When creating your team slide, focus on featuring key people who will impress investors.

There’s a good reason to start with the founder or co-founders. Investors like to see strong leadership at the top of the company. Focus on recruiting people with high levels of domain expertise and past experience. Bring in people with strong track records who’ve worked at big companies in the industry and achieved things.

Avoid having too few people on the slide, as this can signal a lack of depth. On the other hand, do not make it too crowded. If everyone on your team is an absolute rockstar, then put the C-level execs on it and say something like ‘and X other team members with experience from Company Y and Company Z’. That makes the slide appear clean and focused.

Tailor the featured roles to your business domain. If you have a SaaS product, have a Chief Product Officer or Chief Technology Officer; if you focus on sales or B2B growth, highlight a sales leader; and for product-led growth, emphasise a marketing expert. The important point is to feature the roles that are vital to your business.

A good rule of thumb is that you should include neither too many nor too few people in your team slide. It’s all about who is impressive and relevant to the business. As your business grows, it’s likely that you will have a lot of roles in the early days of the business, omitting roles that aren’t overtly relevant, such as a wholesale manager. Look for high-quality people who have done something impressive and who will impress investors with their backgrounds and accomplishments. A strong team slide will drive respect from potential investors.