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Fundraising · 10 slides

Pitch deck template

A pitch deck is the short presentation a founder uses to raise money: it shows investors the problem, the product, the market, the traction and what the funding will buy. This template has ten slides for a seed round, from the one-line promise to the ask, and every slide has one job. The example is fictional but consistent: ARR matches customers times contract value, and the use of funds adds up to 100%.

For founders preparing a seed or pre-seed round, and for the CFOs and advisors who help them tell the story to investors.

Build with this structure

Download the example deck (.pptx, 61 KB)Free for your own and client decks, no sign-up. Company and figures are invented.

Updated 21 October 2026 · Example deck with a fictional company and figures.

Traction

ARR grew 4.2x in twelve months to 46 customers

€0.3m€0.4m€0.6m€0.8m€1.1mQ3 25Q4 25Q1 26Q2 26Q3 26

10 slides

Pitch deck example, slide by slide

What each slide has to achieve and what to put on it. Scroll through, or open the deck and present it.

  1. Title: the company, the raise and the promise

    Investors decide in the first minute whether to keep listening. Say what the company does, how much you are raising and what changes for the customer.

    • Company name and the round, such as “Seed round, €2.5m”
    • A one-line promise in the customer's words, with a number if you have one
    • Presenter, role and date

  2. Problem

    One sharp, quantified pain that your target customer recognizes immediately. If an investor has to ask “so what?”, the slide is too vague.

    • The problem as a full-sentence title with a number
    • Who has it and what they do about it today
    • One proof figure, such as the median close time of your target firms

  3. Solution

    What the product does, in the customer's words and in no more than three pillars, each with one proof point.

    • Three pillars, each with a verb as its heading
    • One proof point per pillar, such as a match rate
    • No feature list and no architecture diagram

  4. Market

    Bottom-up sizing turns the target into a plan instead of a percentage of a big number. It shows investors that you know who buys and what they pay.

    • TAM, SAM and SOM as three steps, each defined in a few words
    • The SOM as customers times contract value
    • A source line for every outside figure

  5. Traction

    Momentum in one chart. The takeaway line says what the chart proves, so the investor does not have to work it out.

    • ARR, revenue or users over four to six periods
    • Customers, retention and churn in the takeaway
    • The growth rate in the title, with the period it covers

  6. Unit economics

    The four numbers an investor uses to judge whether growth can be bought. If they are still early, show them anyway and say how many customers they rest on.

    • Average contract value and gross margin
    • LTV to CAC and CAC payback
    • The period and the basis, such as trailing twelve months, blended

  7. Competition

    Honest positioning against the real alternatives, including spreadsheets and doing nothing. Investors know the alternatives, so a slide that claims you have none costs you credibility.

    • A table of three or four criteria your customers buy on
    • Your column highlighted, with a partial mark where you are not ahead
    • Spreadsheets or the status quo as one of the columns

  8. Team

    Why this team wins: relevant experience, not titles. At seed stage the team is often most of what the investor is buying.

    • Four people at most, with role and one line of relevant history
    • Numbers where you have them, such as banks connected or ARR grown
    • Advisors or open key hires only if they change the picture

  9. The ask

    The amount, what it buys and the milestone it reaches. Investors hold this slide against your plan, so the percentages and the milestone have to be specific.

    • The amount and the round
    • Use of funds in percentages that add up to 100%
    • The milestone, such as ARR and the date the next round becomes possible

  10. Closing

    A calm close with one clear next step, so the meeting ends on an action and not on a thank-you.

    • One next step, such as the data room or a demo
    • A contact address
    • No new content

What are the 10 slides of a pitch deck?

A seed pitch deck has ten slides: title, problem, solution, market, traction, unit economics, competition, team, the ask and a closing slide. Each slide has one job, and the example deck shows each job as a finished slide title. The company and every figure in the table are invented.

