Tool · Checklist
Before you hit send.
Run your deck against this list. If any box stays blank, open the matching module.
The 10 whole-deck checks
- 1Cover, Problem, and Solution are the first three slides. In that order.
- 2Total deck is between 9 and 15 slides.
- 3A stranger can repeat the one-line pitch back to you after 8 seconds.
- 4Every claim with a number has a year and a source, or is clearly marked as your own estimate.
- 5The named user on the Problem slide is the same named user on the Solution slide.
- 6No jargon in the first ten words of any slide.
- 7Contact info (email + reply-to name) is on the Cover and the Ask.
- 8You can defend every metric on the Traction slide cold, without notes.
- 9Use of funds on the Ask maps back to the story (engineering → solution, GTM → traction).
- 10The next-round milestone is named on the Ask slide.
Slide by slide
The three red-flag questions from every module, in one place.
01Cover / Purpose
Open →- uncheckedReader can't repeat what you do after one read
- uncheckedJargon in the first 10 words
- uncheckedNo contact info anywhere on the deck
02Problem
Open →- uncheckedNo named user, 'people' or 'businesses' in general
- uncheckedThe pain is a mild annoyance, not urgent
- uncheckedProblem statement fits any company in the category
03Solution
Open →- uncheckedNo screenshot, mockup, or demo
- uncheckedSolution doesn't obviously match the stated problem
- uncheckedThe insight is 'we use AI' with no specificity
04Why now
Open →- uncheckedThe idea could have been built five years ago
- uncheckedNo named inflection or catalyst
- unchecked'Post-pandemic behavior change' with no data
05Market Size
Open →- unchecked'1% of $X billion = huge' math
- uncheckedNo named first customer segment
- uncheckedTAM includes companies that clearly can't pay you
06Competition
Open →- unchecked'We have no competitors', reads as naivety
- uncheckedEvery competitor worse on every axis (transparently rigged)
- uncheckedNo mention of the status-quo tool most customers use
07Product
Open →- unchecked20-item feature list with no prioritization
- uncheckedRoadmap that reads like a wishlist
- uncheckedNo form-factor answer, 'AI platform' with no visual
08Business Model
Open →- uncheckedNo pricing at all
- unchecked'We'll figure out monetization later'
- unchecked80%+ gross margin claimed with no cost breakdown
09Traction
Open →- uncheckedCharts with no y-axis labels
- uncheckedOnly cumulative curves (hides flat months)
- uncheckedGrowth-rate quoted with no absolute number
10Team
Open →- uncheckedAdvisors take more space than founders
- uncheckedNo explanation of why this team wins this problem
- uncheckedEvery founder has the same background (missing skill)
11Financials / Ask
Open →- uncheckedNo dollar amount or timeline
- uncheckedMilestones untethered from the amount raised
- uncheckedRunway math missing (implied burn)