Y Combinator just came up with a new pitch deck template... and needless to say, it's not pretty. We get it, they thought of this template as a 'blank canvas' so you can bring life (and your company branding) to it, but they might have gone a bit too far.
Now, unless you are building the next Facebook, you can't stand in front of a respectable investor with those slides. You might want to put some effort into revamping those slides.
Aaron's premise is very valid, though; founders usually build bad seed decks. It's a combination of not having a pitch deck outline, to begin with, and wasting too much time on your presentation design. Traditional tools are to blame for the design part: PowerPoint, Google Slides, and Keynote all follow the same approach to building presentations: you need to figure out the content of the slides and, at the same time, figure out how they are going to look.
Our platform, Slidebean, tries to solve this point precisely: you should focus on the content of your slides and on telling the right story. The design comes later, and if you're not a designer, you shouldn't even have to worry about it.
Anyway, we've taken the liberty of re-building this deck in our platform and coming up with a few style alternatives that we hope suit you. The deck you see above follows the structure proposed by the YCombinator team with a much, much fresher look. Remember, you can download this template as a PDF, or you can use Slidebean to edit it for free.
Designing a seed round pitch deck is a crucial step in securing funding for your startup. A well-designed pitch deck will provide investors with a clear understanding of your business and its potential for success. These are the essential slides a seed round pitch deck should have:
The cover slide should be visually appealing and include the name of your company, a tagline, and a relevant image or graphic. It should be designed to capture the attention of investors and set the tone for the rest of the deck.
This slide should clearly and concisely explain the problem your product or service solves. Be sure to use real-world examples to make the problem relatable to investors.
This slide should explain how your product or service solves the problem presented in the previous slide. It should also include any differentiators that set your solution apart from others in the market.
This slide should demonstrate that your product or service has already gained traction with customers. Include metrics such as user acquisition, engagement, and retention to show that people are already using and benefiting from your product.
This slide should demonstrate how your product or service generates revenue. Include financial projections and any existing revenue streams.
This slide should explain what makes your product or service unique and how it sets you apart from competitors. It could be a proprietary technology, a unique business model, or a particular market niche you are targeting.
This slide should explain how your company will make money. It should include a breakdown of revenue streams and a clear explanation of how you plan to scale your business.
This slide should demonstrate the potential size of the market for your product or service. Include data and research to back up your claims.
This slide should introduce the key members of your team, including their relevant experience and qualifications. It should also explain how the team is uniquely qualified to execute your business plan.
This slide should clearly state how much money you want to raise and how you plan to use the funds. It should also include information about the current round of fundraising and any previous rounds of funding.
