board deck templates for startups

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FOR SEED-STAGE STARTUPS BOARD DECK TEMPLATES Customizable Slides & Tips from the VCs at

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These board deck templates include customizable slides and advice from the VCs at NextView Ventures. Use them to save time while building a deck based on best practices as a startup founder or CEO.

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Page 1: Board Deck Templates for Startups

FOR SEED-STAGE STARTUPS

BOARD DECK!T E M P L AT E S!

C u s t o m i z a b l e S l i d e s &

T i p s f r o m t h e V C s a t

Page 2: Board Deck Templates for Startups

* N o m i n e e , M o s t O b v i o u s S t a t e m e n t E v e r Aw a r d

Growing a startup is ridiculously hard.!*

Page 3: Board Deck Templates for Startups

Despite how you picture it…!

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Despite how you picture it…!reality inevitably sets in.!

Page 5: Board Deck Templates for Startups

Fundraising

As a founder, you’re constantly

thinking about!

Page 6: Board Deck Templates for Startups

Fundraising

As a founder, you’re constantly

thinking about!Team

Page 7: Board Deck Templates for Startups

Fundraising

As a founder, you’re constantly

thinking about!Team

Product

Page 8: Board Deck Templates for Startups

Fundraising

As a founder, you’re constantly

thinking about!Team

Product Customers

Page 9: Board Deck Templates for Startups

Fundraising

As a founder, you’re constantly

thinking about!Team

Product Customers

Culture

Page 10: Board Deck Templates for Startups

Fundraising

As a founder, you’re constantly

thinking about!Team

Product Customers

Culture Marketing

Page 11: Board Deck Templates for Startups

Fundraising

As a founder, you’re constantly

thinking about!Team

Product Customers

Culture Marketing

Sales

Page 12: Board Deck Templates for Startups

Fundraising

As a founder, you’re constantly

thinking about!Team

Product Customers

Culture Marketing

Sales Burn

Page 13: Board Deck Templates for Startups

As a founder, you’re constantly

thinking about!ABSOLUTELY

EVERYTHING

Page 14: Board Deck Templates for Startups

No matter which way you turn, there’s more to think about.!

Page 15: Board Deck Templates for Startups

And right when the weight feels manageable!

Page 16: Board Deck Templates for Startups

And right when the weight feels manageable!

More Gets Added

Page 17: Board Deck Templates for Startups

So let’s remove at least one small

weight right now.!

Page 18: Board Deck Templates for Startups

Building Great!Board Decks!

Page 19: Board Deck Templates for Startups

Founders ask about this a surprising amount.!

!!

Page 20: Board Deck Templates for Startups

Founders ask about this a surprising amount.!

!We should know. We work with them.!

!

Page 21: Board Deck Templates for Startups

Founders ask about this a surprising amount.!

!We should know. We work with them.!

(Lots of them, and they’re great.) !

Page 22: Board Deck Templates for Startups

Founders ask about this a surprising amount.!

!We should know. We work with them.!

(Lots of them, and they’re great.) !

And review their board decks.!

Page 23: Board Deck Templates for Startups

Founders ask about this a surprising amount.!

!We should know. We work with them.!

(Lots of them, and they’re great.) !

And review their board decks.!(Lots of them, and they’re great.)

mostly ^

Page 24: Board Deck Templates for Startups

A s a q u i c k aside, “we” are N e x t V i e w V e n t u r e s

We’re a seed-stage VC in Boston wi th one mission...

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Help founders give their companies

the

BEST POSSIBLE

Page 26: Board Deck Templates for Startups

So, rather than you stressing over everything AND building board decks, !

Page 27: Board Deck Templates for Startups

So, rather than you stressing over everything AND building board decks, here’s a template you can use to avoid starting from scratch…!

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As a heads up:!!

Page 29: Board Deck Templates for Startups

As a heads up:!!This template is part of our “Growth Guides” series.

Page 30: Board Deck Templates for Startups

As a heads up:!!This template is part of our “Growth Guides” series. These are resources to help startups get more done. (Find more at ViewFromSeed.com, under Startup Resources.)

Page 31: Board Deck Templates for Startups

Download Your Templates!

!(It’s free. No form to fill out. No marketing to follow.)!

Get My Slides Now

Page 32: Board Deck Templates for Startups

FOR SEED-STAGE STARTUPS

BOARD DECK!T E M P L AT E S!

C u s t o m i z a b l e S l i d e s &

T i p s f r o m t h e V C s a t

Page 33: Board Deck Templates for Startups

A few things to keep in mind to put this deck to proper use for your startup: •  Use these slides to make board deck creation simpler and easier. While each situation is different, we included the key pieces you should use, along with our opinions on what makes a great board deck. Use this directionally, but don’t simply copy/paste this resource.

