A great pitch deck is the key to unlocking success for any app startup idea. But what makes a pitch deck truly legendary? In this article, we'll dive into the world of successful startups and explore 37 iconic pitch decks that have helped shape the future of tech.
The Secret to a Legendary Pitch Deck
When it comes to creating a pitch deck, simplicity is key. A great pitch deck should be easy to follow, with visuals and bullet points that cover all the essential points. Typically, this includes a competition slide, problem slide, and solution slide to explain your offering and market.
Additionally, including business model and team slides (if your business is developed enough) can take your pitch deck from good to great. But don't forget, a simple pitch deck is a good pitch deck – and we're about to learn how to nail it!
Unlocking the Secrets of Successful Startups
In this guide, we'll share:
- Examples of 37 successful pitch decks
- Takeaways that you can apply when creating your own startup pitch deck
- Editable templates of 10 pitch decks that you can use for free
- Tips on how to create your own pitch deck
Looking for a winning pitch deck template ASAP to present in front of potential investors? Try our free template created in collaboration with HighSpark – an agency that has helped more than 500 startups raise cumulatively over $80 million in funding.
These startup pitch deck examples were created by top brands in tech, at the time, they were all small startups (seed stage companies) looking to raise money or venture capital through potential investors and grow their businesses. Sound familiar?!
We hope that these business ideas and investor pitch decks will inspire you – and of course, potential investors.
Creating Your Own Pitch Deck
If you're more of a visual learner than a reader type, you can watch a video summary of the first 10 startup pitch deck examples mentioned in this blog post:
Alternatively, if you're ready to create your own pitch deck, we've added some startup pitch deck examples and pitch deck templates to the bottom of this article. You can go straight to them by clicking here. Or get access to Piktochart's online AI pitch deck creator to create your own slide deck in seconds.
Recommended reading: If you're looking for initial funding to get your idea off the ground, check out this guide on fundraising ideas for creative ways to raise your startup's first capital through community support.
Legendary Startup Pitch Deck Examples
- Facebook pitch deck
Here's a fun fact: Peter Thiel, the billionaire venture capitalist and entrepreneur, was the first outside investor in Facebook back in 2004. That's when Mark Zuckerberg first set out to turn his dorm room project into a lasting business. Zuckerberg received $500,000 from Peter Thiel.
Facebook's pitch deck was more of a media kit, containing the company's value proposition, key metrics, and marketing services that were used to sell ads to potential clients.
Favorite takeaway: The focus of the startup pitch deck was based on solid numbers such as user engagement, traffic, and growth trajectory.
- TikTok pitch deck
TikTok (formerly Musical.ly) revolutionized short-form video content and quickly became one of the world's most downloaded apps. Founded by ByteDance in 2016, TikTok's meteoric rise demonstrated the power of algorithmic content discovery combined with intuitive content creation tools.
Their early pitch deck focused on solving a critical problem: how to lower the barrier to video content creation while maximizing user engagement through an algorithm-first approach. The deck highlighted their unique recommendation engine that personalized content feeds based on user behavior rather than social connections.
While ByteDance was already established when launching TikTok internationally, their pitch to partners and advertisers showcased impressive user growth metrics and unprecedented engagement statistics compared to other social platforms.
Favorite takeaway: The deck's brilliant visualization of their "virtuous cycle" – showing how creator tools drive content, which feeds the algorithm, which increases engagement, which attracts more creators. This simple but powerful explanation of their growth flywheel made their potential immediately clear to partners and investors.
- Airbnb pitch deck
Airbnb is a platform that allows people to list, find, and rent lodging.
This company is one of the greatest startup success stories of our time.
The now famous Airbnb pitch deck has become one of the best pitch decks for inspiring entrepreneurs around the world.
Favorite takeaway: The intro. It's all about hooking your audience. You need to describe your business using as few words as possible. Imagine telling a 5-year-old what your business is about. If you can't do that, it's time to put some time into nailing it down.
- YouTube pitch deck
YouTube was acquired by Google in 2006 for $1.6 billion. Like Facebook, this company doesn't require any introduction. Unfortunately, this is not the original deck. This is YouTube's pitch deck to Sequoia Capital (one of the most established VC investors who's often regarded as one of the industry's best), which was released through a legal proceeding.
Favorite takeaway: The company wanted to be the primary outlet for video content, and it succeeded in doing just that. It goes to show that if you know what your product can do, are able to show its potential, and build on the momentum gained through early investments to create that, then you can achieve its potential. If you're aiming to build an investor pitch deck to land a VC like Sequoia Capital, this presentation slide deck is a great template for you!
- Dropbox pitch deck
Drew Houston was sitting on a bus from Boston to New York, and realized he'd forgotten his USB drive (again). Out of the frustration sparked innovation. What if there was a simpler way to store data that didn't need to be in a physical format?
This simple inconvenience led to the creation of a service that would revolutionize file storage and sharing for millions.
Founded in 2007 by Houston and Arash Ferdowsi, Dropbox quickly became a game-changer in cloud storage. The company's core service allows users to store