What Do Investors Really Want to See in Your App Pitch?

Most founders walk into an investor meeting with a beautiful slide deck and a head full of passion for their app idea—and walk out wondering what went wrong. I've seen it happen countless times over the years; brilliant concepts that never get funded because the pitch missed what investors actually need to hear. The thing is, investors aren't really buying your app idea. They're buying something else entirely, and if you don't understand that difference, you're going to struggle to secure the funding you need.

Here's what most people get wrong about app pitches: they focus on features instead of fundamentals. They talk about how amazing their user interface is or how many cool things their app can do, but investors have sat through hundreds of these presentations. They've heard it all before. What they're really looking for is evidence that you understand your market, that real users have a genuine problem worth solving, and that you've got a clear path to making money. Not someday—but in a realistic timeframe that makes business sense.

An investor once told me that ninety percent of app pitches fail because founders answer questions nobody asked, whilst completely ignoring the questions that actually matter

Throughout this guide, I'm going to walk you through exactly what investors want to see in your app pitch—not the fluffy stuff you'll find in generic startup advice, but the real metrics, proof points, and financial projections that actually move the needle. Whether you're pitching to venture capitalists, angel investors, or internal stakeholders at a larger company, the principles remain surprisingly similar. Its about demonstrating that you've done your homework, that you understand the mobile app landscape, and that you're not just another optimistic founder with a dream but no plan to execute it.

Understanding What Investors Actually Care About

Right, lets get straight to it—investors aren't looking at your app the same way you are. I mean, you see your brilliant idea and all its potential, but they're seeing something completely different. They're seeing risk.

After working with dozens of startups who've gone through funding rounds, I can tell you that investors care about one thing above all else: return on investment. Will they get their money back, and will they get a lot more on top? Everything else—your beautiful design, your clever features, your passion—matters only if it supports that fundamental question.

Here's the thing though; investors aren't just betting on your app, they're betting on you and your ability to execute. I've seen apps with mediocre ideas secure funding because the team demonstrated they could actually build and scale a business. And I've seen brilliant app concepts fail to get a penny because the founders couldn't articulate how they'd acquire users or what their unit economics looked like.

When you walk into that pitch room (or hop on that Zoom call these days), investors are evaluating five main things: your market size, your traction, your business model, your team, and your understanding of the competitive landscape. They want to see that you've done your homework—that you know exactly who your users are, how much it costs to acquire them, and how much revenue each user will generate over their lifetime.

But here's what surprises most founders: investors also want to see that you know what you don't know. Being honest about your challenges and risks actually builds credibility, because it shows you're thinking realistically about the road ahead. Nobody expects perfection; they expect self-awareness and a plan to address the gaps.

The Numbers That Matter Most

When you walk into a room to pitch your app—or send over that deck via email—investors are going to want numbers. Hard data. Not fluffy projections or wishful thinking, but real figures that tell them whether your app actually has legs. I've seen so many brilliant app ideas fall flat because the founder couldn't back up their vision with solid numbers; and honestly, it's heartbreaking because sometimes those apps really could've been something special.

But here's the thing—not all numbers carry the same weight. Investors aren't impressed by vanity metrics like total downloads if those users never open your app again. What they really care about are the metrics that indicate real user engagement and sustainable growth. Its about showing them that people don't just download your app, they actually use it, and more importantly, they keep coming back to it.

The single most important number? Your retention rate. If 90% of your users disappear after the first week, you've got a problem. A big one. Most investors want to see at least 40% of users still active after 30 days—anything less and they'll start questioning whether your app provides real value. Daily Active Users (DAU) and Monthly Active Users (MAU) matter too, but the ratio between them tells an even better story about how sticky your app really is.

Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC) versus Lifetime Value (LTV) is another pairing investors obsess over. You need to show that each user brings in more value than it costs to acquire them. The golden ratio? An LTV that's at least 3x your CAC. Anything less and you're basically burning money to grow, which isn't sustainable no matter how much funding you secure.