SlideIts one jobExample title from the Ledgerline deck
1. TitleName the company, the raise and the promise in one lineMonth-end close in two days, not ten
2. ProblemOne quantified pain that the target customer recognizesMid-sized finance teams still spend 40% of month-end matching transactions by hand
3. SolutionWhat the product does, in three pillars with one proof point eachLedgerline matches, explains and closes the books continuously
4. MarketBottom-up sizing, so the target is a plan and not a percentageA €3.4bn serviceable market in Europe alone
5. TractionMomentum in one chart, with the takeaway statedARR grew 4.2x in twelve months to 46 customers
6. Unit economicsThe four numbers that show whether growth can be boughtEvery euro of acquisition comes back in under a year
7. CompetitionHonest positioning against the real alternativesLedgerline is built for the mid-market close, not for the enterprise
8. TeamWhy this team wins: relevant experience, not titlesFinance operators and engineers who have closed books at scale
9. The askThe amount, what it buys and the milestone it reaches€2.5m to reach €4m ARR and Series A readiness by Q4 2027
10. ClosingOne clear next step, so the meeting ends on an actionLet's close the books faster, together

How many slides should a pitch deck have?

Ten for the main story, presented in about 20 minutes. Guy Kawasaki's 10/20/30 rule names ten slides, twenty minutes and a font of 30 points or more. Keep the financial model, roadmap and detail in an appendix that you show only when an investor asks.

A deck that investors read on their own can run longer, as long as the main story fits on ten slides and the rest sits in the appendix.

Brief

Pitch deck: build your version with AI

Copy the brief or open it straight in the editor. Replace the highlighted parts with your own facts, or attach your files and the numbers come from them.

Brief

Create a 10-slide seed pitch deck for [company name], a [B2B SaaS] company raising [€2.5m]. Slide 1: title with the one-line promise: [what changes for the customer, with a number]. Slide 2: the problem, one quantified pain of [target customers]. Slide 3: the solution as three pillars with one proof point each. Slide 4: the market, bottom-up as TAM, SAM and SOM, where the SOM is [4,000 customers at €24k contract value]. Slide 5: traction as a chart of ARR over the last [5 quarters], with customers and retention in the takeaway. Slide 6: unit economics: average contract value [€23.7k], gross margin [84%], LTV to CAC [3.1x], CAC payback [11 months]. Slide 7: a competition table against [three real alternatives], including spreadsheets. Slide 8: the team, four people with one line of relevant experience each. Slide 9: the ask, [€2.5m], with use of funds in percentages that add up to 100% and the milestone it reaches. Slide 10: closing with the next step and a contact. Use action titles and a calm, dark investor style. Use only the figures I give; mark anything missing as a placeholder.

Fill in the [highlighted] partsOpen in the editor

What makes the pitch deck template work

  1. Size the market bottom-up

    Write the SOM as customers times contract value, for example 4,000 customers at €24k. Investors distrust “1% of a €50bn market” because anyone can write it, and they trust a number they can check against your pipeline.

  2. Write action titles

    Each title states the conclusion: “ARR grew 4.2x in twelve months to 46 customers”, not “Traction”. An investor who skims only the titles should still get the story.

  3. Build a reading version and a presenting version

    A deck you email has to work without you, and a deck you present needs less text on each slide. Write the sendable version first, then cut it down for the room and move the explanations into speaker notes.

  4. Define every metric once

    State once what ARR means, for example contracted recurring revenue at the end of the quarter, and use it the same way on every slide. Investors reconcile your numbers in diligence, and a mismatch between two slides costs more trust than a modest figure.

  5. Say what the money buys

    Show the use of funds as three or four lines that add up to 100%, plus the milestone they reach, such as €4m ARR and Series A readiness by Q4 2027. “General corporate purposes” tells the investor nothing.

  6. Treat the 10/20/30 rule as a ceiling

    Guy Kawasaki's rule asks for 10 slides, 20 minutes and no font smaller than 30 points. Take it as a limit, not a target: a slide you cannot place among the first ten usually belongs in an appendix that you keep for questions.

