Pitch deck checklist: 40 checks before you send your deck

Story and structure

• The title slide says what the company does in one plain sentence.
• The problem slide describes a real customer and a real pain.
• The solution slide shows the product, not only words about it.
• The order follows a logical story: problem, solution, market, traction, model, team, ask.
• Every slide has one idea and a headline that states the takeaway.
• Reading only the headlines tells the whole story.
• The deck is 10 to 20 slides, with extra detail in an appendix.

Market and competition

• TAM, SAM and SOM are shown with the calculation behind them.
• The market estimate is built from customers and prices, not only a report.
• Sources are given for third-party figures.
• Competitors and alternatives are named, including doing nothing.
• The one or two reasons you win are clear and believable.
• There is a convincing reason why now is the right time.

Traction and numbers

• Your strongest metric appears early and large.
• Every number says what it measures and over what period.
• Growth is shown on a chart with labelled axes.
• Revenue figures say whether they are monthly, annual, gross or net.
• Unit economics (CAC, LTV, margin or payback) are shown if you have them.
• Projections state their main assumptions.
• Numbers match across slides, the appendix and your financial model.

Team

• Each founder’s role and most relevant experience are shown.
• Photos are recent and consistent in style.
• Advisers are listed only if they are genuinely involved.
• Key hires you plan to make with this round are named as roles.

The ask

• The amount you are raising is stated exactly.
• The instrument (equity, SAFE, convertible note) is given if known.
• Use of funds is split into three to five categories.
• The runway the money buys is stated in months.
• The milestones the round will reach are specific and measurable.

Design and readability

• Text is large enough to read on a phone.
• No slide has more than about 40 words of body text.
• Colours have enough contrast and charts work in black and white.
• Fonts, colours and logo use are consistent throughout.
• Images are sharp and you have the right to use them.
• Slide numbers are shown so investors can refer to them.

Before you send

• Spelling, company name and figures have been proofread by someone else.
• The file is a PDF under about 10 MB with a clear name, such as Company-Seed-Deck-2026.pdf.
• Contact email, phone and website are on the last slide.
• Confidential information you would not want forwarded is removed.
• The covering email is short and personalised to the investor.

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Frequently asked questions

Written by Gachi Foundation, a non-profit in Jharkhand, India. All pitch deck resources.