Here’s a Pitch Deck
You Should All Replicate:
🚀Airbnb's Legendary Slides 🚀
Hey there, startup enthusiasts! 👋 If you are looking to compete in Pitch Your Success or are already accepted into the competition, you might want to read this post.
There are thousands of articles and sample pitch decks about what makes the best pitch deck, but in our opinion, AirBnB’s original pitch deck from 2009 is the best. It's an entrepreneurial masterpiece that helped them secure a staggering $600K from Sequoia Capital and Y Ventures, propelling them to a $70+ billion valuation by 2023. 💰
In this blog post, we're diving deep into the Airbnb pitch deck, breaking down each slide to reveal the genius behind it.
📌 Slide 1: The Cover
Your cover slide should be sleek and straightforward. Airbnb nailed it with their name and a crisp tagline: "Book rooms with locals, not hotels." Remember, your tagline should be concise and crystal clear. If it takes more than seven words to explain what you do, go back to the drawing board. Simplicity is key! 🏡
📌 Slide 2: The Problem
This is where Airbnb hit the bullseye. Their problem slide used just three lines to outline the pricing, cultural, and technology issues they were tackling. And they did it without jargon, making it easy for investors to connect with the problem. Make your problem slide relatable and straightforward. 🎯
📌 Slide 3: The Solution
The Solution slide is all about highlighting the core value propositions of your product. Airbnb kept it concise with "Save Money while traveling." Emphasize the benefits over the features. Less is more when it comes to pitch decks. ✈️
📌 Slide 4: Market Validation
Since Pitch Your Success is a business idea pitch competition, you don’t have to have had customers. But if you already have customers, that’s an added advantage! Airbnb used data from Craigslist and Couchsurfing to validate their market. 📈
📌 Slide 5: Market Size (TAM = Total Addressable Market)
Market Size shows the growth potential (in numbers) of your business in the market you are targeting. Airbnb highlighted the 2+ billion trips booked annually worldwide and backed it up with credible sources. Your market size should be impressive and verifiable. 🌍
📌 Slide 6: Product
Summarize your product's core functionality in as few words and images as possible. Airbnb's "Search by City > Review Listings > Book it!" is a perfect example.
📌 Slide 7: Business Model (The Killer Slide!)
Your business model should be crystal clear. Airbnb nailed it with "We take a 10% commission on each transaction." Simple, right? Summarize your business model in a single line. 💡
📌 Slide 8: Adoption Strategy
Your go-to-market strategy should include 2-3 core customer acquisition (i.e. how you are going to get customers) hacks that outshine your competition. Airbnb's "dual posting feature" on Craigslist was a game-changer. 🚀
📌 Slide 9: Competition
Use a visual chart to establish your position against competitors. Airbnb's 2-axis diagram defined offline vs. online and affordable vs. expensive, making it easy to convey their point. 📊
📌 Slide 10: Competitive Advantages
Anticipate questions and highlight the benefits that set you apart from competitors. Airbnb's first-mover advantage, user-friendliness, and host incentives were major advantages. 🏆
📌 Slide 11: Team
Focus on the founding team and their skills (both personal and intellectual) that can bring success to your business. Character trumps titles! 👥
📌 Slide 12: User Testimonials
Select a few testimonials that emphasize your product's core benefits. Make sure they confirm your customers' understanding of your product's value. 👏
📌 Slide 13: Financial Slide aka Why Investors Should Invest
The financial slide should have details about your finances: how much you need to build your Minimum Viable Product; how much you need to scale the business; what is the unit cost of your service/product; what price are you going to sell; and more! 💼
📌 Slide 14: Thank You
Be sure to include a thank you slide to the judges, spectators, and the organizers. And wrap it up with an energetic ending!