i've reviewed hundreds of startup pitch decks this year
but i've only invested in 14
here are the 9 most common pitch deck red flags:
🚩 early stage financial projections
here's a secret — vcs know you made them up and that they won't be accurate
what they don't know is if YOU know that
they'll be concerned if they think you believe everything will go as planned
instead, share some revenue napkin math
🚩 no competitors listed
recently funded competitors = validation
vcs love seeing that other vcs are interested in a space
highlight your differentiation to stand out
🚩 an overly designed deck
some of the best decks have a plain white background and black text
unless your brand — be honest — is your primary moat, you don't need a professionally designed deck
spend time making your message coherent and concise instead
🚩 too much info on each slide
investors spend under 3 minutes on most decks
each slide should make 1 point that should be immediately apparent
the rest of the slide should be supporting evidence
if you can't get your point across quickly, you won't
🚩 the deck is more than ~15 slides
your deck is a sales document
its only goal is to get investors interested in meeting
it doesn't need to answer every possible objection
keep it to 1 slide per section and use sequoia capital's deck template
slideshare.net/PitchDeckCoach/sequoia-capital-pitchdecktemplate
🚩 no listed credentials
Y Combinator's admissions team told me this:
"the best indicator of someone doing exceptional things in the future is whether they've done exceptional things in the past"
everyone has unique experiences — highlight them
🚩 walking through the deck in a pitch
investors want to leave a meeting with all their questions answered
if they have the deck beforehand, they'll know what to ask and you'll have a more productive call
don't use the deck as a crutch — open yourself up to their questions
🚩 no narrative structure
storytelling isn't just for your pitch — slide order matters
there's no silver bullet and some investors have unique, silent preferences
my best advice: prioritize clarity. share your deck with friends and see what questions they ask. make adjustments
🚩 focusing on the solution
don't fall in love with your solution
great decks have 3 things:
- a painful, urgent problem
- a big, growing market
- a proven team with relevant experience
the best decks also talk about distribution strategy
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pitch deck red flags 🚩
1. financial projections
2. no mention of competition
3. over-designed
4. too many points on each slide
5. more than ~15 slides
6. no mention of founder credentials
7. it's used in a pitch
8. poorly structured / incoherent
9. focused on the solution