Acknowledge any significant gaps in your team and explain how you plan to address them with the raised capital. This demonstrates self-awareness and strategic thinking—qualities sophisticated investors appreciate.
Include a "Voice of the Customer" sidebar showing direct quotes from customers who switched from competitors to your solution, highlighting the specific reasons for their decision. This provides powerful validation of your competitive advantages.
Strategic Vision
Begin with a concise statement of your 3-5 year vision: Market Position: Where you aim to be in the market Scale Metrics: Revenue, customer, and team targets Geographic Footprint: Markets you'll be operating in Product Evolution: How your offering will expand Impact Statement: The broader impact you aim to make
Product Roadmap
Present a visual timeline of planned product developments: Near-term (0-6 months): Specific features/enhancements in development Release dates and development stages Expected impact on customer acquisition/retention Mid-term (6-18 months): Planned major releases New product lines or expansions Integration or partnership opportunities Long-term (18+ months): Vision-oriented developments Emerging technology integration Potential pivot or expansion opportunities For each roadmap item, include: Development resources required Expected customer impact Competitive advantage created
Market Expansion Strategy
Detail your plan for expanding market reach: Geographic Expansion: Target markets with entry timelines Market size and competitive landscape for each Localization requirements and strategy Go-to-market approach for each region Segment Expansion: New customer segments you'll target Segment size and characteristics Product adaptations required Acquisition strategy for each segment Use Case Expansion: Additional problems your product can solve Market size for each use case Development requirements Go-to-market strategy
Revenue Growth Model
Present a clear model showing how you'll scale revenue: Core Revenue Growth: Customer acquisition projections Retention and expansion metrics Average revenue per customer trends New Revenue Streams: Additional monetisation opportunities Expected revenue contribution by stream Resources required to develop Financial Projections: Metric FY2025 FY2026 FY2027 FY2028 Revenue $X.X million $X.X million $X.X million $X.X million Growth Rate X% X% X% X% Gross Margin X% X% X% X% EBITDA -$XXX,XXX $X.X million $X.X million $X.X million Customer Count X,XXX X,XXX XX,XXX XX,XXX Team Size XX XX XXX XXX
Key Growth Milestones
Identify specific targets that signal successful execution: Revenue Milestones: First $1 million ARR (date) $5 million ARR (date) $10 million ARR (date) Customer Milestones: 1,000 active customers (date) 5,000 active customers (date) First enterprise customer in new market (date) Product Milestones: Launch of [New Feature/Product] (date) Integration with [Strategic Platform] (date) Achievement of [Key Performance Metric] (date) Team Milestones: Expansion to XX employees (date) Establishment of [New Location] office (date) Key executive hires (roles and dates) Professional Tip: Include a "Scaling Challenges" subsection that acknowledges potential obstacles to your growth plan and outlines your mitigation strategies. This demonstrates foresight and risk awareness—qualities sophisticated investors value highly.