This is part 14 of "The Ultimate Pitch Deck Guide for Startups," a fundraising guide made in partnership with DECKO, a leading pitch deck development company that’s helped ~180 startups raise over $100M from investors.
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By the time investors hit the “Ask” section of your pitch deck, they should be practically buzzing with excitement to invest. At this point, they’ve got a solid grip on your market, traction, product, competitive edge, future aspirations, strategy, and more.
Your Ask is essentially the cherry on top of your pitch deck sundae. It's not the place to drop a bunch of new info.
Welcome to this chapter of “The Ultimate Pitch Deck Guide for Startups,” where we're diving into how to absolutely nail the Ask in your pitch deck.
Here's a heads-up: loads of founders cram their Ask section with too much. We're talking target valuations, how much of the raise is already completed, a down-to-the-penny spending plan, and so on. This is overkill. It just opens the floodgates for more nitpicking, and most investors get that startup growth isn’t linear.
That said, there are savvy ways to make your Ask pop and slide those investors over the finish line.
Now, let’s get into it:
Focus on the Big Picture
Investors are on your team. If they weren’t, no amount of nitty-gritty on how you'll burn through the cash would change their minds. They know the road ahead is bumpy and are banking on you to use their bucks wisely to hit those big targets.
They don't need a pie chart sliced up into a zillion pieces showing them that exactly 1.78% of your raise is going towards “Social Media Marketing.”
Keep it broad. We suggest sticking to three bullet points about your goals.
These could cover areas like:
- Hiring
- Product
- Business Development
- New Markets
- Regulatory Approval/ Clearance
- Operational Efficiency
- Inorganic Growth
For keeping it broad, take Hiring as an example.
Skip the laundry list of roles (“Hire Chief Revenue Officer, 3 AI Engineers, 2 UI/ UX Designers...”) and just say, “Hire and onboard key talent in Business Development, Product, and Operations.”
This may sound overly simplistic, and it’s great that you have a specific plan for who you want to hire for your team - but that kind of information is unnecessary for most investors. If they have more questions, they’ll ask you and you can provide a more detailed response.
Who Else is at the Party?
Investors want to know who else is in on your round. It gives them a sense of the company they'll be keeping and adds necessary credibility to your company. If big-name Angel, VC, and Strategic investors are in the mix, it's a nod to your company's vetting.
Got a lead investor? Include their name and the valuation, but skip the deep dive into pro-rata rights, voting rights, board seats, and the like.
Your Ask Section Doesn’t Need These:
Now, there are some details you do not need to include in this section of your deck - including them may even negatively impact your raise. Here are some commonly misplaced details that don’t need to be in your Ask section:
- Detailed logs of each investor's stake. If they want it, they'll ask for your cap table.
- Your target valuation (if you do not already have a lead), which can backfire by setting a cap, not a floor, for valuation talks.
- A penny-by-penny rundown of your spend. It gives the impression that you are naive to market forces and unable to adapt
- Minimum investment thresholds. This makes you look more cash-hungry than partner-focused.
- The ins and outs of round terms. Save the nitty-gritty of voting rights and board seats for the term sheet in your data room.
- How much of your round is locked in versus what's still available. Avoid visual gimmicks like a "funding progress bar" – it doesn't stoke the FOMO you think it does, and might even handcuff you if you want to expand the round later.
In summary, your Ask section is the final, decisive part of your pitch deck. Keep it focused, clear, and concise, highlighting your big-picture goals and who's already invested. Avoid overloading with details that distract rather than attract. With these tips, you're set to make a strong, effective pitch that resonates with investors.
And that wraps up this week! Don’t miss out on the final chapter (😔) of “The Ultimate Pitch Deck Guide for Startups” next week.
