Looking for an Impeccable Pitch Deck? Ratan Tata has the Perfect Template for You! Tata recently took to his Instagram handle to craft an exemplary pitch deck for aspiring entrepreneurs
Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.
You're reading Entrepreneur India, an international franchise of Entrepreneur Media.
In less than two months since joining Instagram, Ratan Tata has hit the headlines several times for his posts on the photo and video-sharing social networking site. Yet again, Chairman Emeritus of Tata Sons has struck a chord with budding entrepreneurs by posting a pitch deck template for startups on his Instagram handle.
It all started with Tata conducting a poll on his Instagram status asking, "Would you like for me to put together a basic pitch deck template?" With 97 percent of people choosing a resounding yes, Tata posted the template for the same put together by him and his team.
The pitch deck is a 16-slide presentation that answers the fundamental question of "How to present a pitch?' Tata's guardian-like compassion and mentor-like instructions for entrepreneurs is all too evident in this carefully and impeccably written start-up pitch template!
Along with the deck, he penned down a motivational message for budding entrepreneurs on the post: "The young debuting entrepreneurs among you are setting out on your exciting startup journeys, but you've often asked what the first step might be. I have, with the help of my office, put together a basic entry-level pitch deck, which if nothing else, might help you collect your thoughts and get started. I encourage you to research its elements and create your own recipe, that helps you seek investments and take your stories further, stories that I cannot wait to see succeed. Wishing you all the very best!"
The business magnate has backed over 45 startups, including the likes of Lenskart, Ola, Snapdeal, UrbanClap, etc, in the past 10 years through his venture capital fund RNT Associates.
Here are 5 important takeaways from the post.
Ratan Tata Official InstagramProblem and Solution
Entrepreneurship is all about identifying core challenges in a society and then devising a solution to solve that problem. The initial part of Tata's presentation focuses on this. According to the template, answers to questions like, "What is the problem you are trying to solve?" and "What is your solution to the problem?" can make up for a convincing pitch deck.
Related Articles: Seeking Funds From Ratan Tata Isn't As Hard As You Think. Know Why
Back with Numbers
Another point that the presentation stresses upon is, "Validate every possible slide with data. Numbers don't lie." Numbers give credibility to your business and revenue model and are catalysts in gaining trust in your pitch deck.
Related Articles: #4 Tips from Ratan Tata That will Lift All Entrepreneurs' Spirits
Shutterstock.comFounding Team
The 13th slide of the template urges the entrepreneurs to give an introduction about the founding members, along with the credentials. There is a line in the slide that reads, "Exhibit unity in thinking, in strategy." This highlights one of the key aspects of entrepreneurship - unity and harmony among the founding members and even the entire team.
Related Articles: The Battle of the Titans – Ratan Tata Vs Cyrus Mistry
Story of your Startup
"Pitch less like a presentation, more like a story!" This line sums up the core of any deck pitch. Often, the business world is perceived as a race of chasing numbers, valuations, targets, profits etc. All these parameters are important but a pitch should exude the feel of storytelling.
Related Articles: This is what Ratan Tata's investment did to Lenskart
ShutterstockFunding
One of the slides of the presentation says that mentioning funds rose through other investors and soft commitments will help in gaining credibility and validation but getting funding is not a direct indication of success. This point brings home the important fact that raising funds should not be the ultimate goal of entrepreneurs.
