5 pitch decks that raised HUGE money!

Ah, the world of startups - where innovation meets desperation and all-nighters meet caffeine addictions. It's a cutthroat world where young entrepreneurs are constantly vying for the attention (and cash) of investors who are looking for the next big thing to add to their portfolios. But fear not, dear reader, for there is a secret weapon that can give startups the edge they need to stand out from the crowd - the pitch deck. It's like a superhero's cape, but for business presentations. And if done right, it can help startups secure the funding they need to turn their dreams into reality. So grab your popcorn and settle in, because we're about to take a look at some of the most impressive investments raised by startups thanks to their pitch decks. Get ready for some serious financials, relevant data, and references - this is not your grandma's pitch deck article.

Disclaimer: Listen up, folks. While we've done our best to dig up the juiciest details on these startup funding rounds, we can't promise that every single fact we've presented is 100% accurate. Startups move fast and play loose with their numbers, so things may have changed by the time you read this. And let's not forget that we've relied on publicly available sources and a bit of speculation to bring you this entertaining and informative article.

5) DoorDash - $535 Million in funding

DoorDash, the food delivery service, was founded by four Stanford students in 2013. Back then, they were probably too busy studying to cook a decent meal and thought, "Hey, wouldn't it be great if we could get food delivered to our doorstep?" Thus, DoorDash was born, and the rest is history.

In 2018, DoorDash raised $535 million in a Series D funding round led by SoftBank Group. That's a lot of sushi rolls, folks! This funding allowed the company to continue to expand its delivery offerings and compete with other food delivery services like GrubHub and Uber Eats.

DoorDash's pitch deck, created by co-founder and CEO Tony Xu, was a sleek and well-crafted 16 slides that highlighted the company's mission, growth, and market position. One slide even showed DoorDash's major competitors, which was probably a polite way of saying, "These guys are good, but we're better."

With its innovative approach to food delivery and impressive growth, DoorDash quickly became a household name. In fact, when the company went public in 2020, its IPO valued the company at over $70 billion. That's a lot of pizza slices, my friends.

So the next time you're craving a burrito but don't feel like leaving your couch, remember DoorDash and their pitch deck that helped them secure the funding they needed to become a food delivery powerhouse.

4) Stripe - $600 Million in funding

Ah, Stripe, the company that turns online payments into a Stripe-tease. This startup has made a name for itself by enabling businesses of all sizes to accept and manage online payments. With over $1.6 billion in funding, Stripe's pitch deck was key to its early success.

What made Stripe's pitch deck so special, you ask? Well, for starters, it was as simple and clear as a glass of water. It effectively conveyed the company's vision and product in a concise and compelling way. And let's be honest, with online payments being about as exciting as watching paint dry, that's quite an achievement.

Stripe's deck emphasized the company's ability to offer a modern and easy-to-use payment platform that was accessible to all kinds of businesses, big or small. The deck also highlighted key features such as automated billing and fraud prevention, showing investors that Stripe wasn't just a one-trick pony.

But Stripe didn't stop there. The pitch deck also included data that demonstrated the growing demand for online payment processing solutions. With projections indicating that the market was poised for significant growth in the coming years, Stripe's pitch deck helped investors see the potential for the company's platform to become a major player in the payment processing industry.

In 2016, Stripe raised $600 million in a funding round led by Sequoia Capital, with participation from Visa, American Express, and other prominent firms. This round of funding valued the company at a whopping $9.2 billion, making it one of the most valuable startups in the fintech industry.

Overall, Stripe's pitch deck was instrumental in helping the company secure the funding it needed to grow and expand its platform. By conveying its vision and potential in a clear and concise manner, Stripe was able to attract the support of some of the most prominent investors in the industry. And that's no small feat, considering that online payments are about as sexy as a pair of Crocs.

3) Airbnb - $1 Billion in funding

Airbnb is a well-known unicorn that raised billions of dollars in funding through its pitch deck. The home-sharing platform, which enables individuals to rent out their homes or apartments to travelers, has raised over $6 billion in funding since its founding in 2008. In 2016, Airbnb raised $1 billion in funding from a group of investors that included Google Capital, Andreessen Horowitz, and Sequoia Capital.

Airbnb's pitch deck likely highlighted the company's goal of taking over the world, one couch at a time. Investors were surely impressed by the company's early success in turning spare rooms into makeshift hotels and offering unique, local experiences to travelers. The deck probably also demonstrated how Airbnb was transforming the traditional hotel industry and tapping into a vast and largely untapped market.

