Free resource
The perfect pitch deck.
I love pitching, watching others pitch, and helping founders improve. Pitching investors is high-stakes and it makes even confident founders nervous. Here is everything I recommend, with an X8IQ template you can download.
How many slides should a Seed deck have?
12slides
Free template
The X8IQ pitch deck template.
All twelve slides plus the thank-you and appendix, ready to make your own. Free, no email gate.
The PowerPoint file also opens in Google Slides (File → Import) and Keynote.
Before the slides
The most common pitching problems.
Overemphasis on the product.
Your current product will change and evolve. What matters is your solution to a clearly defined, real problem.
Insufficient focus on the problem.
Always start with the problem. Present it clearly and simply, supported by relevant statistics where possible.
Confusing product with solution.
A solution is an approach to solving a problem; a product is one way of implementing it. The iPhone 1 and the iPhone 15 are the same solution, just better products.
Lack of validation.
Many startups don't engage with enough customers, or rely too heavily on feedback from people they already know.
Poor market understanding.
Do you truly know your market and all the players in it? Knowing where you fit in the landscape is an advantage.
Overcomplexity.
The best decks focus on one problem, one solution, one product, one revenue stream. More than one of each reads as a lack of clarity.
Unclear ask.
Be specific about how much you need, what you'll use it for, and at what valuation.
Jargon overload.
Simple words instead of fancy ones. Minimise industry terms. Cut the fluff meant to make the pitch sound impressive.
The deck
Slide by slide.
01
Holding slide.
You often won't get past the first slide, so make it one you can talk over. Your company purpose, mission or vision should be the largest text on the page, below your logo.
Don't forget your name, the deck version, and the legal terms in the footer.
Slide 1 · Holding slide
Your company purpose, as the biggest text on the page.
Season, raise name · your name · deck version · legal footer
02
Problem.
Make the problem statement attention-grabbing: easy to understand and ideally something people resonate with. The problem should also describe the customers experiencing it.
Slide 2 · Problem
The problem, in a sentence your mum would understand.
Issue 1
Something compelling about the issue. Use a stat if you have one.
Issue 2
Simple to read. No more than two lines, three max.
Issue 3
Could your mum understand these issues? Are they simple enough?
03
Solution.
Your high-level approach to solving the problem. This is not about your product; don't even show it. Your solution is different to your product.
Slide 3 · Solution
Your approach at 30,000 feet.
Solution approach 1. One aspect of how you solve the problem.
Solution approach 2. Another aspect. Keep each to a line.
Solution approach 3. Not the product. The strategy.
04
Product.
Show what the product actually looks like, but keep it high level. Most investors simply want to know it exists and functions. They don't want a full demo.
Slide 4 · Product
Proof it exists and works.
Product benefit 1. A feature that drives the benefit.
Product benefit 2. Keep it high level.
Product benefit 3. A screenshot beats a demo here.
05
Team.
At Seed, the founding team matters more than the product, because products evolve while the team and the core solution stay constant.
Mention advisors and board members if they have known wow factors.
Slide 5 · Team
The people investors are actually backing.
Person's name
Role. One line about them.
Eamon Tuhami
Founder. Exits behind him.
Person's name
Role. One line about them.
06
Business model.
Explain how the business generates revenue: a simple model covering current and potential future streams. Don't make it complex.
Slide 6 · Business model
How the money comes in.
Today. Your current way of making money.
Next. A possible future revenue stream.
Later. A more radical one. Keep it simple.
07
Traction.
Simple, believable statistics. No fake metrics, no insignificant awards. Pre-revenue? Be upfront and lean on customer feedback and usage data.
If you lack substantial traction, omit this slide entirely.
Slide 7 · Traction
Numbers an investor can believe.
12k
Users, or whatever is genuinely true
38%
Month-on-month growth of something real
£250k
Revenue, pipeline, or signed LOIs
08
Market opportunity.
Outline the total addressable market, then the obtainable part you can realistically service. Industry stats and named audiences add credibility.
Slide 8 · Market opportunity
The market, from everyone to the part you can win.
TAM
Total addressable market
SOM
The part you can realistically service
Who
The key audiences you're going after
09
Competition.
This is the goldilocks zone: some competitors validate the market, too many are off-putting. Don't leave anyone out on purpose; investors always spot it.
Slide 9 · Competition
Enough rivals to prove a market. A reason you win.
Competitor A
What they do well, honestly.
Competitor B
Where they stop short.
You
What makes you different.
10
Why now.
The FOMO slide. Identify why this is the perfect time to build and invest in this business, so the investor feels compelled to get involved.
Slide 10 · Why now
Why this is the moment to build, and to invest.
The shift. What changed in the market or the technology.
The window. Why the opportunity is open now and won't stay open.
The proof. A signal that the timing is already being rewarded.
11
Financials.
Credible projected revenues and P&L, with historical trading data if you've been operating a while. Show how you'll allocate the investment.
More mature startups can split this over two slides.
Slide 11 · Financials
Credible numbers, and where the money goes.
P&L
Projected revenues, with history if you have it
3yr
A believable growth curve, not a hockey stick
Use
Allocation across marketing, tech and people
12
The ask.
Be clear and concise. State the amount, mention S/EIS where it applies, give a high-level use of funds, and close with a brief summary.
Slide 12 · The ask
£X for Y%, and what it buys.
The raise. How much you're raising, and any tax incentives (S/EIS).
The use. A high-level view of where the investment goes.
The offer. The equity percentage on offer; the valuation can wait.
13
Thank you.
A simple slide with your contact details. A brief customer testimonial or a concise positive statement works well here.
Slide 13 · Thank you
Thank you.
Your contact details, and one short positive line or customer quote.
14
Appendix.
Don't overdo the appendix. When sharing via a platform like DocSend, watch which appendix slides get the most attention, and promote those into the main deck as the round progresses.
Appendix
Only what earns its place.
Meaningful, relevant back-up slides. Nothing else.
Other tips
Beyond the slides.
Less text.
An ideal deck is meant to be presented, not read.
Make it look good.
Seriously, spend time on it. If you can't, find someone who can, or use a tool like Beautiful.ai.
Don't send.
If asked, politely decline and request a meeting instead. Seed investment is about believing in the founder, not the deck.
Push to present.
Even 15 minutes in person or on a call conveys more than any attachment, and you get to gauge the reaction.
Don't send a PDF.
You lose control, gain no insight, and your deck may end up with a competitor.
Record yourself.
Tools like Loom and Descript show the deck with you presenting in the corner.
Use a cloud deck.
Tools like DocSend give you a protected link plus insight into viewing time and which slides get attention.
The twelve-slide structure is informed by DocSend's fundraising research, which tracks how investors actually read decks, and by the hundreds of decks I've reviewed and built.
Raising is one of the moments I coach founders through, from the deck to the room. Founder coaching is where that happens.