Which are the documents you suggest to upload?

Problem

I am a startup founder and I want to know which documents I should upload to my company profile. I want to make sure that I have all the necessary documents ready for potential investors.

Solution

The documents hub will allow you to upload and keep updated the information that you will most commonly share with potential investors, such as:

the pitch deck (a visual storybook about your business),
the executive summary (a short overview of your entire business plan packed into a page or two),
the business plan (a detailed document that outlines your goals, strategies, and how you plan to achieve them),
the financial statements (including the income statement, the balance sheet and the cash flow statement),
the term sheet (a non-binding agreement that outlines the key terms of a potential investment), and
the capitalization table (a detailed list of all the shareholders in your company, showing how much ownership each person or entity holds).

Keep in mind thatthose documents will appear in your company profile even if they won’t be public (people interesting in checking them will need to request access to you).

Pitch deck

A pitch deck is kind of like a visual storybook about your business. It’s a presentation with slides that helps you explain your idea in a clear and exciting way to potential investors. Think of it as your chance to show them why they should be as excited about your idea as you are.
Here’s what a typical pitch deck might include:

The problem: What problem are you solving with your idea? Explain about the drivers & trends of the market you are addressing.
The solution: How does your product fix that problem? Introduce here your unique value proposition, including:
- your company offer (products or services) and your technology and IP (but avoid too technical details, i.e. don’t try to explain the technology but explain how it generates business).
- your positioning in the value chain.
The market: Who are you selling your product to? Identify your targeted applications and market segments and the targeted customers.
The business model: How will your company make money? Take the chance to define your competitive positioning and your market penetration strategy.
The team: Who’s helping you run your business? Do you have experienced leaders, marketing experts, or friendly faces to serve customers? Show the potential of the team (i.e. your ability to execute).
The financials: How much money do you need to start your company, and how much do you expect to make in the future? Include only key figures (not the full tables) and the revenue perspective in 3 or 5 years.

A good pitch deck is refreshing, engaging, and leaves people wanting more. It’s your opportunity to show investors that your business is worth their time and money.

Ideally, there could be 1 slide per message (this is, don’t try to explain the full business plan in 5 minutes), use facts and figures where available and don’t oversell. Remember that your objective is that investors understand:

what problem your product/service aims at solving,
the market and the solution, and
your unique value proposition.

Business plan

The business plan is a detailed document that gathers your goals, strategies, and how you plan to achieve them. As a sugestion, it may include:

A confidentially agreement
An executive summary
Your company description, including mission, vision, goals, target market, your industry and your legal structure.
Your products or services, with special attention to your position in the value chain, your unique value proposition, your competitive advantages and pricing (including locations, distribution channels and a 12-month sales forecast).
Your marketing plan, introducing your market research, identifying the barriers to entry and the threats and opportunities (SWOT analysis). It should address too the features of your products and their benefits, your target customer (buyer persona), the analysis of your competitors, your positioning (the niche you are addressing), how will you market your product or service and the promotional budget you need.
Your operational plan
Your management and organization chart
Your financial plan
Appendices for agreements, IP, list of equipment, etc.

Think of it like this: a business plan is a comprehensive guide that helps you navigate the exciting but challenging journey of building a successful startup.