BorrowBot Pitch Deck Teardown: A Chatbot-First Approach

BorrowBot Pitch Deck Analysis

The BorrowBot deck from 2016 is a classic example of early-stage fintech positioning. It leans heavily on the then-emerging trend of conversational UI (chatbots) to solve a traditional financial services problem: lead generation and advisory in the mortgage sector. While the visual presentation is clean, the content is high-level, focusing more on the 'what' and 'where' rather than the 'how' and 'how much.'

Slide 1: Title Slide

The cover slide features the BorrowBot logo—a stylized 'B' inside a chat bubble—and the tagline 'choose wisely, no regrets.' The background image of money being exchanged is literal and sets the stage for a finance-focused presentation. It establishes the brand identity immediately but offers no specific industry context until the following slides.

Slide 2: What is BorrowBot?

This slide provides a concise definition: 'Borrowbot is an automated system which recommends borrowers the right loan via our Chatbot.' It includes a mockup of a smartphone running a messaging app. This is an effective 'high-concept pitch' slide that explains the product in a single sentence. By using the term 'automated system,' the founders are signaling a scalable technology play rather than a manual brokerage service.

Slide 3: The Problem

The problem statement is simple: 'Borrowers don’t know which financial institutions can offer the best loan for them.' The background features various bank buildings in Thailand (such as Bangkok Bank and TMB). This slide identifies information asymmetry as the primary barrier for consumers. However, it lacks data to support how much time or money is currently wasted due to this problem.

Slide 4: The Solution

Slide 4 shows a desktop/web interface mockup of the chatbot in action. The bot greets the user as a 'personal loan advisor.' This slide is intended to show the user experience. It reinforces the conversational nature of the product, suggesting that the complexity of loan comparison is hidden behind a simple chat interface.

Slide 5: Product Demo

This is a transition slide featuring a tablet on a grass background with a 'Product Demo' button. In a live presentation, this would likely trigger a video or a live walkthrough. For a static deck, it serves to inform the reader that a functional product exists, though no actual demo content is visible in the PDF version.

Slide 6: Market Size

The deck focuses on the 'Large Mortgage Market in Thailand.' It provides a line graph showing growth in 'Trillian baht' (likely a typo for Trillion). The figures cited are 2,309,998 million in 2013, 2,783,129 million in 2014, 2,950,835 million in 2015, and 3,071,077 million in 2016. This slide successfully demonstrates a large, growing TAM (Total Addressable Market) in the company's home country.

Slide 7: Starting Target

BorrowBot defines its initial target as Bangkok residents, male and female, aged 20-50. They specify that these users should have 'profitable careers' (employed or SME owners), be smartphone users (Android/iOS), and have a need for finances (mortgages, auto loans, SME loans, personal loans). This is a broad but logical starting point, focusing on the urban center where smartphone penetration and financial literacy are highest.

Slide 8: Revenue Stream

The business model is diversified into five categories: Referral Fees , Leads sales , Licensing to Institute , Featured Ads , and Commission . While this shows multiple ways to make money, it can also be a red flag for investors who prefer a focused primary revenue driver in the early stages. The slide does not explain the percentage or dollar value of these fees.

Slide 9: The Team

The 'Squad' slide introduces four members: Woraphop, Kimseng, Kimsie, and Cholathit. They are assigned roles in business development, customer development, creative design, and product development. The major flaw here is the total lack of credentials. There are no logos of former employers, no university names, and no specific achievements listed for any team member.

Slide 10: Execution Plan

This slide uses a roadmap graphic to show four steps: 01 Prototype (marked as 'Done'), 02 User Acquisition (via money expos, office areas, property developers, and social media), 03 Tweak & Optimize (based on feedback), and 04 Market Expansion (partnerships and mass marketing). It shows a basic understanding of the startup lifecycle but lacks specific dates or KPIs for each phase.

Slide 11: Milestones

The timeline extends from 2016 to 2019. 2016 was for 'Finding the Right Model.' 2017 was 'Take off the Ground' (conquering the Bangkok market). 2018 was 'Get Outside of the Box' (expanding to Cambodia, Vietnam, and Myanmar). 2019 was 'Conquer ASEAN Market.' These are ambitious goals, but the deck provides no evidence of the regulatory or linguistic capabilities required to expand into three different countries within 24 months.

Slide 12: Closing Quote

The deck ends with a quote from Ro May: 'before you make a choice, make sure you can live with it.' This is a thematic closing that ties back to the 'no regrets' tagline, but it replaces the traditional 'Contact Us' or 'Ask' slide, which is a missed opportunity to provide a clear call to action.

What BorrowBot Does Well

The deck is visually consistent and easy to read. It avoids the 'wall of text' trap that many early-stage founders fall into. The problem and solution are linked clearly through the chatbot interface, and the market size slide (Slide 6) uses specific, cited figures to prove the opportunity is worth pursuing. The definition of the target audience (Slide 7) is also more specific than many generic 'everyone with a phone' descriptions found in other decks.

What is Missing from the Deck

The Ask: There is no mention of how much capital the company is raising, the valuation, or the terms of the round. · Traction: Slide 10 says the prototype is 'Done,' but there are no metrics. How many users have chatted with the bot? How many leads have been generated? Even beta test data would be valuable here. · Competition: The deck ignores the existence of other loan comparison sites, traditional brokers, and the banks' own digital efforts. · Unit Economics: While Slide 8 lists revenue streams, it doesn't explain the Cost Per Acquisition (CPA) versus the Lifetime Value (LTV) of a user. · Team Pedigree: Without professional backgrounds, the team slide fails to build investor confidence in the founders' ability to execute in a highly regulated industry like finance.

Lessons for Founders

Founders can learn from BorrowBot's ability to simplify a complex product into a clear narrative. However, the omissions in this deck serve as a cautionary tale. If you are pitching a fintech product, you must address the regulatory environment and the competitive landscape. Furthermore, never leave out the 'Ask'—investors need to know what you want from them. Finally, if you include a team slide, ensure it highlights why your team is uniquely qualified to solve the specific problem you've identified.