How to Create a Pitch Deck That Gets Funded - Investor Template Included

Investors see thousands of pitch decks each year. Most get rejected within 60 seconds.

This guide shows you how to create a deck that captures attention, tells a compelling story, and gets you to the next meeting.

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Table of Contents

1. The 10-Slide Formula
2. Slide-by-Slide Breakdown
3. Design Principles
4. Common Mistakes
5. The Pitch Delivery
6. Pitch Deck Template

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The 10-Slide Formula

Why 10 Slides?

Guy Kawasaki popularized the 10/20/30 rule:

• 10 slides maximum
• 20 minutes to present
• 30 point minimum font

Why it works: Forces clarity. Investors are busy. Every word must earn its place.

The Standard Structure

1. Title Slide - What you do (1 slide)
2. Problem - What pain you solve (1 slide)
3. Solution - How you solve it (1-2 slides)
4. Market - How big is the opportunity (1 slide)
5. Business Model - How you make money (1 slide)
6. Traction - Proof it's working (1 slide)
7. Competition - Why you win (1 slide)
8. Team - Why you can execute (1 slide)
9. Financials - The numbers (1 slide)
10. Ask - What you need (1 slide)

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Slide-by-Slide Breakdown

Slide 1: Title

Purpose: First impression. Hook attention.

Include:

• Company name
• One-line description (what you do)
• Your name and title
• Contact info

Example:

Acme AI
AI-powered customer support that resolves 80% of tickets instantly
Jane Smith, CEO | jane@acme.ai

Tips:

• Make the one-liner crystal clear
• Include a visual of your product if possible
• Keep it clean—don't overwhelm

Slide 2: Problem

Purpose: Make the investor feel the pain.

Structure:

• Describe the problem in relatable terms
• Quantify the pain (time wasted, money lost)
• Make it feel urgent

Example:

Customer support is broken

• Companies spend $350B annually on support
• 67% of customers have hung up in frustration
• Average wait time: 11 minutes
• Support teams are overwhelmed and expensive

Tips:

• Use specific numbers, not vague claims
• Tell a story if possible
• Make the investor nod in recognition

Slide 3: Solution

Purpose: Show how you solve the problem.

Structure:

• Clear explanation of your product
• Key features/benefits (3-5 max)
• Screenshot or demo visual

Example:

AI support that actually works

• Resolves 80% of tickets without human intervention
• Learns from every conversation
• Integrates in 10 minutes with any helpdesk
  [Screenshot of product]

Tips:

• Focus on benefits, not features
• Show, don't tell (use visuals)
• Keep it simple—details come later

Slide 4: Market Size

Purpose: Show the opportunity is big enough.

Structure:

• TAM (Total Addressable Market)
• SAM (Serviceable Addressable Market)
• SOM (Serviceable Obtainable Market)

Example:

$50B opportunity

• TAM: $350B global customer support spend
• SAM: $50B SMB customer support in US/EU
• SOM: $500M (first 10,000 target companies)

Tips:

• Bottom-up calculation is better than top-down
• Be realistic about SOM
• Show you've thought about this carefully

Slide 5: Business Model

Purpose: Show how you make money.

Structure:

• Pricing model (subscription, usage, etc.)
• Key revenue metrics
• Unit economics if available

Example:

Simple SaaS pricing

• $99/month per agent seat
• $499/month average contract value
• 85% gross margin
• 12-month CAC payback

Tips:

• Keep it simple
• Show you understand unit economics
• Mention pricing power if relevant

Slide 6: Traction

Purpose: Prove it's working.

This is the most important slide for early-stage companies.

What to include:

• Revenue growth (if any)
• User growth
• Engagement metrics
• Key milestones
• Logos (if B2B)

Example:

Growing 30% MoM

• $25K MRR (from $0 six months ago)
• 45 paying customers
• 3 enterprise pilots (Fortune 500)
• 0% churn in last 90 days
  [Growth chart]

Tips:

• Show a chart going up and to the right
• Be specific with numbers
• If revenue is small, show engagement/usage

Slide 7: Competition

Purpose: Show you understand the landscape and why you win.

Structure:

• Competitive matrix OR
• 2x2 positioning chart
• Your unfair advantages

Example:

We win on AI + simplicity
[2x2 matrix: "AI Capability" vs "Ease of Use"]

• Zendesk: Powerful but complex, no AI
• Intercom: Easy but limited AI
• Us: Powerful AI + 10-minute setup

Tips:

• Never say "no competition"
• Be fair to competitors
• Focus on meaningful differentiation

Slide 8: Team

Purpose: Show you can execute.

Structure:

• Founders with photos
• Relevant experience
• Key hires (if notable)
• Advisors (if impressive)

Example:

Built by support experts

• Jane (CEO): 10 years at Zendesk, VP Product
• John (CTO): Ex-Google AI, 3 patents in NLP
• Advisors: [Notable names]

Tips:

• Lead with relevant experience
• Include photos (builds connection)
• If team is weak, address how you'll fill gaps

Slide 9: Financials

Purpose: Show the path to growth.

