This is the StudySmarter pitch deck to raise a $15m series-a round in 2021.
About
StudySmarter is an EdTech company that develops an intelligent and content-agnostic platform for lifelong learning. It was first published in 2018 and is currently used by more than a million learners in the DACH region. StudySmarter has been voted the best EdTech start-up in Germany and Europe by university representatives and education experts. The Startup is headquartered in Munich and employs more than 50 people. It aims to leverage state-of-the-art technology to empower everyone to achieve their educational goals.
German edtech startup StudySmarter recently raised $15 million in a funding round that counted Owl Ventures and Left Lane Capital among the backers.
The online learning platform, which helps students develop study plans, create flashcards, and access publishers’ content, has thrived in Germany, Australia, and Switzerland. Since it was founded in 2017, the company has accrued more than a million users and locked in a deal to produce educational content for publishing giant Pearson.
Owl Ventures is best known for backing edtech startups like upskilling firm Degreed, and learning app Byju. Left Lane has already landed a wealth of investments in high-profile firms, including meal kit supplier Hello Fresh and travel site Trivago. StudySmarter also won angel investment from Lars Fjeldsoe-Nielsen, a former Uber VP and ex-partner at Balderton Capital.
“StudySmarter is further democratizing access to educational materials with a seamless user experience and rapidly expanding content catalogue,” said Vinny Pujji, Managing Partner at Left Lane Capital.
He added: “We are impressed with the dedication and grit of the founding team and are thrilled to partner with them to build a global edtech player. Working with European founders to build global powerhouses has been a core pillar of our strategy that we look forward to continuing.”
Funding Rounds
|
Announced Date
|
Transaction Name | Number of Investors | Money Raised | Lead Investors |
| May 5, 2021 | Series A – StudySmarter | 4 | $15M | Owl Ventures |
| Apr 1, 2020 | Seed Round – StudySmarter | 1 | $1.5M |
Dieter von Holtzbrinck Ventures (DvH Ventures)
|
| Dec 17, 2018 | Pre Seed Round – StudySmarter | 3 | $700K | — |
| Sep 15, 2017 | Non Equity Assistance – StudySmarter | 1 | — |
Axel Springer Plug and Play Accelerator
|
Pitch Deck Review Summary
Structured Summary Review
Words
There are not enough words to explain interesting points.
Slide length
The deck is too short to get me interested.
Headers
Don’t centre alight headers. Be boring and leave them in the same place on the right.
The header font size should be 30% smaller.
They are acceptable as a start, but they aren’t informative.
Appearance
There are small grey headers that are impossible to read. This is a waste. Either something adds value or it takes value.
The font size is too small. The designer has prioritized stupid photos overconsumption of text.
Narrative
They have made a better attempt than 70% of startups.
Do this. Only read the headers on each slide. Do you understand exactly what the founders want to say?
No. You can’t. This is key.
Structure
The design annoys me. It’s overly designed. The design gives you false confidence in the content quality.
Do not have so many large and pointless images.
Slides
They’re missing slides that are important. Would you feel compelled to learn more? I wouldn’t.
For starters, where is the team slide?
Where is the market size?
They’re just missing numbers in general.
Slide by Slide Review
The tag line is ok. It could be a little more specific.
The logos feel like a lot and overpower the page a little. It’s a sold page though.
The tiny grey little headers are impossible to read. They are annoying. Some designers thought they would look pretty like this and have ignored that content exists to be read easily.
Never write paragraphs! No one wants to read a wall of text.
The text is presumptive. The two data points are not in context. I bet those numbers have been the same for years. If you don’t show a chart for 5 years you do not see the trend. I immediately discount those points to zero.
It would have been far more powerful to show people on Zoom classes and be told to read books or something.
The fact an image takes up the whole page is compensating for a crappy and lazy slide.
The statement is why couldn’t education be digitalized? It can. The three points are not only specious but irrelevant.
It is a great example of a slide which sort of looks good but is rubbish. If the slide was not designed that would be more obvious.
Wow, some useful text. They explain what they do, but it’s in tiny ass text at the bottom of the slide. Why isn’t this slide one explaining what they do so the investor knows?
Why can’t they show the actual product?
I have a template product slide which is very similar in the 4-step structure. Mine shows the product and makes the text easy to read!
I have a header and then an explainer text in two steps. So you escalate learning as you go.
The images look pretty, but I want to see the product. I know the images won’t be that informative, but it feels real.
Does this slide give you a chubby? No.
WTF is a central hub for learning? Why do content makers want to contribute to their hub? There’s a big leap here no explainer.
They’re repeating their points but making them solved.
I’m guessing (??) this is a slide about market expansion. Delete the images, do some fecking work and give me the specific numbers for the potential of each segment! This deck is massively lazy. I could make this in 20 minutes (content writing-wise).
You always need to have a header to explain what the slide is about. If you don’t you are assuming investors want to read everything (Reality check: not).
Super lame traction slide. I don’t care if you win awards.
I explain competitions are a joke and how to win them here: How to actually win the award in a startup competition
The slide structure is actually good though. The header missing is a killer.
I have a sneaking suspicion that this is cumulative data in the chart. That’s shady shite. Investors HATE that.
The slide just takes a lot of effort to understand. Try and tell me the point in 5 seconds. I can’t.
Also, who the feck anointed them “the fastest growing”? Bullshite. Compare yourself with data! I like they actually have data (for once).
Again, walls of text to read. It’s so lazy. BULLET POINTS! Get to the fecking point.
They’re saying digital education is important. Shouldn’t that have been covered at the start?
Really, you’re the first?
These are just a list of features. I don’t understand the point. You have to explain everything to investors. Don’t assume I’m going to read this shitty petal chart and figure out what the point is.
Don’t use petal charts. They assert you are just a list of features.
Fine. How much SPECIFICALLY are you charging??? Give me numbers. I always want numbers! I’m going to immediately start doing calculations to figure out your LTV and CAC you can afford.
Stop. Don’t use superlatives. Be factual. Wtf does the “most intelligent” learning platform mean?
The slide adds zero value. It’s just a less frantic version of the cover slide. Just without logos. Less is more. If you don’t add you subtract.
Deck Collection
See the rest of the collection here:
Comments (0)
There are no comments yet :(