Having supported more than 10 tech for good brands on their investment journey, we know that having a great business idea isn’t enough to raise funds by itself. How you communicate your vision, and its potential, is essential to piquing investors’ interest, and encouraging them to see it as commercially viable.

We recently attended an event with Angel Investors Bristol, hosted by Tech4Good South West, to find out what they’re looking for in purpose-led brands. Here are three key takeaways for early-stage businesses looking to raise funds, plus some tips for turning them into action.

1. Simplicity is key

Not every investor is going to understand your industry through and through.

Even if they have extensive experience in your sector, it doesn’t mean they’ll automatically understand your idea, the research behind it, or the benefits of its application. It’s up to you to get them excited about your solution’s potential, which means being able to explain how it’s changing people’s lives with clarity and impact.

Keeping it simple is particularly important during your first few interactions with a potential investor. In your first email, consider sending a compelling elevator pitch, instead of an extensive analysis of your product or confusing graphs. Remember, the first email is just about getting them interested enough to give you a call!

We share tips for translating complicated tech into consumable concepts in this blog, from pinning down your value proposition, to avoiding vague or uncertain terms. Although it focuses on health tech, lots of the tips we share are transferable.

2. Impact washing doesn’t work

Try not to shoehorn concepts into your pitch if they don’t belong there.

Every company wants to change the world in some way, but are you genuinely sustainable or creating a social impact? Do concepts like these drive your business model? Are they embedded in your solution?

Tech for good investors want to invest in brands they believe in, and are likely to see through any vague or unfounded claims. To avoid this, think carefully about your positioning before you write your pitch deck. By pinpointing exactly what you bring to the market, you can communicate it with more authenticity.

Plus, if you realise that your company doesn’t operate with the values you’d like it to at its core, you have an opportunity to adapt your business model or set ambitions for the future.

3. You have 90 seconds to impress

Investors may spend as little as 90 seconds looking at your pitch deck before deciding if they want to talk further. This means you don’t have long to make an impact!

Alongside distilling your vision into clear, easily communicable concepts, consider making your pitch deck as digestible and scannable as possible. Focusing on the layout of your content will be part of this process. For instance, using bullet points and short paragraphs instead of dense blocks of text.

Also, don’t forget to lead with the information that investors care about most; what this is will depend on the investor and your growth stage. For instance, angel investors know that early-stage businesses don’t always have a huge amount of financial data. Instead, they may want to see proof that you have the passion and drive to keep going when you hit bumps in the road.

Attract investors with inbound marketing

 If you’re currently on your investment journey, we have a guide you might find helpful. ‘How to attract investors while scaling up’ offers seven tips for raising awareness of your brand among investors, with a free cheat sheet of inbound marketing ideas.

Download your copy today to start communicating your brand’s potential.