The 5 golden rules for a world-class EIC Accelerator pitch deck

The importance of the pitch deck to win the EIC Accelerator

In this article, I’ll share the 5 golden rules we use at Lira when preparing the EIC Accelerator pitch deck. The focus will be on the pitch deck itself – the document and not the prep/how to pitch to the jury members. But first, let’s do a short recap on the pitch deck and its importance:

– The pitch deck is submitted alongside the full application. Please do not confuse it for the slide deck which is submitted at the short application stage. These are two very different documents with different goals and contents.

– If you are invited to the Face-to-Face interview, you’ll have 10′ to present the pitch deck to the 5 members of the jury. This is your chance to shine and set the tone of the meeting. If your pitch deck is world-class you have more chances to get awarded the funding than your competitors. Bear in mind, in 2021 48% of companies invited to the F2F interview got the funding. For the first cut-off of 2022, we expect that % to go down to 25%.

– The Q&A session after the pitch lasts 35′. Your pitch deck will have left an impression and naturally lead to some tough questions if not previously addressed. That’s why, once again, you need a world-class pitch deck to succeed.

So what are you supposed to do to write a world-class pitch deck? At Lira we follow five golden rules.

RULE #1: Objective > Index > Structure

Objective

Start from setting the objective you want to achieve in 10′ pitching to the jury members. Probably your objective is to persuade them to award the funding to your company. Isn’t it? If that’s the case, to reach that objective you may want to prioritise what really matters to them:

– What the funding will contribute to create which is truly unique.

– How the funding will be used.

– Why the funding is vital for the company.

– Who will be using the funding and has the skill set to make the company successful.

– When do you need the funding.

– Where you will bring your technology/product/service to in the world.

Index

You will have just 10′ to go through the pitch deck. An index will help you to efficiently break down the message/content in 10/12 slides max.

Structure

This does not refer to the structure of the slide, but to the structure of the story you are telling in 10′. Think about the pitch deck as a book, each slide as a chapter and the key messages in each slide as paragraphs of that chapter.

RULE #2: Script First

The script of your pitch deck is the executive summary of your case for funding. It’s the story you will narrate through the slides. Without a well-thought script, you won’t have a compelling story to tell.

RULE #3: Coherent – Consistent – Concise

Be Coherent

The pitch deck is part of a set of documents available to the jury members. Make sure that the What/Why/Who/Where/How are perfectly aligned all across the proposal you submit.

Be Consistent

Data, figures, references and the content on the pitch deck have to be consistent with the rest of the documentation. Key message here? Every single detail on the pitch deck is important.

Be Concise

You’ll have 10′ minutes to go through the pitch deck and 10/12 slides to prepare. You want the jury members to focus on the slide’s key messages. Avoid overcrowding the slide with useless text and make everything in line with the narrative flow. KISS: Keep it short and simple.

RULE #4: The 20% – 80% Rule

20% is text and 80% visual. Even in 2022, a lot of talented amazing tech entrepreneurs confound the pitch deck for a scientific paper and have the tendency to overdo it by going in miniscule details. That’s wrong. What it really sells is a compelling story. The best way to tell the story is to guide the audience through top-notch graphics reinforced by key points conveyed by text. That’s why you will always benefit from an experienced graphic designer familiar with the EIC Accelerator.

RULE #5: Never Forget the Narrative Flow

One might think the narrative flow is a critical success factor when being live with the jury panel and going through the slides. However, the pitch deck will be reviewed first by the remote evaluators at the FA stage, and then by the jury members before going into the live 45′ session. Therefore, the narrative flow should be embedded in the pitch deck and “independent” from the speaker going through it during the interview. The narrative flow is the underlying architecture of the story.

I hope you enjoyed reading this article. If you want to learn more about how me make a pitch deck world-class, contact us. If you want to read a cool book on this subject, I’d recommend How to Write Better Copy by Steve Harrison.