The winning fundraising deck template
Market
Give a bottom-up SOM the reader can audit in a coffee. Anchor to the next round's milestone.
Formula
Bottom-up: [# of customers in the wedge] x [ACV] = [$SOM]. We hit [$ARR] at [X%] of SOM, the number [Series A / Series B] will judge us on.
Strong example
SOM: 18,000 remote-native software companies x $11.7K ACV = $210M. Nimbus hits $15M ARR at 7.1% of SOM, the number the Series A will judge us on.
Must have
- Bottom-up SOM the reader can rebuild in a spreadsheet
- TAM / SAM / SOM in that order, each tighter than the last
- SOM anchored to a specific ARR at a specific % capture
Avoid
- '1% of a $1.2T market' top-down slides
- Analyst-report screenshots with no wedge inside them
- SOM you can't tie to a plan the reader can price
The winning sales deck template
ROI / business case
Hand the champion a one-page business case they can email to the CFO without editing.
Formula
Cost of inaction: [$/yr]. Nimbus: [$/yr all-in]. Net savings: [$/yr]. Payback: [months]. Assumes [3 named inputs].
Strong example
Cost of inaction: $479K/yr. Nimbus: $88K/yr all-in (180 seats x $149 x 12 plus $28K setup). Net savings: $391K/yr. Payback: 2.7 months. Assumes 180 paychecks/mo, 2.4% fee drag, 26 ops hours/mo.
Must have
- Uses the buyer's own inputs from slide 3
- Nimbus cost is all-in (seats plus setup plus services), not the sticker price
- Assumptions listed so the CFO can stress-test them
Avoid
- '3-5x ROI' with no dollar denominator
- Payback in years, dressed up as 'strategic investment'
- Skipping the assumptions block
The winning demo day deck template
Market
One line that says the market is big enough to matter, without a top-down slide.
Formula
[# customers in the wedge] x [ACV] = [$SOM]. TAM: [$X]B.
Strong example
18,000 remote-native software companies x $11.7K ACV = $210M SOM. TAM: $34B global payroll.
Must have
- SOM computed bottom-up, one line
- TAM stated once, not as the hero number
- No pie chart, no analyst screenshot
Avoid
- '1% of a $1.2T market'
- A stacked TAM/SAM/SOM with three unreadable bubbles
- Any market slide over one line at demo day