What to Include in a Pitch Deck - 12 Essential Slides

Building a pitch deck and not sure what to include? You're not alone. Most founders struggle with this question because they want to tell investors everything about their business.

Here's the truth: less is more. A great pitch deck includes only what's necessary to get a meeting. Let's break down exactly what that means.

Quick Overview: The 12 Essential Slides

1. Title Slide — Company name, tagline, contact info
2. Problem — The pain point you're solving
3. Solution — How you fix the problem
4. Demo/Product — Show what you've built
5. Market Size — How big is the opportunity
6. Business Model — How you make money
7. Traction — Proof that it's working
8. Competition — How you compare to alternatives
9. Go-to-Market — How you acquire customers
10. Team — Why you're the right people
11. Financials — Projections and key metrics
12. Ask — How much you're raising and why

Now let's dig into each one.

Slide 1: Title Slide

Your title slide sets the tone. Keep it clean and simple.

Include:

• Company name and logo
• One-line description of what you do
• Your name and contact information
• Current funding round (e.g., "Seed Round")

Don't include:

• Long paragraphs about your mission
• Multiple team member photos
• Cluttered graphics

Slide 2: Problem

This is where you hook investors. Make them feel the pain your customers experience.

What makes a strong problem slide:

• Specific and relatable
• Backed by data if possible
• Focused on one core problem (not five)

Example: "Sales teams spend 4 hours per day on manual data entry instead of selling."

Slide 3: Solution

Now show how you fix the problem. Keep it simple enough that a 10-year-old could understand.

What to include:

• One clear sentence describing your solution
• Key benefits (not features)
• Visual if it helps clarify

What to avoid:

• Technical jargon
• Feature lists
• Vague buzzwords like "AI-powered platform"

Slide 4: Demo/Product

Show, don't tell. This slide should include screenshots, mockups, or a product demo.

Options:

• Product screenshots
• Short GIF showing key functionality
• Link to a live demo (if sharing digitally)

Investors want to see what you've actually built, not just concepts.

Slide 5: Market Size

How big is the opportunity? Investors need to see potential for significant returns.

Use the TAM, SAM, SOM framework:

• TAM (Total Addressable Market) — Everyone who could use your product
• SAM (Serviceable Addressable Market) — Your realistic target market
• SOM (Serviceable Obtainable Market) — What you can capture in 2-3 years

Tips:

• Use credible sources for market data
• Bottom-up calculations are more convincing than top-down
• Be honest about your actual target market

Slide 6: Business Model

How do you make money? Be specific and clear.

Include:

• Revenue model (subscription, transaction fee, etc.)
• Pricing tiers if applicable
• Unit economics (CAC, LTV, margins)

Example: "SaaS subscription: $49/month per seat. Average customer has 5 seats. LTV: $2,940. CAC: $300."

Slide 7: Traction

This is often the most important slide. Show proof that your business is working.

What counts as traction:

• Revenue and growth rate
• Number of users/customers
• Key partnerships or contracts
• Retention and engagement metrics
• Notable press or awards

Show growth over time. A chart showing month-over-month improvement is powerful.

Slide 8: Competition

Every business has competition. Showing you understand the landscape builds credibility.

How to present competition:

• Competitive matrix comparing key features
• Position yourself in a unique quadrant
• Explain your sustainable advantage

What not to do:

• Claim you have no competitors
• Bash competitors directly
• Include dozens of logos without explanation

Slide 9: Go-to-Market Strategy

How will you acquire customers? Show you've thought about distribution.

Include:

• Primary customer acquisition channels
• Current strategy and what's working
• Partnerships or distribution advantages
• Early sales pipeline if applicable

Slide 10: Team

Investors bet on people as much as ideas. Show why your team can execute.

Include for each key team member:

• Name and role
• Relevant experience (previous startups, domain expertise)
• Notable achievements

Keep it focused. Highlight 2-4 key people, not your entire org chart.

Slide 11: Financials

Show you understand your numbers and have a realistic plan.

Include:

• Revenue projections (3 years)
• Key assumptions behind projections
• Current burn rate and runway
• Path to profitability

Be realistic. Investors have seen thousands of hockey stick charts. Grounded projections build trust.

Slide 12: The Ask

Be clear about what you want.

Include:

• Amount you're raising
• What you'll do with the funds (specific milestones)
• Timeline for this round

Example: "Raising $2M seed round to reach $1M ARR in 18 months. Funds will go toward: 50% product development, 30% sales, 20% operations."

Create your pitch deck

Bonus Slides to Have Ready

Keep these slides in your appendix for follow-up questions:

• Detailed financials — More granular projections
• Product roadmap — Future development plans
• Customer case studies — Deep dives on key customers
• Technical architecture — For technical investors
• Cap table — Current ownership structure

What NOT to Include

Your pitch deck should be focused. Leave out:

• Company history timeline — Investors don't care about your founding story (yet)
• Detailed org charts — Keep team slides focused on key players
• Technical specifications — Save for follow-up conversations
• Industry definitions — Assume investors know the basics
• Multiple asks — One clear funding request

How to Share Your Pitch Deck

Once your deck is ready, how you share it matters.

The problem with email attachments:

• No visibility into who views it
• Can't track which slides resonate
• No control after sending

Better approach: Use a pitch deck sharing tool like Papermark that gives you:

• Page-by-page analytics
• Secure sharing with password protection
• Real-time notifications when investors open your deck

Share your pitch deck with analytics

Conclusion

A strong pitch deck includes exactly what investors need to decide if they want a meeting — nothing more, nothing less. Focus on the 12 essential slides, keep each one clear and visual, and tell a compelling story about your business.

Remember: your pitch deck opens doors. What you say in the meeting closes them.

Start building your pitch deck

FAQ