How to Create a Pitch Deck: The Complete Guide (2025)
A pitch deck is a brief presentation that gives investors an overview of your business. It's typically 10-15 slides and takes 3-5 minutes to present, followed by Q&A.
This guide covers everything you need to know about creating an effective pitch deck in 2025, including the exact slides to include, what to put on each one, common mistakes to avoid, and what investors actually look for.
Table of Contents
What Is a Pitch Deck?
The Standard Pitch Deck Structure
Slide-by-Slide Breakdown
Design Best Practices
Common Mistakes to Avoid
What Investors Actually Look For
Pitch Deck Examples by Stage
Tools for Creating Pitch Decks---
What Is a Pitch Deck?
A pitch deck is a visual presentation that tells the story of your business to potential investors. It answers the fundamental questions: What problem are you solving? Why does your solution matter? Why now? Why you? And what do you need?
Key Statistics About Pitch Decks
Average investor time spent on initial review: 3 minutes 44 seconds (DocSend study)
Average pitch deck length: 12-14 slides
Optimal presentation time: 10-15 minutes (leaving time for Q&A)
Decks viewed before investment decision: 100+ per funded companyWhen You Need a Pitch Deck
Fundraising meetings with VCs or angels
Demo days and accelerator applications
Pitch competitions
Strategic partnership discussions
Board meetings and investor updates---
The Standard Pitch Deck Structure
The Essential 10 Slides
Most successful pitch decks follow this structure:
Title/Cover Slide - Company name, tagline, your name
Problem - The pain point you're addressing
Solution - How you solve the problem
Product - What you've built (demo/screenshots)
Market Size - TAM, SAM, SOM
Business Model - How you make money
Traction - Evidence of product-market fit
Competition - Competitive landscape and differentiation
Team - Why you're the right people
Ask - What you need and how you'll use itExtended Structure (15 Slides)
For Series A and beyond, you might add:
Go-to-Market Strategy - How you acquire customers
Financials - Revenue projections, unit economics
Roadmap - Key milestones and timeline
Risks and Mitigations - Showing you've thought ahead
Contact/Appendix - Additional details---
Slide-by-Slide Breakdown
Slide 1: Title/Cover
Purpose: Create a strong first impression and establish credibility.
What to include:
Company name and logo
One-line description or tagline
Your name and title
Date (optional)
Contact information (optional)Best practices:
Keep it clean and uncluttered
Your tagline should communicate what you do in under 10 words
Example: "TextDeck - AI-Powered Presentation Generation"Common mistakes:
Too much text
Weak or confusing tagline
No logo (looks unprofessional)---
Slide 2: Problem
Purpose: Make investors feel the pain your customers experience.
What to include:
Clear statement of the problem
Who experiences this problem
How painful/costly it is (quantify if possible)
Why existing solutions are inadequateBest practices:
Use specific numbers: "Sales teams spend 8 hours/week on manual data entry"
Tell a relatable story or scenario
Make the problem feel urgent and widespreadExample structure:
"[Persona] struggles with [specific problem]. Today, they spend [time/money] dealing with [pain]. Current solutions like [alternatives] don't work because [reasons]."
Common mistakes:
Problem is too vague
Problem seems trivial
Problem only affects a tiny audience---
Slide 3: Solution
Purpose: Show how you uniquely solve the problem.
What to include:
Your solution in one clear sentence
3-4 key benefits (not features)
Why your approach is different/better
How the user's life improvesBest practices:
Focus on outcomes, not features
Show the transformation: Before → After
Connect directly to the problem you statedExample structure:
"[Product name] is a [category] that helps [persona] [achieve outcome]. Unlike [alternatives], we [key differentiator]."
Common mistakes:
Feature dumping
Not clearly connecting to the problem
Using jargon investors won't understand---
Slide 4: Product
Purpose: Show what you've actually built.
What to include:
Product screenshots or demo
Key features highlighted
User interface walkthrough
Real usage if availableBest practices:
Show, don't just tell
Annotate screenshots to highlight key features
Consider a brief video demo (under 60 seconds)
Show actual user activity if you have itCommon mistakes:
Too many screenshots/features
Showing mockups when you have real product
Technical details instead of user benefits---
Slide 5: Market Size
Purpose: Prove the opportunity is big enough to matter.
