Story Framework
Startup Pitch Deck
The canonical investor-pitch arc, drawn from Sequoia and Y Combinator's templates. Optimized for 10–20 minute meetings with VCs and angels. Each beat answers the question an investor will ask next.
Beat Diagram
- 1Openingtitle
- 2Company Purpose
- 3Problem
- 4Why Now
- 5Market Size
- 6Competition
- 7Solution
- 8Product
- 9Demo
- 10Traction
- 11Growth Drivers
- 12Business Model
- 13Team
- 14Financials
- 15The Asktitle
- 16Closingtitle
Use Startup Pitch Deck in your next deck — for free
STORYD writes a presentation around your topic and applies Startup Pitch Deck across every slide. No template hunting, no copy-paste.
Free, no card. Exports to PPTX.
OPF Config
narratives:pitch-deck{
"$schema": "https://openpresentation.org/schema/opf/v1",
"name": "PPTX.gallery — narratives/pitch-deck",
"narrative": "pitch-deck",
"tags": [
"gallery:narratives/pitch-deck"
],
"slides": [
{
"id": "gallery-preview-1",
"layout": "title-slide",
"title": "Narrative preview",
"subtitle": "Storyline scaffolded by the \"pitch-deck\" narrative.",
"design": {
"contentBox": false,
"contentAlignment": "center",
"titleAlignment": "center"
}
}
]
}Preview this config live at pptx.dev/playground, or load it in the gallery visual editor.
Pace
10-20 minutes
16 beats
Audience Fit
Tags
Beat-by-Beat Guide
Opening
Open with the company name, logo, and a one-line tagline that doubles as a positioning statement. Set the visual tone for the deck. Keep it confident and uncluttered — this is the cover.
Company Purpose
State in a single sentence what the company does and why it exists. Should be immediately understandable without industry jargon. Often doubles as the answer to 'so what do you do?'
Problem
Describe the pain point you solve. Make it concrete with a specific user or customer scenario. The more visceral and recognizable the problem, the stronger the rest of the pitch lands.
Why Now
Explain the technological, regulatory, behavioral, or market shift that makes this opportunity possible today and impossible five years ago. Investors want to know why this is a window, not just an idea.
Market Size
Size the opportunity. Top-down (TAM/SAM/SOM) or bottom-up (units × price). Show how big the prize is if you win, and why this market is attractive to a venture-scale outcome.
Competition
Map the competitive landscape honestly. A 2x2 matrix or feature-comparison grid is fine; what matters is showing you understand the alternatives and where you uniquely fit. Naïve 'no competition' answers tank credibility.
Solution
Show how you solve the problem and why your approach is uniquely better. Lead with the outcome for the customer, then show the mechanism. This is where you connect problem to product.
Product
Give the product its own moment. Screenshots or a key visual that captures what users actually see and feel. Pick one strong frame over a montage of small ones.
Demo
Walk through the core user flow end-to-end. Show real software solving a real problem in a real workflow — not a marketing reel. If a live demo is too risky, use a tightly edited recording with narration.
Traction
Prove momentum with one credible headline metric. Revenue, users, growth rate, customer logos — whatever best shows the business is working. One strong chart beats five vanity numbers.
Growth Drivers
Show how the headline metric got there and where it's going. Cohorts, retention, expansion, channel mix — whatever explains the engine behind the number. Investors back the trajectory, not the snapshot.
Business Model
Explain how the company makes money. Pricing, unit economics, sales motion, payback period. Should answer: what does it cost to acquire a customer, and what do they pay you?
Team
Establish why this team uniquely wins this market. Founder backgrounds, relevant experience, prior outcomes, key advisors. Investors back people first; make the case.
Financials
Show the financial picture: historical revenue, burn, runway, and forward projection. Be conservative-but-credible — investors will discount aggressive numbers and reward defensible ones.
The Ask
State the round size, intended use of funds, and what milestones the capital takes you to. Be specific — investors should leave knowing exactly what you want and what they get.
Closing
Close on a strong final image: logo, contact info, and the one line you most want the investor to remember. Leave space for the conversation that follows.