I see prices across the board, ranging from $500 to $5000+, and a lot of DIY options like Canva, but I want to make sure I am getting the right message and information across in a really good-looking presentation. Don’t want to miss anything before reaching out to investors.
What stage are you at? I’ve looked at tons of decks. For early stage it doesn’t need to look fancy from a graphics and design standpoint. So if money is a concern, I’d say skip the fancy pitch deck.
I see in your other comments that you are also looking for writing help. I’d be very careful here. Most outsourced options aren’t really great from what I’ve seen. The people who work on it will not be as familiar with your startup and market as you are. It’s really you and your team that need to do the hard work of refining the message and getting it down on paper in a clear fashion. Also many times, a startup will have a half-backed idea, and no outside consultant or designer is going to be able to fix that. The best they can do is point this out to you (hopefully) and try their best to put lipstick on your pig (use fancy design over substance). The trouble in this case is you outsource the deck and aren’t happy with what you get back. Instead of doing the hard work of clarifying your idea, you end up blaming the consultants/designers.
I’d do it yourself and then get feedback from other founders and friends whose judgement you respect. Then refine as you do actual pitches with VCS and get questions and feedback.