Pitch Deck Secrets: These 3 Things Will Make Investors Love You

Gideon Barker, founder of Customer IQ and a trusted mentor at our Funding Accelerator, recently led a workshop about integrating market research into pitch decks to build investor credibility. In the workshop, he shared three practical tips on conducting market research on a budget and tackling common start-up research challenges such as:

How to ‘size’ your Total Addressable Market
How to use market research to quickly communicate to investors what sets your start-up apart from your competitors.
How to use market trends to prove that now is the right time for your start-up to grow, making it desirable to investors.

Market research for pitch decks and how to evidence your market size banner.

Here’s Gideon’s advice in more detail:

Evidencing Total Market Size In Your Pitch Deck:

Demonstrating the Total Addressable Market (TAM) is vital for both investors and founders. This is not only important to get investors excited, but also for founders to assess the feasibility of their business.

When showcasing the total market size, you also need to demonstrate that you are operating in a growing market, ideally.

Realistically, the degree of confidence investors have in your market size comes down to the quality of the data that you use and your ability to apply logic to it.

Here’s how to do it effectively:

Utilise Quality Data: Gideon recommends using up-to-date market sizing data from reputable sources. While gathering your own data is an option, it can be time-consuming and costly. Instead, leverage free sources such as government statistics, NGOs, and reports from respected agencies like Statista, Gartner, and Forrester.

Combine Multiple Sources: Integrating insights from various reputable sources can provide a more comprehensive view. Transparency about your methodology is essential to build investor confidence.

Strategic Budgeting: Market research can be conducted on a startup-friendly budget. Gideon recommends exploring a variety of free sources such as government statistics, data from non-governmental organisations (NGOs), Statista, Google Public Data, analysis that competitors have done before, and publications from large market research agencies like Ipsos, Gartner, Forrester, and Pew Research Center as good starting points for working out market size.

Strategic Approaches for Limited Data: In developing markets with scarce data, omnibus surveys offer valuable insights. These surveys allow you to purchase questions on established surveys for a fraction of the cost of independent research, typically around £250-£300 per question

Negotiating Pricing with Data Providers: Mintel reports provide valuable insights but can be expensive. Gideon therefore advises negotiating with providers for access to specific data points at discounted rates. This approach enables accessing crucial insights without the expense of a full report, which can cost thousands.

Positioning Against Competitors In Your Pitch Deck:

Market research isn’t just about understanding market size; it’s also about understanding the competitive landscape and positioning your start-up effectively. Here’s how Gideon suggests using market research to differentiate your business.

Identifying Market Players:

Thorough market research enables founders to pinpoint key players in their industry, which is crucial for investor scrutiny and for better understanding of the competitive landscape. This understanding aids in gauging market saturation and identifying disruption opportunities. In developing markets, research should extend beyond direct competitors to encompass broader industry dynamics, including unconventional competitors. This can be done by understanding how your current target market assesses their needs.

Identifying Market Opportunities:

Conducting a ‘mapping’ exercise reveals gaps and opportunities for differentiation. Gideon recommends mapping one or two key criteria such as price, speed of service or feature sets which will help uncover unmet needs and potential market advantages. By cleverly positioning your start-up to focus on unmet needs, you can make the most of the market opportunities and get ahead of the competition.

Distinguishing Unique Value Proposition:

Tools like Sparktoro can be invaluable and aid in dissecting target audiences and refining go-to-market strategies. This Analysis clarifies a start-up’s value proposition, identifies differentiation opportunities, and highlights what sets it apart from competitors.

Analysing Competitor Messaging:

Utilising data visualisation tools to analyse competitor messaging offers valuable insights into their positioning tactics. Simple word clouds generated from competitor URLs provide quick snapshots of language use, marketing messages, and promotional strategies. These insights can inform your startup’s messaging and positioning strategy.

Informing Pricing Strategies:

Gaining Insight from market research can inform pricing strategies by revealing market norms and consumer expectations. Understanding competitors’ pricing strategies and the consumers perceived value of the product or service, it can help your start-up set competitive and attractive pricing.

