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Curriculum · 11 modules

The whole curriculum, in order.

Investors spent ~3:44 on a first-read seed deck in DocSend's 2015 study of 200 funded decks (newer DocSend reports show the average drifting toward ~2:45). These 11 modules sum to ~2:56 of that 3:44 budget. Work through them in order or jump to the slide that needs the most help.

01

Cover / Purpose

8s · w8

Define the company in a single declarative sentence a stranger could repeat. Harder than it looks, and the first filter of the three-slide test.

02

Problem

11s · w12

Show a real, urgent, expensive problem the reader grasps in ~20 seconds. Slide two of the three-slide filter, the whole deck rests on it.

03

Solution

8s · w12

Show the product, do not describe it abstractly. Completes the three-slide filter that decides whether the rest of the deck gets read.

04

Why now

15s · w8

Answer why this can only be built now. The most underrated slide in the deck, its absence is a silent red flag.

05

Market Size

16s · w9

Prove the opportunity is big enough for venture returns, built bottom-up, with a named beachhead.

06

Competition

17s · w7

Show you understand the landscape and have a defensible wedge. Underrated by founders, scrutinized by investors, they spend ~17 seconds here.

07

Product

13s · w7

Go deeper on what the product is, how it works, and the roadmap, this is what investors are actually funding.

08

Business Model

22s · w9

Show how you make money and prove the unit economics hold up. Investors spend ~22 seconds here, one of the most scrutinized slides.

09

Traction

20s · w9

Prove momentum with honest numbers. At Series A this leads the deck; investors' eyes linger here longest.

10

Team

23s · w13

Show why THIS team wins. The single slide investors spend the most time on at seed, they are betting on you.

11

Financials / Ask

23s · w12

State the raise, the use of funds, and the milestones it buys. Close with a clear call to action.

Scoring

Every module contributes to your audit score, weighted by how much an investor's decision hinges on that slide. Total weight = 106.