The 3 Best Pitch Decks Examples

The purpose of a pitch deck is to give a succinct and compelling overview of your business and its unique value proposition, and to leave a lasting impression with your audience.

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What is a Pitch Deck?

Pitch decks are an essential tool for early-stage startups looking to secure funding and support from investors and partners. A pitch deck is a visual presentation that provides a summary of a startup’s business plan, including information on the problem they solve, the target market, the unique value proposition, the go-to-market strategy, and the team.

It has two main reasons to exist: to convince investors to get a meeting and inspire them to believe in your vision and join you in creating something extraordinary.

How do I create a great pitch deck?

One of the best ways to create a successful pitch deck is by taking inspiration from… guess what? Successful pitch decks!

Many entrepreneurs make common mistakes in their pitch decks that can detract from the effectiveness of their presentations. In our previous article we explored the most common mistakes in pitch decks and provided tips for avoiding them.

In this article, we will take a closer look at early-stage round pitch decks of three successful startups: Airbnb, PartyRound, and Coinbase. These companies have all grown to become household names, and their pitch decks provide valuable insights into the strategies and tactics they used to secure funding and build their businesses. By analyzing their pitch decks, we can gain a better understanding of what it takes to create an effective deck for an early-stage startup.

The 3 Best Pitch Deck Examples:

Airbnb

Airbnb is one of the world’s most successful startups. It was founded in 2008 with the goal of providing a more affordable and unique alternative to traditional hotel accommodations. The Airbnb pitch deck, which was used to secure funding in the early stages of its development provides valuable insight into the strategies and tactics that helped the company to grow and become one of the most successful players in the travel and tourism industry.

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Key Takeaways

Even though the overall design of the Airbnb pitch deck is simplistic, it perfectly conveys the messages the founders wanted to tell. In particular, the problem slide in the Airbnb pitch deck effectively communicates the main pain points of the traditional hotel industry. By highlighting the high prices and disconnection from the local culture, Airbnb positions itself as a more affordable and authentic alternative for travellers. Additionally, the third bullet point, “No easy way exists to book a room with a local or become a host,” taps into the growing desire for unique and personalized travel experiences. This slide effectively sets the stage for the rest of the pitch deck by clearly stating the problem that Airbnb solves for its customers.

PartyRound

PartyRound (now Capital) was a startup with the mission of making it easy for founders to raise money from the people in their existing network. As they say in the deck, the founders were able to convert social capital into financial capital.

When PartyRound was raising funds, they had little more than an idea to present to investors. Despite this, their deck, with a simple and attention-grabbing design, made a great impression and helped them to secure funding from Gradient VC.

Key Takeaways

PartyRound had a unique approach, focusing on making it easy to grab the attention of potential investors to get a first meeting. To achieve this goal, they developed a 7-slide deck with large font size, bright colors, and a simple, easy-to-scan layout. The framework of the deck starts with the opportunity slide, which is presented in a straightforward and simple way. This approach helped them to stand out among the traditional fundraising methods and made it more accessible for the founders remarking one more time that when talking about presentations, less is more.

Coinbase

Coinbase is a digital currency exchange and wallet platform founded in 2012 that allows customers to buy, sell, and store digital currency such as Bitcoin and Ethereum. The company’s mission is to make digital currency accessible and user-friendly for everyone. With its easy-to-use interface, customers can easily manage their digital currency portfolios, regardless of their technical expertise.

In addition to its exchange and wallet services, Coinbase also provides educational resources and tools to help customers understand the digital currency industry. Through its commitment to innovation and user-friendliness, Coinbase has become one of the leading players in the digital currency space and continues to grow and expand its services.

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Key Takeaways

As can be seen in the deck, it clearly emphasizes the mission of making digital currency user-friendly to everyone using analogies and straightforward ideas.

They immediately demonstrated how Coinbase overcomes the problem of current digital currency solutions being "too complicated to use" by delivering a user-friendly platform. This slide illustrates the problem with traditional tools and positions Coinbase as a solution.

If that wasn’t plain enough, they made it even more explicit by comparing themselves to iTunes: “Coinbase:Bitcoin - iTunes:MP3”. A powerful analogy that speaks more than a thousand slides. It emphasizes the idea of Coinbase as a mainstream platform for digital currency, just as iTunes did for music. This analogy helps to make the concept of digital currency more relatable and accessible to investors.

Conclusion

The pitch decks of Airbnb, PartyRound, and Coinbase serve as valuable examples for early-stage startups looking to secure funding and support from investors. Each deck effectively communicates its unique value proposition, problem-solving approach, and team vision clearly and concisely. From Airbnb’s clear articulation of the problem with traditional hotel accommodations to PartyRound’s attention-grabbing design and simple approach to Coinbase’s straightforward comparison to iTunes, these pitch decks demonstrate the power of visual storytelling in securing funding and support.

As you embark on creating your own pitch deck, it is essential to communicate your story effectively and inspires investors to believe in your vision.

If you are having trouble creating your deck, don’t miss the chance to book a call today and receive a tailor-made pitch deck that highlights the strengths of your startup and effectively communicates your vision to investors. Let’s work together to bring your startup to the next level.