Pitch Deck Mastery

Pitch Deck Mastery

Create investor-grade pitch decks informed by patterns from the world's best startup decks.

> Companion skills: Use the pptx skill for actual .pptx file creation. Use alex-hormozi-offers if structuring a product/service offer within the deck.

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The Standard Pitch Deck Structure

Every great deck follows a narrative arc. Here is the proven 12-slide framework used by top-funded startups:

| # | Slide | Purpose | Key Question It Answers | |---|-------|---------|------------------------| | 1 | Title | First impression, brand, one-liner | "What is this company?" | | 2 | Problem | Pain point with evidence | "Why does this matter?" | | 3 | Solution | Your product/approach | "How do you solve it?" | | 4 | Why Now | Market timing & tailwinds | "Why is now the right time?" | | 5 | Market Size | TAM → SAM → SOM | "How big is the opportunity?" | | 6 | Product | Demo, screenshots, how it works | "What does it look like?" | | 7 | Traction | Metrics, growth, milestones | "Is it working?" | | 8 | Business Model | Revenue, pricing, unit economics | "How do you make money?" | | 9 | Competition | Positioning map or matrix | "Why will you win?" | | 10 | Team | Founders + key hires, why them | "Can you execute?" | | 11 | Financials | Projections, use of funds | "What do you need & where does it go?" | | 12 | Ask | Raise amount, terms, next steps | "What are you asking for?" |

Stage-Specific Adjustments

| Stage | Slides to Emphasize | Slides to Minimize | Deck Length | |-------|---------------------|--------------------|-------------| | Pre-seed | Problem, Solution, Team, Why Now | Financials, Competition | 8-10 slides | | Seed | Traction, Product, Market Size | Detailed financials | 10-12 slides | | Series A | Traction, Unit Economics, Go-to-Market | Problem (brief) | 12-15 slides | | Series B+ | Metrics, Financials, Expansion Plan | Problem, Solution (brief) | 15-20 slides |

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Deck Design Principles

Patterns extracted from the highest-performing decks across all major resources:

Content Rules

1. One idea per slide — If you need a second point, make a second slide
2. Lead with the headline — Each slide title should be the takeaway, not a label (e.g., "Revenue grew 3x in 6 months" not "Revenue")
3. Show, don't tell — Screenshots, charts, and demos over bullet points
4. Quantify everything — Replace adjectives with numbers ("large market" → "$47B market")
5. 10-word rule — No bullet point should exceed 10 words

Visual Rules

1. Max 3 fonts — One for headings, one for body, one for accents
2. Consistent color palette — 2-3 brand colors + 1 accent for emphasis
3. White space is your friend — Crowded slides signal unclear thinking
4. Left-to-right, top-to-bottom — Respect natural reading flow
5. Charts over tables — Unless precision matters more than trend

Narrative Rules

1. Problem → Solution arc — Make the investor feel the pain before revealing the cure
2. Credibility stacking — Each slide should build on the last
3. End with momentum — Your Ask slide should feel like an inevitability, not a request
4. The "So What?" test — Every slide must pass: "Why should the investor care about this?"

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Deck Review Checklist

When reviewing an existing deck, evaluate against these criteria:

Must-Pass (Instant Rejection if Missing)

• [ ] Clear one-liner on title slide
• [ ] Specific, quantified problem
• [ ] Solution clearly tied to the problem
• [ ] Market size with credible sourcing
• [ ] Team slide with relevant credentials
• [ ] Clear ask (amount + use of funds)

Strength Signals (What Makes Decks Stand Out)

• [ ] Traction chart showing growth trajectory
• [ ] Named customers or logos
• [ ] Unit economics demonstrated
• [ ] Competitive positioning that's honest, not dismissive
• [ ] "Why Now" slide with a genuine insight
• [ ] Consistent visual identity throughout

Common Mistakes (From Failory's Failed Deck Analysis)

• [ ] No wall-of-text slides
• [ ] No unsourced market size claims
• [ ] No "we have no competition" positioning
• [ ] No vanity metrics without context
• [ ] No more than 15 slides for seed stage
• [ ] No generic team bios (show domain expertise)

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Using the Research Resources

Claude has access to 10 curated pitch deck resources. Read references/resources.md for the full database with URLs, use cases, and what to look for in each.

