Investor Decks That Demand Attention: How Biotech Companies Can Capture Investor Interest in the First 60 Seconds

In the first post of our J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference (JPM) 2026 Readiness Series, Mastering Your JPM Story, my colleague Lindsay Danylak explored how biotech leaders can turn complex science into a clear, compelling narrative. Once that story is defined, the next step is to translate it into a deck that investors can’t ignore. 

JPM is like a speed-dating event, with investors seeing over twenty pitches per day. The first few seconds of your pitch will determine if you pass the “is this worth my time” filter. Keeping their attention depends heavily on the quality of your investor deck and presentation skills. Like any great first impression, it takes time to get right. An engaging deck can take several months to create, with many rounds of executive team review and even some late-night crunching leading up to the meeting.  

So, how do you make sure your investor deck turns a first date into a lasting relationship? 

Start Strong and Stay Focused 

Your opening slide is your first impression. It should be bold, simple and memorable, with your company name and one compelling data point or market stat that instantly signals potential. Skip the background noise. Avoid a dense corporate overview or company history as investors really don’t care. 

Follow with your hook. To grab investors’ attention, this slide needs to demonstrate strong and credible clinical data, massive addressable market, and unmet need.  

Those first two slides should answer three questions: 

• What do you do? 

• Why does it matter? 

• What makes you unique? 

It’s crucial that investors grasp quickly why your company is built to succeed where others haven’t — and why it has a real edge over the competition. 

Design for Impact, Not Decoration 

The best decks balance design and discipline. Clean layouts and purposeful use of color reflect professionalism and focus. Limit yourself to two or three primary brand colors. Use bold tones to highlight your product, muted tones for competitors and avoid red altogether, as this signals alarm. 

To ensure your deck is truly memorable, remember the hierarchy of content matters. Substance, Story Arc and Design/Pacing. Don’t underestimate the power of a cohesive story arc that follows the problem-agitation-solution model to make your company memorable to investors. 

Simplify the Science, Strengthen the Case 

It’s essential to translate complexity into clear, purposeful messaging, while still maintaining credibility. The biggest mistake you can make is building a scientific presentation instead of an investment pitch. Be intentional about what matters most to the investment case. A dozen well-structured slides are often enough to make your point and spark discussion. 

Create one signature visual that captures your differentiation—a clean, powerful image or chart that conveys your scientific and commercial edge immediately. If an investor can sketch this visual from memory, then you have done your job. Keep a handful of backup slides ready to address expected questions, but don’t overbuild.

A truly memorable JPM investor deck combines substance, structure, and style. It reflects a company that knows its value, understands its audience, and can make complex ideas instantly relevant. Before you finalize your slides, ask yourself: Would this make me stop scrolling on my phone? Does this immediately show how we stand out from other companies in our space? Is our value proposition easily understandable? If not, refine and keep refining it until it does. Don’t be afraid to question this, even the night before your presentation; you only get one shot on goal so make it count!  

Next in our JPM 2026 Biotech Readiness Series, we’ll look at how to bring your story and investor deck to life through delivery in From Elevator Pitch to Spotlight Stage, followed by how to extend visibility beyond the conference in Turning JPM Announcements into Lasting Visibility.