What to Include in a Business Model Slide for Your Pitch Deck

Insight Into Business Model Slide

Pitch decks can be utilized to provide a business plan overview to a group of individuals, usually in the form of a PowerPoint presentation. Creating an optimized, unique display can help to inform an audience about the products and services a company provides. The objective is to tell a story and engage with the audience emotionally to create a great first impression.

There are several different guidelines to follow when creating a pitch deck. Giving an overview of the company and its value are only the first part of the process. The presentation needs to demonstrate how the offered product/service is superior to the competition's, convey a sales/marketing strategy to reach a target audience, and introduce investors to the people behind the startup's idea. Here are the top 11 slides to include in a business model presentation.

Business Model Slide - Vision and Value Proposition

The first slide should include a brief, one-sentence overview of the company and the value it provides. The objective is to give an overview of how product/service solves customers' problems, improves their situation, and delivers specific benefits. To start, consider the following questions -

• Who is the target market?
  
• How does the company stand out amongst the competition?
  
• What is the company's mission?
  

Business Model Slide - The Problem

This portion of the business model slide is utilized to talk about the existing problem that needs a solution. It's an introduction to a negative state of current affairs that can't be fixed without the services/products provided by the company. The pain points should be relatable to everyday people, including investors. For example, here is the Airbnb pitch deck problem slide -

• Price is an important concern for customer booking travel online
  
• Hotels leave you disconnected from the city and its culture
  
• No Easy Way Exists to book a room with a local and become a host.
  

Business Model Slide - Target Market & Opportunity

This slide expands on the size and scope of the target audience and how the company positions itself in that market. If possible, include data about the spending habits of people and businesses in the current market so investors can grasp its size.

Utilizing marketing segmentation, or the process of dividing a target audience into subgroups of consumers that share similar characteristics is also important because investors want to know how specific services/products can help specific groups of people. There are 4 different ways to segment a target market, including -

• Geographic
  
• Demographic
  
• Psychographic (Lifestyle/Common Interests)
  
• Behavioral (Online/Purchasing Patterns)
  

Business Model Slide - The Solution

This portion of the business model slide describes the offered service or product and how customers can use it to address the problem outlined in Slide 2. The utilization of icons, graphics, and pictures can make this portion of the presentation more powerful. Messaging should be short and keywords can be emphasized to capture the attention of the audience.

To illustrate, here is the text of Airbnb's solution slide -

Solution - A web platform that users can rent out their space to host travelers to -

• Save Money When Traveling
  
• Make Money When Hosting
  
• Share Culture Local Connection to the City

Business Model Slide - Revenue Model

Once the service or product has been explained, the presentation should shift to explaining the revenue stream for the company and investors. Each of the following questions should be addressed in this slide -

• What is the revenue model? (Pricing)
  
• What is the sales and distribution model? (How will customers find the company?)
  
• How does pricing compare to the competition?
  
• How does pricing fit into the larger market? (Premium service or value service)
  
• Are there any barriers to entry for new consumers?
  

Business Model Slide - Traction and Validation Roadmap

Investors want to see that aspects of the business plan have already been successful, prior to the presentation. If there have been sales or early adopters, this is where to include that information.

This slide can also be utilized to talk about the company's milestones and whether or not they've achieved any key objectives so far. Including this information will help validate the solution provided in Slide 4.

Business Model Slide - Marketing and Sales Strategy

This slide should be utilized to outline a sales and marketing plan and any planned key to reach a target audience and why they will work. Some questions to address in include -

• How will the startup capture the customer's attention?
  
• What will the sales process look like? (Online/In-Person Sales Team/Etc.)
  
• How is the marketing/sales process different than the competition?
  
• Why are these sales/marketing strategies unique/effective?
  

Business Model Slide - Team

This portion of the business model slide identifies the founding team members and explains why they have the necessary skills to build and manage a business. Considerations to include are -

• Why is this team the right group of individuals to grow and develop the company?
  
• What are their successes at prior companies/industries?
  
• What expertise do they bring to the table?
  
• What key positions will be filled and how are those positions critical to the company's development?
  

Business Model Slide - Financial Model

Though investors will expect to see income statements, cash flow forecasts, and other financials, the pitch deck slide presentation is not the place to include in-depth spreadsheets that are detailed and difficult to read. Instead, the objective is to provide investors with simple financial results and an idea of potential earnings.

Limit financial details to eye-catching charts that show sales, total customers, profits, and expenses. Investors are used to seeing projections that are overstated and overblown, so it's important to remember that revenue forecasts should be hopeful, but realistic.

Business Model Slide - Competition

This portion provides a complete overview of the competitive landscape and any of its lacking elements. Even if the product/service is offered to an entirely new market, potential customers are still utilizing alternative solutions to solve the problem outlined in Slide 2.

There are a few different ways to present a competitive advantage through the utilization of charts and graphs. Examples include -

• Power Grid - A chart that details the benefits of the service/product offered in a column vs. the number of competitors in a row. This type of graph can be used to show how the startup upstages each competitor in areas such as key benefits, go-to-market strategy, or business model.
  
• Matrix - A diagram utilized for analyzing and displaying the relationship between two different data sets. This can be used to highlight the advantages a product/service has compared to each of the identified competitors
  

Business Model Slide - Investment and Use of Funds

The final slide of the business model slide informs potential investors how much money is needed, and how it will be used to grow the business. If other investors have already jumped on board, this is the time to explain who they are. Elements to include in this section of the business model template are -

• Key milestones met so far
  
• Funding requirements & why
  
• Proof of positive use of funds from other investors
  
• Forecast of future growth (if funds are obtained)