Pitch Deck: Don’t Fuck It Up

ALMA’s Presentations design / Pitch Deck and Event Experience Design nail pitch merch/branding – consistent, memorable impact.

Design Rules

  • Invisible design wins: Brand colors + hierarchy + grid spacing + photos only. Fewer elements = better. Skip shadows, outlines, customs – no experience? You’ll ruin it.
  • Pro design? Hire one. No budget? Simplify max – harder to screw up.
  • Design matters: Early idea tests? Skip it. But no startup succeeds ugly. Y Combinator grads: 80% killer/good sites; 15% clean simple; 5% messy (emerging markets only). Techstars ’22: zero bad decks Demo Day.
  • Templates OK: Rare ones. Add your colors/branding. Keep structure – founders trash clean Keynote templates.
  • Motion hack: No risky animations/video. Duplicate slides: Slide 1 (elem 1), Slide 2 (1+2), etc. Click through – grabs eyes.
  • Branding everywhere: Contacts on EVERY slide. Last slide HUGE. It lingers during Q&A – free ad.
  • Numbers dominate: Full-slide giants slay. Better: clean charts showing 10x edge. Legends + labels essential. Know ’em cold – expect probes.
  • Minimalism saves: No designer? 2 fonts (headings/text), 2 colors (brand + B/W text), graphs/photos only. Minimal fuck-up risk.

Networking Hacks

  • No universal pitch: Pre-event: scout attendees, target your audience. Hunt starts now.
  • Investor intel: Check their portfolios, decks, profiles. Friend ’em. Brainstorm more.
  • Modular decks: ALMA way – core + spares for scenarios. Tweak in 2 mins for new crowds. You’re unstoppable.
  • Live pitch version: Min text, key points, numbers, visuals. Time tight: 3-min slot? Prep 2:45 – shit happens.
  • Handout version: Self-contained, data-heavy. Readable standalone – no text walls.
  • Merch power: Easy to spot post-talk? Win. Brand deck, swag, everywhere imaginable.
  • Prep all: CEOs/founders research targets per event. Show you know ’em. Investors love polished teams knowing their shit – early stage bets on people.
  • Selfie follow-up: Investors chat dozens. Send post-talk selfie. Unfailing memory hook.
  • Phone QR: Lock screen to your deck. Foolproof conference move.
  • Slide QRs: End with codes to deck/site/LinkedIn/contacts. Test last slide – converts.

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