Key Metrics You Must Track

• Monthly Recurring Revenue (MRR) if you've got a subscription model
• Churn rate—how many users are leaving each month
• Average Revenue Per User (ARPU) to show monetisation effectiveness
• User engagement metrics like session length and frequency
• Conversion rates at each stage of your user funnel
• Burn rate and runway—how long your current funding will last

Actually, one thing that catches a lot of first-time founders off guard is that investors want to see your projections broken down month by month, not just year by year. They want to understand the mechanics of your growth, not just the end destination. Show them how you'll get from 1,000 users to 10,000 users, what it'll cost, and what revenue you expect at each stage. And please—make sure your projections are based on actual data from your current users, not just numbers you think sound impressive.

Keep a live dashboard with your key metrics that you can share during any investor meeting. It shows you're data-driven and gives them confidence that you understand what drives your business.

If you haven't launched yet, use comparable apps in your space to create realistic benchmarks. Investors know the typical conversion rates and retention numbers for different app categories, so don't try to claim you'll achieve 80% retention when the industry average is 25%. That just makes you look naive. Show them you understand the challenges ahead and have a realistic plan to beat the averages—even by a bit.

Showing You Know Your Market

This is where I see so many pitches fall apart—founders walk in with a brilliant app idea but cant tell me who their actual competitors are or, worse, they say they dont have any. That's a massive red flag. Every app has competition, even if its just people choosing to do nothing instead of using your solution.

Investors need to see that youve done your homework; that youve spent time understanding the market youre entering and the people youre serving. I mean, you should be able to tell them the size of your target market, whos already operating in that space, and—heres the important bit—why your approach is different. Not better necessarily (although that helps!) but genuinely different in a way that matters to users.

When I work with clients preparing for investor meetings, I always make them create what I call a competitive landscape map. Its not complicated really. You list your main competitors, what they do well, where they fall short, and how your app fits into that picture. But here's the thing—dont just focus on direct competitors. Think about indirect ones too. If youre building a fitness app, your competition isnt just other fitness apps its also gyms, personal trainers, YouTube workout videos...basically anything that solves the same problem.

You also need to show you understand market trends and timing. Why is now the right moment for your app? What's changed in user behaviour or technology that makes your solution possible or necessary? Investors see hundreds of pitches and they need to believe youve identified a genuine opportunity thats worth their money and—just as importantly—their time. Show them youve looked at user demographics, spending habits, and adoption patterns in your category. The more specific you can be about your market positioning, the more confident they'll feel that you actually know what youre getting into.

Proving People Actually Want Your App

Here's the thing—investors don't care about your idea. Not really. I mean, they'll listen politely and nod in the right places, but what they actually want to see is proof that other people care about your idea. And not just care in a "yeah that sounds nice" kind of way, but care enough to actually use it.

The best proof you can show is people already using your app. Even if its a basic version, even if it only does half of what you're planning—active users trump everything else. How many people have downloaded it? How many come back daily? Weekly? These numbers tell investors that you've got something real, not just an idea scribbled on a napkin.

But here's where most founders go wrong; they think pre-launch interest counts for much. Sure, having 5,000 people on a waiting list is better than nothing, but its not the same as having 500 people who've installed your app and keep using it. People will sign up for anything if you make it sound good enough—actually using something takes real commitment.

The difference between someone saying they'd use your app and someone who actually opens it three times a week is the difference between a polite lie and genuine demand.

If you haven't launched yet (and lets be honest, most people pitching havent) then you need to show validation in other ways. Surveys from your target market, interviews with potential users, letters of intent from businesses who'd pay for it. Basically anything that proves you've spoken to real humans who have the problem you're trying to solve and would actually use your solution. Screenshots of conversations work well, emails from potential customers asking when they can buy it, beta tester feedback—all of this builds a case that demand exists beyond your own enthusiasm.

Your Team and Why You're the Right People

Investors back people, not just ideas—its a cliche but its true. I've watched brilliant app concepts fail because the team couldn't execute, and I've seen mediocre ideas succeed because the right people were behind them. When you're pitching your app, investors aren't just evaluating what you want to build; they're evaluating whether you can actually build it. And more importantly, whether you can handle the hundred unexpected problems that'll pop up along the way.

