Cover / Purpose
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.
Draft your slide, then click Mark complete to move forward. The checklist and quiz below are optional self-tests. You can mark complete anytime.
Include, tick each as you draft
Nothing checked yet. You can still mark this module complete and continue.
Cut
- ✕Taglines that require decoding ('reimagining synergy for X')
- ✕Mission-statement abstraction on slide one
- ✕'As seen in' logos before you have real traction
- ✕Stock photography behind a wordmark
Red flags investors call out
- !Reader can't repeat what you do after one read
- !Jargon in the first 10 words
- !No contact info anywhere on the deck
Common failure patterns
What experienced readers spot first when this slide is weak.
- 1The tagline is a mission statement, not a description of what you sell.
- 2The company name is set in a display font that reads as a logo, not a category.
- 3Everything on the slide could be pasted into any competitor's cover.
Run this against your own slide (60 seconds)
- ?Read your cover to someone outside your category and ask them to repeat it, if they hesitate, rewrite.
- ?Cover your logo with a finger, does the remaining sentence still name the company?
If either answer is no, the fix is above in Include or in the Weak vs. strong block below.
Starter template
[Company]: [verb] [specific user] [specific outcome], instead of [status quo].
Weak vs. strong, the same slide, rewritten
“NexusFlow: reimagining synergistic hospitality experiences for the modern traveler.”
“Airbnb: book rooms with locals, rather than hotels.”
Concrete verb ('book'), named user ('locals'), and a familiar reference point ('hotels'). A stranger repeats it back verbatim.
Check yourself
Sources
See the full methodology for how dwell seconds and scoring weights are derived.