•  This was built for seed-stage startups. It’s not intended for use by later-stage startups but rather younger companies who have just raised their first round of funding.

•  For some sections, we’ve offered multiple options to select. We’ve used green splats (shown below) to indicate when one section has multiple options to choose from. Be sure to delete the options you don’t use.

How to Use This Resource

1 Option 1

Lee Hower Co-Founder & Partner NextView Ventures

Throughout this resource, my partners and I offer some light commentary and opinions via these sticky notes. You’ll find them along the margins of a given slide.

Page 34: Board Deck Templates for Startups

Growth Guides are part of NextView’s series of seed-stage resources intended to help founders and their teams get more done. This series includes tactical playbooks and templates such as this one. Visit ViewFromSeed.com for more. Our goal in creating Growth Guides is to help startups make progress more quickly and more confidently, so we make strong recommendations for how, exactly, one should execute. We espouse the belief that it’s better to be done than perfect as you launch, learn, and iterate on your startup.

About Growth Guides

About NextView Ventures

We’re a seed-stage venture capital firm investing in internet and mobile startups in primarily Boston and New York (though we invest throughout the US). Co-founders and partners Rob Go (eBay, Spark Capital), David Beisel (About.com, Venrock), and Lee Hower (LinkedIn, Point Judith Capital) focus exclusively on seed in order to better fulfill the firm’s mission, which is also the mission of this Growth Guide: Help founders give their companies the best possible start.

Page 35: Board Deck Templates for Startups

1 Board Decks 101 Understanding the Basics

Page 36: Board Deck Templates for Startups

Important Board Deck Basics Content q  Generally speaking, a good board deck is divided into housekeeping and major issues/

topics. q  20-30% of your meeting time should be housekeeping (at most). These are general updates

that the board should know about or need to quickly discuss/approve. q  50%+ of your meeting time should be major issues. These are the 1-3 key obstacles,

priorities, or initiatives at your company that require more in-depth discussion. q  Your deck should include more than you plan to discuss in person, especially as your

company scales and more data can be reported. The expectation is for all parties to read the deck in advance. As such, your deck is not a presentation aid but a more complete document that can be read and understood without much commentary.

Design q  Keep things simple. Decks should be presentable, clean, and clear, but don’t agonize over

beauty. Your board wants to focus on forward progress, not scrutinize your slide design. q  Many directors and observers prefer all information sent in one file, so be sure to include

screen shots from any spreadsheets or product mockups/features you’ll discuss. q  It’s best to send via PDF, but if you have to send via PowerPoint for some reason, use basic

fonts and slide dimensions that all PPT versions and operating systems can cleanly read.

Remember to circulate your deck 1-2 days in advance.

Page 37: Board Deck Templates for Startups

MAJOR DISCUSSION

TOPICS

how

change

Page 38: Board Deck Templates for Startups

Board Discussion Over Time

Seed Round Series A Series B

Pre-Product Product-Market Fit Revenue Scale 1 2 3 4 6 5

1.  Product direction; key first hire(s); early discussion on Series A

2.  Go-to-market plans for product

3.  Product-market fit data/traction; Series A fundraise

4.  Sales and marketing (process, value prop language, hiring, etc.)

5.  Sales and marketing pipeline; product improvements; Series B fundraise

6.  Efficiencies; vertical growth; channels

Lee Hower Co-Founder & Partner NextView Ventures

The major issues should be the bulk of the agenda time. Topics usually depend on the stage of the startup. This slide is a rough approximation of how the topics might change.

Page 39: Board Deck Templates for Startups

2 Templates to Use Building Your Deck

Page 40: Board Deck Templates for Startups

Option 1: Full Slide Deck

Lee Hower Co-Founder & Partner NextView Ventures

Since the goal is to eventually scale into a larger business, at which point you more or less have to create board decks, I advise founders to start early and create full decks, even if they’ll be lean early on.

Page 41: Board Deck Templates for Startups

BOARD MEETING !MM.DD.YY !

Company Logo

David Beisel Co-Founder & Partner NextView Ventures

While you should feel free to use some unique branding and layout of your own, don’t spend tons of time designing and re-designing your board deck. The goal is clarity.

Page 42: Board Deck Templates for Startups

1  Housekeeping & Board Updates!

2  High-Level Progress Dashboard!

3  Team Update!

4  Current Priorities/Major Issues!

Agenda!

Page 43: Board Deck Templates for Startups

1  Item!• Context if needed!

2  Item • Context if needed!

3  Item • Context if needed!

Housekeeping!