Here's what investors really want to see in your team. First, relevant experience. You don't all need to be technical experts, but someone needs to understand how apps actually get built and maintained. I mean, if you're building a fintech app and nobody on your team has ever worked in finance or payments? That's going to raise serious questions. Second, they want to see complementary skills—a great developer who can't sell the product is only half the equation. Third, and this often gets overlooked, they want to see commitment. Are you full-time on this? Or is it a side project that might get abandoned when things get tough?

What Makes a Strong App Development Team

• Technical expertise—someone who understands mobile development inside and out
• Business acumen—someone who gets the market and can talk to customers
• Design thinking—someone who cares deeply about user experience
• Domain knowledge—experience in the industry you're trying to disrupt
• Proven track record—previous successes (or instructive failures) you've learned from

But here's the thing—investors also want to see self-awareness. If you're missing a key skill, acknowledge it and show you've got a plan to fill that gap. Maybe you've got advisors lined up, or you're actively recruiting. That honesty actually builds trust because it shows you understand what success requires and you're not just winging it.

The Technical Side Without the Jargon

Right, here's where most people start sweating—the technical bits. But here's the thing; investors don't need you to explain how React Native differs from native development or what your database schema looks like. What they do need to know is that you understand the tech well enough to make smart decisions and that you're not about to waste their money rebuilding everything in six months because you chose the wrong approach.

I've sat through countless pitches where founders either go way too technical (losing everyone in the room) or way too vague (making investors nervous youve got no clue what you're doing). The sweet spot? Explaining your technical decisions in terms of business outcomes. Like, instead of saying "we're using a microservices architecture with containerised deployment," say "we've built the app so we can add new features quickly without breaking existing ones, and we can handle growth without starting from scratch." See the difference?

What Investors Actually Want to Know

Your investors care about three main technical areas; they want to know if your apps actually going to work reliably, if it can grow with your user base, and if you're not painting yourself into a corner with weird tech choices that will make hiring impossible. I mean, building your entire app on some obscure framework that only five developers worldwide understand? That's a red flag. Building it on proven tech that thousands of developers know? That's smart.

Talk about your security too—especially if you're handling sensitive data like health records or financial information. You don't need to detail every encryption protocol, but showing you take data protection seriously matters. A lot. One breach can kill a startup faster than anything else.

Technical Risks You Need to Address

Be honest about technical challenges you're facing or might face. Every app has them. Maybe its integrating with outdated hospital systems or dealing with poor internet connectivity in rural areas. Investors respect founders who identify risks early rather than pretending everything's perfect—because its never perfect, and they know that.

Create a simple one-page technical overview that explains your architecture, key technology choices, and how you'll handle scale. Keep it visual with diagrams rather than walls of text; investors should understand your tech stack in under two minutes.

Here are the technical points investors want covered in your pitch:

• What platforms you're building for (iOS, Android, or both) and why
• How you'll handle app updates and bug fixes without disrupting users
• Your approach to data storage and user privacy compliance
• Plans for handling increased user loads as you grow
• Any third-party services or APIs you're dependent on
• Your development timeline and what's built versus what's still planned

Another thing—don't oversell your tech. I've seen founders claim their app uses AI when really its just a basic if-then statement, or talk about "proprietary algorithms" that are actually just standard formulas everyone uses. Investors see through this immediately and it damages your credibility far more than just being straightforward about what you've built would have done. If you've got genuinely clever tech, great; if not, focus on how well you execute the basics instead.

How You'll Make Money

Right, let's talk about the bit investors actually care about most—how you're going to turn this app into actual money. Because here's the thing, you can have the most beautiful app in the world with millions of downloads, but if there's no clear path to revenue, investors aren't interested. They want their money back, and then some.

I've seen so many pitches where founders get this part wrong. They'll spend ages talking about features and design, then when it comes to monetisation they say something vague like "we'll figure that out later" or "advertising, probably?" That's not good enough. You need a specific, well-thought-out revenue model that actually makes sense for your type of app and your target users.