Mistakes that cost you the room

  • A market slide that takes 1% of a huge number instead of multiplying customers by price
  • A hockey-stick forecast with no drivers behind it: no customers, no price, no hiring plan
  • Claiming there are no competitors, which tells investors you have not looked
  • Paragraphs on the slides, so the investor reads instead of listens
  • An ask that says “we are raising” with no amount, use of funds or milestone
  • Traction on slide 9 when it is your strongest proof

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

What should be in a pitch deck?

A seed pitch deck usually covers the problem, the solution, the market, traction, unit economics, competition, the team and the ask, framed by a title and a closing slide. Show your strongest proof early: if traction is the best thing you have, put it ahead of the market slide. Details such as the financial model or the product roadmap belong in an appendix that you keep for questions.

What is the 10/20/30 rule for a pitch deck?

It is Guy Kawasaki's guideline: no more than 10 slides, a pitch of 20 minutes at most and a font size of 30 points or larger. Treat it as a limit, not a target. A deck that investors read on their own can run longer, as long as the main story fits on ten slides and the rest sits in an appendix.

Should the deck I email differ from the one I present?

In most cases, yes. An emailed deck has to make sense without you, so the titles carry the argument and the slides carry a little more text. A presented deck can be sparser because you add the explanation yourself. Build the sendable version first, then cut it down for the room.

Can ChatGPT or another AI create a pitch deck?

As of October 2026, general chat assistants can draft the outline and the wording of a pitch deck, and some can also produce a file. The AI builds the whole deck: you describe the company, it asks up to four questions where your brief leaves something open, shows a page plan for your approval and then builds and checks one page after another. The result is an editable PowerPoint file. The AI is instructed to label assumptions, and you stay in charge of every figure, so check the numbers against your model before the deck goes to an investor.

Is this pitch deck template free?

Reading the template and copying its prompt costs nothing. In Slaide, the Free plan includes one free document, planned with up to 12 pages, of which the first 3 are built; finishing a 10-slide deck needs a paid plan. Free exports carry a small “Made with Slaide” mark, and paid plans export without it. The free document needs no credit card.

Are the numbers in this template real?

No. Ledgerline and all its figures are fictional. The arithmetic is consistent, so the deck works as a model: 46 customers at an average of €23.7k come to about €1.09m ARR, 4,000 customers at €24k give the €96m target, and the use of funds adds up to 100%.

Fundraising examples

  • ARR bridge

    ARR rose by €300k to €2.46m: €240k new, €120k expansion, €60k churn

    €2,160k+€240k+€120k−€60k€2,460kARR 30 JunNewExpansionChurnARR 30 Sep
    9 slides

    Fundraising

    Investor update

    For founders and CEOs who report to investors, angels or a syndicate, for finance leads who prepare the numbers, and for managing directors of small companies who report to a shareholder or an advisory board.

  • Revenue

    Revenue grows from €280k to €1,680k because 42 employers pay instead of 7

    €280k€920k€1,680k202720282029
    10 slides

    Fundraising

    Business plan

    For founders who apply for a bank loan, a grant or investor money, for owners of small companies who plan a new service, product or location, and for consultants who write business plans for their clients.

  • Payback

    Cumulative savings overtake the €3.0m investment in year 4

    • Cumulative savings
    • Investment
    €0m€0.8m€1.6m€2.4m€3.2m€4.0mGo-liveYear 1Year 2Year 3Year 4Year 5
    8 slides

    Reporting

    Executive summary

    For managers, consultants and analysts who need a decision from executives, a board or a client and have one slide to win it.

  • Growth

    Revenue has grown about 10% a year since 2021, from €26.1m to €38.4m

    €26.1m€28.9m€31.8m€34.9m€38.4m20212022202320242025
    9 slides

    Sales and clients

    Company profile

    For owners, sales leads and marketing teams at small and mid-sized companies that need one profile for tenders, supplier audits and first meetings.

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Where to go next

Your pitch deck, in your design

Start from this structure, add your numbers and your company's PowerPoint template, and get an editable .pptx.

Build with this structure

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