Page 44: Board Deck Templates for Startups

Examples of Housekeeping

1.  Finance (often included in dashboard) 1.  Cash out date and burn 2.  409A valuation 3.  Cap tables 4.  Common/preferred stock dashboard

2.  Hiring (use dedicated slides early on) 1.  Current org chart 2.  Openings and request for help

3.  Office and Logistics 1.  Potential moves and cost (rent + $/sq.ft. + lease length) 2.  Insurance, healthcare, legal, and other service providers

4.  Meeting Minutes 1.  Approve last meeting’s minutes (if in use)

Remove This Slide

Rob Go Co-Founder & Partner NextView Ventures

“Housekeeping” doesn’t mean “not important.” Finance is critical – it just appears on a recurring basis. Same with hiring, which fluctuates i n v o l u m e a n d u r g e n c y .

Page 45: Board Deck Templates for Startups

Finance!

•  Cash: $N!•  Burn Rate: $N!•  Runway: X-Y months (worst case,

assuming no revenue contribution)!

Product!

•  Key Update #1!•  Key Update #2!•  Key Update #3!

Other Core Metrics*!

•  Key Update #1!•  Key Update #2!•  Key Update #3!

*as needed for your specific business!

Other Core Metrics*!

•  Key Update #1!•  Key Update #2!•  Key Update #3!

Option 1 Progress Dashboard!

David Beisel Co-Founder & Partner NextView Ventures

Finance updates should report similar data each meeting. Product should be ever-changing, but as a post-seed fundraise startup, you’re urgently seeking product-market fit.

Page 46: Board Deck Templates for Startups

KPIs!

•  Product: Description of project.!•  Biz Dev: Description of project.!•  Sales/Marketing: Description of project.!•  Ops: Description of project.!•  Team: Description of project.!

Option 2 Progress Dashboard!

Last Month This Month Next (Projected)

KPI #1 X Y Z

KPI #2 X Y Z

KPI #3 X Y Z

Lee Hower Co-Founder & Partner NextView Ventures

There are many metrics you can and should report, but these change depending on your business and growth stage. Be sure to get your board’s input on important metrics.

Top Projects!

Page 47: Board Deck Templates for Startups

Team Update!Amy

Co-Founder, CEO

Bob Co-Founder,

CTO

Matt Lead Developer

Tyler Web Developer

Jim Sales Manager

(Next Hire) Demand-Gen

Marketer

(Intern Hire) Graphic Designer

Lee Hower Co-Founder & Partner NextView Ventures

This can go in the front or back of the deck. I prefer front because it’s easier to get through quickly and focus the rest of the discussion on the 1-2 most important issues.

Page 48: Board Deck Templates for Startups

Team Compensation!Name! Role! Base Salary! Equity! Start Date!

Amy ! CEO! $XK! $X%! M/D/Y!

Bob! Head of Product! $XK! $X%! M/D/Y!

Matt! Lead Developer! $XK! $X%! M/D/Y!

Tyler! Web Developer! $XK! $X%! M/D/Y!

Jim! Sales Manager! $XK! $X%! M/D/Y!

TBD Hire! Demand-Gen Marketer!

To approve:!$XK!

To approve:!$X%! M/D/Y!

TBD Intern! Graphic Designer! $XK! (small to none)! M/D/Y!

Rob Go Co-Founder & Partner NextView Ventures

Particularly for seed-stage startups, when every employee represents a large percent of the team, it’s important to get the board’s quick approval on new hire compensation.

Page 49: Board Deck Templates for Startups

About the Next Section

The following 3 slides are for Current Priorities. There are countless factors that alter the specifics of your Current Priorities slide, both in terms of content and layout. Because of this, we decided against proposing a single template version. Instead, we’ve included 3 different versions across specific situations: 1.  A pre-launch startup. 2.  A post-launch, pre-revenue consumer mobile startup. 3.  And an early-revenue SaaS startup. These are illustrative only! They’ve been vetted by the partners at NextView and thus can be used to get a general sense of direction and level of detail, but DO NOT simply copy and paste them into your own deck.

Remove This Slide

Page 50: Board Deck Templates for Startups

Current Priorities! Pre-Launch Startup

1  Design, build, and ship initial product!!2  Identify alpha customers/users!!3  Collect and analyze feedback!

•  Improve feedback loop time/yield!

David Beisel Co-Founder & Partner NextView Ventures

If your product is pre-launch, focus on the biggest possible levers to pull, and don’t invent priorities for the sake of the board meeting. Good investors know how raw this can be.

