Pitch decks win funding by telling compelling stories. According to research from DocSend's fundraising study, investors spend an average of 3 minutes 44 seconds reviewing decks. Every word must count. Text-heavy narrative decks work better for email sends and async review than image-heavy presentation decks. Learning to write pitch decks that investors actually read improves fundraising success dramatically.
What 15 Slides Must Every Pitch Deck Include?
Every effective pitch deck includes these 15 slides: Title, Problem, Solution, Traction, Market Size, Business Model, Competition, Go-to-Market, Team, Financials, The Ask, Use of Funds, Timeline, Vision, and Appendix. Missing critical slides creates gaps that make investors pass.
15-Slide Pitch Deck Template
| # | Slide | Key Content | Time Spent |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Title | Company name, tagline, key metric | 15 sec |
| 2 | Problem | Specific pain, quantified impact | 20 sec |
| 3 | Solution | How you solve it, unique insight | 20 sec |
| 4 | Demo/Product | Screenshots, product in action | 25 sec |
| 5 | Traction | Revenue, growth, key metrics | 30 sec |
| 6 | Market Size | TAM, SAM, SOM with calculations | 15 sec |
| 7 | Business Model | How you make money, unit economics | 20 sec |
| 8 | Competition | Positioning, differentiation | 15 sec |
| 9 | Go-to-Market | Customer acquisition strategy | 15 sec |
| 10 | Team | Founders, relevant experience | 20 sec |
| 11 | Financials | Revenue projections, burn rate | 20 sec |
| 12 | The Ask | Amount, terms, round status | 15 sec |
| 13 | Use of Funds | How you'll spend it, milestones | 15 sec |
| 14 | Vision | Where this goes in 5-10 years | 10 sec |
| 15 | Appendix | Additional data for deep-divers | Variable |
Why Do Text-Heavy Decks Work Better for Fundraising?
Most pitch decks get reviewed alone, not presented live. Investors receive your deck via email and review without you present. Image-heavy presentation decks fail in this async context—they need verbal explanation. Text-heavy decks stand alone, communicating the complete story without a presenter.
Key advantages:
- Self-contained: Investors can evaluate independently without scheduling calls
- Precise: "Growing 25% MoM from $10k to $40k MRR" beats "growing fast"
- Forwardable: Partners can share with colleagues without explanation
How to Write Each Slide (With Examples)
Slide 1: Title Slide
Include: Company name, memorable tagline, and one impressive metric if available.
Example: "RestaurantAI — Reduce food waste by 40% with AI-powered inventory prediction. $100k MRR, 30% MoM growth."
Slides 2-3: Problem & Solution
Problem format: Specific example → quantified impact → market scope.
Example: "Small restaurants waste 25% of food because they can't predict demand. This costs the average restaurant $2,000 monthly. 10 million restaurants globally = $240B annual problem."
Solution format: How it works → unique insight → proof it works.
Example: "Our iPhone app predicts daily demand with 90% accuracy using AI. Previous solutions required $10,000 hardware—we use the phone they already have. Pilot customers reduced waste by 40%."
Slide 5: Traction
Show trajectory, not just current state:
"MRR Growth: July $10k → Aug $12k → Sept $15k → Oct $20k → Nov $27k → Dec $35k"
"127 paying customers. 95% monthly retention. NPS: 72."
Slide 6: Market Size
Show your math: "TAM: 10M restaurants × $1,200/year = $12B. SAM: 2M US restaurants = $2.4B. SOM: 100k in top 20 cities = $120M reachable in 3 years."
Slide 10: Team
Emphasize founder-market fit:
- CEO Maria: 15 years restaurant operations, knows problem intimately
- CTO James: Ex-Google, built prediction systems at scale
- Worked together 3 years, complementary skills
Slides 12-13: Ask & Use of Funds
Be specific: "Raising $1.5M seed on $8M post-money SAFE. $500k committed from angels. Seeking $1M lead."
Show allocation: "Product: $500k (2 engineers). GTM: $700k (3 sales + acquisition). Ops: $300k (18-month runway to $150k MRR)."
What Pitch Deck Mistakes Kill Deals?
Avoid these 5 common mistakes:
1. Generic templates: Cookie-cutter decks feel mass-produced. Your story is unique—make the deck reflect that.
2. Buzzwords over substance: "Leveraging AI/ML to disrupt legacy paradigms" says nothing. "Using machine learning to predict demand 90% accurately" says everything.
3. Skipping team slide: Investors back people more than ideas. Weak teams can't hide, but strong teams should shine.
4. Vague claims: "Strong traction" vs "$100k MRR, 30% MoM growth." Specific beats generic always.
5. Too long: 15-20 slides max. Investors spend under 4 minutes. Respect their time.
Frequently Asked Questions About Pitch Decks
Should I send a pitch deck or one-pager first?
Send a one-pager for cold outreach, deck for warm intros or after initial interest. One-pagers get 2.5X higher response rates for cold emails. Once you have interest, the full deck provides depth.
How long should a pitch deck be?
15-20 slides maximum, readable in under 4 minutes. Investors scan quickly. Every slide should earn its place. Put detailed information in an appendix for those who want to go deeper.
Should I design my deck myself or hire someone?
Content matters more than design at seed stage. A clear, well-written deck in a simple template beats a beautiful deck with weak content. That said, poor design can undermine good content. Use clean, professional templates.
How many decks do I need?
Two versions: email deck and presentation deck. Email decks are text-heavy and self-contained. Presentation decks are visual with bullet points for live presenting. Some founders also create a 1-page teaser.
Can AI help write a pitch deck?
Yes, AI tools like River's Pitch Deck Writer can generate complete 15-slide decks. You provide your company details, and the AI creates narrative content for each slide following proven templates used by successful fundraisers.
Text-heavy pitch decks enable async fundraising by communicating complete stories without presenters. Write clearly, show traction, address competition honestly, and demonstrate financial sophistication. Use River's Pitch Deck Writer to create your complete deck narrative.