Quick Reference: When to Use Which Resource

| Need | Best Resource | Why | |------|---------------|-----| | Seed-stage deck template | Y Combinator Library | Gold standard for early-stage clarity | | AI/tech startup framing | Pitch Deck Hunt | Curated AI deck collection | | Find investors by stage | OpenVC | Searchable investor + deck database | | Study famous decks in depth | Alexander Jarvis | Professional-grade deck teardowns | | Learn from failures | Failory | Failed deck analysis to avoid mistakes | | Visual storytelling inspiration | Deck Gallery | Best-designed deck archive | | Reconstructed iconic decks | Slidebean | Airbnb, Uber, Buffer deck rebuilds | | Early-stage founder resources | Foundational | Broad founder toolkit | | Growth & ops tools | Startup Resources | Curated startup tool directory | | Modern funding insights | Untapped | How startups get built and funded today |

How to Research for a User

When a user asks Claude to help with a pitch deck, Claude should:

1. Identify the stage — Pre-seed, seed, Series A, or later
2. Fetch relevant examples — Use web_fetch to pull examples from the appropriate resource (see references/resources.md for URLs)
3. Apply the framework — Use the 12-slide structure above, adjusted for stage
4. Review against checklist — Run through the Must-Pass and Strength Signals
5. Reference real decks — Point users to specific examples from the resources that match their industry/stage

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Slide-by-Slide Writing Guide

Slide 1: Title

[Company Name]
[One-liner: What you do in ≤10 words]
[Stage] | [Raising $X]
[Contact info]

Tips: The one-liner should pass the "mom test" — would a non-technical person understand it? Avoid jargon.

Slide 2: Problem

• State the problem in human terms first, then quantify
• Use a real quote or scenario if possible
• Show the cost of the status quo (time, money, frustration)
• Frame: "X people face Y problem, costing them Z"

Slide 3: Solution

• Lead with the outcome, not the feature
• One screenshot or visual of the product
• Max 3 key differentiators
• Frame: "We do X so that Y can Z"

Slide 4: Why Now

Best "Why Now" triggers:

• Regulatory change
• Technology inflection (AI, mobile, cloud)
• Behavior shift (remote work, creator economy)
• Market failure (incumbent stagnation)
• Cost curve crossing (something just became cheap enough)

Slide 5: Market Size

TAM: Total addressable market (the whole universe)
SAM: Serviceable addressable market (who you could reach)
SOM: Serviceable obtainable market (realistic year 1-3 target)

Rules: Bottom-up > top-down. "The market is $X billion" is weak. "There are X customers who pay $Y/year for Z, giving us a SAM of $X" is strong.

Slide 6: Product

• Show the product in action (screenshots, demo flow, architecture)
• Highlight the "aha moment" — what makes users stay
• Keep it visual, minimal text
• If pre-product, show mockups or prototypes

Slide 7: Traction

Best metrics by stage:

| Stage | Primary Metrics | |-------|----------------| | Pre-seed | Waitlist, LOIs, pilot commitments | | Seed | MRR, user growth rate, retention | | Series A | Revenue, NDR, CAC/LTV, growth rate |

Always show trajectory, not just a snapshot. A chart going up-and-to-the-right is the most powerful slide in any deck.

Slide 8: Business Model

• Show how money flows: Customer → You → Value delivery
• Include key unit economics if available (CAC, LTV, margins)
• Pricing model clarity: subscription, usage-based, marketplace take rate
• Show expansion potential (upsell, cross-sell, platform)

Slide 9: Competition

Use a 2x2 matrix (not a feature checklist where you win everything — investors see through this). Pick two dimensions that matter most to customers and position yourself in the best quadrant.

Slide 10: Team

• Name, photo, title, one credential line per person
• Highlight domain expertise and "why this team wins"
• Notable advisors or investors (logos if possible)
• Don't list every team member — focus on founders + key hires

Slide 11: Financials

• 3-year projection (keep it simple)
• Key assumptions clearly stated
• Use of funds breakdown (pie chart or bar)
• Path to profitability or next milestone

Slide 12: Ask

• Amount raising and instrument (SAFE, priced round, etc.)
• What milestones the raise enables
• Timeline for deployment
• Contact information and next steps

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Quick-Start Templates

For Pre-Seed (8 slides)

Title → Problem → Solution → Why Now → Product → Team → Market → Ask

For Seed (12 slides)

Full 12-slide framework as described above

For Series A (15 slides)

Full 12 slides + Go-to-Market + Case Studies + Expansion Plan

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Integration Notes

• To create the actual .pptx file: Use the pptx skill after structuring content with this skill
• To structure an offer within the deck: Reference the alex-hormozi-offers skill for value stacking and pricing
• To research competitors or market data: Use web_search and web_fetch tools
• To fetch example decks: Use URLs from references/resources.md with web_fetch

Source & license

This open-source skill is cataloged on AgentStack and links to its original source — we do not rehost the code.

• Author: Stevekaplanai
• Source: Stevekaplanai/pitch-deck-mastery-skill
• License: MIT

Install and usage instructions live in the source repository linked above.