This week, we’re looking at a pitch deck from Rypplzz (pronounced “ripples”), a spatial expertise startup that just lately raised $3 million. Rypplzz makes use of radio waves to supply location monitoring since they’re supposedly extra exact and simpler to work with than GPS. Venues, like museums and sporting arenas, can use its tech to assist information guests by means of their area or ship info relying on their location.
I’ve to confess: this deck didn’t set me alight, so I used to be a bit stunned by its success. Nonetheless, it’s price exploring what might be improved right here, so let’s dig in!
We’re on the lookout for extra distinctive pitch decks to tear down, so if you wish to submit your individual, right here’s how you are able to do that.
Slides on this deck
Studying Rypplzz’ nine-slide deck may go away you a bit stunned. First, it doesn’t have a lot of the knowledge you’d count on to see in a deck used to lift $3 million. There’s no slide concerning the crew, none about the issue it’s tackling, no enterprise mannequin or pricing info, no aggressive evaluation, and no e-mail to contact the CEO. As you’ll see under, the deck fails to reply most of the questions an investor would ask. Nonetheless as I’ve mentioned earlier than: Your deck is only one a part of the fundraising puzzle.
The deck can also be hefty, weighing a whopping 33MB — an terrible lot for 9 slides. As a rule, a pitch deck ought to by no means exceed 20MB as a result of many e-mail servers don’t like large attachments.
Listed here are the slides within the deck, minus some shopper names that the corporate redacted:
- Cowl slide
- Product overview
- The way it works
- ‘Disrupting the augmented actuality trade’
- Market purposes
- Bodily and cyber safety
- Present GTM companions/purchasers
- Funding proposition
- Closing slide
Three issues I didn’t utterly hate
I’m not going to sugarcoat this one: I truthfully struggled to seek out three good slides that had helpful info in an accessible kind. This part is normally known as “3 issues I like,” however that may not be totally sincere on this case.
Nonetheless, it wasn’t all unhealthy.
Exploring some use instances
[Slide 6] The textual content right here is as legible as a health care provider’s handwriting. Picture Credit: Rypplzz
There’s lots to wrestle with on this slide: the textual content is sort of unreadable on the messy background, and the middle panel makes little or no sense to me. Maybe a voiceover might have helped, however slide decks ought to be capable to stand by themselves more often than not. You received’t all the time have the luxurious of having the ability to discuss a possible investor by means of your deck.
That mentioned, I did benefit from the two panels on the facet right here. Portray an image of how a buyer may use the product is an effective way to assist buyers envision the varied methods the brand new tech might be utilized.
Product Overview
[Slide 2] Taking a more in-depth have a look at the product. Picture Credit: Rypplzz
Rypplzz’ deck doesn’t have an specific drawback slide, which might have been useful for explaining the issue area the corporate sees itself working in. The upshot is that this product slide has to do some heavy lifting and clarify the issue, answer and product . Positive, some firms can pull that off successfully, however I’m unsure that’s the case right here.
Whereas this slide explains what the product is and its capabilities, it falls wanting being a complete product slide. Buyers typically search for particulars just like the product’s distinctive options, its improvement stage, and the way it’s totally different from the competitors. Enhancing a product slide with these particulars can elevate the pitch and make it extra compelling.
I do love the simplicity of this slide, although. It’s quick, crisp and product-forward. It does make me surprise why they did it so, nonetheless. It’s nice that the product may be helpful for “a number of industries,” for instance, however that may have been a fantastic alternative to share some examples.
The ask and use of funds
[Slide 8] Straight to the purpose. Picture Credit: Rypplzz
I like the readability of the ask right here: Elevating $3 million; no nonsense, no beating concerning the bush.
In fact, the “use of funds” a part of this slide leaves fairly a couple of issues to be desired. It’s manner too fuzzy:
- “Extra patents” — Nice, however what number of and why?
- “Get up the infrastructure” — Properly, clearly.
- “Capitalize on fast alternatives” — That’s so obscure and generic that actually each startup that has ever put collectively a deck might add that to their pitch. Which alternatives? Why? How does that de-risk the corporate and drive progress?
- “Fulfill present deployment contracts” — Be particular. What number of? How a lot income can be unlocked as soon as these contracts are fulfilled?
In the remainder of this teardown, we’ll check out three issues Rypplzz might have improved or completed otherwise, together with its full pitch deck!