One interesting slide in Airbnb's pitch deck showed how its platform could help hosts earn more money than they would through traditional renting methods. By showcasing the value proposition of the platform, Airbnb was able to win over skeptics and help hosts to see the potential for significant growth.

In 2020, the pandemic hit the travel industry hard, and Airbnb was no exception. But the company proved resilient, pivoting to offer unique, local experiences to people looking for staycations and remote work options. In December 2020, Airbnb went public and raised $3.7 billion in its initial public offering, valuing the company at over $100 billion. This made it one of the biggest IPOs in recent history, proving that even during a pandemic, people still want to travel and experience new things.

The success of Airbnb's pitch deck and subsequent fundraising efforts demonstrate the power of a well-crafted presentation in attracting investment and building a successful business. By highlighting its unique value proposition, early success, and potential for growth, Airbnb was able to secure significant funding and become a dominant player in the travel industry. And who knows, maybe one day you'll be able to rent out your own couch on Airbnb and become a part of the sharing economy revolution.

2) Uber - $1.2 Billion in funding

While we cannot get our hands on Uber's pitch deck, it's likely that the company played the "disruption card" and emphasized the importance of being able to order a ride with just a few taps on a smartphone. After all, why wait in line for a taxi or struggle to hail a cab on the street when you can have a clean and shiny Uber ride waiting for you?

And let's not forget the pitch's punchline: "Do you want to be the investor who missed out on the next big thing in transportation, or do you want to be the one who gets in early and rides it all the way to the bank?" It's no wonder that investors like Fidelity, BlackRock, and Google Ventures threw $1.2 billion at Uber - they didn't want to be the ones left in the dust.

Of course, not all investors were thrilled with the idea of backing a company that was disrupting the taxi industry and upsetting traditional taxi drivers. In fact, Uber has faced significant regulatory and legal challenges in many cities around the world, including protests, strikes, and even bans. But the company has continued to grow and innovate, expanding its offerings beyond ride-sharing to include food delivery and freight services.

As for the future of Uber, who knows? Maybe the company will use its self-driving car technology to launch a fleet of flying cars and become the next big thing in aviation. Or maybe it will use its vast data and analytics capabilities to become a global leader in logistics and supply chain management. Either way, one thing is clear: investors who got in on the ground floor with Uber have already made a pretty penny, and those who missed out are probably kicking themselves.

1) WeWork - $4.4 Billion in funding

WeWork, the provider of shared office spaces and strange company policies, is another startup that has successfully raised a hefty sum of money through a pitch deck. The company has raised over $12 billion since its inception in 2010, and in 2017 alone, it raised a whopping $4.4 billion in funding from SoftBank Group and other investors. It just goes to show that if you can make people think you're revolutionizing the way we work, you can get a lot of money thrown at you.

While we can't say for sure what was in WeWork's pitch deck, it's safe to assume that the company highlighted the potential of the shared office space market. WeWork likely used its pitch to communicate how its flexible and cost-effective alternative could disrupt the traditional office space market, a market that's worth more than the GDP of some countries.

WeWork's pitch deck also likely focused on the company's early traction and success in major cities around the world, despite reports of questionable company culture and management. By showcasing its model's viability and scalability, WeWork was able to secure the funding it needed to expand its office spaces into more bizarre locations and continue its mission to create a community of overworked and underpaid freelancers.

Conclusion

In conclusion, pitch decks are like the Swiss Army Knife of startup tools. They're compact, versatile, and can come in handy in a variety of situations. A well-crafted pitch deck can help entrepreneurs communicate their vision, showcase their potential, and secure the funding they need to succeed.

The success stories of companies like Airbnb, Uber, and DoorDash demonstrate just how powerful a pitch deck can be. It's like the "Mission: Impossible" of presentations, where the stakes are high, and the payoff can be enormous. But be careful not to fall into the trap of being too optimistic, like WeWork, or you might end up with a comedy instead of a blockbuster hit.

So, if you're a startup looking to raise funds, make sure you have your Swiss Army Knife pitch deck ready to go. Show off your unique features, highlight your financials, and demonstrate your team's superpowers. And don't forget to sprinkle in some humor, because as they say, laughter is the best medicine. And in this case, it can also be the best way to make a lasting impression on potential investors.

Now go out there and show the world what you're made of! With a killer pitch deck in hand, there's no limit to what you can achieve.