Why Now Is The Time To Grow:

Research-based evidence is essential for persuading angel investors or equity investors why now is the ideal time to invest. Here’s how to support your case:

Showcase Demand: Tangible evidence of market demand, such as a waitlist of eager customers, demonstrates investor appeal.
Highlight Trend Shifts: Presenting significant shifts in consumer behaviour reinforces the urgency to invest.
Regulatory Changes: Evidencing regulatory shifts positions your business as a potential disruptor, signalling the opportune moment for investment.

By leveraging market research, startups can make informed decisions, outmanoeuvre competitors, and capitalise on emerging trends and regulations. Strategic utilisation of data empowers startups to seize growth opportunities and navigate market dynamics with confidence.

So, integrating market research into pitch decks is a powerful strategy for building investor confidence. By evidencing total market size, positioning against competitors, and highlighting why now is the time to grow, startups can stand out in a competitive landscape and attract the investment they need to thrive.

Furthermore, it’s essential to emphasise the fast-paced nature of market research. Markets evolve, trends change, and competitors adapt. Startups must continually revisit their research to stay ahead of the curve and maintain their competitive edge.

Remember, the goal of market research isn’t just to gather data—it’s to gain actionable insights that drive strategic decision-making. Whether you’re a seasoned entrepreneur or a first-time founder, integrating these insights into your pitch deck can significantly enhance your chances of success.

Enjoyed this blog? You might also like: Pitch deck: How to include your go-to-market strategy

Are you ready to start your funding journey? Find out how attractive your business is to investors by answering 20 quick questions

Latest Blog & News

8 Practical And Eye-opening Tips For Actually Finding Investors

Last month we tried something new in Funding Masterminds: an Idea Swap workshop, where our founders shared their tactics on how to find investors

Mentor Advice With Elliott Gaspar: What You Need To Know About Financial Reporting After Startup Investment

Elliott Gaspar, Founding UK Director of Standard Ledger UK and one of our trusted mentors in the Funding Accelerator programme, recently led a workshop

Funding Secrets: Why Having a Lead Investor Makes Fundraising Easier

Securing a “lead” investor can often set off a domino effect, and be the catalyst you need to secure the remaining funds of your

Your Executive Summary Is More Important Than Your Pitch Deck!

Do you obsess about your Pitch Deck? Spending hours tweaking it to ensure it gives investors the information they need? Most founders do. A

Insider Knowledge: How To Make Raising Investment Easier

Get insider knowledge for making raising investment that bit easier! Julia Elliott Brown, one of our trusted and expert Funding Accelerator mentors, recently led

Investors Appeal: Here’s 1 Interesting Truth To Make You Stand Out To Investors

The journey to securing investment is often a challenging one. But, there’s a strategic move that might just tilt the scales in your favour:

How to show the problem and solution slides in your pitch deck with a customer journey

Framing the issue – or societal/customer problem – that your startup is tackling, and how it solves that issue, acts as a hook to

Funding for startups: A guide to bridge funding

Pre-Seed, Seed, and Series A are all terms that are probably familiar to you if you have, or are looking to, raise funding for

Female Founders: Redefining angel investment to inspire inclusion

Friday (8th March) marks International Women’s Day (IWD) with this year’s campaign theme being ‘Inspire Inclusion’. I can’t help but feel despondent though, last

What angel investors look for in start-ups

Angel investors play an important role in the growth and expansion of startups. According to the 2021 Scale-Up Institute Annual Review on the State

Pitch deck: How to include your go-to-market strategy

A ‘Go-to-market’ (GTM) strategy is a must-have in any pitch deck. It’s where founders showcase their approach for entering their market successfully, and the

How to build confidence before pitching for investment

Presenting is often cited as most peoples’ “greatest fear”. It’s unsurprising then that founders often lack confidence when pitching, especially if pitching is new

Master engagement marketing: and you’ll future-proof your startup

Investors expect a clear, well-targeted startup marketing strategy if you are going to attract their investment. But, pre-funding when you are still in “hustle

Networking with startup investors: 5 tips to network successfully

Raising equity investment becomes easier when you pitch to startup investors you have previously engaged with or spoken to, or have been introduced to.

