In short
The why now slide explains what has recently changed, such as new technology, lower costs, new regulation or shifts in customer behaviour, that makes your solution possible or necessary today and not five years ago. Give two or three trends, each with a number or date.
Investors often ask why nobody has done this before, or why it did not work last time. The why now slide answers that question before it is asked.
Types of change that make good why now arguments
- Technology: something has become cheaper, faster or newly possible.
- Regulation: a new rule creates a need or removes a barrier.
- Behaviour: customers have adopted a habit your product depends on.
- Infrastructure: payments, logistics or connectivity now reach your customers.
- Cost: a key input has become much cheaper or more expensive.
How to write it
Pick two or three changes and give each a fact, such as a date, adoption figure or price change. Then say in one line what this lets you do that was not possible before.
Headline: ‘Real-time payments make instant supplier credit possible for the first time.’
Trend 1: Small shops now accept digital payments as a matter of course.
Trend 2: Transaction data makes it possible to assess credit without paperwork.
Common mistakes
- Trends that are true but unrelated to your product.
- Ten-year-old trends presented as new.
- No numbers or dates.
Frequently asked questions
Why do investors care about timing?
Many good ideas fail because they are too early or too late. A clear why now argument shows that the market is ready and that you understand what is driving it.
Written by Gachi Foundation, a non-profit in Jharkhand, India. All pitch deck resources.