I haven\u2019t seen<\/span> a lot of agriculture tech startups submit their pitch decks for this series, so I was delighted to get one from Phospholutions<\/a>, which just closed a $10 million round<\/a>, bringing its total funds raised to $32 million.<\/p>\n The team initially said they used the deck to raise a Series B round, which confused me, but upon reading the press information more carefully, it seems they made a mistake. I would usually let people get away with this kind of stuff, but this deck is riddled with issues that could have been avoided by simply paying more attention to detail.<\/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 Parts of Phospholutions\u2019 deck are pretty heavily redacted, which makes it hard to get the full picture, but there\u2019s still plenty to get into.<\/p>\n Phospholutions\u2019 pitch deck is a captivating showcase of innovation and strategic insight, embodying the essence of an effective pitch. It is a harmonious blend of compelling storytelling, clear value propositions and persuasive data points that together create a compelling narrative.<\/p>\n [Side 2] Clarity right out the gate. Image Credits<\/strong>: Phospholutions<\/p>\n<\/div>\n I love how the title gets right to the heart of things. \u201cGlobal P Use is Inefficient & Unsustainable\u201d is all we had to say, really.<\/p>\n Investors who are familiar with ag tech probably know this well \u2014 the market has a few incumbents that have done well over the years, and if Phospholutions has an innovative take on this problem, it\u2019ll be an obvious investment to say yes to.<\/p>\n I like the simplicity of the graphics. I like that the company hints at the impact of the problems (\u201clowering profitability for farmers\u201d and \u201cinefficient use degrades our waterways\u201d) in addition to mentioning the problems themselves. All very good storytelling points.<\/p>\n The bottom line, \u201cGrowers need more reliable solutions .\u00a0.\u00a0.\u201d suggests a solution-oriented approach and communicates what needs to be done. Given that this is a pitch deck, it\u2019s obvious what\u2019s about to happen next.<\/p>\n There\u2019s quite a bit of info on this slide, but I like how each point leads logically to the next, creating a narrative flow that helps lead the eye and prompts the reader to stay engaged. It\u2019s also scannable, so you can quickly absorb the content, too. Very clever.<\/p>\n A couple of small quibbles: I know that P stands for phosphorus, but the writer in me keeps stumbling over abbreviations that aren\u2019t explained. Also there\u2019s no shortage of room on this slide, so while of course<\/em> GHG stands for greenhouse gases, you can afford to spell it out. And \u201c~1.7MT CO2 eq \/ MT P2<\/sub>O5<\/sub>\u201d is a lot of alphabet soup to throw on an early slide.<\/p>\n I\u2019ll get off my soapbox now, but attention to detail matters!<\/p>\n I rarely see startups do this, which is a shame, because it helps build narratives very well:<\/p>\n [Slide 3] \u201cWhat happens if we don\u2019t address this problem.\u201d Image Credits<\/strong>: Phospholutions<\/p>\n<\/div>\n The market opportunity slide continues where the problem slide leaves off. Again, there\u2019s a lot<\/em> of text here, but it works. The main points are made with graphics, and things are further broken down and backed by claims with just a little hint of crisis.<\/p>\n Segmenting the content into the \u201cToday,\u201d \u201cShort Term,\u201d and \u201cLong Term\u201d buckets lets the reader understand how the market dynamics will change over time. It\u2019s good storytelling, but it also does something more important: It suggests that the founders have an eye on the future and are skating toward where the puck is going rather than where it is. Investors like to see founders who have an eye on the future.<\/p>\n The other storytelling win here is that while it is not explicit in this slide, it sets the stage for taking action: Action that Phospholutions is positioned to provide, of course.<\/p>\n The deck spends a bit too much time on the product, in my opinion. But the flip side is that it gets a lot of things extremely right. This slide, in particular, does a lot of the heavy lifting:<\/p>\n [Slide 7] Backed by data. Yummy. Image Credits<\/strong>: Phospholutions<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Phospholutions\u2019 RhizoSorb is more expensive than the alternatives and the deck addresses that in two ways: by showing that the product is more effective, and therefore, you have to use less to get superior yields. The deck spends a lot of time on this point. I\u2019m assuming that\u2019s the result of the team getting a lot of pushback on the pricing.<\/p>\n The thing I like about this set of slides, however, is that it really goes deep into the proven efficacy. If an investor asks for more information, there is a\u00a0lot<\/em><\/a> of it.<\/p>\n In the rest of this teardown, we\u2019ll take a look at three things Phospholutions could have improved or done differently, along with its full pitch deck!<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\nSlides in this deck<\/h2>\n
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Three things to love<\/h2>\n
To P or not to P<\/h3>\n
Contextualizing the near and medium term<\/h3>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/pdt-72-10.15m-series-b-phospholutions-slide-3-of-21.png\")
<\/p>\nReal impact<\/h3>\n
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