As soon as I saw<\/span> the cover slide for BusRight, I knew I was looking at something really interesting. BusRight is a school-bus management platform that aims to improve efficiency and safety by, among other things, allowing caregivers to track bus locations. It also offers route-mapping and real-time GPS.<\/p>\n Running a school bus network is complex, and in a world where tech savviness is variable, creating tools is crucial. I\u2019m not a parent myself, but I\u2019m going to hazard a bold assumption that, in general, losing kids on the way home from school is pretty unpopular.<\/p>\n Somewhere in that latticework of challenges, there\u2019s an opportunity, which BusRight jumped on. It was then able to grow the product into a business worthy of a $7 million cash injection.<\/p>\n We\u2019re looking for more unique pitch decks to tear down, so if you want to submit your own, here\u2019s how you can do that<\/a>.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n BusRight\u2019s pitch deck is well-designed and full of careful touches. Here are some highlights:<\/p>\n It\u2019s tempting to dive into the unit economics, the growth trajectories and all the ways that the problem is awful and the solution is genius and the product delights. But in the middle of all that, the customer sometimes gets forgotten. For some companies, the customers aren\u2019t a focus and can safely be glossed over. In this case, however, reminding investors whose lives they are helping is a really nice and elegant touch:<\/p>\n [Slide 3] Hello, Derek. Image Credits<\/strong>: BusRight<\/p>\n<\/div>\n The slide does a great job humanizing who is affected by the problem being solved. I don\u2019t know much about schools, but I can imagine that being the transportation director for a school district is an arduous job. If everything works perfectly, the buses would pick the children up and drop them off on time every time. But perfection doesn\u2019t exist: Buses break down, people are late and incidents happen.<\/p>\n Putting upfront why this is a problem worth solving \u2014 and who it\u2019s affecting \u2014 is a great strategy. The lesson here is to think about the human angle of the story you want to tell.<\/p>\n If you thought the Derek slide was heartwarming, you\u2019re not alone. But if you\u2019re an investor, your next logical question is likely: \u201cHow many Dereks are there?\u201d Almost presciently, BusRight answers that exact question on the very next slide:<\/p>\n [Slide 4] Maximum Derek! Image Credits<\/strong>: BusRight<\/p>\n<\/div>\n BusRight could very easily have made this point on Slide 3, but answering the question before anyone has time to ask it?<\/p>\n Insert chef\u2019s kiss here.<\/p>\n Wait, I\u2019m in charge of this article. I can insert a literal chef\u2019s kiss. I love my job.<\/p>\n Carlton Carlson\u2019s chef\u2019s kiss from the Simpsons. Image Credits<\/strong>: \u201cThe Simpsons\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Illustrating how the BusRight product is a win all around for kids, parents, bus drivers and the machinery that powers everything helps plant a seed that this might be a win for investors, too. Very well done:<\/p>\n [Slide 6] Bussin\u2019 a move. Image Credits:<\/strong> BusRight<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Showing the value propositions for each of your stakeholders is a smooth way to nail home the point. Including the \u201cwe don\u2019t know how we functioned without it\u201d quote underneath is just the cherry on top of the icing on top of the whipped cream on the cupcake. It\u2019s so well done I want to, well, invest.<\/p>\n In the rest of this teardown, we\u2019ll take a look at three things BusRight could have improved or done differently. The first few slides are great, but the company made some pretty big goofs along the way, too, so there\u2019s plenty to learn from. I\u2019m also including the full pitch deck, so you can get the full example!<\/p>\n A lot of the time, the problem with a pitch deck isn\u2019t what is there; it\u2019s what is missing. There\u2019s a checklist I use when evaluating decks<\/a> for my pitch coaching clients, and BusRight left out some pretty significant information, and I imagine investors weren\u2019t happy about that.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\nSlides in this deck<\/h2>\n
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Three things to love<\/h2>\n
Great customer slide<\/h3>\n
From the fluffy to the hard-hitting<\/h3>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/BusRight-pitch-deck-teardown-slide-0004.jpg\")
<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/chefs-kiss.gif\")
<\/p>\nWin\/win\/win \u2014 and maybe win?<\/h3>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/BusRight-pitch-deck-teardown-slide-0006.jpg\")
<\/p>\nThree things that could be improved<\/h2>\n