A modern VC pitch deck is 10–12 slides. Each slide serves a single purpose; clutter kills momentum.

The 10 slides

1. Company one-liner

• One sentence that says what you do, for whom, and the wedge.
• No buzzwords. No “AI-powered platform for next-gen…“

2. Problem

• One specific, painful problem the customer is trying to solve.
• Real numbers: lost revenue, wasted hours, bad outcomes.

3. Solution

• What you built, in plain terms.
• Screenshot or short demo clip.
• Why this wedge solves the problem better than alternatives.

4. Market

• TAM / SAM / SOM — from bottoms-up logic, not top-down guesses.
• Specific customer persona and ACV.

5. Product / Demo

• Screenshots of real product.
• Short narrative tied to customer workflow.
• Differentiation vs competitors.

6. Traction

• Revenue, users, or usage with growth curves.
• Cohort retention if it’s strong.
• Logos of top customers.

7. Business model

• Pricing.
• ACV and expansion motion.
• Unit economics: LTV, CAC, payback.

8. Competition

• Honest competitive matrix.
• Positioning vs 4–6 real alternatives.
• Why you win.

9. Team

• Founders + key leadership.
• Relevant experience and unfair advantage.
• Why this team, for this problem, now.

10. Ask

• Round size, use of funds, runway.
• Key milestones to hit before next round.

Optional appendix

• Financial model summary.
• Deep cohort analyses.
• Technical architecture.
• Expanded competitive landscape.
• Advisory board and investors.

What kills a deck

1. No evidence: Story without usage or revenue.
2. Overclaimed TAM: “$1 trillion market” without a path.
3. Generic problem slide: “Companies need better data” — too vague.
4. No team slide until after the product slide.
5. Hockey-stick projections without sales motion explanation.

The meeting dynamics of a modern deck

• First 5 minutes: founder hook + problem.
• Middle 15 minutes: demo + traction + model.
• Last 10 minutes: questions, often around team and competitive moat.
• Tight, confident Q&A often matters more than the deck itself.

Practical takeaway

1. Founders: Cut every slide that isn’t directly answering “is this investable?”
2. Investors: A great deck is a sign of clear thinking, not presentation skill.
3. Operators: Keep your deck live — update monthly with latest metrics, even if you’re not actively raising.

Further reading

• YC pitching guide: https://www.ycombinator.com/library
• Sequoia’s pitch deck template: https://www.sequoiacap.com/article/writing-a-business-plan/