The Main Ways Apps Make Money

There are really only a handful of proven monetisation models that work, and you need to pick the one that fits your app best. Here's what investors expect to see:

• Subscriptions—This is the gold standard these days because it creates predictable, recurring revenue that investors love; you charge users monthly or yearly for access to your app or premium features
• In-app purchases—Works brilliantly for games and certain types of apps where users buy virtual goods, upgrades, or additional content inside the app itself
• Freemium model—Give the basic app away free but charge for advanced features; this lets you build a large user base then convert a percentage to paying customers
• Advertising—You make money by showing ads to your users, but be careful with this one because it requires massive user numbers to generate meaningful revenue
• Transaction fees—If your app facilitates transactions between users (like a marketplace), you take a small percentage of each sale
• Enterprise licensing—Selling your app directly to businesses who pay for multiple user seats or custom features

Show Them the Numbers

But it's not enough to just say "we're doing subscriptions"—investors want to see your unit economics. That means showing them how much it costs you to acquire each user (your CAC or customer acquisition cost) versus how much revenue that user generates over their lifetime (LTV or lifetime value). If your LTV is at least 3x your CAC, you're in good shape. Less than that and investors start getting nervous.

I mean, you also need to be realistic about conversion rates. If you're doing freemium, don't assume 20% of free users will convert to paid—industry average is more like 2-4%. Its better to be conservative in your projections and then exceed them than to promise the moon and fall short. Investors have seen enough pitches to know when your numbers dont add up, so make sure you can defend every assumption you make about pricing, conversion rates, and user retention.

What Happens After They Say Yes

Right, so you've done it—you got the yes. Honestly, this is where a lot of founders breathe a huge sigh of relief and think the hard work is over. But here's the thing: getting investment is actually just the beginning of a whole new phase, and its one that needs just as much attention as your pitch did.

First thing that happens is due diligence. I mean, proper due diligence. The investors who just said yes are going to dig into everything you told them; they'll want to verify your numbers, talk to your customers (if you have them), review your code, check your legal setup, and basically make sure you weren't just telling them what they wanted to hear. This usually takes anywhere from a few weeks to a couple of months depending on the size of the investment. Its not personal—they're protecting their money and making sure everything stacks up.

The period between a verbal yes and money in the bank is when most deals fall apart, usually because founders weren't as prepared as they thought they were.

Once due diligence is done, you'll negotiate the actual terms. Sure, you might have discussed valuation in your pitch, but now you're getting into the nitty-gritty: board seats, reporting requirements, what happens if you need more funding later, exit scenarios, and all sorts of clauses that protect both you and them. Get a good lawyer who understands app investment—don't try to wing this bit.

After the paperwork is signed and the money hits your account? That's when the real relationship begins. You're not just getting cash, you're getting partners who will want regular updates on your progress. Most investors expect monthly reports showing how you're tracking against the goals you outlined in your app pitch. They'll want to know user numbers, revenue, burn rate, and what problems you're facing. And actually, this accountability can be really helpful—it keeps you focused on what matters.

Look—pitching to investors isn't easy, and honestly, theres no magic formula that works every time. I've seen brilliant apps struggle to get funding and average ideas secure millions. It's a bit frustrating really, because so much depends on timing, the right connections, and just being in the room with the right person on the right day.

But here's what I know after years of watching pitches succeed and fail: preparation matters more than luck. The entrepreneurs who do their homework, who know their numbers inside out, who can answer tough questions without fumbling—they're the ones who walk away with term sheets. And the ones who show up with a polished deck but cant explain their unit economics? They usually dont get a second meeting.

What investors really want to see is that you understand the business you're building; not just the app itself but the entire ecosystem around it. They want to know you've thought about user acquisition costs, retention strategies, competitive threats, and what happens when things go wrong (because they will). They want to see that you're coachable, that you can take feedback without getting defensive, and that you genuinely believe in what you're creating.

The technical stuff matters, sure. The market research is important. The financial projections need to make sense. But what really makes the difference is showing them you're the kind of person who will figure it out when everything doesn't go according to plan. Because it wont—it never does. Investors have seen hundreds of pitches and they know that most assumptions will be wrong, most timelines will slip, and most "guaranteed" partnerships will fall through. What they're betting on is whether you'll adapt and keep pushing forward anyway.

So go into that pitch room knowing your stuff, but also knowing that you dont have to have all the answers. Show them you're smart enough to find the answers when you need them.