Ever wonder what makes some business talks really stick? Or how some startup founders just get a room excited? A lot of times, it's good old storytelling.
When you weave a story into what you're saying about your business, it doesn't just give facts – it connects, it convinces, and it can get people to act.
The 3-Act Structure: Your Blueprint for Effective Business Stories
What's your favorite movie? Chances are, the structure of it looks something like this. 👇
This 3-act structure isn't just for Hollywood. All great stories, from Homer's Iliad to Star Wars, have a conflict or tension that makes the story interesting. That applies to effective business presentations, too. In business storytelling, the tension is the problem you want to solve, or why you exist. As Melanie Perkins, the founder of the billion-dollar company Canva, described in an interview:
"If you don't understand the problem, you're not going to understand the solution. If you don't understand the "why", you're not going to understand the "how."
The key is to create a clear understanding of why your proposed idea, product, or solution should exist before diving into what you are creating. This makes your business story way more powerful
Essential elements of a winning startup pitch
One of the most common forms of business storytelling is a startup pitch to investors (something we coach students on during Prequel's Fall Program, formerly BETA Camp). A successful startup pitch typically has the following components:
👉 The Hook: Instantly Grab Their Attention
Your pitch needs to start strong and get people listening right away.
- Relatable Origin Story: Melanie Perkins started Canva's pitch by talking about her 19-year-old self, earning side income by teaching other students how to use design programs like Photoshop. Prequel alum, Mark Zheng, started his pitch for health app, Fittma, by talking about his experiences as an elite high school athlete.
- Startling Statistic: Prequel team Sparkkits introduced their startup with a simple number: 114 days. That's the total amount of time, on average, kids spend on screens every year.
- Quick Tip: Your hook should flow nicely into the problem you're talking about.
👉 The Problem: Clearly Define the Pain Point
This is where you explain why your idea should exist. What is the problem you are here to solve?
- For Canva, Melanie described how people would spend an entire semester just learning where the basic buttons were on Photoshop.
- For Fittma, Mark described how hard it is to create nutritional meals on a busy schedule.
Nailing the problem makes your solution feel super important. This is a big part of effective presentations.
👉 The Solution: Showcase Your Unique Value
How does your thing solve the problem you just laid out? What are the benefits?
- Keep it Simple: The goal is to share how this would solve the problem, not explain every single feature.
- Show, Don't Just Tell: Slides should show what you mean, not just be full of bullet points. Oftentimes, pitches include an additional slide on the business model, that is, how you plan to make money. Again, simplicity is key. Someone should be able to glance at the slide and get it.
👉 The Market Opportunity: Illustrate the Potential Scale
Every investor will want to see that the problem is large enough to merit an investment.
- Typically, these slides show the size of the overall market (TAM).
- You need to show how much you want to capture. This part shows the business opportunity and that you're thinking big.
👉 The Traction: Demonstrate Progress and Validation
Traction is just a fancy way to say what you have accomplished thus far.
- Best Metrics: Actual customers or revenue are awesome.
- Early Signs: May include how many people are on the waitlist, how many sign-ups you have, or social media followers acquired. The goal is to demonstrate, credibly, that this is a product or service people want and will pay for.
👉 The Team: Why You're the Ones to Make it Happen
Who is behind this? Showcasing your team should not just be to have a face and name on a slide.
- Ideally, your background, experience, and motivation should demonstrate that you are the right person to execute. This helps investors trust that your team can pull it off. It's a key piece of any startup pitch deck.
Further Resources: Continue Your Storytelling Journey
If the above feels overwhelming, good news -- this is exactly what we cover at Prequel's Fall Program. After working on their startups for weeks alongside a Startup Advisor, students pitch their ideas to real investors and venture capitalists. It's all about learning by doing!
Plus, this is a well-covered topic. A few great resources to understand what effective business presentations and startup pitches look like:
- Pitch Structure Insights: Pitch.com's Pitch Structure with slide examples
- Real-World Investor Advice: Check out My First Million: "The Exact Pitch I've Used to Raise Millions From Investors"
- Unicorn Pitch Decks: See how the big guys like Facebook, Airbnb, and Uber got started at PitchDeckHunt
- Prequel Success Stories & Pitches: Check out Prequel student pitches here!
Once you have the structure of your pitch set up, there are loads of tools to help you design it with pre-formatted templates. Many Prequel students use tools like Canva, Pitch.com, or Beatiful.ai to craft a pitch deck that looks as visually stunning as it is persuasive.
