A studio service
The business pitch, explained.
A business pitch is a short, structured case for one decision: invest, buy, partner or award. The audience changes; the structure stays surprisingly similar.
N° 01The main types
The main types
Investor pitch: asks for funding.
Sales pitch: asks a customer to buy or trial.
Partnership pitch: asks another company to work with you.
Competition pitch: asks judges for a prize or a place in a programme.
N° 02A structure that works for all of them
A structure that works for all of them
The problem and who has it.
Your solution and why it is different.
Evidence it works.
Why you, why now.
The ask.
N° 03Spoken, written or slides
Spoken, written or slides
Most pitches exist in three forms: a two-minute spoken version, a one-page written version and a deck. Write the spoken one first; the others follow from it.
N° 04In more detail
What to get right
01
A pitch asks for one decision
A report informs. A pitch asks one audience to decide one thing. If you cannot state that decision in a sentence, the pitch is not ready.
02
Each audience weighs different things
Investors weigh return against risk, customers weigh the cost of the problem against the cost of the fix, partners weigh what each side gains, and judges score against published criteria. Find out what yours weighs before you write.
03
Evidence takes a different form each time
Investors look for traction, customers look for results in organisations like theirs, partners look for fit and judges look for proof against each criterion. The same fact may need to be framed four ways.
04
The format sets the length
A timed slot, a meeting or a file sent ahead each allow a different amount of material. Ask for the format and time limit before you draft.
05
Questions are part of the pitch
Most decisions are shaped in the questions that follow. List the hard questions in advance and prepare short answers or backup slides.
N° 05What goes wrong
Common mistakes, and how to avoid them.
01
Sending the investor deck to a customer
A customer does not want to hear how large your company could become. Build a separate version that deals with their problem and your offer.
02
No explicit ask
A pitch that ends on a summary leaves the audience unsure what you want. Put the decision you are asking for on its own closing slide.
03
Ignoring the format rules
Competitions and programmes often fix the time, the slide count or the file type. Read the rules first and build to them.
04
Explaining the product before the problem
A solution means little until the audience accepts there is a problem. Establish the problem and who has it, then show the product.
N° 06Terms
The words, in plain English.
01
Ask
The specific decision or action you want from the audience.
02
Traction
Evidence that people want the product, such as users, customers, revenue or signed pilots.
03
One-pager
A single-page written summary of the pitch that can be sent ahead or left behind.
04
Pitch deck
A set of slides that carries the pitch, either presented live or read without the presenter.
N° 07Your brief
What to send us to get started.
You do not need all of it. Send what you have and we will ask in writing for anything missing.
• The type of pitch: investor, sales, partnership or competition
• Who will be in the room or reading, and what they will decide
• The time limit and any format rules you have been given
• Your content: notes, an existing deck or a written summary
• The evidence you can show, with sources
• Logo, brand colours, fonts and images
N° 08Investment
When you're ready, we'll design it.
Deck Design
From $1,500
You have the content; we make it look investor-ready. 5–7 business days.
- 12–15 slides
- Your brand applied throughout
- Custom charts for market and traction
- One revision round
- Editable PowerPoint and PDF
Deck + Story
From $3,000
We shape the story from your notes, then design it. 7–10 business days.
- 15–20 slides
- Narrative built from your inputs
- Full custom chart set
- One-page teaser to match
- Two revision rounds
- Editable PowerPoint and PDF
Raise Kit
From $5,625
Everything for a detailed raise or sales process. 2–3 weeks.
- 25–40 slides including appendix
- Condensed send-ahead version
- Teaser and executive summary layout
- Three revision rounds
- 30-minute call before we start
- All source files
Before you choose
What you get
- A fixed price for the scope listed
- Sketches or a first draft to approve before anything is final
- Print-ready and editable files, yours to keep
What we don’t do
- Financial modelling or valuation
- Investor introductions or fundraising advice
- Legal or securities review
- Market research
Extra pages, slides or revision rounds are quoted before we start them.
N° 09Questions
The answers we give most often.
- What is an elevator pitch?
- A spoken version short enough to say in under a minute: problem, solution and ask.
- Do I need a deck?
- For investor and partnership pitches, almost always. For competitions, check the format rules.
- Is a pitch the same as a pitch deck?
- No. The pitch is the argument. The deck is one way of presenting it, alongside a spoken version and a written summary.
- Can one deck serve two audiences?
- Rarely well, because each audience decides on different grounds. A shared core with a few changed slides for each audience usually works better.
- What should I ask before I start writing?
- Ask who decides, what they decide on, how long you have and whether the deck will be presented or read alone.
Start your book
Need the deck designed?
Tell us what you're making. You'll get a fixed price and a schedule within two business days.