Pitch decks8 min read
Pitch Deck Structure: The 10 Slides Investors Actually Read
Most decks fail on order, not aesthetics. Here is the slide-by-slide structure I use for Seed through Series B decks, and what to cut from each one.
Read articleNotes on decks that win rooms.
Practical writing on pitch deck structure, slide design and visual storytelling from a working presentation designer.
Pitch decks6 min read
How Long Should a Pitch Deck Be? Slide Counts by Stage
Ten to twelve slides for the deck you send. Here is how that count shifts by stage, what goes in the appendix, and how long the room version should run.
Read articleDesign7 min read
Pitch Deck Design: 12 Rules That Make Slides Credible
Design does not make a weak story strong, but bad design makes a strong story look unserious. Twelve constraints that do most of the work.
Read articlePitch decks7 min read
Series B Pitch Deck: What Changes After Series A
At Series B the question shifts from "does this work?" to "does this scale efficiently?" Here is how the deck changes to answer it.
Read articlePitch decks4 min read
Seed Pitch Deck: What Seed Investors Need to Believe
Pre-seed sells the idea. Series A sells the machine. The seed deck sits in between, and its job is to show the first real evidence and name what the money turns it into.
Read articlePitch decks4 min read
Pitch Deck Examples: 5 Famous Decks and What to Steal
Galleries show you the slides. This one tells you which moves still work, which only worked in 2005, and what to lift for your own deck.
Read articleHiring4 min read
Pitch Deck Design Cost: What You'll Pay and What You're Paying For
Quotes run from under $100 to five figures for what sounds like the same job. Here's what separates them, and how to brief a designer so you pay for the right work.
Read articlePitch decks5 min read
Pitch Deck Competition Slide: How to Build One Investors Believe
Most competition slides put the founder's logo top-right on axes the founder chose. Here's why investors stop trusting that slide, and how to build one they'll believe.
Read articlePitch decks6 min read
Use of Funds Slide: How to Design One Investors Trust
Most advice on this slide covers what to put in it. Almost none covers how it should look. Here is the layout I use, and why I rarely reach for a pie chart.
Read articlePitch decks6 min read
Pitch Deck Traction Slide: How to Chart Growth Investors Trust
Most traction slides fail on the chart, not the numbers. Here's how I pick the one metric, choose the chart type, and label it so a skimming investor sees the trend in seconds.
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Market Size Slide: How to Design TAM, SAM and SOM Investors Believe
Most market size slides are three nested circles and three big numbers nobody believes. Here is how I lay the slide out so the maths does the persuading.
Read articlePitch decks6 min read
Pitch Deck Team Slide: What to Show and What to Cut
Most team slides fail by saying too much, not too little. Here's how I decide who goes on it, what goes under each face, and where it sits in the deck.
Read articlePitch decks6 min read
Why Now Slide: How to Prove Your Timing in a Pitch Deck
Most why now slides explain the problem again and never get to the timing. Here's the test I run on every one, and how I design the shift so it reads in seconds.
Read articlePitch decks6 min read
Pitch Deck Problem Slide: How to Make Investors Feel the Pain
Most problem slides describe a market, not a pain. Here's how I narrow the problem to one customer, put a sourced cost on it and lay it out so it reads in seconds.
Read articlePitch decks6 min read
Pitch Deck Business Model Slide: How to Show How You Make Money
Most business model slides are a Business Model Canvas pasted onto a slide. Here is how I design one an investor can read in five seconds, by model type.
Read articlePitch decks6 min read
Pitch Deck Appendix: What to Put in It and How to Design It
Most appendices are a pile of slides that didn't make the cut. Here is how I decide what goes in the back of a deck and how I design it so it's usable in a live meeting.
Read articlePitch decks6 min read
Financial Projections Slide: What to Show and How to Design It
Every number on this slide is a guess, and investors know it. Here's how I decide whether a deck needs a financial projections slide, what goes on it, and how to design it so the forecast reads as a forecast.
Read articlePitch decks6 min read
Go-to-Market Slide: How to Build One Investors Believe
Most go-to-market slides are a list of marketing channels with logos. Here's what I put on the slide instead, how I lay it out for different sales motions, and what to show before you have numbers.
Read articleDesign7 min read
First Board Meeting Deck: What to Include and How to Design It
Your first board deck isn't a pitch deck. Here's what to include, how long to make it, when to send it, and how to design slides that work as a pre-read and in the room.
Read articlePitch decks7 min read
Demo Day Pitch Deck: How to Design Slides for the Stage
A demo day deck has minutes to earn a follow-up meeting from the back row of a big room. Here's how many slides to use, what goes on them, and what to send afterwards.
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