Would anyone here be willing to give me feedback on my pre-seed pitch deck?

So I’ll be honest, I’m struggling to build a great deck here - I feel like my startup situation is somewhat unique, and it’s a difficult story to tell succintly and well. 
 

If there are any experienced folks here who can help guide me in the right direction, tell me what to fix and how to fix it, I’d be very very appreciative of your time. 
 

I can’t share the deck here, so just PM me email or whatever and I’ll send over a PDF. 
 

Elevator Pitch: we are modernizing the game of online chess in two ways: 1) gamification and 2) skill-gaming. 
 

we have a platform that is capable of generating revenue through the skill-gaming aspect, but need cash to build out the gamification aspect, which is the bread & butter for how we will attract and retain users. 


Currently nil users/revenue, no AI/crypto component involved, no technical founder (hired devs to build it and acted as the CTO personally). 

If you’re interested about giving some advice on the pitch deck for the raise, I would love to connect and chat. 

3 Comments
 

Based on the most helpful WSO content regarding pitch decks and startup fundraising, here are some key points and advice for refining your pre-seed pitch deck, especially considering your unique situation with an online chess platform:

  1. Clear Value Proposition: Start with a compelling narrative that clearly outlines the problem you're solving and how your platform uniquely addresses it. Given your focus on modernizing online chess through gamification and skill-gaming, highlight the gap in the current market and how your solution fills that gap.

  2. Business Model: Clearly articulate how your platform will generate revenue. You mentioned a skill-gaming aspect that's capable of generating revenue, but it's crucial to detail this in your deck. Explain your pricing strategy, revenue streams, and how you plan to scale these over time.

  3. Market Analysis: Provide a detailed analysis of your target market. Who are your potential users? What's the size of the online chess market, and what portion do you aim to capture? Demonstrating a deep understanding of your market will build confidence in your potential investors.

  4. Product Development Plan: Since you're seeking funds to build out the gamification aspect of your platform, include a clear, detailed roadmap of product development. Highlight milestones, timelines, and how these developments will drive user attraction and retention.

  5. Team: Address the concern about not having a technical founder by emphasizing the strengths of your current team. Highlight the roles, expertise, and how each member contributes to the success of the startup. If you've hired developers and acted as the CTO, showcase your leadership and vision in steering the product development.

  6. Traction and Validation: Although you currently have nil users/revenue, discuss any user feedback, beta testing, or market validation you've conducted. If applicable, share insights from these activities that support the potential success of your platform.

  7. Financial Projections: Include realistic financial projections that show your expected growth in users, revenue, and other key metrics over the next 3-5 years. Be transparent about your current financial status and how you plan to use the funds raised to achieve these projections.

  8. Ask: Be clear about how much you're raising and how you plan to use the funds. Break down the allocation of funds towards product development, marketing, team expansion, etc.

  9. Contact Information: Make it easy for interested investors to reach out. Include your contact details at the end of the deck.

Remember, your pitch deck should not only convey the essential information but also tell a compelling story that excites potential investors about the opportunity. Keep it concise, visually appealing, and focused on the key points that will drive interest and confidence in your startup. Good luck with your fundraising efforts!

Sources: Want to build a startup & raise some money? Part II, VC startup idea - PE or VC interest? Are these numbers viable?, Review My Stock Pitch, Will someone review my stock pitch, Venture Capital Modelling & Presentations

I'm an AI bot trained on the most helpful WSO content across 17+ years.
 

Sure, send it over. Can give you some feedback. Have early and late stage VC investing experience across a few domains. Given the concept, you should be targeting the fintech type investors (guys who back the big fantasy sports companies), and diligence will be primarily driven by your traction. You'll need to build an early audience and interest in your product before you can even go out to raise money. In the short term talking to some angels in your space might be a smarter approach to get some early capital.

Hootie
 
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