Pitch Deck Framework (By Stage)

DECK PHILOSOPHY

Pitch Deck Fundamentals

PITCH DECK PHILOSOPHY

WHY DECKS MATTER:
☐ First impression of you
☐ Framework for conversation
☐ Leave-behind after meeting
☐ Forwarded to partners
☐ Due diligence anchor
☐ Credibility signal

DECK PRINCIPLES:

1. STORY FIRST, SLIDES SECOND
   ☐ Deck supports your narrative
   ☐ Not a document to read
   ☐ Conversation starter
   ☐ Visual, not verbose

2. EVERY SLIDE EARNS ITS PLACE
   ☐ Each slide has one point
   ☐ If it doesn't advance, remove
   ☐ Less is more
   ☐ 10-15 slides maximum

3. KNOW YOUR AUDIENCE
   ☐ Pre-seed is different from A
   ☐ Stage expectations vary
   ☐ Investor thesis matters
   ☐ Customize for meetings

4. BUILD MOMENTUM
   ☐ Start with hook
   ☐ Build to crescendo
   ☐ End with clear ask
   ☐ Leave them wanting more

DECK USAGE:
Sent ahead: 10-15 slides, readable alone
Live pitch: Same deck, you provide detail
Leave behind: Full version with appendix
Reference: Appendix for deep dives

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DECK STRUCTURE BY STAGE

Core Deck Structure

UNIVERSAL PITCH DECK STRUCTURE

ALL STAGES - CORE FLOW:

1. TITLE (1 slide)
   ☐ Company name/logo
   ☐ One-liner description
   ☐ Contact info
   ☐ Stage/amount (optional)

2. PROBLEM (1-2 slides)
   ☐ Clear customer pain
   ☐ Why this matters now
   ☐ Size/scope of problem
   ☐ Current alternatives fail

3. SOLUTION (1-2 slides)
   ☐ How you solve it
   ☐ Product screenshot/demo
   ☐ Key differentiator
   ☐ "Magic moment"

4. TRACTION (2-3 slides)
   ☐ Key metrics graph (up and to right)
   ☐ Customer logos
   ☐ Growth trajectory
   ☐ Engagement/retention proof

5. MARKET (1-2 slides)
   ☐ TAM/SAM/SOM
   ☐ Bottom-up validation
   ☐ Why you can capture it
   ☐ Market dynamics

6. BUSINESS MODEL (1 slide)
   ☐ How you make money
   ☐ Unit economics
   ☐ Pricing strategy
   ☐ Revenue streams

7. COMPETITION (1 slide)
   ☐ Competitive landscape
   ☐ Your differentiation
   ☐ Why you win
   ☐ Defensibility

8. TEAM (1 slide)
   ☐ Founder backgrounds
   ☐ Relevant experience
   ☐ Why you'll win
   ☐ Key hires/advisors

9. FINANCIALS (1 slide)
   ☐ Current state
   ☐ Use of funds
   ☐ Key projections
   ☐ Milestones

10. ASK (1 slide)
    ☐ Amount raising
    ☐ Use of proceeds
    ☐ Next milestone
    ☐ Call to action

Stage	Critical Slides	Time Allocation	Key Proof	Red Flags
Pre-seed	Team, Vision, Problem	40% team	Founder-market fit	No team story
Seed	Traction, Product, Team	35% traction	Early metrics	No users/revenue
Series A	Metrics, GTM, Unit econ	40% numbers	Repeatable growth	No clear GTM
Series B+	Unit economics, Path	50% financials	Path to profit	Poor retention

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Pre-Seed Deck Framework

PRE-SEED DECK (10-12 slides)

EMPHASIS: Team, Vision, Problem
PROOF NEEDED: Founder-market fit

CRITICAL SLIDES:

1. TITLE
   [Company] - [One-liner]
   Pre-seed: $[X]

2. TEAM (This often comes first at pre-seed)
   ☐ Founder backgrounds
   ☐ Why you for this problem
   ☐ Domain expertise
   ☐ Past achievements

3. PROBLEM
   ☐ Problem you've experienced
   ☐ Why current solutions fail
   ☐ Why this matters

4. SOLUTION/VISION
   ☐ Your approach
   ☐ Early product (if exists)
   ☐ Long-term vision
   ☐ Why now

5. EARLY TRACTION (if any)
   ☐ Waitlist/interest
   ☐ LOIs/pilots
   ☐ Early users
   ☐ Relevant prior experience

6. MARKET
   ☐ Market size
   ☐ Why it's attractive
   ☐ Your wedge

7. ASK
   ☐ Amount: $[X]
   ☐ Milestones to Seed
   ☐ Use of funds

WHAT INVESTORS LOOK FOR:
☐ Team quality and fit
☐ Insight/vision quality
☐ Founder obsession
☐ Market potential
☐ Speed of learning

Seed Deck Framework

SEED DECK (12-15 slides)

EMPHASIS: Traction, Product, Team
PROOF NEEDED: Product-market fit signals

CRITICAL SLIDES:

