Investors want to see something that shows product-market fit. Start the traction ball rolling from Day One. Make sure your traction slide demonstrates that the solution you’re proposing actually works and solves the problem you’ve articulated.

Early traction is all about proving your product has the first signs of life, proving it has product-market fit. Put another way, the traction slide should prove that you are making good progress toward your business goals, showing some solid evidence that you have, in fact, or will soon penetrate the market.

We’ve built a guide of what early-stage companies can show off on these slides:

If your startup is digital, show your MVP – minimum viable product. If it’s a hardware startup, prove you have the manufacturing skills in place, you’re running efficient operations, and have a responsible supply chain. It assures investors that you can do what you say, and really deliver. 

Highlight the strength of the team you’re building to create and launch the product. Investors need to believe that you can get things done.

For a B2B solution, show your list of prospects and your model to convert these prospects into customers. An intelligent sales funnel to a large audience indicates that you are ready to scale.

Patents and licenses protect your intellectual property from copycats and demonstrate the work and value of the products you’re creating. For a FinTech or Web3 startup, details of regulatory compliance are important, adding yet another layer of reassurance for potential investors.

Highlight any partnerships that provide resources, expertise, and distribution channels. Investors can give more points to plans that offer easy and quick entry to new markets or distribution channels. Finally, partnerships with other companies are regarded by investors as key signs of credibility and of your company’s potential to succeed.

Website data points to engagement and interest. Sign-ups such as real or beta subscriptions indicate demand, time spent on the website suggests interest and user activity and app downloads point to actual usage.

Show sales from pre-orders for some hot new product in order to arouse interest in it and drum up enthusiasm before the product actually comes on the market. Investors love the prospect of revenue before the product has even been launched. 

Ask early adopters for feedback. When you knock on their doors, they can tell you what they liked and didn’t like about your product. Ask them for their testimonials too; when you present to investors, it will help put their mind at ease if they hear testimonials from their peers who have caught a glimpse of your product. Again, this adds significantly to your credibility. 

Talk about any positive media publicity. This demonstrates that you are pursuing what is important in building a brand – awareness and credibility, which are must-haves for those seeking investment.

Mention awards, NPS scores, App Store stats, and Google Play ranks. This signals traction and helps build the buzz around your product. 

While you may not have any revenue yet, show non-quantifiable metrics – like key partnerships, reputation or customers that you’ve signed up. Show the quality and significance of the relationships that you are building. Include quotes from people whom your product or idea has impressed. Summarise how much money has been poured into your business thus far to indicate your commitment, and list out your most important or recent milestones, i.e., big goals you’ve accomplished. A product or company roadmap can work very well for this.

👻 What to show

• Net promoter score

• App Store rankings

• Established partnerships

• Customer feedback

• Testimonials

• PR coverage

🃏 How to present the traction slide

A slide must not be too buzzing with information. If you need to show a lot of information, break it into two or three slides. Tell your story and decide what should be your key figures and facts. Make your slide as clear as possible, with easy reading and high-definition pictures and logos. Use impressive graphics with graphs and infographics. Mention clients and partners by placing their logos.

For a detailed guide on what to include in your traction slide, check out this article. It provides insights on key metrics and strategies to showcase your progress effectively. Additionally, this resource dives into the specifics of crafting a compelling traction slide for your pitch deck. It covers how to structure your slide to make a powerful impression on investors.