GENERAL REMARKS

Guidelines and suggestions for GSVC pitch decks

Goal of the Presentation

• Illustration of the business in a concise way
• Visual support for your pitch
• The prompts and tips should be addressed verbally during your
presentation but you don’t have to answer these questions on
your slide – instead support / visualize the main points

Style
• Keep the text elements as short as possible and as long as
necessary
• Use visual elements (pictures, graphs) continuously to make your
business memorable and easy to understand
VISION | Social Venture Overview
Show us why your venture exists and what you hope it will achieve.

Prompts
• What is your team’s long-term vision for this venture?
• What is your venture’s core value proposition?
• What motivated your team to take on this challenge?
• What is your venture’s current status?

Tips
Show us that your team:
• Has a clear, inspired vision
• Is passionate and committed
OPPORTUNITY
Define and quantify the problem that your venture addresses.

Prompts
• What unmet need does your venture address?
• What social problem does your venture propose to solve? What is
the scale or magnitude of this problem? Why is it worth solving?
• What is the size of the customer market?
• Based on the customer market, what is the economic
opportunity?

Tips
Show us that your team:
• Has a deep understanding of the problem at hand
• Links a social problem to an economic opportunity
• Uses accurate, meaningful numbers (when appropriate)
SOLUTION
Explain your innovation and show us what makes you better.

Prompts
• What product or service does your venture offer?
• Who is the first customer?
• What is your venture’s core value proposition?
• What is the product or service roadmap? (e.g. What are the key
milestones in the development of your product or service?)
• Have you tested a minimum viable product (MVP)?
• What traction have you gained? What have you learned?

Tips
Show us that your team:
• Offers an innovative solution to address the opportunity
• Draws on stakeholder insights to inform the design of your
solution
SOCIAL IMPACT
Explain how you will generate and measure positive social impact.

Prompts
• Social Impact Assessment (SIA)
• What is your venture’s social value proposition? (Use Theory of
Change and Impact Value Chain methodologies.)
• Which social impact indicators will you use to measure success and
change?
• How will you track these indicators alongside normal business
operations?
• What is your legal form and how does it support your vision?

Tips
Show us that your team:
• Prioritizes social impact alongside financial returns
• Establishes clear, measurable goals and metrics
MARKET
Show the context in which your venture operates.

Prompts
• In what market does your venture operate?
• Is the market established or nascent? What are the growth
trends?
• How big is the market and what portion of it will you address?
• What are the key market drivers?
• Who are your current and/or potential competitors?

Tips
Show us that your team:
• Understands the options currently available to your customers
• Knows what you need to win in this market
COMPETITVE ADVANTAGE
Convince us that your team has what it takes to win.

Prompts
• Who or what are your key competitors?
• What are your key sources of competitive advantage?
• How will you develop, sustain and defend these advantages over
time?

Tips
Show us that your team:
• Understands how to compete
• Has developed an ownable, defensible solution to a clearly
defined customer need
• Can clearly explain the categories in which your solution is the
same vs. better than the competition
FINANCIAL IMPACT
Explain your financial model. Demonstrate your venture is viable.

Prompts
• What is your venture’s business and revenue model?
• What are your venture’s main cost drivers?
• Based on defensible assumptions, what are your projected
revenues and costs? (Near-term and long-term based on your
product/service roadmap.)
• What are your venture’s margins and unit economics?

Tips
Show us that your team:
• Generates income as you deliver your value proposition
• Understands how your cost and revenue drivers will shift over
time
• Clearly states assumptions and presents realistic financial
projections
GO-TO-MARKET STRATEGY
Show how you will reach and deliver value to your customers.

Prompts
• Who is your first customer? Who is your ideal customer?
• What channels will you use to deliver value to your customers?
• Which key partners and resources are necessary to launch your
venture?
• Describe your customer acquisition strategy and costs
• Describe your “marketing mix” (4 P’s): Product; Promotion;
Pricing; Place
*If you have already launched your venture, please include a summary of
your traction to date.

Tips
Show us that your team has:
• Developed a coherent and integrated marketing plan
• Anticipated how the elements of this plan will evolve over time
STAKEHOLDERS
Demonstrate an understanding of your venture’s key stakeholders.

Prompts
• Who are your venture’s key stakeholders?*
• What are their profiles? Which of their problems needs to be
addressed?
• How does your venture’s value proposition benefit these
stakeholders?
• How will your venture interact with these stakeholders?
• *In addition to customers, this may include other beneficiaries, partners, employees
and investors. You do not need to describe every group in this slide, as you will have
opportunities to do so later in the deck.

Tips
Show us that your team:
• Understands your customer and how your venture creates value
for him/her
• Anticipates the impact that your venture will have on other key
stakeholders
TEAM
Convince us that you are the right team to lead this venture.

Prompts
• Who are the key members of your team?
• What is their level of engagement and commitment?
• Why is your team best suited to solve this problem?
• Where is your team lacking in skills or experience?
• Who are your advisors, mentors, and/or board members? How do
they add value to your team?
• How do your core values support your vision and translate into
competitive advantages?

Tips
Show us that your team is:
• Passionate, capable, skilled and resourceful
• Flexible and open-minded
• Balanced
NEXT STEPS
Show us how you will move your venture forward.

Prompts
• What are the potential risks and externalities associated with
your venture? How will you mitigate them?
• What are your biggest questions? How will you address them?
• What are your immediate next steps?
• What specific resources, expertise, and funding are you seeking?

Tips
Show us that your team:
• Is resourceful and focused on execution
• Has made meaningful progress since the previous round
• Prioritizes and sets clear, actionable goals
• Is prepared to address potential risks and consequences
APPENDIX (OPTIONAL)

Teams may use an appendix to support the information in the main

deck. Judges will consider up to 5 additional slides.

There are no parameters on the content of the appendix. Depending

on the team, relevant slides may include:

• Description of Minimum Viable Product or Prototype(s)

• Competitive analysis
• Brand architecture
• Stakeholder insights
• Potential investors/funders
• Detailed financial projections