How to craft strong highlights

Your highlights section is the investors' first impression of your company. These 3-7 key facts should immediately showcase your company's most investable qualities and make investors want to learn more.

Think of highlights as your startup's "greatest hits album" -the concentrated essence of what makes your company worth backing.

What to include

1. Traction highlights (2-3)

Demonstrate that you've built something people want by showcasing:

1. Growth metrics: "€2.5M ARR with35% MoM growth"
2. Revenue milestones: "Reached €1M revenue in first 18 months"
3. Retention data: "92% customer retention rate"
4. Customer adoption: "10,000+ active users across 15 countries"
5. Social proof: "Featured in TechCrunch, EU-Startups, and Forbes"

2. Team highlights (1-2)

Show investors your unfair advantages:

1. Previous exits: "Founders previously exited to Microsoft for €8M"
2. Domain expertise: "CTO holds 3 patents in quantum computing"
3. Industry background: "Leadership team from Google, UiPath, and Revolut"
4. Educational credentials: "Technical team from Oxford, ETH Zurich, and Technical University of Munich"

3. Market timing highlights (1)

Answer "Why now?":

1. Market inflection point: "European SaaS spending growing 41% YoY"
2. Regulatory tailwind: "EU Digital Markets Act creates opening for new competitors"
3. Technology enabler: "Recent advances in AI make our solution possible for the first time"

4. Unique advantage highlights (1-2)

What makes your company special:

1. Intellectual property: "Proprietary algorithm improves accuracy by 72%"
2. Strategic partnerships: "Distribution agreement with Europe's largest retailer"
3. Community traction: "150,000 members in our community with 22% conversion to paying customers"
4. Unique approach: "First platform combining banking and investing for European SMEs"

Crafting effective highlights

Be specific

Use metrics whenever possible

Keep It concise

Each highlight should be under 100 characters for maximum impact.

Order by impact

Place your most impressive highlights first, where they'll get the most attention.

Substantiate claims

Only include highlights you can back up with data in your pitch.

European focus

European investors value different metrics than US investors:

Strong SeedBlink highlight examples

B2B SaaS Company
"€1.8M ARR with 31% MoM growth and 118% net revenue retention"
"Enterprise clients include Deutsche Bank, Orange, and Vodafone"
"CAC payback period of 8 months and LTV:CAC ratio of 5:1"
"Founders previously built and sold FinTech startup for €120M"

Consumer product company
"€3.2M in revenue in 2024, profitable since month 14"
"Expanded to 8 European countries with localized operations"
"42% of customers make repeat purchases within 60 days"
"IP protection secured across EU, US, and Asia"
"Featured in Wired, TechCrunch, and Le Monde as 'Top European Startup to Watch'"

Deep tech company
"€4.5M in signed LOIs from Siemens, Bosch, and Continental"
"Technology reduces industrial energy consumption by 37%"
"13 patents filed, 7 granted across EU jurisdictions"
"R&D team previously at CERN and Max Planck Institute"
"EU Green Deal compliance certified, eligible for sustainable funding initiatives"

Common mistakes to avoid

Being too vague

Focusing only on product features

Including non-differentiating facts

Overlooking European context

Highlight formatting guidelines

Length: 3-7 highlights total
Format: Concise statements under 100 characters each
Visual: Consider complementing with simple icons when possible
Update: Refresh your highlights periodically as your startup grows

Remember
Your highlights should make investors think, "I need to learn more about this company right now."