Your competition slide is the battleground. It tells investors exactly who you're against and proves your dominance. Show you know your industry inside out.

Investors judge your strategic thinking. Lay out the market opportunities, your competitive advantage, and how your business stands strong.

Visuals speak louder. Use graphs, tables, and flowcharts. They clarify your message and make a bigger impact.

🕸 2x2 matrix

This tool simplifies the landscape. Plot competitors on axes like price vs. quality or market presence vs. innovation. Quickly highlight where you shine.

🌂 Feature comparison table

Stack up your features and key parameters against competitors. Highlight brand reputation, customer loyalty, tech integrations, regulatory compliance, and scalability. Show your unique value propositions. Visually rate each parameter to make your point clear.

🦹🏼‍♀️ Core competitive advantages

List your top competitive edges. Explain how each one sets you up to dominate the market. This shows investors why you're the best bet in your industry.

💄 Nail the presentation

Differentiation is key, but how you present it is magic. Even the strongest advantages can get lost in a poor presentation. Make sure your strengths stand out. A great edge needs an even greater display.

👾 Examples of competition slides that can prove dominance:

Bottom line: Differentiation isn't the sole game-changer. The magic lies in its presentation. Failing to present it clearly may lead to lost opportunities and untapped potential.

Ticks and Crosses are common but flawed. They usually devolve into a feature comparison, which isn't helpful. Features can be copied. To create a compelling competition slide, start by identifying your true differentiators. These should be aspects that are hard to replicate and offer real value to your customers. Show why your solution is superior in ways that matter—cost, usability, integration ease, or other key factors.

Positioning Mapping can be effective if executed well. This method visually shows your defensible niche, but be careful not to crowd your quadrant with too many competitors. Your niche must appear clearly defensible. Combine the best of both worlds. Use a Positioning Map to visually represent your niche and support it with a few key differentiators, avoiding the pitfalls of the ticks and crosses method. This combined approach can clearly show your unique position and defensibility.

☎️ Other mistakes:

• Showing competitors like Facebook, Google, or Amazon makes your battle look impossible. Avoid including these giants.

• Only listing legacy companies without acknowledging smaller, newer players suggests you’re out of touch with the market.

• Claiming no competition or failing to show competitors at all makes you seem naive or uninformed.

• Presenting as the intersection of multiple markets can be confusing. It implies that while those markets are competitive, your niche isn’t. Investors may see this as a lack of focus.