Sample Series A Pitch Deck: Cloudsmith’s $15 Million Deck

Back in September 2021, Cloudsmith raised $15 million in Series A funding for its cloud platform that manages enterprise software supply chains. At the time, this was the largest Series A round for a Northern Irish company since 2005, so it definitely delivered the right result. I was happy to take a look at Cloudsmith’s deck and see how it works. Although this document contained some redacted numbers, there was still enough data to get the full picture.

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This deck slide

The presentation has 36 slides: 25 make up the main deck, 8 are appendices, and 3 are appendices. It’s good, but there is room for improvement. For example, remove unnecessary slides such as the organization chart (no one cares and of course it’s not in the intro deck) and combine similar slides such as the competitor and competitor price slides. There’s a lot to appreciate about this deck, but let’s take a closer look to identify other areas for improvement.

1. cover slide
2. Mission
3. summary
4. Problem/Cause slide
5. Issue/impact slide
6. Solution — Logistics Slide
7. Solution — Cloudsmith Slides
8. Case Study
9. Accumulated trust slide (customer list)
10. product slide
11. ecosystem slides
12. positioning slide
13. Customer segmentation slide
14. Market launch slide
15. Market size slide
16. Market penetration map slide
17. traction slide
18. Prediction slide
19. price slide
20. partner slide
21. Organization chart
22. People Slide (Team)
23. Use of funds slide
24. Series A Raise (Ideal Investor Slide)
25. end slide
26. Appendix interstitial
27. Roadmap
28. product
29. Target logo
30. competition
31. “Why do we win?“
32. “What is your dream?“
33. competitive pricing
34. Appendix interstitial
35. Maintaining net income
36. growth plan

3 things I love about Cloudsmith’s pitch deck

Cloudsmith was the first to submit a deck Month Every time I looked at it, I was annoyed that a large portion of the deck was edited out. It was difficult to understand what motivated investors to hand over their cash. But despite the lack of information, there’s still a lot to learn, so I decided to jump in. (Startup founders, this is a very subtle tip for submitting your own decks to the Pitch Deck Teardown series!)

Here are some of my favorite slides.

Promising summary

Cloudsmith’s About Slides effectively prepare you for a comprehensive and attractive company profile. It serves as an engaging opener within the pitch deck and is designed to clearly articulate Cloudsmith’s work and impressive performance to date. This allows potential investors to understand the promising nature of this opportunity from the start.

This slide captures the essence of Cloudsmith’s work and accomplishments in a compact and powerful format. It presents key information that informs and excites, making a compelling case for why investing is not only an opportunity but a strategic move for those looking to take advantage of emerging technology trends.

Although some of the numbers have been redacted, the visible indicators are very encouraging and suggest strong performance and potential. The edited part is also “correct”. Hiding your NPS (Net Promoter Score) might be a little weird — look, it’s not a trade secret — but you definitely want to see ARR (Annual Recurring Revenue), MRR (Monthly Recurring Revenue), number of customers, etc. is.

However, this slide could be made even more effective by including financial “questions” such as how much capital Cloudsmith is seeking and what that money will be used for. Detailing the specific use of funds can help bridge the gap between investor interest and action and make a stronger case for investment. now It can be pivotal to Cloudsmith’s trajectory and will help you build a little FOMO right off the bat.

What now? What’s next?

The remarkable “Now and Next” slide is a dynamic way to showcase your company’s substantial achievements and ambitious future plans. This slide skillfully blends past wins and aspirations for growth to provide investors with a compelling story.

This slide shows Cloudsmith’s capabilities and solid foundation. Clarify your company’s practical benefits and simplify complex technical concepts for investors. This clarity allows even those unfamiliar with technical intricacies to understand the significant value that Cloudsmith brings to customers.

In transitioning from the present to the future, this slide invites investors to embark on a shared vision with the company. The expansion plans outlined are not just about growth. It also aims to leverage existing strengths to build a prosperous future.

However, Cloudsmith’s plans are not detailed enough to be completely reliable. This slide evokes my “Okay, so what do we do with it?” feeling. do that? ” Sarcasm. But I’m certainly paying attention at the moment and liking the positive hints about the significant growth the company is envisioning.

Hello, I’m Traction

The best form of traction is revenue, and Cloudsmith’s graph shows ARR from August 2019 to April 2021, which looks healthy.Now the numbers are redacted so we don’t know exactly how While healthy, Cloudsmith knew they needed to share these numbers because the graph was pointing in the right direction.

The company also included other useful metrics in its traction slides, such as number of customers, LTV (lifetime value), and CAC (customer acquisition cost). Again, the diagrams have been edited, but assuming they are sound, this is a good example of what a traction slide should include. There are no vanity metrics, and I’m not trying to use a crystal ball to see into the future, but by definition, that’s not traction.

