# Pitch Deck Reviewer

> Score a pitch deck's structure and content against YC, Sequoia, and a16z heuristics. Use before sending a deck to investors, practicing a pitch, or reviewing a seed or Series A fundraising deck.

- Skill: `borghei/pitch-deck-reviewer` (Agent Skill, multi-file: 4 files)
- Install (CLI): `npx skillmds@latest add borghei/pitch-deck-reviewer`
- Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/borghei/pitch-deck-reviewer/raw
- Safety review: pending
- Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex
- Category: Coding & Dev Tools
- License: MIT + Commons Clause
- Author: borghei (https://skillmd.com/u/borghei)
- Updated: 2026-09-09
- Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/borghei/pitch-deck-reviewer

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# Pitch Deck Reviewer

Score a pitch deck's structure against the YC / Sequoia / a16z heuristics.

> **Note:** This evaluates *structure*, not *content quality*. A perfectly-structured deck for a bad business is still a bad pitch. But a poorly-structured deck for a great business often gets passed.

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## Keywords

pitch deck, pitch, fundraise, fundraising, seed deck, Series A deck, investor deck, slide deck, YC, Y Combinator, Sequoia, a16z

---

## Clarify First

Before scoring the deck, confirm these inputs. If any is unknown or vague, ASK — do not assume:

- [ ] **Funding stage** — seed vs Series A sets the required-slide rubric (`--stage` flag) and what counts as a gap
- [ ] **Slide-by-slide summary** — one bullet per slide (number + title + 1-2 sentences); vague summaries produce false gaps
- [ ] **Round context** — amount raising and traction stage, so the "ask" and "traction" slides are judged against the right bar

Stop rule: ask only the 2-3 that most change the output. If the user says "just draft it," proceed and list your assumptions at the top of the artifact.

---

## Quick Start

1. Summarize each slide as one bullet in `deck_summary.md` (slide number + title + 1-2 sentences of content)
2. Run: `python scripts/deck_structure_scorer.py deck_summary.md`
3. Address gaps; iterate

---

## Core Workflows

### Workflow 1: Pre-Send Deck Review
1. Summarize deck slide-by-slide in `deck_summary.md`
2. Run scorer
3. Add missing slides (the scorer flags by category)
4. Re-order if structure flow is off
5. Pair with `documents/pptx-toolkit/` for actual pptx audit

**Time Estimate:** 1-2 hours per major deck iteration.

### Workflow 2: First Deck Build (No Existing Deck)
1. Read `references/pitch_deck_heuristics.md`
2. Use the structure rubric (10-15 slides covering specific topics)
3. Draft slide-by-slide
4. Validate as Workflow 1

**Time Estimate:** 1-2 weeks for first complete draft.

---

## Tools

### deck_structure_scorer.py

Reads a markdown file describing the deck slide-by-slide and scores it against required slides per stage.

```bash
python scripts/deck_structure_scorer.py deck_summary.md
python scripts/deck_structure_scorer.py deck_summary.md --json

# For Series A
python scripts/deck_structure_scorer.py deck_summary.md --stage series-a
```

Stages: `seed` (default), `series-a`.

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## Reference Guides

- **`references/pitch_deck_heuristics.md`** — YC, Sequoia, a16z deck structure heuristics; common mistakes; stage differences

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## Templates

- **`assets/deck_summary_template.md`** — Slide-by-slide summary template

---

## Best Practices

- **One idea per slide.** If you can't summarize it in one sentence, split it.
- **Numbers, not adjectives.** "Strong growth" is weak. "$80k → $312k MRR over 12 months" is strong.
- **Order matters.** Most decks under-invest in problem framing and the "why now" slide.
- **Don't ship 30+ slides.** A seed deck is 10-12 slides; a Series A deck is 12-15.
- **Demo is not the deck.** Decks introduce; demos persuade. Plan both.