What to include:
TAM (Total Addressable Market) - Total market demand
SAM (Serviceable Addressable Market) - Market you can reach
SOM (Serviceable Obtainable Market) - Market you can capture in 3-5 years
Market growth rateBest practices:
Use credible sources (Gartner, industry associations)
Show your math (don't just cite a big number)
Focus on SAM—that's what matters to investors
Bottom-up > Top-down calculationsExample bottom-up calculation:
"50,000 mid-market companies in the US × $12,000 average annual spend = $600M SAM"
Common mistakes:
Citing huge TAM without relevant SAM
No sources for numbers
Confusing market size with revenue potential---
Slide 6: Business Model
Purpose: Show how you make money.
What to include:
Revenue model (subscription, transaction, etc.)
Pricing structure
Unit economics (if available)
Average contract value / ARPUBest practices:
Be specific about pricing
Show proof that people will pay (if you have it)
Include key metrics: CAC, LTV, LTV:CAC ratio
Explain how economics improve at scaleExample metrics to include:
Average Revenue Per User (ARPU): $X/month
Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC): $X
Lifetime Value (LTV): $X
LTV:CAC Ratio: X:1Common mistakes:
Vague "freemium" without conversion metrics
No pricing (what's the actual number?)
Unrealistic unit economics assumptions---
Slide 7: Traction
Purpose: Prove that real customers want what you're building.
What to include:
Revenue or growth metrics
User/customer numbers
Key milestones achieved
Notable customers/logos
Growth rate (MoM or YoY)Best practices:
Use actual numbers, not "growing fast"
Show trajectory (graph going up and to the right)
Include both absolute numbers and growth rate
Highlight quality of customers, not just quantityMetrics that matter by stage:
| Stage | Key Metrics |
| Pre-seed | User signups, waitlist, LOIs |
| Seed | Paying customers, MRR, growth % |
| Series A | ARR, growth rate, retention, unit economics |
| Series B+ | Multiple of ARR, efficiency metrics |
Common mistakes:
Vanity metrics (downloads, signups without activation)
Hiding bad numbers (investors will find out)
No context for what numbers mean---
Slide 8: Competition
Purpose: Show you understand the landscape and how you're differentiated.
What to include:
Key competitors
How you're different/better
Your unique positioning
Barriers to entryBest practices:
Use a 2x2 matrix or comparison table
Be honest about competitors' strengths
Focus on your differentiation, not competitor weaknesses
Include indirect competitors and substitutesExample 2x2 matrix axes:
High price vs. Low price
Feature-rich vs. Ease of use
Enterprise vs. SMB
Manual vs. AutomatedCommon mistakes:
"We have no competition" (red flag—either you don't understand the market or there's no market)
Bashing competitors
Missing obvious competitors---
Slide 9: Team
Purpose: Convince investors that you can execute.
What to include:
Founders and key team members
Relevant experience and credentials
Why this team for this problem
Key advisors (if notable)Best practices:
Include photos (humanizes the team)
Highlight relevant experience, not full bios
Show founder-market fit
Mention previous exits or notable companiesWhat investors look for:
Domain expertise
Complementary skills
Previous startup/scale experience
Ability to recruit talentCommon mistakes:
Including everyone (focus on leadership)
Irrelevant experience
No photos (seems anonymous)---
Slide 10: Ask
Purpose: Tell investors exactly what you need and how you'll use it.
What to include:
Amount raising
Use of funds (high-level)
What this capital will achieve
Timeline to key milestones
Contact informationBest practices:
Be specific: "$2M to reach profitability in 18 months"
Show 3-4 categories of spend (people, product, marketing, etc.)
