An effective biotech pitch deck, or corporate slide deck, needs to sell both your science and your company to potential investors.

To help you craft a clear, persuasive deck that delivers results, we’re sharing a series of proven Theoria Creative strategies and templates as a guide. This article is part of From Science to Investment: Theoria’s Guide to an Effective Biotech Pitch Deck, a series dedicated to breaking down each essential component of a winning pitch deck. In the first installment, we explored the pipeline slide, sharing valuable tips and templates to help you craft it.

Complete the form at the bottom of this article to request our free PowerPoint file with 3 team templates and one slide with icons!

While innovative ideas capture attention, the reality is that investors back teams they believe can execute.

A well-crafted team slide reinforces your team’s ability to deliver results and builds investor confidence by showcasing two core messages – expertise and balance. At Theoria Creative, every pitch deck we design aims to emphasize our client’s strengths while mitigating perceived weaknesses. Although different companies naturally have unique advantages, the team slide consistently conveys a sense of “expertise and balance” in both science and business.

We employ a variety of design strategies tailored for different company scenarios to ensure that team information is presented effectively and that the desired message resonates with the audience. Below are three team slide templates to help guide you through narrating your team’s story.

The founder-centric team

Our first template is designed for companies with strong academic or scientific leadership. This includes scenarios where:

• The founder is a prominent figure in science.
• The founder, who may not be the CEO, has built the company on their scientific work.
• The company is transitioning from a scientific to a business focus, such as those spinning out of academia.

This template emphasizes the science/business balance within the team, addressing investor concerns about expertise and well-rounded leadership. It’s particularly useful in two situations.

1. Early-stage companies without clinical data: The reputation of a well-known scientific founder can validate not only the scientific approach but also the ability to attract a strong team, bolstering investor confidence.
2. Early-stage companies transitioning from academia: This template reassures investors that the team is strategically constructed with a balance of scientific and business expertise, demonstrating thoughtful hiring practices.

The key principle of this team slide design is to work with what you have to create a more evenly balanced presentation of your team.

Strategic lean team building

Our second biotech team slide template demonstrates expertise and balance by underlining a strategically crafted team and showcasing the role of each leadership member. This team-building approach involves making deliberate hires to cover key functions such as drug development, clinical translation, clinical trials, finance, etc.

This slide arrangement is suitable for:

• Smaller teams highlighting that they are lean: It demonstrates a focus on strategic hiring and wise spending, conveying a “few but mighty” approach often valued in smaller companies with experienced CEOs.
• Companies focused on realizing business outcomes with limited team growth: It signals to investors a team purposefully assembled to achieve specific business goals. These teams have the essential expertise they need to reach their objectives (e.g., an exit). This business model contrasts companies aiming for continuous team expansion as programs progress.

This template effectively communicates the message of thoughtful team building, underscoring the importance of having the right people in the right roles to advance the company’s mission.

Key contributors beyond the C-suite

Our final team slide template showcases those critical team members who, while not holding C-suite positions, play an instrumental role in driving the company’s success.

Divided into two sections, this template delineates the C-suite executives on the left and key contributors essential to the company’s operations on the right. These contributors can include researchers, the board of directors, scientific advisors, and other essential personnel.

This versatile slide layout can be adapted to several scenarios:

• Small companies: Ideal for startups with a limited C-suite, this template design helps highlight your core team alongside key contributors on the right side of the slide, ensuring an equalized presentation of “expertise and balance.”
• Early-stage startups: It demonstrates strong backing and potential, even with a small executive team, by featuring a stellar advisory board or board of directors on the right side of the slide.
• Larger, later-stage companies: It acknowledges the contributions of co-founders who may no longer have an active role in daily operations but whose legacy and expertise remain vital to the company’s narrative. These co-founders would be featured separately from the executive team on the right side of the slide.

This team slide design allows you to create a compelling narrative, presenting a balanced and comprehensive picture of your team’s depth and breadth while highlighting the valuable contributions of all individuals driving your company’s success.

Present your team’s story

Groundbreaking scientific innovation is exciting, but investors ultimately invest in teams they believe can deliver results. Effectively presenting your team can be the deciding factor in securing funding. A compelling team slide showcases the expertise and balance within your team, reassuring investors that your company is built on a strong foundation and ready to tackle challenges and deliver results.

Remember, the team slide is more than just a list of names. It reflects the strategic decision-making behind building a capable team that will drive your company’s success.

Fill in the form below to receive our free file with 3 team slide templates and one slide with icons. Mix and match elements from each slide.

Have questions, or want us to review your current investor pitch deck? ​Contact us​ — we are happy to help. Our team has years of experience creating meaningful content and simple visuals to develop powerful corporate presentation decks that raise funds.