Pitch Deck
Framework
IRON LAW: 10-15 Slides, One Idea Per Slide
Investors see 100+ decks per month. They spend 3-4 minutes on average.
Every slide must earn its place. If a slide doesn't advance the core
narrative (problem → solution → why us → why now), cut it.
Standard Pitch Deck Structure (12 Slides)
| # |
Slide |
Purpose |
Time |
| 1 |
Title |
Company name, one-line description, your name |
10 sec |
| 2 |
Problem |
The pain point — specific, relatable, data-backed |
30 sec |
| 3 |
Solution |
How you solve it — clear, concrete |
30 sec |
| 4 |
Demo/Product |
Show, don't tell — screenshot, video, or flow |
45 sec |
| 5 |
Market Size |
TAM → SAM → SOM with methodology |
30 sec |
| 6 |
Business Model |
How you make money — pricing, unit economics |
30 sec |
| 7 |
Traction |
What you've achieved — revenue, users, growth rate |
30 sec |
| 8 |
Competition |
2×2 positioning map — where you win |
20 sec |
| 9 |
Team |
Why THIS team wins — relevant experience |
20 sec |
| 10 |
Financials |
3-year projection — revenue, key assumptions |
30 sec |
| 11 |
The Ask |
How much, what for, what milestones it enables |
20 sec |
| 12 |
Contact |
Name, email, next step |
5 sec |
Slide-by-Slide Guide
Problem Slide:
- Make the audience FEEL the pain
- Use a specific example or data point ("40% of SMBs spend 20+ hrs/month on manual invoicing")
- Avoid abstract problems ("businesses need better solutions")
Market Size:
- TAM = Total Addressable Market (if you captured 100%)
- SAM = Serviceable Addressable Market (your segment)
- SOM = Serviceable Obtainable Market (realistic 3-year target)
- Show methodology, not just a number
Traction Slide (most important for fundraising):
- Revenue curve (up and to the right)
- Growth rate (MoM or YoY)
- Key milestones: customers, partnerships, product launches
- If pre-revenue: waitlist, LOIs, pilot results
Competition Slide:
- 2×2 matrix, NOT a feature comparison table
- Choose axes that make you the clear winner in the top-right
- Include indirect competitors and substitutes
The Ask:
- Amount: specific number ("NT$30M Series A")
- Use of funds: top 3 allocations (product 40%, sales 35%, operations 25%)
- Milestones the funding enables ("reach $1M ARR, expand to 3 markets")
Output Format
# Pitch Deck Outline: {Company}
## Slide-by-Slide Content
### 1. Title
- Company: {name}
- Tagline: {one line}
### 2. Problem
- Pain point: {specific, data-backed}
- Who has this problem: {target customer}
### 3. Solution
- What we do: {one sentence}
- How it works: {2-3 bullet points}
### 4. Product
- {Screenshot/demo description}
### 5. Market
- TAM: ${X}
- SAM: ${X}
- SOM: ${X} (methodology: {how calculated})
### 6. Business Model
- Revenue model: {subscription/transaction/etc.}
- Pricing: {specifics}
- Unit economics: {LTV, CAC, margins}
### 7. Traction
- {Key metric 1}: {number}
- {Key metric 2}: {number}
- Growth: {rate}
### 8. Competition
- 2×2 axes: {X axis} vs {Y axis}
- Our position: {top-right quadrant and why}
### 9. Team
- {Name}: {relevant credential}
- {Name}: {relevant credential}
### 10. Financials
| | Y1 | Y2 | Y3 |
|---|-----|-----|-----|
| Revenue | ${X} | ${X} | ${X} |
### 11. The Ask
- Raising: ${X}
- Use: {allocation}
- Milestones: {what this funding achieves}
## Design Guidelines
- Font size: ≥ 24pt (readable from back of room)
- Max words per slide: 30-40
- One chart/visual per slide maximum
Gotchas
- Traction trumps everything: A deck with amazing traction and mediocre design beats a beautiful deck with no traction. Lead with your strongest metric.
- Don't read slides aloud: Slides are visual aids. You tell the story; slides provide evidence. If you're reading bullets, there are too many bullets.
- "We have no competition" = red flag: Investors know this means you haven't researched. There's always competition — even if it's "doing nothing" or "using a spreadsheet."
- Financial projections WILL be questioned: "How did you get to $10M Y3?" Have a bottom-up model ready. Top-down market share assumptions are weak alone.
- Send a condensed version for email: The presentation deck (with minimal text, big visuals) differs from the email/read-ahead deck (more text, self-explanatory). Prepare both.
