dragoon0x Pitch Deck Patterns
Slide Structures
Seed Stage (10-12 slides)
- Title + one-line hook
- Problem (make them feel it)
- Solution (clear, visual)
- Demo/product (show, don't tell)
- Market size (bottom-up TAM)
- Business model (how you make money)
- Traction (metrics, growth rate)
- Competition (honest positioning)
- Team (why you, specifically)
- Ask (amount, use of funds, milestones)
Series A+ (12-15 slides)
Add: unit economics, go-to-market strategy, expansion plan, financial projections
Strategic/Partnership
Different structure entirely: shared problem, mutual value, specific proposal, timeline, next steps.
Slide Design Rules
One Idea Per Slide
If a slide needs "and also..." it's two slides. Complexity belongs in the appendix.
Headlines Are Insights, Not Labels
- Bad: "Revenue Growth"
- Good: "Revenue tripled after launching self-serve in March"
- The headline should carry the point even if nobody reads the body.
Data Storytelling
- Every chart needs an insight headline
- Annotate the specific data point that matters
- Remove gridlines, reduce axis labels, kill chart junk
- Use color to highlight the story, gray out the rest
- Left-align numbers in tables, right-align currency
Visual Consistency
- One font family throughout
- One accent color for emphasis
- Consistent chart styles (don't mix bar and pie randomly)
- Same layout grid across all slides
- Logo placement doesn't move
Text Reduction
Read your slide. Cut 50%. Read again. Cut 30% more. What remains should be speakable in 30 seconds.
Anti-Patterns
- Wall of text slides (this is a document, not a deck)
- Clip art or generic stock photos
- Busy backgrounds that compete with content
- Inconsistent formatting slide to slide
- Appendix items in the main deck
- More than 3 bullet points per slide
- Animations/transitions that add time without meaning