Page 51: Board Deck Templates for Startups

Current Priorities! Early B2C

Mobile

1  User engagement by cohort!•  Day 1, Day 7, Day 30!

2  Acquisition channels!•  Early results by channel!•  Planned experiments!•  Target/new partnerships!

3  Initial app updates!•  Viral features!

Page 52: Board Deck Templates for Startups

Current Priorities! Early-Revenue

SaaS

1  Determine ideal/target customer persona!2  Accelerate customer acquisition!

•  Hire/train sales leadership/BDRs!•  Top of Funnel: Double down on top lead-gen

channels!•  Middle of Funnel: Optimize conversion rates via

email, website!•  Watch revenue churn closely!

3  Product enhancements to meet customer requirements

Page 53: Board Deck Templates for Startups

Key Concerns/Help Wanted!

1  Concern/request #1!

2  Concern/request #2!

3  Concern/request #3!

Lee Hower Co-Founder & Partner NextView Ventures

It’s crucial to be as transparent as possible early on. It both sets the tone for your board relationship and helps you gain valuable advice and support. Early board meetings aren’t s i m p l y i n v e s t o r u p d a t e s .

Page 54: Board Deck Templates for Startups

Option 2: Running List

Rob Go Co-Founder & Partner NextView Ventures

This approach helps you avoid overly formalized slides while keeping your board current on the business and the most pressing needs and priorities. Because the doc can be marked by all parties, it helps CEOs and board members have a productive, iterative discussion rather than a one-way information dump.

Page 55: Board Deck Templates for Startups

About the Next Section

Some seed-stage startups opt not to send slides. In fact, some investors prefer this approach. Instead of a full deck, you can opt to compile a running log of important updates, with a summary at the top, for investors to read and/or print. In some cases, your board may opt to annotate different sections before the meeting and flag various topics to discuss or clarify further. Imagine the next few slides were one scrolling doc. (Microsoft Word, Google Doc, etc.) Note that multiple board meetings can be contained in the same doc, with the most recent placed at the top.

Remove This Slide

Page 56: Board Deck Templates for Startups

(Company Name) Board Meeting!MM.DD.YY.!

High Level Summary!!!!Summarize some of the major progress made and/or challenges uncovered. Include both positives and negatives for a more productive board conversation – especially critical in the seed stage.!!•  You should also include 3-5 important bullets for certain critical updates and data points.!!!

(Create in Microsoft Word or Google Docs.)

Option 1 (delete this)

Option 2 (delete this)

Highlights & Big Wins!!•  List a few major accomplishments and/or data points showing positive traction.!!Challenges & Setbacks!!•  List a few disappointments or difficulties. Plan to discuss these candidly, ask for help, and review

strategies for overcoming these together with your board.!!

!!

Page 57: Board Deck Templates for Startups

Housekeeping !!!(Refer to previous section on housekeeping for ideas of what should be included.)!•  Item 1: context!•  Item 2: context!•  Item 3: context!

!Core Metrics !!!Metric Name (e.g. Monthly Active Users) !!Explain the data in a few short sentences above a screen shot of relevant charts, graphs, or tables. !!!!!!!!!(Include 3-5 similar sections – one per metric – depending on the specifics of your business, your goals, and your current KPIs.)!!

Page 58: Board Deck Templates for Startups

Product Roadmap!!1.  Milestone #1!

1.  Context if needed!2.  Milestone #2!

1.  Context if needed!3.  Milestone #3!

1.  Context if needed!!!Hiring!!•  Recent hires: (job functions)!•  New openings: (job functions)!•  Recent departures: (if any)!!!Current Priorities/Discussion!!1.  Major Issue #1: (Include a few sentences to describe it.)!2.  Major Issue #1: (Include a few sentences to describe it.)!3.  Major Issue #1: (Include a few sentences to describe it.)!!

Page 59: Board Deck Templates for Startups

Burn, Budget, and Runway!!!!Link to a Google spreadsheet you use to track finances.!!(This section will be a recurring item in each board meeting, so linking to a shared spreadsheet is an easy way to provide this information. In most cases, this will be an FYI more than a discussion point.)!!!!!Cash: $N!Burn Rate: $N!Runway: X-Y months (worst case, assuming no revenue contribution)!!!Key Concerns/Help Wanted!!•  Item #1!•  Item #2!•  Item #3!!!

* * *!!

Option 1 (delete this)

Option 2 (delete this)

Page 60: Board Deck Templates for Startups

GET MORE RESOURCES, ADVICE & INSIGHTS FOR S E E D - S TA G E S TA R T U P S

•  Visit ViewFromSeed.com !•  Follow @NextViewVC !