The Pitch

If given the opportunity to present your business idea to a possible investor or during an incubation competition, you should be well-prepared with a so-called 'pitch'

For a pitch you prepare a high quality PowerPoint presentation and also make a print-ou of your PPT. It should conatin the following elements:

1. Cover page - Company’s name and logo. Furthermore, the date and context in which you are pitching.
2. Start with a good story and add some pictures or numbers that grab the audience's attention
   
3. Your company' mission statement - connect your business idea or the mission of your company to the story you started with. Why are you here pitching today?
   
4. The problem and context - here you can add some facts and numbers to the above statements. If relevant add your egde above the competition.
   
5. The solution you are offering - explain your value proposition in more detail. Hand out a sample if possible.
   
6. Technology - if relevant explain the advantage your technology provides (e.g. compared to your competition or in view of solving the above mentioned problem)
   
7. Introduce your team - show that you are aware of the different expertise needed to make your business a success and that you have already teamed-up with relevant experts.
8. Market access - explain who your target customers are, how big the market is and how you plan to reach it.
   
9. Cost and revenew calculations - in this section you demonstrate that you understand all the steps that are involved in making and selling your product or offering your service and that you have accurate knowledge about the cost involved (raw material, transport, processing, packaging, storage, overheads, licences etc.). Show that or how you can realistically source enough raw material at the estimated cost to sustain your production throughout the year. Calculate how much it will cost you to produce a certain unit of product. Give an estimated sales price for such a unit, that would cover your cost plus a margin. Compare this to the current market price or the price your customers are willing and able to pay for such a product or service. Give an estimate of the number of units you can realistically produce and sell per month or year. Demonstrate that if you compare your costs against your income at a realistically achievable scale it is a viable business model.
   
10. Milestones - lay out a clear vision of how you are planning to achieve your goal and which next steps are needed in terms of putting together your product, team, marketing strategy and sales. State how much cash will be needed for each step, and what exactly the money will be used for. Also mention anything that could be a problem on the way and how you might solve these.
    
11. Conclusion - create a vision of what your startup will look like in the future.
    
12. End with a 'Thank you' slide that provides your contact information and picture.