Looking for funding? Here’s your step-by-step guide to finding startup investors

Starting a business is exhilarating, but finding the startup funding to fuel your dreams can be a daunting task. Not only will you have

Breakthrough Way To Locate Angel Investors And The Startup Funding You Need

One of the most frequent questions we are asked is “What’s the best way to fund my startup?” Startup funding doesn’t have to mean

What being a finalist in the Great British Entrepreneur Awards has taught me

My weak spot is I don’t like talking about my entrepreneurial achievements. I think it dates back to my childhood when I was told

Choose your startup co-founder wisely

So you’ve had a light-bulb moment, a world-changing idea – you’re excited and want to share it with the world. But where do you

Advice From 10 Founders: Proven Ways To Fund Your Business

One of the fundamental questions, and perhaps the most frequently asked when it comes to business growth, is “What’s the best way to fund

3 Things That will Make Your Financial Forecast Attractive

Much like brewing a delicious cup of coffee, a compelling financial forecast for investors requires a complex blend of data, strategy, and storytelling. It’s

How equity investors can better support underrepresented founders

Equity investors play a crucial role in the growth journey of any start-up. For underrepresented founders, securing equity investment presents an even greater challenge.

The Best Way To Raise Business Capital In A Wounded Economy

It’s tough raising investment right now. There are fewer investors and the amounts being invested are smaller. How should startups respond if they still

How To Use Storytelling To Keep An Investors Attention

As founders we’re told to weave storytelling into our pitch deck, but we are not always told why. Luckily Pitch Coach and Funding Accelerator

Equity Funding For Business: The Best Start-up Funding Options

Getting equity funding for business isn’t for everyone. When you sell shares in your business you are, effectively, entering into a long-term relationship with

Your Startup Valuation: 3 Things That Are Important For Angel Investors

Funding Accelerator mentor, Tracey Rob Perera, shares 3 things angel investors look for in your startup valuation. Tracey Rob Perera is not only a

How to build productive relationships with investors

You might think closing a funding round is the end of a journey. In fact, its just the start! Now comes the hard work

How to expand your startup team without it costing more

Funding Accelerator expert mentor Chris Booth of Findrs explains how to expand your startup team (and extend your headcount budget) by using AI. When

Start-up funding adviser, Hatty Fawcett, wins Enterprise Nation Adviser of the Year 2022/23

Over the last few months, start-up founders and small business owners across the UK have been voting for the best and brightest business advisers.

How startup accelerators increase your chance of funding

While I’ve written before about the benefits of joining startup Accelerators (find out more here), now seems like the perfect time to revisit the

3 unit metrics that attract startup investors and build a compelling story of growth

Did the conversation with potential investors fizzle out at the financial stage? It’s not just the vision, but the focus on detail that secures

How to find investors, and impress them

Have you ever wondered what it takes to find and impress investors? Well, who better to ask than leading VCs and angels themselves! Earlier

Investing your time where it counts – the numbers

How the right financial forecast is crucial to unlocking startup investment If you’re looking to secure startup investment, it’s inevitable that at some point

How to find investors for a startup…quickly!

A recent report from Beauhurst and SFC Capital* reveals that it takes, on average, 15 months to find investors for a startup and close

Should you raise startup funding from friends and family?

So you think you need to raise funding for your startup? You may be right, but before you begin to raise startup funding from

7 Essentials that unlock Start-up equity investment

Start-up equity investment: Investors look for 7 Essential ingrediants when deciding whether to back a start-up – or not! Be succinct to get attention

Traction makes it quicker to raise funding for a startup

So you want to raise funding for a startup? To succeed, you’ll need to speak the language of investors. Investors will ask “how much

7 Mistakes that stop you raising investment for your startup

Startup founders are resourceful and move quickly but sometimes that haste can work against them. They make mistakes. When it comes to raising investment

Why your executive summary is your most important investment document

When seeking investment for your business it pays to think like an investor, giving an investor the information they want rather than telling them