So you’ve found that perfect deal and now you need investors, what’s next?
One of the hardest parts of Funds is raising the money…
Or at least at first it is.
Once you get going and have a track record investors are more likely to want to work with you.
But we need to land that first round of money before we can get there.
We do this by creating good PITCH DECKS.
Pitch decks are professional way to show investors that you are serious about your business.
Today let’s walk through some basics of pitch decks and how you should make them for your fund.
Pitch Deck Basics
Now to start off we should always have 2 different presentations prepared.
- The one you actually present with that has little words, nice pictures, graphs, etc.
and
2. One that is more of a reader; more informative.
The deck needs to be basic and minimalistic because you want the people you are presenting in front of to be focused on YOU…
Not reading long sentences on your slides.
However, it is important to have a presentation with more information just in case investors want your deck to be sent over to them.
Quick note
You should also have different lengths of your presentation at the ready. Preferably this would be a 2-minute, 7-minute, 12-minute, and 20-minute variations because you never know how much time will be expected of you. Plus it is more professional as well.
Slide Basics
Here I won’t go into great detail but just a simple layout of how a structure my Pitch Decks.
If you’re interested in going deeper into this and other fund structure topics I do offer a course that details everything there for you.
HOW I SET UP MY DECK:
- Intro Slide: Here is where I put my Fund Name, a picture that is RELEVANT to what my fund does, and Managing Partners.
- Mission Statement Slide: Here is where I distinctly state what it is that my Fund focuses on doing.
- Opportunity Slide: This is where I will describe a gap in the market that I am going to be taking advantage of… (I use this on all my decks except for Hedge Fund decks because it doesn’t apply for those ones)
- Competition Slide: We want to describe why we are different than other funds in this space and our competitive advantage. (CAUTION: do not speak poorly of other funds, it is a bad look for you. Focus on what you do well!)
- Investment Thesis Slide: Mention your “Investment Philosophy”; expound on your Mission Statement.
- Fund Overview Slide: Give a summary of your target returns, how many investors you want, closed or open ended, etc.
- Deal Source Slide: Where are your deals coming from? How reliable are these? Who are your partners?
- Investment Process Slide: Show due dilligence, be specific about how you manage choosing deals and executing.
- Fund Model/Structure/Fees Slide: This can be 1 or 2 slides depending but make sure you are definite about these legal and logistic parts of the business.
- Team/About Us Slide: Here I choose to be more personal and show qualifications.
- Portfolio Slide(s): Show some proven deals and accomplishments here.
- Contact Info/Closing Slide: CLOSE, CLOSE, CLOSE! there is no point in going through the trouble of this if you do not close. Your investors have limited time and if you run out of the time they have given you then you are done.
- Appendix: Stats and other resources to back you up during Q&A.
Remember that your pitch deck should be set up in a way so that it is leading into closing the deal, ALWAYS!
Conclusion
The most important thing in your deck is that you are leading yourself and the investors into a close.
I have seen people walk me and others through a deck and then pop the closing question out of the blue.
DO NOT DO THIS!
This can be a HUGE turnoff to investors…
Make your decks simple and easy to follow.
Our Fund Launch Formula Program helps people start their funds shows managers how to do just this and much, much more.
The last thing I will say is to make sure you PRACTICE!
Confidence is what will sell you and the only way you can be confident is by knowing your deck inside and out.
What are some other key things you think a deck should have?
Let me know below or on our social media!
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DISCLAIMER: This content is for educational and informational purposes only. It is not to be taken as tax, financial, or legal advice. You should always consult a legal professional before taking action. Furthermore, this is not a recommendation to buy or sell any security. The content is solely just the opinion of the authors.