most important pitch deck slides for your Nature venture
1. Pitch deck front slide
Your first pitch deck slide needs to be strong and powerful. You know how important first impressions are. So make sure what you do & what your biodiversity business looks like is clear straight away.
2. Problem
Right from the start, the reader needs to understand which problem you are trying to fix. Make the problem as big as possible while staying honest. The best is to use statistics so the reader sees you did your research.
3. Solution
Teaser your solution to fix this massive problem. Here, you don’t go into detail. The idea is only to get the reader hooked to keep on reading.
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4. Your vision of the world if you succeed
If you are trying to get funding, you are usually thinking big. This slide idea visualizes your vision so that the reader can reflect on how they would like to see this future and if they can see themselves helping you on this adventure.
5. Target customer
Now, you share who you built this solution for. Somebody needs to pay for it in the future. So, you try to be clear on who would benefit from such a project. I created 2 slides, one general slide & one with some interesting stats, but you can also combine them.
6. Target market
Now, this is one of the most important slides of your pitch deck. Investors want to see how big the pie is that you have your eyes on and what realistic piece you can get. TAM, SAM & SOM are not funny and cute animals. They stand for Total Addressable Market, Serviceable Addressable Market, and Serviceable Obtainable Market. This slide needs some good research. Without this slide, it will be tough to get funding.
7. Target customer competition
Now that you have shown the reader the pie, present to them which other nature ventures you are competing with. This proves that you have done your homework in addition to providing you with the first opportunity to show what sets you apart from the competition.
8. USP (Unique Selling Proposition)
Setting yourself apart is crucial for any new company. So, I would dedicate an entire slide to it. Share how you can provide a different solution and experience for your customers. For you, that could be patents, technology know-how, etc.
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9. Detailed product
After discussing your USP, it is time to talk about or show your product/service in action. Now, you can go into more detail about what makes your product great. However, demonstrating or testing always goes beyond just talking about it. So, if you have a prototype or something of that sort, link it here
10. Business Model
A solution to a problem is great. Yet, it can’t work if it can’t finance itself. So, on this slide, you must present a good case of how you plan to make money with your solution. Mine is a super easy model. Yours might be more complex. Just try to keep it easy to follow.
11. Marketing & Sales
Okay, you have a solution, know who you created it for, and have a plan for making money. Now, you need to share with the reader how you plan to produce some noise. Because yes, no matter how great your product is, it can only take off if people know about it.
13. Financial Forecast
When you want investment, you must prove to people that you have done the numbers. The idea is to create a financial forecast so that they can see the current and future performance that you calculate. They want to see your ambition for the following years and if the numbers add up.
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14. Traction
At this point in your pitch deck, the goal is to provide proof that there is already some initial interest in your nature product or service. This gains you more trust, and the reader can quickly reflect on where you are at this stage.
15. Next milestones
Share with the reader what your following plans of action are. You don’t have to get into detail. The idea is to give an outlook for the following months. So they understand your way of thinking.
16. Why now
This slide is not a must. But I find it crucial to get the reader into action mode. I try to build up their fear of missing out. After all, these opportunities are rarely available forever. Sometimes, you must react fast to get your natural venture to succeed.
17. Your Nature venture vision
We presented a future outlook before, but now it is really about your vision for your nature venture. Here, you must show them that you dream big and that their investment is just one step of the larger plan.
18. Your team
All the previous slides are only ideas. Theory. The success of the entire nature venture depends on your founding team. So, take some time for this slide to show the reader that you are the best team to beat to fix this problem.
19. The ask
You gave the reader the primary information they need. Now it is time to share the amount you ask them for. Spend time crunching the numbers to determine what amount would get your biodiversity business to the next level. It can also not hurt to share how you plan to spend that amount with them.
20. Contact
Please don’t leave them alone yet. Make sure they have all the contact details they need to get back in touch with you.
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And that’s it.
Yes, some work is involved, but great pitch deck slides are the key you need to unlock the first door. It doesn’t secure you funding right away, but it helps open the door so that you can meet the reader in person and talk in detail about your project.
Angle investors and impact VCs go through thousands of pitch decks per year. So make sure to invest time to create a great pitch deck and nail this.
Your turn: how to make a pitch deck with captivating slides for your nature venture like those 20 examples
5 actions you can take to start making your pitch deck
1. Take 30 minutes next week to reflect on this article
Why? All theory is useless if you don’t put it into action. The implementation is the hardest bit. So, dedicating time to it ensures that you act on it.
If you currently have a pitch deck, reflect on it and ask yourself if you put your best effort into it.
2. Pick 1 of those 20 slides that you want to tackle right now
Why? Of course, you should improve everything. But picking the most crucial slide will help you keep expectations realistic and move faster. As soon as you start, you will probably create the others, too.
3. Block some time slots in the following weeks to work on your pitch deck slides
Why? Your week will be hectic again. Don’t get an excuse to push this activity into another week.
4. Create a SMART goal of what you want to accomplish and create small actions to get you there
Why? With the SMART goal method, you can ensure that it actually leads to the desired impact. E.g., I want to update my existing pitch deck with those 20 slides by the end of October. Then, I will send it out to 5 impact VCs.
5. Execute!
This is the hardest bit, but it is crucial. Otherwise, reading this newsletter was a waste of your time. Even if it is just a tiny improvement, tackle it today.
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A cheat sheet to create a successful pitch deck for your nature venture
In a nutshell, pitch decks are like any topic, no rocket science. However, designing good pitch deck slides takes time. They are the key to opening the first doors, so spend time on it.
Tools to enable you to make a great pitch deck:
- Base Templates for proven pitch decks & financial models.
- Social Investment Toolkit – takes you through the entire process of raising.
- Slidebean – Pitch deck software & financial model templates.
Wild execution tip:
In case you don’t have the time. Work directly with Wild Business Mate Illiya Vjestica & his business, The Presentation Designer.
Before you go.
If you think this newsletter is helpful, please share it with 1 ecopreneur in your network.
This will help me massively to keep these tips free.
Pitch decks are the key to getting investors’ attention. I hope these 20 slides will make it easier for you to get to the next stage of your impact journey.
See you next week. Have a wild one!
Best,
Oliver
🦧 Whenever you are ready, there are 2 ways Wild Business Mates can help you grow and double your impact:
1. 1-to-1 business consulting. Detailed and personalized consulting to double the impact of your biodiversity organization in the shortest possible time. Not sure how good your pitch deck is?
Sign up for the waiting list by writing us at oliver@wildbusinessmates.com (unfortunately, we are booked out at the moment).
2. Wild Business Mates in Action. Wild Business Mates help you execute in areas you are struggling with. Tech, Marketing, Sales, Communication, etc. We can realize all the steps I mentioned above.
