Pitch deck that raised $1.7M for a vegan restaurant chain

The case study on the pitch deck that helped a vegan quick-service restaurant chain successfully raise $1.7M in seed capital.

The opportunity

Over the past year, the vegan fast food market has emerged as a highly sought-after investment opportunity. The sector has witnessed an impressive growth rate of 11%+ CAGR, quickly growing into a multi-billion dollar industry, propelled by the shift in food preferences as well as environmental and ethical concerns.

Our client has validated the opportunity by launching a 100% plant-based fast food restaurant chain. With a vision to become the “ultimate vegan fast food chain,” the company sought £1.4M or $1.7M to scale the business and expand into new locations. Our role was to craft a compelling pitch deck that effectively conveyed the client’s vision and secured the necessary funding to support the expansion plans.

The challenge

Lack of credibility

The initial pitch deck failed to persuade investors of the team’s capacity to achieve the envisioned strategy and establish strong team/market fit. This resulted in a sense of skepticism amongst investors regarding the founders’ potential to deliver the promised outcomes.

Lack of grander vision

The company’s objective was to establish a well-recognized plant-based fast-food restaurant, akin to a “vegan McDonald’s.” However, the initial pitch deck failed to adequately communicate their future plans and most importantly, why the business would be successful in the long run.

Unclear value proposition

The initial pitch deck failed to effectively communicate the rationale behind the business. It lacked compelling data to support the uniqueness of the concept with demonstrated results. Consequently, the business looked like a very early, non-validated opportunity rather than a serious, credible investment.

Flimzy strategy

The strategy presented in the pitch deck lacked a detailed and credible execution plan. The founders were unable to convey in a clear, believable way what it would take to achieve dominance in the market. The go-to-market plan was missing tangible milestones and a thorough, believable long-term execution plan.

Archaic design

Despite having an excellent branding strategy, the company’s pitch deck messaging was hindered by an outdated and lackluster pitch deck design, which failed to convey the investment story effectively. As a result, the overall deck looked rather immature and early stage.

HOW WE HELPED

Amping up credibility with a business story

  • We repositioned our client’s idea from just a restaurant chain to a comprehensive lifestyle brand, emphasizing their broader vision to become the leading plant-based quick-service chain, ultimately bringing plant-based food to the masses.
  • To showcase the success of our client’s concept and business model, we highlighted the traction story through data on their high return-customer rate, strong Deliveroo ratings, and individual testimonials. Additionally, we included information on the growing organic traffic and a 30k Instagram following to demonstrate the founders’ solid PR and marketing achievements, showcasing their proven market success and ability to build strong buzz around the brand.
  • Our primary focus was to establish the team’s credibility in the eyes of investors. We broadened the team slide, adding information about the founders and executive team to demonstrate their skills, experience, and track record in the niche, ultimately showcasing the personalities and expertise of the team.

HOW WE HELPED

Shaping rock-solid strategy and brand positioning

  • We conducted wide industry analysis to identify key advantages and correctly showcase our client’s positioning and competitive moat. To highlight the company’s potential for growth, we developed a comprehensive expansion plan that provided a detailed strategy on product, services, revenue models, and geographical expansion, showcasing the client’s business acumen and calculated approach to their market expansion.
  • In addition, knowing how important scalability is for investors in this vertical, we emphasized the company’s agility and ability to rapidly scale operations, adding the right proof points from our operational analysis to support the thesis.

HOW WE HELPED

Creating vibrant design that set the brand apart

  • We completely redesigned the deck’s aesthetics, producing a dynamic and memorable style that perfectly aligned with the brand’s identity and principles.
  • Our data presentation approach was uncomplicated yet persuasive, utilizing light and engaging slides, appealing graphics, and bold hues to emphasize the essential points. All of this fit with our ultimate objective to create a professional yet straightforward deck that would appeal to investors.
  • Every design element we built, from fonts to color schemes, and tailored visuals, served to reinforce the brand’s fundamental message: plant-based, healthful food can be enjoyable, fashionable, and approachable.
  • The deck design helped not only to stand out from the crowd of other investments but also instill in the minds of investors a deep confidence in our ability to create a robust and successful consumer brand.

Results

$1.7M seed round

raised within weeks 

GTM & strategy advisory

that helped to guide future operations & expansion

Business Insider 

Coverage across major media with the deck featured in Business Insider