A pitch deck is more than just a cool presentation for investors. It must say important things about your company, your products or services, and even your strategy for growth. It should be visual, packed with easily digestible data, and above all, carry a genuine impact that sits with investors after you leave the room.

Building the perfect pitch deck is something these five companies managed with flair, and they're still thriving today.

1. Tesla

Electric vehicle giant Tesla's pitch deck starts with a bold, branded cover, immediately introduces a team of the "Best of Silicon Valley and Auto", and shows gripping data in its simplest forms. 

Take a tip from current CEO Elon Musk: "The thing I really focus on at Tesla is… trying to make the product as compelling as possible. Really, the way to sell any product is through word-of-mouth. The key is to have a product that people love. People talk about the things they love." 

2. AirBNB

AirBNB was originally pitched to investors as AirBed&Breakfast. The eye-catching blue and pink branding combined with a minimalist approach netted the startup $600,000 in investment back in 2008.

Their elevator pitch was a key selling point, especially when broken down to its core statement: "We take a 10% commission on each transaction." This printed in big letters above projected revenues gave investors confidence that the company believed in these goals.

3. Slack

Business communication tool Slack started in 2009 and was recently acquired by CRM experts Salesforce in a deal worth $27.7 billion dollars. Their original pitch deck still carries the same colorful logo used to this day. 

After a brief overview of the company, one of the first slides highlights the "problem" immediately followed by the "solution." This is pitch deck gold: address your target audience's pain points in a way that shows you understand them and tell them exactly how you'll make things better.

4. Uber

Although the tech highlighted on the original Uber pitch deck from 2008 is now outdated (anyone remember owning a BlackBerry?), the clean visuals, USPs, and elevator pitch remain much the same. 

Uber made sure to highlight their key differentiators, which was a major draw for investors savvy enough to realize that this business model could disrupt hired personal transportation forever.

5. Softr

Just to prove that it's not all massive corporations who had all the success with pitch decks, here's one from successful no-code tech startup Softr. This app development SaaS uses snippets of testimonials, examples of possible products, and an embedded product demo so viewers understand exactly what's on offer.

This bright and interactive pitch deck helped them snag Series A funding to the tune of $13.5 million in January 2022.

Final Word

Before building your pitch deck you need to build a brand that reflects your startup's story and values. Book your 15-minute introductory call with Arch Collective and ask about our brand and messaging services for startups just like yours.

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