Include milestones that fundraising will unlock
Make the next step clearExample use of funds breakdown:
60% - Engineering team expansion
25% - Sales and marketing
10% - Operations
5% - Legal and adminCommon mistakes:
Vague "growth" without specifics
No timeline
Not connecting spend to milestones---
Design Best Practices
General Guidelines
One idea per slide: Don't overload
Consistent formatting: Same fonts, colors, layouts throughout
Readable fonts: Minimum 24pt for body text
Limited text: Max 6 bullet points per slide, max 6 words per bullet
High contrast: Dark text on light background or vice versa
Professional images: No stock photo clichésTypography
| Element | Recommended Size |
| Titles | 36-44pt |
| Subtitles | 24-30pt |
| Body text | 18-24pt |
| Fine print | 14-16pt |
Color Usage
Primary color: Used for titles, key callouts
Secondary color: Used for accents, charts
Neutral colors: Used for body text, backgrounds
Limit to 3-4 colors totalData Visualization
Use charts that match your story (bar for comparison, line for trends)
Label everything clearly
Remove chart junk (gridlines, unnecessary legends)
Highlight the key insight, not just show data---
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Content Mistakes
Too long: More than 15 slides loses attention
Too much text: Slides are visual aids, not documents
Missing the "why now": What makes this moment special?
Unrealistic projections: 100x growth with no justification
No clear ask: What do you actually want?Design Mistakes
Inconsistent branding: Different fonts, colors, styles
Unreadable text: Too small or low contrast
Cluttered slides: Too many elements competing
Poor image quality: Pixelated screenshots, bad stock photos
Animation overload: Transitions distract from contentPresentation Mistakes
Reading slides verbatim: Your job is to add context
Going over time: Practice to stay under 15 minutes
Not knowing your numbers: Be ready for deep dives
Defensive about weaknesses: Own risks, explain mitigations
No clear next steps: What happens after the meeting?---
What Investors Actually Look For
The Evaluation Framework
Most investors evaluate pitch decks on:
Team (40%): Can these people execute?
Market (25%): Is this a big enough opportunity?
Product (20%): Does the solution make sense?
Traction (15%): Is there evidence of product-market fit?Questions Investors Will Ask
About the team:
Why are you the right team for this?
What's your unfair advantage?
How did you meet?About the market:
Why is this the right time?
What happens if Big Tech enters?
How defensible is this?About the product:
What's the moat?
How hard is this to build?
What's on the roadmap?About traction:
What's your churn rate?
How do you acquire customers?
What's the payback period?---
Pitch Deck Examples by Stage
Pre-Seed Pitch Deck
Focus: Problem validation, team capability, initial progress
Typical slides:
Problem + Solution (combined)
Product vision (can be mockups)
Market opportunity
Team
Ask ($250K-$1M typically)Seed Pitch Deck
Focus: Early traction, product-market fit signals
Typical slides: Full 10-slide structure
Include real product screenshots
Show early revenue or strong user growth
Demonstrate customer feedback
Ask: $1M-$4M typicallySeries A Pitch Deck
Focus: Scaling proof, unit economics, go-to-market
Typical slides: Extended 15-slide structure
Deep dive on metrics
Detailed go-to-market strategy
Financial projections with assumptions
Use of funds tied to milestones
Ask: $5M-$20M typically---
Tools for Creating Pitch Decks
AI-Powered Tools
| Tool | Best For | PPTX Export |
| TextDeck | Fast AI generation, PPTX-first | ✅ Native |
| Gamma | Web-native presentations | ⚠️ Limited |
| Beautiful.ai | Design automation | ✅ Yes |
| Tome | Narrative presentations | ❌ Limited |
Traditional Tools
| Tool | Best For | Learning Curve |
| PowerPoint | Maximum control | Medium |
| Google Slides | Collaboration | Low |
| Keynote | Mac design quality | Medium |
| Figma | Design-heavy decks | High |
When to Use AI Tools
AI pitch deck generators are best for:
Creating a first draft quickly
Ensuring consistent design
Getting structure right
Producing professional-looking outputYou should still:
Add your specific traction data
Customize for each investor
Verify all numbers and claims
Practice your delivery---
Conclusion
A great pitch deck tells a compelling story, backed by evidence, in 10-15 slides. It answers the fundamental questions investors have: Is this a real problem? Is this solution viable? Is this team capable? Is this market big enough?
The best pitch decks are:
Clear: One idea per slide, no jargon
Credible: Backed by data and evidence
Compelling: Makes investors want to learn more
Concise: Respects investor timeUse this guide as your framework, but remember: the pitch deck is just a tool. What matters is your business, your team, and your ability to communicate why you'll win.
---
Need to create a pitch deck quickly? Try TextDeck's AI pitch deck generator — generate a professional first draft in 60 seconds, then customize with your specific details.
