Many investors say the number one slide they’re missing from your pitch deck is the GTM (go-to-market) slide. And it’s often the most important slide you need to be able to explain at the early seed stage. Here’s why.

💀 The product alone isn’t enough. Founders tend to think they can ‘show’ the product – which, frankly, you’re more than welcome to do – but that alone won’t get you very far. With rising tech and AI stacks, many features, products, and startups are easier to get up and running than ever before. So what’s hard to replicate? A robust, thoughtful GTM strategy.

🦿 Competitive edge. A good GTM strategy is a moat. It’s hard for competitors to replicate a highly effective and differentiated go-to-market approach. It sets out how you will reach and capture your market, demonstrating your unconventional tactics and/or cost efficiency.

👓 Investor confidence. Investors want to know that you’re not just thinking about the product but also how to sell it. A crisp GTM slide reinforces the impression that you’re smart, farsighted and that you’re thinking about sneaky competitors even before you’ve created the product.

🦄 Cost efficiency and scalability. A solid GTM strategy for an early-stage startup means you are planning for leanness and scalability, articulating how you can achieve low customer acquisition costs and sustainable growth.

🐚 The flywheel effect. Pointing to a flywheel effect in your GTM strategy – one success leads to another in a self-reinforcing loop – makes it clear to investors you have a plan for momentum and growth to continue.