Startup Pitch deck: the ultimate guide to create a brilliant startup pitch presentation

Key Takeaways:

• A common mistake is assuming that having more time means getting more attention from investors. In reality, attention spans drop quickly, making it essential to hook the audience within the first few minutes with a clear and engaging narrative. Structuring the pitch strategically, focusing on Problem, Solution, and Team right away, increases the chances of being remembered and generating interest.

• Despite variations in models recommended by accelerators and investors, successful presentations share key components: Elevator Pitch, Problem/Solution, Market Size, Business Model, Traction, Competitor Analysis, Go-to-Market Strategy, Team, Financial Projection, and Fundraising Request. This sequence is designed to maximize clarity and persuasion, ensuring that each section removes doubts and builds trust in the project.

• A well-designed pitch isn’t just visually appealing—it enhances comprehension and strengthens the message. Clean slides, clear data, and a fluid narrative make the difference between an idea that excites investors and one that is quickly forgotten. Using intuitive visuals, effective storytelling, and a consistent design language significantly boosts presentation impact and investor engagement.

Hook investors fast with a clear, engaging narrative. A structured pitch maximizes impact and boosts funding chances

The timer starts now.

You step onto the stage, only you and your startup pitch deck presentation, heart pounding.

Five minutes.

That’s all you have to prove that your startup is worth something.

Investors have heard dozens of pitches before you, and they’ll hear dozens after. The question is: will they remember yours?

If you have ever watched a startup pitch competition, you will know the difference between entrepreneurs, who seem to be convinced they’re pitching the ‘next big thing’, and investors, who are easily bored of the startup pitch presentations, which all look the same.

Only a select few startups secure funding, and the ones that do? They deliver effective presentations that capture attention and make an impact.

You have very few chances to catch investors’ attention and pass on the right message.

And if you have an average startup pitch deck presentation, you will lower your chances even more.

Why?

Because if you don’t hook them in the first minute, they’ll mentally check out.

In order to get it right, you will need:

1. Great presentation skills.
2. Great contents.
3. An outstanding startup pitch presentation.

The startup pitch presentation is often a very short slide deck, but it is the main reason for good results. And it is meant to be a unique call to action for the investors.

Therefore, you cannot afford to make it wrong.

You need your startup pitch presentation to be the most appealing and amazing of the day so that it will stick in investors’ minds.

But how do you create an outstanding startup pitch presentation?

Read also: How long should a presentation last? Let’s make it clear

Creating a startup pitch deck – what to include in a pitch?

Pitching your startup to investors is an art.

If you join accelerators/incubators or you consult any VC, you will receive a slightly different version of startup pitch deck examples to use as best practice.

If you analyze them well, you will be always able to spot commonalities.

Essentially, successful startup pitches follow a proven structure. While different VCs may tweak the order, the core elements remain the same.

For this reason, I decided to gather some of the best pitch decks for startups available on the Internet and analyze their structure, comparing them to highlight similarities and differences between them.

Below you can see a summary table.

Of course, as you can see for yourself, some of the examples are not entirely complete, but we have enough material to get some interesting ideas.

And that’s exactly what we’re going to do!

First, let’s highlight the common points among the best startup presentations.

Some sections stand out more than others.

Right from the start, you’ll notice a strong emphasis on Problem/Solution and the Team—three fundamental pillars of a compelling startup pitch.

And it makes perfect sense. The first two sections define the problem your startup is tackling, the solution you’re bringing to the table, and the people who will turn that vision into reality.

The team section is just as crucial as the others. Great ideas matter, but execution is everything—and that depends on having the right people in place. We’ll dive deeper into this later.

Moreover, introducing the pitch with the combination Problem/Solution makes the basics for a powerful storytelling.

To build the most insightful analysis, I’ve compared the recommended startup pitch presentation structure with those suggested by top experts in the startup world.

This analysis reveals a key difference in how successful pitch decks begin: the elevator pitch.

Rather than diving straight into the Problem/Solution, many experts recommend starting with a concise, compelling statement that immediately defines what the startup does and what it aims to achieve. This way, investors grasp the core idea in seconds, making them more receptive to the details that follow.

Once the elevator pitch sets the stage, the focus shifts to the Problem/Solution—a crucial step in proving why the startup exists and how it delivers value.

By analyzing these different approaches, we can extract a best-practice framework that combines the most effective elements from hundreds of successful startup pitches.

And no, this isn’t just another pitch deck template to add to the endless lists online.

This is the ultimate communication structure—a proven formula designed to make your pitch stand out and win over investors.

Here it is the structure you should be following:

1. Problem.
2. Solution.
3. Market Size.
4. Business model.
5. Traction.
6. Competition.
7. Go to Market.
8. Team.
9. Financial Projection.
10. Fundraising request.
11. Roadmap.
12. Contacts.

