The sports industry is rich with nascent and growing opportunities across a wide range of applications: sports tech, sports analytics, sports news/media, fantasy sports, sports betting, sportswear, athletics/fitness tech, NIL sponsorships, and more. As more sports startup founders enter the space, competition for limited funding from sports-focused VCs like Courtside Ventures and KB Partners grows increasingly fierce. In this article, we’ll guide you through creating a winning pitch deck that will get your sports startup noticed by investors.
What is a pitch deck? What is its purpose?
A pitch deck is a concise presentation that outlines your business plan and vision. It’s essentially a commercial for your startup, designed to capture investor interest and secure funding.Â
The primary purpose of a pitch deck is to:
- Communicate your startup’s vision and mission.
- Highlight the problem you aim to solve.
- Present your solution and its benefits.
- Showcase your team’s capability.
- Attract investment by demonstrating the potential for growth and profitability.
What slides should be in your sports startup’s pitch deck?
Here’s a breakdown of the essential slides for your winning sports startup pitch deck:
Cover Slide
This is your first impression, so make it count. Use a clean, professional design with a clear logo, your company name, and a concise tagline that captures your value proposition. An ideal cover slide is like a sports jersey – it should instantly tell everyone who you are and what you represent.
Problem
Identify a specific pain point that athletes or sports enthusiasts face. Use clear statistics or relatable anecdotes to illustrate the problem’s impact. Numbers are powerful, but relatable stories can truly connect with investors.Â
Solution
Introduce your product or service as the answer to the problem. Explain what it does and how it directly addresses the identified pain point. Visual aids like diagrams or images of your product can be very effective here.
How It Works
Instead of technical jargon, use high-quality screenshots or mockups to visually showcase your product. For example, you can show in this slide screenshots of the app’s user interface and highlight features like personalized workout plans, progress tracking charts, and motivational coaching prompts.
Focus on user experience and emphasize key features that address the problem. Don’t overload the slide—better if it’s simple yet impactful.
Differentiation
What makes your offering unique? Highlight features that set you apart from existing competitors and explain the “moat” that protects your business from new entrants. For example, you can explain that your AI technology uses advanced algorithms to personalize training far beyond generic apps. Your “moat” could be proprietary partnerships with sports scientists or access to a unique athlete data set.
This is like a team’s signature play – something you can consistently execute better than anyone else.
Market/Opportunity
Quantify the market size and growth potential in the sports industry. This demonstrates the overall opportunity your business presents. You may present a slide showing the projected growth of the global fitness app market, for instance; or demonstrate the specific segment your product targets (e.g., athlete training apps).
Investors are looking for a big market with a lot of potential customers and your product needs to be a game-changer for a large group of people.
Applications/Target Users
Clearly define your target customer base (e.g., amateur athletes, weekend warriors) and showcase the various use cases for your product. Convince potential investors why your product is the perfect solution for your target users’ needs.
Traction
Demonstrate any progress you’ve already made. This could include achievements like patents for your AI technology, partnerships with a local gym chain to offer your app to their members, positive press coverage from a reputable sports magazine, or even early user numbers. Traction is validation; it shows investors you’re making strides and have a product with potential.
Business Model
Investors want to know how you’ll make money. This slide is your financial roadmap: a clear plan for how you’ll generate revenue and become a successful business. Explain your pricing strategy (e.g., freemium model with basic features free and premium features requiring a monthly subscription). Briefly showcase a chart outlining this model. Then, explain your unit economics, like projected customer acquisition costs and profit margins, with another chart demonstrating the path to profitability.Â
Team
Briefly introduce your team. Mention your CEO’s background in sports science or app development, showcasing their understanding of the target market and technical capabilities to build the product. Highlight your CTO’s experience in building scalable software platforms, demonstrating their ability to handle future growth.
Investors are backing the people behind the idea, so your team needs to be the winning combination.
Investment
Be upfront about how much funding you’re seeking and explain how you’ll use the money to fuel growth. Briefly showcase how you’ll allocate the funds to expand your development team (e.g., building new app features, launching a national marketing campaign, or securing partnerships with major sports retailers). This is your request for the investment that will allow you to execute your plan.Â
Roadmap
Outline your development plan and future goals. Show investors your vision for the future and how their investment will contribute to achieving it. This is your strategic plan – a clear path to long-term success.Â
Vision
Paint a picture of what your company will achieve in the long term. Inspire investors by sharing your ambitious vision for the future of sports. In this slide, you can show a glimpse of the industry transformation you’ll drive.
Call to Action
End with a strong call to action, inviting investors to schedule a follow-up meeting to discuss the exciting future of your sports startup and how their investment can help you achieve your vision.
Tips for designing a sports pitch deck
Creating an effective sports pitch deck requires a strategic approach. Here are some tips to help you design a compelling presentation:
- Don’t just focus on market size: Showcasing a massive market is great, but use current trends to illustrate why your solution is crucial for the “right now”.
- Market first, technology second: Investors care more about the problem you solve and the market opportunity than the technical details of how it works.
Examples of sports startup pitch decks
If you’re looking for a good reference while creating your sports startup’s pitch deck, take a look at our list of the top 15 sports pitch decks, which includes notable startups that successfully raised funding, such as Overtime Media and Kero Sports.
Ready to create your startup’s pitch deck?
Remember, a compelling story paired with a well-defined business plan is the ultimate game plan for scoring big with your sports startup. Check out this Sports Pitch Deck Template by VIP Graphics. This isn’t your generic presentation template – it’s specifically designed to empower you to showcase your innovative sports concept with clarity and impact. Explore the template here.