What to include in a finance pitch deck

As a portfolio finance director, one of the ways I help my clients is with funding applications. It may seem overwhelming knowing what to include in a finance pitch deck, and so I’ve outlined below the 9 sections to include to convey the financial health, growth potential, and viability of your SME to potential lenders.  

1. Introduction / Company Overview  

• Mission & Vision: A brief statement about what your company does and its long-term goals.  

• Product/Service Overview: Summarise your core offerings, unique value proposition, and target market.  

• Problem & Solution: Highlight the market problem and how your product/service solves it.  

  
  

2. Market Opportunity  

• Market Size & Growth: Include statistics on the market size, growth rate, and potential opportunities, as well as providing data on target demographics and any trends driving the market.  

• Competitive Landscape: Identify your main competitors and explain how your SME stands out (e.g., competitive advantage, differentiation).   

  
  

3. Business Model  

• Revenue Model: Explain how your business makes money (e.g., subscription, direct sales, etc.).  

• Pricing Strategy: Describe your pricing structure and the rationale behind it.  

• Sales: How do you attract and retain customers? Include marketing channels, partnerships, and sales strategies.  

  
  

4. Financial Performance  

• Historical Financials: Provide an overview of your past financial performance, including revenue, gross margin, net profit, and relevant financial metrics (1-3 years is common).    

• Most recent accounts: Create a pack of additional information that includes the most recent statutory accounts and management information.  

• Key Metrics: Highlight important KPIs relevant to your industry, such as customer acquisition cost, lifetime value, revenue growth, and churn rate.  

  
  

5. Financial Projections  

• Revenue Forecast: Provide 3-5-year revenue forecasts based on realistic assumptions.  

• Cash Flow Projections: Project your expected cash inflows and outflows, highlighting when you expect to be cash flow positive.  

• Break-even Analysis: If applicable, show what level of sales are required to break even.  

• Growth Strategy: Detail how you plan to scale and grow the business in terms of revenue, customer base, and profitability.  This needs to be realistic and include any additional costs required to deliver growth.  

  
  

6. Funding Requirements  

• Amount of Funding: Clearly state how much funding you’re seeking.  

• Use of Funds: Explain how you will allocate the raised funds (e.g., product development, marketing, hiring, operations).  

  
  

7. Team  

• Team: Introduce your core team members and their relevant experience. Investors want to know that your team has the expertise to execute the business plan.  

• Advisors/Partners: If applicable, mention notable advisors or strategic partnerships that strengthen your position.  

  
  

8. Risk Factors  

• Risks & Mitigation: Outline key risks (e.g., market competition, regulatory challenges, operational risks) and how you plan to mitigate them.  

  
  

9. Conclusion  

• Conclusion: Summarise the key points and end with a strong closing statement that reinforces why your business is a great investment opportunity.  

Remember to be concise (around 10-15 slides), use graphs and diagrams to illustrate key points, and make sure that the document flows logically.   

If you need any help putting together the financial information required for a pitch deck, then as a portfolio finance director, I’ll be happy to help in a flexible and cost-effective way.