1. TITLE
   [Company] - [One-liner]
   Seed: $[X]M

2. PROBLEM
   ☐ Clear customer pain
   ☐ Why existing solutions fail
   ☐ Why now is the time

3. SOLUTION
   ☐ Product screenshots
   ☐ How it works
   ☐ Key differentiator
   ☐ Customer quote

4. TRACTION (Key slide)
   ☐ Revenue/users graph
   ☐ Growth rate
   ☐ Key engagement metrics
   ☐ Customer logos

5. PRODUCT
   ☐ Product deep dive
   ☐ What makes it work
   ☐ Roadmap preview

6. MARKET
   ☐ TAM/SAM/SOM
   ☐ Bottom-up sizing
   ☐ Market dynamics

7. BUSINESS MODEL
   ☐ How you make money
   ☐ Current pricing
   ☐ Unit economics (if available)

8. COMPETITION
   ☐ Landscape view
   ☐ Your positioning
   ☐ Why you win

9. TEAM
   ☐ Founders
   ☐ Key hires
   ☐ Advisors

10. FINANCIALS
    ☐ Current metrics
    ☐ Projections
    ☐ Key milestones

11. ASK
    ☐ Raising $[X]M
    ☐ Use of funds
    ☐ Path to Series A

WHAT INVESTORS LOOK FOR:
☐ Early traction evidence
☐ Product quality
☐ Customer love
☐ Team execution
☐ Clear path to A

Series A Deck Framework

SERIES A DECK (15 slides)

EMPHASIS: Metrics, GTM, Scale
PROOF NEEDED: Repeatable, scalable growth

CRITICAL SLIDES:

1. TITLE
   [Company] - [One-liner]
   Series A: $[X]M at $[X]M pre

2. COMPANY SNAPSHOT
   ☐ Key metrics
   ☐ Team size
   ☐ Stage summary

3. PROBLEM
   ☐ Market problem
   ☐ Why now
   ☐ Size of opportunity

4. SOLUTION
   ☐ Product overview
   ☐ Key value props
   ☐ Differentiation

5. TRACTION (Most important)
   ☐ ARR/Revenue growth
   ☐ MoM/YoY growth rate
   ☐ Customer count
   ☐ Logo churn/NRR

6. CUSTOMER EVIDENCE
   ☐ Case studies
   ☐ Testimonials
   ☐ NPS/satisfaction
   ☐ Expansion data

7. GO-TO-MARKET
   ☐ Sales motion
   ☐ Marketing channels
   ☐ CAC/LTV
   ☐ Payback period

8. MARKET
   ☐ TAM/SAM/SOM
   ☐ Market position
   ☐ Land-expand opportunity

9. COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE
   ☐ Moats/defensibility
   ☐ Why you win
   ☐ Barriers to entry

10. PRODUCT ROADMAP
    ☐ Current state
    ☐ Key initiatives
    ☐ Platform vision

11. TEAM
    ☐ Leadership team
    ☐ Key hires made
    ☐ Planned hires

12. UNIT ECONOMICS
    ☐ CAC/LTV detail
    ☐ Gross margins
    ☐ Contribution margin

13. FINANCIALS
    ☐ Historical and projected
    ☐ Use of funds
    ☐ Key assumptions

14. ASK
    ☐ Raising $[X]M
    ☐ Key milestones
    ☐ Path to profitability/B

WHAT INVESTORS LOOK FOR:
☐ $1M+ ARR (often $2-5M)
☐ >100% NRR
☐ Clear sales motion
☐ Unit economics work
☐ Strong team

Series B+ Deck Framework

SERIES B+ DECK (15-18 slides)

EMPHASIS: Unit Economics, Path to Profit
PROOF NEEDED: Efficient scaling, path to profitability

CRITICAL SLIDES:

1-4. Same foundation (Title, Problem, Solution, Traction)

5. BUSINESS METRICS DEEP DIVE
   ☐ ARR progression
   ☐ Growth efficiency
   ☐ Cohort performance
   ☐ NDR/GRR trends

6. UNIT ECONOMICS (Critical)
   ☐ CAC by channel
   ☐ LTV by segment
   ☐ Payback period
   ☐ CAC/LTV ratio trends

7. FINANCIAL PERFORMANCE
   ☐ Revenue and growth
   ☐ Gross margins
   ☐ Operating margins
   ☐ Path to profitability

8. GTM EFFICIENCY
   ☐ Sales productivity
   ☐ Magic number
   ☐ Channel mix
   ☐ Expansion revenue

9. MARKET LEADERSHIP
   ☐ Market share
   ☐ Competitive position
   ☐ Category definition

10. PLATFORM/EXPANSION
    ☐ Product expansion
    ☐ Market expansion
    ☐ M&A potential

11-14. Team, Roadmap, Financials, Ask

WHAT INVESTORS LOOK FOR:
☐ $10M+ ARR
☐ Clear path to profitability
☐ Market leadership evidence
☐ Efficient growth metrics
☐ Experienced leadership team

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SLIDE DESIGN

Slide Design Principles

SLIDE DESIGN GUIDELINES

VISUAL PRINCIPLES:
☐ One key message per slide
☐ Minimal text (30 words max)
☐ Large, readable fonts
☐ Clean, professional design
☐ Consistent brand

CHARTS/GRAPHS:
☐ Up and to the right
☐ Clear labels
☐ Highlight key data
☐ Source noted

IMAGES:
☐ High resolution
☐ Product screenshots
☐ Team photos (professional)
☐ Customer logos (with permission)

FORMATTING:
☐ 16:9 aspect ratio
☐ Consistent margins
☐ Aligned elements
☐ Readable on screen share

COMMON MISTAKES:
☐ Too much text
☐ Tiny fonts
☐ Cluttered slides
☐ Inconsistent formatting
☐ Missing contact info
☐ No page numbers

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