Millions of entrepreneurs try their hand at launching new products, services, or businesses each year—and it’s arduous work. An important, often high-stakes part of that process can be securing the venture capital necessary to get an idea off the ground or to its next milestone. To get the capital they need, founders must put together a strong pitch deck—sometimes called a startup deck—for meetings with potential investors.
In this blog post, we’re taking a closer look at the overarching goals and aims of a pitch deck, what exactly a pitch deck is, why you might need one, and how to go about creating one.
What is a pitch deck?
Startup teams create and use pitch decks to visually guide the flow of VC fundraising meetings with potential investors. A pitch deck helps tell the unique story of a particular startup—its key offerings, positioning within the market, and the opportunity a GP has to profit by investing in it—in a succinct, compelling way.
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How do startups use pitch decks?
From a founder’s perspective, a pitch deck can function as a roadmap during the sometimes-nerve-wracking meetings they secure with potential investors. In this scenario, there’s a lot on the line for a founder—their company’s ability to build and test products, refine business models, expand teams, increase revenues, and enter new markets. They want to get these conversations right to secure the funding they need, and a pitch deck is paramount to keeping pitch meetings on track. Additionally, the usefulness of a pitch deck extends beyond meetings with investors—it’s a leave-behind that investors can reference and share with their teams as they evaluate their own next steps.
From an investor’s point of view, a pitch deck helps bring a startup’s cohesive, overarching story into focus. It complements the points a founder makes throughout a pitch meeting and makes the investment opportunity crystal clear. It can also be useful as a reference after the meeting or to persuade other team members to invest in the startup.
“When it comes to pitching, I want to know the problem you’re solving, how you’re solving it, and why you are uniquely suited to address the issue.”
—Carrie Colbert, Founding and General Partner, Curate Capital
The anatomy of a pitch deck
A pitch deck done right sets the stage for a dynamic conversation between founders and investors. When creating a pitch deck, keep these core—or anatomic—ideals in mind. They’ll provide a solid foundation for diving deeper into the presentation’s tactical elements.
What topics are typically included in a pitch deck?
It can depend on the specific scenario, but pitch decks often contain slides that speak to some, or all, of the following:
- Introduction
- Vision
- Problem
- Value proposition
- Target market
- Solution
- Traction
- Milestones
- Business model
- Marketing strategy
- Sales strategy
- The team
- Financials
- Investments and funding to date
- Competitors
- The ask
How should a pitch deck be structured?
When it comes to structure, pitch decks are usually created in a slideshow format using PowerPoint or another program of choice. When a startup team is ready to share their pitch deck, the document’s slides are often exported as an un-editable PDF. PDFs can be used to present at in-person or virtual meetings with minimal room for tech difficulties. As part of the presenting group’s post-meeting follow-up, PDFs are also easily shared as an email attachment.
What is the 10/20/30 rule?
Coined by Guy Kawasaki and not specific to—but useful for—pitch decks and pitch meetings, the 10/20/30 rule says that no presentation should be more than 10 slides, longer than 20 minutes, or use fonts smaller than 30-point in size. The goal is to keep presentations short, digestible, dynamic for those in the room, as well as to prevent those presenting from overstuffing their decks with more content than one can comprehend in the context of one short meeting.
Kawasaki is a venture capitalist, marketing expert, and author. In the 1980s, he was one of the Apple employees originally tasked with marketing their Macintosh computer. Since then, he has angel invested in three tech startups—Cheeze, Buffer, and Got It AI. Among his current titles include board member at FilmLoop, BitPass, and Cheeze and Chief Evangelist at Canva. He previously co-founded Garage Technology Ventures and was an advisor at Pulsar Venture Capital and FileThis.
How long should a pitch deck be?
In terms of pitch deck length, the aforementioned 10/20/30 rule suggests 10 as a maximum. While that’s a great rule of thumb, it isn’t a staunch guideline and there is some flexibility. Our experts suggest that between 10 and 15 slides is a good target—no more than 20. And each slide should be dedicated to a unique slice of a startup’s offerings using topics akin to those outlined in the bulleted list above.
The importance of building a data-driven pitch deck
When startup teams ace their pitch deck preparation and formal pitch meetings, it can be an absolute game changer for their businesses. Once they’ve linked up with the right investor or investor team, a world of options and opportunities becomes available—from capital and expert guidance to an expanded network of new connections.
But, like most things, it’s easier said than done. There are tens of thousands of VC investors around the world, and they’re all on the receiving end of endless pitch emails.
To set themselves apart, companies need to articulate why they’re worthy of investment over every other startup. Beyond a brand narrative and compelling founder’s story, companies need hard data—our specialty—to drive home their key points. With PitchBook, startups can leverage our best-in-class data and insights to:
- Connect with the right investors for their company
- Be in the driver’s seat during negotiations
- Demonstrate their team’s industry expertise to potential investors
- Speak to an evolving market landscape
- Show investors how they stand to profit
“PitchBook helped us target suitable investors for our Series A raise. Great tool for startups to assist with raising money.”
—Don Perugini, Founder and CEO, Presagen
