Alliance of Angels Presentation Guidelines

Please download and review our 10 Minute Pitch Clinic. Note: You will want to download the file and open it in PowerPoint so that you have access to the annotations of the slides. In this Powerpoint file you will find answers to frequently asked questions and notes on how to avoid common problems. The annotations indicate what information to present, how to present it, and in many cases, why to present it. We hope you find this content helpful.

Our members are very interested in knowing about the progress and direction of your company. As would any investors, they value transparency and integrity, as well as a succinct, well-thought-out presentation containing the following components:

Introduction - Two elements: First, remember to introduce yourself; and next, in one sentence, tell what your company does. (15-20 seconds)

The Problem - Describe the qualitative and quantitative view of the problem. (30 seconds)

The Solution Describe your product or service in terms of benefits. Your visual aid should contain screenshots, photos, simple architecture diagram or work flow diagram. Show a value chain diagram if it is important to show how your solution fits in with other products or services. (1-2 minutes)

Traction Slide - Roll up specific key accomplishments such as patents filed; signed contracts with partners; revenue booked; number of customers; number of employees; year founded. Non-sentence bullet points. Positioning of this slide may vary; put it in where it flows the best. (15 seconds)

Market Size Describe the total addressable market. Describe the pertinent segments and display in pie graph or some other graphical form. Build these numbers from their constituent parts using drivers that build your business. (30 seconds)

Customers - Current and/or Potential There is nothing more powerful than customers to prove your claims about the market. Logos work best. If you have a large number of customers, cite the total number and average revenue a customer is worth to you, for emphasis. Be sure to differentiate between paid and non-paying customers. If you have no customers youll use this slide to name who your target customers are and/or describe who your ideal customer would be. (1 minute)

Business/Revenue Model State how you price your product/service, what the economics of a sale are in terms of COGS; dealer commissions; distributor percentages if applicable. Explain your one time vs. recurring revenue sources, estimates etc. (30 to 60 seconds)

Marketing Plan/Sales Cycle How long? Who are the decision makers and influencers of your customer? In what type of sales or sales support activities are you or your people engaging? (30 to 60 seconds)

Partners Name names rather than generic categories, qualify status of agreement or if it is pre-agreement let investors know that X partner has a need, desire, or history of doing what you need them to do. (30 seconds)

Competition Orient investors to your direct and indirect competition. This slide is another opportunity to highlight your differential advantage. (30 to 60 seconds)

Management Team Name, Title, previous experience. Be brief in your explanation. Do not explain what each person does in your company. Dont forget to include any positions you are seeking to fill. (30 to 60 seconds)

Board of Advisors This is optional. Include those business advisors who help you, know you, believe in you and agree to be spokespeople for your company if called.

Financial Projections This slide is the beginning of the home stretch, and is one of the most critical slides in your presentation. Show your "hockey stick" in bar graph form with bars for revenue and income (expenses will work too). 5 years of projections. No one expects you to be perfect, just be within an order of magnitude of correctness. No spreadsheets please. Bullet point assumptions. Explain the inflection point in your graph. See PPT for more detail. (30 seconds)

The Offer a.k.a Funding Slide Last slide, end strong, let them know why you are here. Describe prior funding, current round offer, pre-money valuation, use of proceeds/milestones, any future rounds of financing anticipated, commentary on exit strategy. (30 seconds)

~ Final words - delivered with conviction {Thank you very much, can I take any questions?} If your pitch finishes on time and is truly uninterrupted do not awkwardly look around the room, or keep going because nobody is stopping you. When you are finished and would like to open it up for questions, do so by uttering the above phrase or some meaningful equivalent. ~

Please note that these are guidelines, not absolute rules. You should use your own discretion as to how these guidelines apply to you and your company.