Structure:

• Key projections (3-year)
• Key assumptions
• Use of funds

Example:

Path to $10M ARR

• 2024: $300K ARR
• 2025: $2M ARR
• 2026: $10M ARR

Key assumptions:

• 100 new customers/month by 2025
• ACV grows to $2,000 with enterprise

Tips:

• Investors know projections are wrong
• Show you've thought through assumptions
• Be ambitious but not delusional

Slide 10: The Ask

Purpose: Tell them what you need.

Structure:

• Amount raising
• Use of funds
• Key milestones this enables
• Timeline

Example:

Raising $1.5M Seed

• 40% Engineering (hire 2 senior devs)
• 30% Sales (hire first 2 AEs)
• 20% Marketing (content, paid)
• 10% Operations

Milestones: $1M ARR, 200 customers, Series A ready

Tips:

• Be specific about the amount
• Show clear use of funds
• Connect to meaningful milestones

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Design Principles

The Golden Rules

1. One idea per slide

   • Don't cram
   • If it needs two ideas, use two slides

2. More visuals, fewer words

   • Replace paragraphs with charts
   • Use icons and images
   • White space is your friend

3. Consistent design

   • Same fonts throughout
   • Same color scheme
   • Same layout patterns

4. Large fonts

   • Titles: 40pt+
   • Body: 28pt+
   • If you can't read from 6 feet away, it's too small

5. High contrast

   • Dark text on light background
   • Or light text on dark background
   • Never low-contrast

Colors

Recommendation:

• 1 primary brand color
• 1 accent color
• Black/dark gray for text
• White/light background

Fonts

Safe choices:

• Inter, SF Pro, Helvetica Neue (clean)
• Poppins, DM Sans (modern)
• Avoid decorative fonts

Tools

• Figma - Professional, collaborative
• Pitch - Built for decks
• Canva - Easy, many templates
• Google Slides - Free, accessible
• Keynote/PowerPoint - Classic

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Common Mistakes

Mistake 1: Too Much Text

Problem: Slides full of paragraphs. Investor reads instead of listening.

Fix: Bullet points. 6 words max per bullet. 6 bullets max per slide.

Mistake 2: No Clear Problem

Problem: Jumping to solution without establishing pain.

Fix: Make them feel the problem before showing the solution.

Mistake 3: Unrealistic Market Size

Problem: "Our TAM is $500B!" (the entire global economy)

Fix: Bottom-up calculation. Realistic SOM.

Mistake 4: Ignoring Competition

Problem: "We have no competitors!"

Fix: Show you understand the landscape. Position against alternatives.

Mistake 5: No Traction Slide

Problem: All theory, no proof.

Fix: Show something. Even usage metrics, waitlist, or pilots.

Mistake 6: Weak Team Slide

Problem: No relevant experience. Just names.

Fix: Lead with relevant achievements. Fill gaps with advisors.

Mistake 7: No Clear Ask

Problem: "We're looking for strategic partners and investment..."

Fix: Specific amount. Specific use. Specific milestones.

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The Pitch Delivery

Timing

• 2 minutes per slide average
• 20 minutes total presentation
• Leave time for Q&A

Opening Strong

First 30 seconds determine if they pay attention.

Options:

• Start with a story
• Start with a shocking stat
• Start with a question

Handling Questions

• Answer directly - Don't dodge
• Admit what you don't know - "Great question. I don't have that data but will follow up."
• Pivot gracefully - "That's a great point. Let me show you..."

Closing Strong

End with:

• Clear ask
• Why now
• Next step ("I'd love to schedule a follow-up to deep dive on...")

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Pitch Deck Template

Slide-by-Slide Template

1. Title

[Company Name]
[One-liner: What you do]

[Your name], [Title]
[Contact]

2. Problem

[Problem headline]

• [Statistic about problem]
• [Statistic about problem]
• [Statistic about problem]

[Optional: Story or quote]

3. Solution

[Solution headline]

• [Benefit 1]
• [Benefit 2]
• [Benefit 3]

[Product screenshot/visual]

4. Market

$[X]B Opportunity

TAM: $[X]B - [Definition]
SAM: $[X]B - [Definition]
SOM: $[X]M - [Definition]

5. Business Model

[Pricing model headline]

[Price per unit/time]
[Average contract value]
[Gross margin]
[Other key metrics]

6. Traction

[Traction headline - the best stat]

[Chart showing growth]

• [Metric 1]
• [Metric 2]
• [Metric 3]

7. Competition

[Positioning headline]

[2x2 matrix or competitive table]

Our advantages:
• [Advantage 1]
• [Advantage 2]

8. Team

[Team headline]

[Photo] [Name] - [Title]
[Relevant experience]

[Photo] [Name] - [Title]
[Relevant experience]

Advisors: [Notable names]

9. Financials

Path to $[X] Revenue

[Year 1]: $[X]
[Year 2]: $[X]
[Year 3]: $[X]

Key assumptions:
• [Assumption 1]
• [Assumption 2]

10. Ask

Raising $[X]

Use of funds:
• [X]% - [Category]
• [X]% - [Category]
• [X]% - [Category]

Milestones:
• [Milestone 1]
• [Milestone 2]

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Conclusion

A great pitch deck is:

• Clear - Anyone can understand in 3 minutes
• Compelling - Creates urgency and excitement
• Credible - Backed by data and traction

Start with this template, customize for your story, and practice until it flows naturally.

Remember: The deck gets you the meeting. Your passion and clarity close the deal.

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