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My First MillionThe Exact Pitch Deck I've Used To Raise Millions From Investors (#436)
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CHAPTERS
- 0:10 – 1:41
Masterclass Setup and the Dummy Pitch Deck
Shaan frames this as a self-made masterclass and explains he will walk through his template pitch deck on screen. He says he has used it to raise money, shared it with other founders, and includes it in his power writing course.
- •The deck is a template Shaan has used to raise money and helped other founders use
- •It is one of the templates in his paid power writing course, given away free here
- •Podcast listeners are told to watch on YouTube for the visuals
- •The walkthrough is improvised, with an example from a founder he worked with
- 1:41 – 2:43
Title Slide: A One-Liner That States the Outcome
The first slide is a title plus a short subtitle. Using the Shoony insomnia app example, Shaan shows how a plain description evolved into an outcome-focused line with a bit of special sauce.
- •Subtitle should state the outcome and maybe the special sauce
- •"We are an app for people with insomnia" became "helping millions of people fix their insomnia with skills, not pills"
- •Getting the one-liner takes workshopping but feels great once found
- 2:43 – 5:43
Credibility Slide: Humble Brag If You Have It
Investors first ask whether you have something they want and whether you are worth listening to. Shaan advises leading with accomplishments as slide two, and skipping the slide if there are none.
- •Investors decide quickly whether to care based on the offer and the credibility of the team
- •Use slide two as a place to humble brag about accomplishments
- •Skip the slide rather than lead with "I'm not that interesting"
- •Shoony's co-founder wrote the bestseller Why We Sleep, so the headline became "we literally wrote the book on sleep"
- •Design comes later; the focus is the storyline
- 5:43 – 6:43
Problem Slide: Big Number and Personal Story
The problem slide uses compelling data or a personal story to show customers have the problem. Shaan pairs a headline number with the founder's own experience of insomnia.
- •Lead with a big headline number that shows the scale of the problem
- •Example: 25% of Americans have insomnia, 75 million people
- •Add a personal connection, such as having had the problem or having treated patients with it
- 6:43 – 8:45
Current Solutions and the Steve Jobs Moment
Before presenting your solution, show how people try to fix the problem today and why that fails. Then introduce your solution as the better alternative, with a strong headline and a picture of the product.
- •Show current solutions first, for example $75 billion a year on sleep aids that barely work
- •Illustrate the categories people try, such as pills, nasal strips and essential oils
- •Pivot with a "what if there was a simpler solution" moment
- •Headline: an app that teaches you to sleep without medicine, with a beautiful product image
- 8:45 – 11:16
The Dream Slide: Anchor to Something Big
Shaan says investors mostly want to know if this is big and whether they will make money, so skip the deep product detail and state the big vision. Anchoring it to a known company or market makes it more persuasive.
- •Investors need to know if the team is credible, the problem is big, the solution makes sense and how big it can get
- •Shoony's dream: do for insomnia, depression and anxiety what Calm and Headspace did for meditation
- •Frame it as 200 billion dollar markets, fifty times bigger than meditation
- •Shaan's e-sports example: "Little League baseball for Fortnite"
- 11:16 – 12:17
Traction Slide: Your Hero Chart
To show the business is going to work, show that it is already working. Shaan says a pitch cannot rescue a bad business, so the hero metric must be real or the belief that it will work must be justified.
- •Lead with your most impressive chart or hero metric
- •No pitch can fix a terrible business
- •If it isn't working yet, explain why it will, such as a big wait list or a track record with other products
- 12:17 – 13:39
Differentiator: Everybody Does X, We Do Y
With the interest established, Shaan moves to how the company is different. Rather than listing features, state what everyone else does and what you do instead, across product, business model or growth strategy.
- •Don't just explain features; frame it as others do X and we do Y
- •Business model example: charge at cost but with an annual subscription, like Costco
- •Product example: skills through a daily-habit app rather than pills
- •Growth example: YouTube content instead of paid marketing, acquiring customers for pennies
- 13:39 – 15:42
Bigger Trends and Why Now
Shaan zooms out to show the company is part of larger trends, which builds confidence, and then answers why the idea works today but wouldn't have earlier. The Shoony example cites app coaching, telemedicine and rising insomnia, plus regulatory and behavioral changes.
- •Show you're surfing big waves rather than being the wave yourself
- •Three trends: app-based coaching, telemedicine, and rising insomnia, depression and anxiety
- •Why now asks what changed: a rule, a technology or social behavior
- •Regulation now allows digital therapy with licensed doctors, and telemedicine use went from 10% to 80% in two years
- 15:42 – 18:21
Why You, Unit Economics and Milestones
Shaan reinforces why the team is the one to do it, then shows how money is made through unit economics. He then lays out what the raise will achieve, so investors can see how their shares gain value.
- •Why you reinforces track record, credibility and expertise
- •Unit economics show cost, profit and payback: $100 per session at 25% net margin, three-month payback
- •Milestones: raising $2 million to reach 5,000 paying customers and 1 million ARR
- •Key drivers include admitting people from the wait list, hiring three more coaches and launching a company plan
- •Shaan likes a bold tone, accepting that some investors will dislike it
- 18:21 – 19:25
Sweeten the Pot and Call to Action
Shaan recommends saving about 15% of your good news for the end as a dessert, such as a new partnership or milestone. He then closes with a call to action to get in touch.
- •Hold back a bit of good news to leave investors on a high note
- •Shoony's example: an NIH partnership giving $500,000 in the round with no dilution
- •The close is a call to action with the round status and contact email
- 19:25 – 21:05
Getting the Deck and Fixing Weak Spots
Shaan says the template will be available at shaanpuri.com/deck for people to edit. He warns that the hard part is having strong content for each slide, and that a weak business should be improved before raising.
- •Download the template at shaanpuri.com/deck and edit it with your own content
- •The template is battle tested
- •Empty slides reveal the weak parts of your business
- •If the business isn't good, fix it first and then raise money
