Contently Pitch Deck: Slide-by-Slide Breakdown

The Narrative: From Marketplace to Brand Publishing Cloud

In 2014, the term 'content marketing' was transitioning from a buzzword to a line-item necessity for enterprise brands. Contently’s Series B deck, which secured $9M led by Jackson Square Ventures, captures a company at the perfect inflection point. They weren't just a freelance marketplace; they were building the 'technological plumbing' for a new era of corporate media. The deck is structured to prove that they have solved the hardest part of the equation—talent—and are now ready to scale the software layer that sits on top of it.

Slides 1-4: The Macro Opportunity and the Problem

Slide 1: Title Slide The deck opens with the brand name and the subtitle 'Powering The Brand Publishing Cloud.' It immediately establishes a high-level category. The slide includes two large boxes for client logos, though these are redacted in the public version. This sets a tone of enterprise validation from the first second.

Slide 2: The Market Context Contently uses a 'Why Now' approach. It states, 'It’s 2013. Content marketing is the #1 digital priority for brands.' The slide provides a massive macro figure: the 25% of brands already doing content marketing are spending $44 billion on it. It also claims 80% of brands are shifting dollars to content marketing in the coming year. This creates a sense of urgency and a 'rising tide' narrative.

Slide 3: The Specific Friction Point The deck identifies the core problem: 'Creating original content is brands’ #1 challenge.' It includes a chart from eMarketer showing that 'Creating original content' and 'Having the time to do it' are the top two hurdles. The footer adds a critical insight: 'Brands need premium content to succeed, but they’re not set up to be publishers.' This justifies why a third-party platform is necessary.

Slide 4: Third-Party Validation Before diving into the product, Contently uses a power quote from Forbes: 'Contently is building the technological plumbing that could one day underlie all great brand publishing on the Web.' This quote is strategically chosen because it uses the word 'plumbing,' suggesting a foundational, infrastructure-level utility rather than a discretionary service.

Slides 5-7: The Solution and Product Architecture

Slide 5: The Two-Pillar Platform This slide defines the product as the 'World’s largest network of vetted, magazine-quality freelance journalists' PLUS 'Cloud-based content creation software as a service.' It visually separates the 'who' (talent) from the 'how' (SaaS). It mentions 20,000 journalists and shows an 'End-to-end content creation suite.'

Slide 6: The Talent Network (The Moat) Contently describes its network as a 'Github-like Community.' This is a clever analogy for 2014, suggesting that just as developers have a home on Github, journalists have a home on Contently. The slide shows a profile for 'Christopher Mason,' highlighting 'Clips' (past work), awards, and stats like followers and shares. This emphasizes that their talent is data-validated, not just a list of names.

Slide 7: The SaaS Workflow This slide showcases the 'End-To-End Workflow In The Cloud.' It features a calendar view of assignments and an 'Edit Assignment' modal. Crucially, it includes pricing: 'Starting at $3-20k/mo.' For a Series B deck, being this explicit about high-ACV (Annual Contract Value) pricing signals to investors that this is a serious enterprise play, not a low-margin 'gig economy' app.

Slides 8-10: Traction and Unit Economics

Slide 8: Revenue Growth Titled 'By The Numbers,' this slide shows a classic 'up and to the right' chart for Gross Revenue. It breaks out 'SaaS' specifically, noting MRR added since January. While the numbers are redacted, the chart shows a clear acceleration in the slope of the curve starting in Q2 2013. It also includes a projection: 'Will end 2014 at $X m revenue run rate.'

Slide 9: Pipeline and ACV This slide focuses on the 'Annualized value of customers closing in Q4.' It distinguishes between 'SaaS Revenue' and 'Marketplace Spend.' This is a vital distinction for a Series B investor; marketplace spend is often pass-through with lower margins, while SaaS revenue is the high-margin engine. The slide also mentions 'ACV' (Annual Contract Value), reinforcing the enterprise sales motion.

Slide 10: The Near-Term Opportunity Contently states its goal: 'Own the entire value chain.' It shows a linear progression: Talent -> Creation -> Distribution -> Secret Plans. A small note at the bottom mentions a pilot that brought in distribution spend from 3 clients, proving that they are already testing the next phase of their growth.

Slides 11-14: Future Roadmap, Advantage, and Team

Slide 11: The Roadmap This slide provides a timeline from Series A (1/2012) to Series B (12/2013). It shows the layers of the business stacking over time: Journalist Network, then SaaS Workflow, then International Expansion, then Distribution and Multimedia Talent. The use of 'Secret Plans!' boxes suggests a roadmap that is both ambitious and protected.

Slide 12: The Unfair Advantage Contently explicitly addresses why they will win: 'Everyone needs talent, and we have the talent network.' They argue that the value chain starts with creation. By owning the talent, they own the entry point. This is their 'moat' against pure-play SaaS competitors who don't have a built-in supply of creators.

Slide 13: The Snapshot (Team and Financials) The 'Snapshot' slide is a dense summary of the company's DNA. It lists the founders, key employees (VP Product from PayPal/Zong, VP BD from Clickable), and high-profile advisors like Scott Belsky and Dharmesh Shah. It also notes they had raised $3.35M to date before this $9M round. The inclusion of the technology stack (Ruby on Rails, PostgreSQL) is a standard touch for the era.

Slide 14: Conclusion The deck ends with the logo and the tagline: 'Tell Great Stories.'

What Works in the Contently Deck

The 'Plumbing' Narrative: By positioning themselves as infrastructure ('technological plumbing') rather than just a service, they move the conversation from a 'nice-to-have' marketing tool to a 'must-have' enterprise platform. · Marketplace-SaaS Synergy: The deck does an excellent job of explaining how the talent network (marketplace) feeds the software (SaaS). They don't treat them as separate businesses but as a unified value chain. · Clear Pricing Tiers: Stating the $3k-$20k/month range immediately qualifies the business as Enterprise SaaS. It tells the investor exactly what kind of sales team and customer success infrastructure will be needed. · Third-Party Validation: Using a Forbes quote as a standalone slide provides massive social proof that is more effective than a self-written mission statement.

What is Missing from the Contently Deck

Churn and Retention Metrics: While the deck shows revenue growth, it omits Net Revenue Retention (NRR) or logo churn. For a Series B SaaS company, these are usually the first things an investor looks for to ensure the growth isn't just 'leaky bucket' growth. · Competitive Landscape: There is no slide comparing Contently to other content marketing platforms (CMPs) or traditional agencies. They rely on the 'unfair advantage' of their talent network to imply superiority without naming competitors. · Detailed Unit Economics: Beyond ACV, the deck doesn't touch on Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC) or the LTV/CAC ratio. Investors at the Series B stage typically want to see the efficiency of the 'sales machine.' · The 'Ask': The public version of the deck does not include a specific 'Ask' slide detailing how the $9M will be spent (e.g., % to sales, % to R&D).

What a Founder Should Copy

The 'Snapshot' Slide: Slide 13 is an excellent way to consolidate team, investors, advisors, and tech stack into a single, high-impact view. It’s much more efficient than having four separate slides for these items. · The Value Chain Diagram: Using a simple Talent -> Creation -> Distribution flow (Slide 10) is a great way to show how a company plans to expand its 'surface area' within a customer's budget. · The 'Github-like' Analogy: If you are building a marketplace, find a 'Github-like' or 'LinkedIn-like' analogy that helps investors immediately understand the behavior and loyalty of your supply side. · Leading with the Problem: Starting with the #1 challenge of your target customer (Slide 3) and backing it up with industry data (eMarketer) is the most effective way to build a 'logical' bridge to your solution.