References
- For financial modeling behind the projections, see the fin-modeling skill
1---2name: ops-pitch-deck3description: "Structure and write investor pitch decks covering problem, solution, market, business model, traction, team, and financials. Use this skill when the user needs to create a fundraising presentation, prepare for investor meetings, or structure a startup pitch — even if they say 'build a pitch deck', 'present to investors', 'prepare for fundraising', or 'how should I structure my pitch'.".4---56# Pitch Deck78## Framework910```11IRON LAW: 10-15 Slides, One Idea Per Slide1213Investors see 100+ decks per month. They spend 3-4 minutes on average.14Every slide must earn its place. If a slide doesn't advance the core15narrative (problem → solution → why us → why now), cut it.16```1718### Standard Pitch Deck Structure (12 Slides)1920| # | Slide | Purpose | Time |21|---|-------|---------|------|22| 1 | **Title** | Company name, one-line description, your name | 10 sec |23| 2 | **Problem** | The pain point — specific, relatable, data-backed | 30 sec |24| 3 | **Solution** | How you solve it — clear, concrete | 30 sec |25| 4 | **Demo/Product** | Show, don't tell — screenshot, video, or flow | 45 sec |26| 5 | **Market Size** | TAM → SAM → SOM with methodology | 30 sec |27| 6 | **Business Model** | How you make money — pricing, unit economics | 30 sec |28| 7 | **Traction** | What you've achieved — revenue, users, growth rate | 30 sec |29| 8 | **Competition** | 2×2 positioning map — where you win | 20 sec |30| 9 | **Team** | Why THIS team wins — relevant experience | 20 sec |31| 10 | **Financials** | 3-year projection — revenue, key assumptions | 30 sec |32| 11 | **The Ask** | How much, what for, what milestones it enables | 20 sec |33| 12 | **Contact** | Name, email, next step | 5 sec |3435### Slide-by-Slide Guide3637**Problem Slide:**38- Make the audience FEEL the pain39- Use a specific example or data point ("40% of SMBs spend 20+ hrs/month on manual invoicing")40- Avoid abstract problems ("businesses need better solutions")4142**Market Size:**43- TAM = Total Addressable Market (if you captured 100%)44- SAM = Serviceable Addressable Market (your segment)45- SOM = Serviceable Obtainable Market (realistic 3-year target)46- Show methodology, not just a number4748**Traction Slide (most important for fundraising):**49- Revenue curve (up and to the right)50- Growth rate (MoM or YoY)51- Key milestones: customers, partnerships, product launches52- If pre-revenue: waitlist, LOIs, pilot results5354**Competition Slide:**55- 2×2 matrix, NOT a feature comparison table56- Choose axes that make you the clear winner in the top-right57- Include indirect competitors and substitutes5859**The Ask:**60- Amount: specific number ("NT$30M Series A")61- Use of funds: top 3 allocations (product 40%, sales 35%, operations 25%)62- Milestones the funding enables ("reach $1M ARR, expand to 3 markets")6364## Output Format6566```markdown67# Pitch Deck Outline: {Company}6869## Slide-by-Slide Content7071### 1. Title72- Company: {name}73- Tagline: {one line}7475### 2. Problem76- Pain point: {specific, data-backed}77- Who has this problem: {target customer}7879### 3. Solution80- What we do: {one sentence}81- How it works: {2-3 bullet points}8283### 4. Product84- {Screenshot/demo description}8586### 5. Market87- TAM: ${X}88- SAM: ${X}89- SOM: ${X} (methodology: {how calculated})9091### 6. Business Model92- Revenue model: {subscription/transaction/etc.}93- Pricing: {specifics}94- Unit economics: {LTV, CAC, margins}9596### 7. Traction97- {Key metric 1}: {number}98- {Key metric 2}: {number}99- Growth: {rate}100101### 8. Competition102- 2×2 axes: {X axis} vs {Y axis}103- Our position: {top-right quadrant and why}104105### 9. Team106- {Name}: {relevant credential}107- {Name}: {relevant credential}108109### 10. Financials110| | Y1 | Y2 | Y3 |111|---|-----|-----|-----|112| Revenue | ${X} | ${X} | ${X} |113114### 11. The Ask115- Raising: ${X}116- Use: {allocation}117- Milestones: {what this funding achieves}118119## Design Guidelines120- Font size: ≥ 24pt (readable from back of room)121- Max words per slide: 30-40122- One chart/visual per slide maximum123```124125## Gotchas126127- **Traction trumps everything**: A deck with amazing traction and mediocre design beats a beautiful deck with no traction. Lead with your strongest metric.128- **Don't read slides aloud**: Slides are visual aids. You tell the story; slides provide evidence. If you're reading bullets, there are too many bullets.129- **"We have no competition" = red flag**: Investors know this means you haven't researched. There's always competition — even if it's "doing nothing" or "using a spreadsheet."130- **Financial projections WILL be questioned**: "How did you get to $10M Y3?" Have a bottom-up model ready. Top-down market share assumptions are weak alone.131- **Send a condensed version for email**: The presentation deck (with minimal text, big visuals) differs from the email/read-ahead deck (more text, self-explanatory). Prepare both.132133## References134135- For financial modeling behind the projections, see the fin-modeling skill