Now, given that this is a Series A funding, we’re talking about growth here, but most growth rounds are done based on traction alone. If you have that, financing will be very easy. If you don’t, you’ll be in trouble. So my question is, why is this graph only on slide 17? If this were my pitch deck, this would be slide 3 or 4. This is growing exponentially and is great. So take the lead!!

3 things Cloudsmith could have done better

Before you start throwing your deck in the general direction of the VC, take a breath. Examine each slide in the deck. Ask yourself, “Will this slide actually help me raise money?” If not, throw it away. In some cases, less is more. One killer slide can pack a bigger punch than two lackluster slides. Eliminate waste and keep your audience focused on what really matters: your fundraising goal.

A simple shuffle will help remove fat and streamline the deck.

• Delete slides 2, 21, 24, 29, and 32.
• Combine slides 30 and 33 and move them to the main deck to create a single better problem and solution slide.
• Move slide 8 to the appendix and slides 28 and 31 to the main deck.

Well, that’s it for the reorganization.

Do you have two solution slides? Are you sure?

Think seriously about your solution slides. Slides should be strategic aces, not deep dives into the essentials. They need to provide a bird’s-eye view of how the company intends to tackle the big, bad problem you’ve posed. But here are two slides of a man who seems to have forgotten his purpose in life and buried himself deep in the weeds. Rather than Cloudsmith focusing on strategic overviews, he seems to be trying to show off how much he knows. Everyone, keep your standards high.

Slide 6 is walking around with three boxes that scream, “I’m helpful!” But I whisper, “Nothing has been resolved.” Sure, it’s full of information, but it’s like a guest at a party, who talks a lot but doesn’t actually say anything important (I’m a frequent guest, so this I know a lot, but hear me out). These boxes may be happy with themselves, but they are not in charge of guiding us to solutions. Now refocus and make sure that every element on that slide is there to contribute to the solution and not just take up space.

And don’t even get me started on the complete problem and solution quartet. The company has a clear-cut story. Four rich slides probably seemed like a good idea at the time, but in reality, it’s just homework for your audience. Combining the bloated slide 5 with the streamlined slide 7 will give you a clearer problem statement and a solution that doesn’t require a map or compass to understand. Instead, cut out the clutter and make it easy for everyone to see the beauty of your solution.

hello faces

Ah, Cloudsmith, your team slides are a paradox wrapped in PowerPoint. Somehow you can offer too much and too little at the same time. This is the magic trick that investors don’t want to see. There’s a ton of detail about the core team, but not what’s needed to wow investors at this stage. They’re looking for interesting information about why your founder was chosen to lead this venture. I’m teasing you with hints, but come on, tell me the whole story. Dig deep and explain why they are the captains of this ship. In the meantime, enter your partner’s girlfriend’s LinkedIn profile. This is the digital age. Investors are going to stalk you. Make it easy for them.

Speaking of unnecessary information, it’s great to know who’s steadying the ship, but you don’t need a play-by-play of every core team member in your Series A pitch. A quick mention of overall employee numbers makes things even more interesting. It gives you a glimpse of scale and scope without overwhelming everyone with details. Stay sleek, stay smart, and stay focused on what really matters. We want investors to believe we have the best team to take this “to the moon” forward. As crypto kids like to say.

Here’s the money — now tell me what you’re going to spend it on upon

How could this half-baked financial mystery slide get any more vague? It dances around the topic of money like a hot stove, vaguely hinting at how the company spends its cash, but actually The company is keeping mum about the amount it plans to raise. Here are some tips: Don’t be shy when asking for money. Say it loud and clear. How much do you need? Don’t leave the guesswork to investors. Otherwise, investors coming out of the conference room may be quick to second-guess you.

Ignore the percentages in this regard. It’s about as useful as a chocolate teapot. Use specific numbers, dates, and details. Consider when you plan on making key hires and how much that new knight in shining armor will cost. More importantly, which dragons will they defeat? Present and clarify the goals these hires will help you achieve by showing them specifically how, what, when, where, and why. please. It provides investors with a roadmap, not just a destination.

Now, regarding these goals, you have ambitions, but how are you going to turn those fantasies into reality? What needs to happen? Do you need the people, tools, and infrastructure? How much do these dreams cost? Once you have everything sorted out, the potential benefits will be dazzling. What impact will these investments have on your company? Remember, it’s all about SMART goals: specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound. please. Tell your investors what they’re getting for their money, and make it clear that if you hit that goal, you can raise a big Series B and keep tracking your ARR numbers.

full pitch deck

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