Let’s go through the main sections!

If you want a detailed analysis of all the sections you can consider to get my latest book – Startup Pitch Presentation – Create a brilliant startup pitch and win investor’s funding.

Problem / Solution

All successful pitch decks—whether from real startups or recommended by experts—include a dedicated slide for both the problem and the solution. These slides are typically placed at the beginning of the presentation because they define the very foundation of the startup.

The problem slide highlights the urgency and relevance of the issue, showing how many people are affected and why it matters. The solution slide presents the startup’s approach to solving that problem effectively.

Your startup exists to address a real, painful problem. If investors don’t immediately grasp the significance of the problem and the value of your solution, the rest of your pitch won’t matter!

This concept aligns with the Customer Discovery phase described by Steve Blank, a serial entrepreneur and one of the pioneers of the lean startup movement. Blank developed the Customer Development framework, which guides startups in validating their ideas before scaling.

According to him, achieving Problem/Solution Fit is the first critical milestone in building a successful venture.

Here’s how he breaks it down:

1. Customer Discovery – Validate that a real problem exists and that your solution addresses it effectively.
2. Customer Validation – Prove that customers are willing to pay for your solution (Product/Market Fit).
3. Customer Creation – Generate demand and grow your user base.
4. Company Building – Scale the business into a sustainable company.

A great example of this approach in action is Airbnb, which opens its pitch deck by clearly defining the problem and the solution it provides.

I really love that they are extremely straight forward, how direct and to the point they are, but let’s be honest: their design leaves much to be desired.

Another great example of how to effectively engage an audience by presenting a compelling problem comes from Jorge Soto in his TED Talk, “The Future of Early Cancer Detection.” In the first 90 seconds, he masterfully draws listeners in with a simple, relatable story, only to follow it with a shocking statistic: one-third of the audience will be diagnosed with some form of cancer in their lifetime.

This immediate contrast between familiarity and urgency captures attention and makes the problem feel personal and impossible to ignore.

There’s no doubt—he had the audience’s full attention!

On this point, I’d add that if I could step into his presentation, I would amplify the message even further with a slide like the one below.

During the problem presentation phase it can also be interesting to suggest a solution to intrigue your audience and to make them curious. This video about Digital Nomads from oDesk.com (formerly Upwork.com) includes a beautiful example of that.

Why does this video work so well?

Because it masterfully applies the principles of storytelling—the same principles that show us how every compelling story begins by contrasting:

• What the world looks like today.
• What it could become tomorrow.

Just like in this video, where the problem is first introduced and made tangible. Then, a seamless transition leads to the possibility of a solution, culminating in a powerful statement: this is the future.

Learn how to leverage storytelling in your presentations: forget slides, tell stories!

Best Practice

The problem/solution part should be the beginning of every startup pitch deck. If you are able to hook the audience with a relevant problem and you can convince them that you have the best solution to it, you have already completed 90% of your work.

Suggested structure – Problem

• What is the problem? – Define the pain point your target audience faces. (e.g., Small businesses struggle to manage their finances efficiently due to outdated and complex accounting tools.)
• Why is it a significant problem? – Explain its real-world impact. (e.g., 70% of small business owners spend over 10 hours a week on manual financial tasks, reducing their focus on growth.)
• How many people are affected? – Provide evidence to demonstrate its scale. (e.g., Over 30 million small businesses in the U.S. face this challenge, representing a $50 billion market opportunity.)

Suggested structure – Solution

• What do we offer?
• How do we solve the problem?
• Why is this the best way?

Creating a startup pitch deck – Market Opportunity

Most of the startup pitch decks I’ve analyzed include a section on market potential—and for good reason. Every business needs a solid market to grow, and investors want to know if there’s enough demand to turn your idea into a profitable company.

One of the biggest questions you’ll face is: Is there a real market for this? And how big is it? This can be tricky to answer because market estimates aren’t always straightforward, and rough figures can feel unreliable. That’s why some founders skip this section altogether—but that’s a mistake. If you can’t show investors that there’s room for growth, why would they bet on you?

The slide below, taken from Airbnb’s official pitch deck, breaks down market sizing step by step—from the total potential market to the actual customers reached.

So, the lesson you can learn from Airbnb is the following: to understand market potential, it helps to break it down step by step. Not everyone in the world is your customer, so you need to narrow the focus—starting broad and refining it down to the people you can actually reach.

Here’s how market sizing typically works:

• Potential market – Everyone who might be interested in your product.
• Available market – Those who are not only interested but also have the purchasing power.
• Qualified available market – A refined group who meet any legal or practical criteria to buy your product.
• Target market – The specific segment you plan to serve.
• Penetrated market – The customers you’ve already acquired.

This breakdown helps investors see the real opportunity behind your idea. The larger your target and penetrated market, the more compelling your pitch becomes.

