Hardware and IoT pitch deck
Hardware investors know how hard it is to build, certify and ship physical products. They want to see a unit that costs less to make as you grow, revenue that continues after the sale, and a manufacturing plan that has been tested.
The numbers
An Indian seed investor told Inc42 that pre-prototype hardware startups should focus on a working prototype, cost per unit, gross margins and pre-orders[2]. These are the numbers behind that.
The cost of every part, plus assembly, testing and packaging, at today's volume and at scale. Investors probe BOM costs and supplier dependence hard[1].
On the slide: at three or four volumes, with the biggest cost items named.
Price minus unit cost, as a share of price. It must leave room for warranty, returns and channel margins.
On the slide: by volume, with the warranty reserve shown.
The share of devices that carry a subscription, service or consumable, and what each brings per year. Recurring revenue changes how investors value hardware.
On the slide: by cohort, with renewal rates.
Devices that fail in the field or come back. It drives warranty cost and reputation.
On the slide: monthly, with the top causes and fixes.
The same fictional device. Most of the margin comes from scale in the bill of materials; a warranty reserve keeps the number honest.
Manufacturing
Hardware investors focus on supply chain and manufacturing risk early: contract manufacturer relationships, tooling costs, minimum order quantities and whether you depend on a single supplier for a key part[1]. Many Indian investors also want to see small-batch production and early sales before they invest[2].
Working capital. You pay for parts and tooling months before you get paid for devices. Show the cash cycle: when you pay suppliers, when stock arrives and when customers pay.
Certification. Many electronic products sold in India need certification from the Bureau of Indian Standards, and medical, telecom or wireless products may need more. Show which apply, the status and the cost.
Certification rules change and differ by product. Confirm requirements for your device with BIS and the relevant regulator.
In the meeting
Slide by slide
The order follows the structure most investors expect, from Sequoia's original business plan outline[3] to Y Combinator's seed deck advice[4]. The notes are what changes for hardware.
Red flags
Investors give a deck a few minutes. DocSend found average review time fell to under three minutes in 2022[5]. These are the slides that use those minutes badly.
Astitva writes your investor story free from a short brief, in this order, then designs each slide in your own brand for 5 credits. A 12-slide deck is 60 credits.
No card needed. Packs from ₹299 or $3, no subscription.
Twelve slides in investor order with a working device, unit cost and gross margin at several volumes, recurring revenue and attach rate, failure rates, manufacturing partners, working capital needs and certification status.
A working prototype, cost per unit and gross margin, pre-orders or early sales, a tested manufacturing plan without single-source risk, recurring revenue and realistic working capital.
The full list of parts and their costs needed to build one unit of a product. Together with assembly, testing and packaging, it sets the unit cost.
Yes. Astitva writes the investor story free from a short brief and designs each slide in your brand for 5 credits. New accounts get 50 free credits.
Next: how to brand a hardware startup · all pitch deck guides
Figures from these sources were current when this guide was written. Rules and benchmarks change, so check the latest version before you rely on one.