Back in September 2021, Cloudsmith raised $15 million in Series A funding for its cloud platform that manages corporations’ software program provide chains. At the time, that was the most important Series A spherical for a Northern Ireland firm since 2005, so it undoubtedly obtained one thing proper! I used to be delighted to look over Cloudsmith’s deck to see the way it did it. The deck included some redacted numbers, however there was nonetheless sufficient information to get a very good image.
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Slides on this deck
The presentation has 36 slides — 25 make up the primary deck, eight are within the appendix and three are addenda. While it’s substantial, there’s room for enchancment. For instance, I’d take away pointless slides just like the organizational chart (no one cares and definitely not in an intro deck) and mix related slides, such because the competitors and competitor pricing slides. While there’s a lot to understand concerning the deck, let’s take a more in-depth look to determine different areas for refinement.
- Cover slide
- Mission
- Summary
- Problem / trigger slide
- Problem / impression slide
- Solution — logistics slide
- Solution — Cloudsmith slide
- Case research
- Accumulating belief slide (buyer checklist)
- Product slide
- Ecosystem slide
- Positioning slide
- Customer segmentation slide
- Go-to-market slide
- Market measurement slide
- Market penetration map slide
- Traction slide
- Forecast slide
- Pricing slide
- Partners slide
- Organization chart
- People slide (staff)
- Use of funds slide
- Raising Series A (supreme investor slide)
- Closing slide
- Appendix interstitial
- Roadmap
- Product
- Target logos
- Competition
- “Why we win“
- “What’s your dream?“
- Competition pricing
- Addendum interstitial
- Net income retention
- Growth plan
Three issues to like about Cloudsmith’s pitch deck
Cloudsmith initially submitted its deck months in the past, and each time I checked out it, I used to be pissed off by how a lot of the deck was redacted. It was onerous to get a sense for what impressed its traders handy over the money. But there’s nonetheless so much to study, even with data lacking, so I made a decision to dive in. (Hey, startup founders: This is your very unsubtle trace to submit your personal deck to the Pitch Deck Teardown sequence!)
Here are some slides that I appreciated:
A promising abstract
The abstract slide for Cloudsmith successfully units the stage for a complete and attractive firm overview. It capabilities as an attractive opener throughout the pitch deck, designed to obviously articulate what Cloudsmith does and its spectacular efficiency thus far. This all however ensures that potential traders perceive the promising nature of the chance from the get-go.
This slide captures the essence of Cloudsmith’s operations and achievements in a compact but potent format. It presents key data that informs and excites, making a compelling case for why funding shouldn’t be solely a possibility but in addition a strategic transfer for these seeking to capitalize on rising tech tendencies.
Although some figures are redacted, the seen metrics are fairly promising, suggesting robust efficiency and potential. Even the redacted parts are “correct.” It’s a bit sus to cover your NPS (internet promoter rating) — come on, that’s hardly a enterprise secret — however you undoubtedly wish to present your ARR (annual recurring income), MRR (month-to-month recurring income), variety of prospects, and so forth.
However, the slide may very well be much more efficient by together with the monetary “ask”: how a lot capital Cloudsmith is searching for and what the funds will probably be used for. Detailing the particular use of funds may assist bridge the hole between investor curiosity and motion, making a…