You do not need to go through each level in your startup pitch deck, but having the complete path can help you to focus on the right ones.

Best practice

Always include a slide to describe how many people could potentially adopt your solution, because it gives the investors an idea of the potential of your idea in quantitative terms. Refer to reliable sources if you can to support the figures.

Suggested structure

• Target Audience: Who is your client?
• Market size and growth rate (estimates): How big it is today and how big it is estimated to be tomorrow?

Competition

When I launched my startup and I began pitching investors, I was totally scared about mentioning I had competitors locally and worldwide. With time and experience, I learned that having competitors is a good thing because it simply shows that there is a market for what you are doing.

The trick is: better to be a small player in a valuable market than the unique one in a market that does not even exist.

To succeed in a valuable market, you need to be excellent at execution.

Most people believe that developing the technology is always the hardest part.

But you know what? The truth is that execution really makes the difference.

Do these names tell you something?

Maybe not.

Do they tell you something now?

Google wasn’t the first search engine—far from it. But it was the one that outperformed all the others through superior execution. It refined the search experience, delivered faster, more relevant results, and built an unbeatable ecosystem.

The same pattern can be seen in social networks: success isn’t just about having a great idea, but about executing it better than anyone else.

In short, you need to know your competition—inside and out. The last thing you want is an investor bringing up a competitor you’ve never heard of. That’s a quick way to lose credibility.

Show them you’ve done your homework, understand the market, and have a solid plan to stand out!

Best practice

Don’t be scared to show your competitors. List the most relevant information, leverage their results to show that you have a great idea, and differentiate your idea with a positioning matrix like this one.

Or this one.

You need to tell investors that your startup acts in the same market as your competitors, but you need to convince them that your positioning is different. Tell them more about your killer execution strategy, why it is special and why it will succeed where the other did not.

Finally, convince them you can really make it happen.

Suggested structure

• Main competitors, entry barriers, main market dynamics, important competitive factors (competition chart)
• Competitive positioning (kind of product/service, price, clients, channels)

Business model

So, how does your startup make money? That’s one of the first things investors will want to know.

That’s why the business model slide is a must-have in any pitch deck. It’s always there—both in real startup presentations and in the frameworks recommended by top experts. If you’re asking for funding, investors need to see how that money turns into a return.

No clear revenue model? No deal.

If you already have proof that your model works, even better—show them the numbers, just like WeWork did in their pitch deck.

In general, I’d advise against using tables in your PowerPoint pitch. They can be hard to read and break the flow of your presentation. But if you absolutely have to include one, make sure it’s well-integrated into your storytelling—don’t just throw numbers on a slide and expect them to speak for themselves.

Want to learn how to do this effectively? Check out my guide on presenting data in PowerPoint.

And if you’re looking for an efficient way to design slides and avoid common pitfalls like tables, our MLC PowerPoint Add-In can help streamline your workflow, making it easier to create compelling, visually appealing presentations

Best practice

This is a must-have slide. Always include the business model section to show investors how you make money. My recommendation is to make it as simple as possible so they can immediately understand your money machine. LinkedIn, for example, lists the 3 business model in a clear and direct way.

Suggested structure

• How do we make money?

Team

A bad team with a brilliant idea will go nowhere. A brilliant team with a bad idea can always make it work.

In the startup world, it’s all about the team. A great idea means nothing without the right people to make it happen. That’s why every investor expects to see a team slide in your pitch deck.

Use this slide to show off your crew—who they are, what they do, and why they’re the perfect fit. Keep it simple: names, roles, key skills, and any experience that proves they know their stuff. At the end of the day, investors aren’t just backing an idea; they’re backing the people behind it.

Make them believe in you!

If you want to build an e-Commerce startup, you’d better demonstrate that you have a coder in your company. Go into detail and show everybody with his own specific skill: User Experience Designer, User Interface designer, a backend and a frontend developer.

Let’s take a look at the team slides from LinkedIn and Buffer, both included in our analysis. These slides don’t just list names—they explain why each person belongs on the team.

In LinkedIn’s slide, team members are highlighted based on their past experience and how it contributes to the company’s success. Buffer, on the other hand, focuses on what each team member has accomplished so far within the company. Two different approaches, but both effectively prove one thing: the team matters.

Best practice

A nice tip to include in your Startup pitch presentation is to insert a slide to describe your team. Be sure the slide gives all the information about why each team member was chosen to be part of the company. Moreover, I suggest you include a small nice picture of each team member in order to make the pitch feel more personal.

Suggested structure

• Name, qualification (+ picture).
• Relevant experiences (no more than 2 lines).
• Directors and Advisors.
• Investors/shareholders.

Fundraising request

This section is often missing from real pitch decks—but you’ll always find it in the structures recommended by experts.

