Pitch deck review

Most seed and Series A decks land between 10 and 20 slides. The deck you send ahead of a meeting has to make sense without you in the room, so it can carry a bit more text than the one you present live. What matters more than slide count is that an investor can find the answers to their first questions in a couple of minutes: what you do, who it is for, why now, traction, the team, the market and how much you are raising for what milestones.

A strong early-stage deck usually covers the problem, your solution and product, why now, traction or early proof, the market and how big it can get, business model, competition and why you win, the team, and the raise: how much, on what instrument if relevant, and which milestones it funds. Lead with your strongest proof point rather than following a template in order. If traction is your best card, put it near the front.

The most common mistakes are burying the traction, describing the market with a top-down number that nobody believes, listing features instead of the problem they solve, dismissing competitors, and ending without a clear ask. Dense slides that need a voiceover and decks that change the story from slide to slide also lose readers quickly. A reviewer who reads many decks can usually tell you in minutes where an investor will stop reading, which is why outside feedback before you send it is worth getting.

The most useful reviewers are people who read many decks and have no reason to be polite: investors at your stage who are not a target for this round, repeat founders who raised recently, and pitch coaches who work with startups. Friends and family are useful for clarity but rarely for judgment. Ask reviewers for specific reactions, such as where they got confused, what they would ask first and what they would cut, rather than whether they like it.