Why? Probably because it’s a sensitive topic and many startups prefer not to share their valuation details publicly.

But here’s the thing: you can’t skip this part. This is your final call to action, the moment where you tell investors exactly what you need and why. Think of it as the “now what?” at the end of your pitch.

You don’t want to wrap up your presentation only to have investors ask, “Okay, cool idea… but what are you actually asking for?” Make it clear, make it specific, and leave no room for doubt.

Best practice

Make it crystal clear how much you seek to raise and be ready to discuss how much of the company you are ready to give over for it. Remember that showing a big number to the investors might scare them, so contextualize it. Show funding allocation and tell investors how you will spend their money.

Funding allocation will give investors a general understanding of what they are paying for. Based on their experience, they might agree or disagree, but you can discuss a more accurate feedback about a specific part of the full budget.

Suggested structure

• How much do we need?
• How will we allocate the funds?

Creating a pitch deck – Design & Communication

Good design is more than aesthetics—it’s about clarity and impact. A well-structured presentation makes information easier to digest and helps your message stick.

As Charles Eames put it:

Design is a plan for arranging elements in such a way as best to accomplish a particular purpose.

Or, as Garr Reynolds said:

Design is about people creating solutions that help or improve the lives of other people.

Artists go with their gut, but great design is all about the audience—making sure what you say actually lands.

“Okay, Maurizio, but does design really make that much of a difference in a pitch?”

Absolutely!

When you’re pitching investors, you’ve got minutes (maybe seconds) to make an impression. Your deck has to be sharp, clear, and impossible to ignore. That’s why good presentation design isn’t just nice to have—it’s what makes investors pay attention.

Here’s a pitch deck I put together for my own startup.

Creating a startup pitch deck – Who can make a well designed startup pitch presentation?

Entrepreneurs usually have a million ideas flying around, but when it comes to putting them into a solid pitch deck? That’s where things get messy.

What do you say first? How do you make it flow? That’s where most people get stuck.

Now, graphic designers can make your slides look great, but let’s be real—they’ll often treat it like they’re designing a flyer or a fancy book cover, not a pitch deck. And a pitch deck isn’t just about looking good—it’s about getting your message across fast and making it stick.

That’s where a presentation designer comes in.

They turn your ideas into a structured, persuasive pitch that grabs attention and sticks with investors. More than just making it look good, they make sure your deck actually works—so your message lands and leaves an impact!

If you’re looking for expert support, our specialized PowerPoint presentation design agency can help ensure your deck is not only visually compelling but strategically effective.

Read also: How to choose a Presentation Design Agency

It’s time to create your startup pitch deck presentation

We analyzed many sources of information, spanning from real pitches of famous ventures to recommendations of leading experts.

Based on the analysis and on my personal experience of hundreds of startup pitch decks designed for my clients around the world, I would recommend the following startup pitch presentation structure:

1. Elevator pitch.
2. Problem.
3. Solution.
4. Market size.
5. Business Model.
6. Traction.
7. Competition.
8. Go to market.
9. Team.
10. Financial projection.
11. CTA Funding request.
12. Roadmap.
13. Contact.

I’ve put everything together into a free pitch deck template called the Investor Pitch Canvas—a simple, structured way to craft a pitch that stands out.

The Investor Pitch Canvas is the most reliable guideline you can get to make sure your startup will be presented effectively because it leverages the experience of hundreds of the most successful pitches on earth and because it has been adapted based on my experience.

Get the full breakdown and master the art of pitching with my latest book: Startup Pitch Presentation – Create a brilliant startup pitch and win investor funding.

Want more tips on making effective presentations that actually keep people hooked? Stick around—more blog posts coming your way!

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Startup Pitch deck: FAQ

What is a startup pitch deck?

A startup pitch deck is a concise presentation designed to communicate the value of a business to investors. It typically consists of a series of slides covering key aspects such as the problem, solution, market opportunity, business model, traction, competition, team, and financial projections. The goal is to generate interest and secure funding by delivering a clear and compelling message in a short timeframe.

Which elements should never be missing in a startup pitch?

A successful startup pitch deck includes an engaging opening, a well-defined problem-solution pair, a breakdown of the target market, a scalable business model, traction metrics, and competitive positioning. Investors also expect to see a strong team, realistic financial projections, and a clear fundraising request with a roadmap outlining how the funds will be used to drive growth.

How do you capture investors’ attention in a pitch presentation?

To capture investors’ attention, start with a powerful hook—this could be a compelling story, an eye-opening statistic, or a thought-provoking question. Use a visually appealing, minimalistic slide design that emphasizes clarity. Keep your message focused, highlight what makes your startup unique, and deliver a confident, engaging presentation. Above all, ensure that the problem and solution are presented in a way that resonates with the investors’ perspective.