--- name: yc-pitch-deck description: "Create a compelling startup pitch deck that follows the structure proven to raise billions from top investors. Master the YC and Sequoia formats that get founders funded. Use when: **Fundraising** to create investor pitch decks; **YC application** to structure your narrative; **Demo Day prep** to craft your 2-minute pitch; **Angel investors** to communicate your opportunity; **Partnership pitches** to structure compelling asks" license: MIT metadata: author: ClawFu version: 1.0.0 mcp-server: "@clawfu/mcp-skills" --- # YC Pitch Deck > Create a compelling startup pitch deck that follows the structure proven to raise billions from top investors. Master the YC and Sequoia formats that get founders funded. ## When to Use This Skill - **Fundraising** to create investor pitch decks - **YC application** to structure your narrative - **Demo Day prep** to craft your 2-minute pitch - **Angel investors** to communicate your opportunity - **Partnership pitches** to structure compelling asks - **Internal alignment** to articulate your strategy clearly ## Methodology Foundation | Aspect | Details | |--------|---------| | **Source** | YC (Y Combinator), Sequoia Capital pitch framework | | **Core Principle** | "The best pitch decks tell a story: Problem → Solution → Why Now → Why You. Every slide must earn its place." | | **Why This Matters** | Investors see thousands of decks. You have 3 minutes of attention. A great deck doesn't get you funded—a bad deck gets you rejected. | ## What Claude Does vs What You Decide | Claude Does | You Decide | |-------------|------------| | Structures video workflow | Final creative vision | | Suggests shot compositions | Equipment selection | | Creates storyboard templates | Brand aesthetics | | Generates script frameworks | Final approval | | Identifies technical requirements | Budget allocation | ## What This Skill Does 1. **Structures your narrative** - Proven slide sequence that works 2. **Crafts compelling slides** - What goes on each slide 3. **Identifies what to include/exclude** - Signal vs. noise 4. **Tailors for stage** - Pre-seed vs. Seed vs. Series A 5. **Prepares you for Q&A** - What investors will ask 6. **Provides templates** - Starting points for each slide ## How to Use ### Create a Pitch Deck from Scratch ``` Help me create a pitch deck for my startup: [Description of company] Stage: [Pre-seed/Seed/Series A] Raising: [$X] Key metrics: [if any] ``` ### Review an Existing Pitch Deck ``` Review my pitch deck against YC/Sequoia best practices: [Paste slide content or describe] What's working? What needs improvement? ``` ### Prepare for Demo Day ``` I have 2 minutes for Demo Day. Here's my company: [description] Help me structure the 2-minute pitch. ``` ## Instructions ### Step 1: Understand the Standard Structure ``` ## Pitch Deck Structure (10-15 slides) ### Core Slides (Required) | # | Slide | Purpose | Time | |---|-------|---------|------| | 1 | Title | Who are you, what do you do | 5 sec | | 2 | Problem | What problem are you solving | 30 sec | | 3 | Solution | How you solve it | 30 sec | | 4 | Why Now | Market timing | 20 sec | | 5 | Market Size | How big is the opportunity | 20 sec | | 6 | Product | Demo/screenshots | 45 sec | | 7 | Traction | Proof it's working | 30 sec | | 8 | Business Model | How you make money | 20 sec | | 9 | Competition | Why you win | 20 sec | | 10 | Team | Why you're the ones | 20 sec | | 11 | Ask | What you need | 20 sec | ### Optional Slides (Based on Stage/Story) - **Go-to-Market:** How you acquire customers - **Roadmap:** Where you're going - **Unit Economics:** LTV/CAC, margins - **Vision:** 10-year view - **Financials:** Projections (Series A+) ### What NOT to Include - Detailed financial projections (too early stage) - Technical architecture (unless deep tech) - Advisory board (unless remarkable) - Patents pending (rarely impressive) - Long text blocks (nobody reads) ``` --- ### Step 2: Craft Each Slide ``` ## Slide-by-Slide Guide ### SLIDE 1: Title **Purpose:** First impression. Who are you? **Include:** - Company name and logo - One-line description (what you do) - Your name and contact **Format:** [Logo] "[One-line description]" [Founder Name] | [email] **Example:** "Stripe for healthcare payments" "AI that writes sales emails that actually get responses" **Don't:** Start with "We are..." or use jargon. --- ### SLIDE 2: Problem **Purpose:** Make investors feel the pain. **Structure:** 1. Who has the problem? (specific customer) 2. What is the problem? (concrete, relatable) 3. Why is it painful? (stakes, cost) **Do:** - Use a specific customer story - Quantify the pain ($, time, frequency) - Make it visceral/emotional **Don't:** - List multiple unrelated problems - Use abstract language - Describe your solution yet **Example Template:** "[Customer type] struggle with [problem]. Currently they [painful workaround]. This costs them [quantified impact]." **Strong Example:** "Marketing teams spend 6+ hours/week manually pulling data from 5 different tools to answer one question: 'What's working?'" --- ### SLIDE 3: Solution **Purpose:** Your answer to the problem. **Structure:** 1. What is your solution? (one sentence) 2. How does it work? (simple explanation) 3. What's the key insight? (why this approach) **Do:** - Start with the customer benefit, not features - Keep it simple (if you can't explain simply, you don't understand it) - Show, don't tell (visual if possible) **Don't:** - List features - Use technical jargon - Describe every capability **Example Template:** "[Product] is [category] that [key benefit]. Unlike [alternative], we [unique approach]. The result: [outcome]." **Strong Example:** "Databox pulls all your marketing data into one dashboard, automatically. No spreadsheets, no manual work. See what's working in 30 seconds." --- ### SLIDE 4: Why Now **Purpose:** Why is THIS the moment? **Market timing matters more than you think.** Great ideas at the wrong time fail. **Why Now Categories:** - **Technology shift:** "AI/ML now makes X possible" - **Regulatory change:** "New regulation requires X" - **Behavior change:** "COVID changed how people X" - **Cost inflection:** "Cloud costs dropped, now X is viable" - **Platform shift:** "Mobile/AR/crypto created X opportunity" **Structure:** "[Recent change] has created [new reality]. This means [customers] now [new behavior/need]. We're positioned to [capture opportunity]." **Don't:** - Say "It's just time" without specifics - Claim first mover advantage alone - Ignore the "why not 5 years ago" question --- ### SLIDE 5: Market Size **Purpose:** Is the opportunity big enough? **The Hierarchy:** - **TAM:** Total Addressable Market (everyone who could buy) - **SAM:** Serviceable Addressable Market (who you could realistically reach) - **SOM:** Serviceable Obtainable Market (what you'll capture in 3-5 years) **How to Calculate:** Bottom-up (preferred): # customers × price = market size Top-down: Industry reports (less credible) **What Investors Want:** - Believable path to $100M+ revenue - Clear logic in numbers - SAM/SOM more important than TAM **Example:** "TAM: $50B (all SMB marketing software) SAM: $5B (SMBs with marketing teams) SOM: $500M (marketing teams using data tools) We're targeting the SOM, growing SAM over time." **Don't:** - Throw out huge TAM with no logic - Say "if we capture 1% of TAM..." (red flag) - Ignore competition in market sizing --- ### SLIDE 6: Product **Purpose:** Show what you built. **Options:** - Screenshots (annotated) - Short demo video (30-60 sec) - Before/After - Product in action **Do:** - Show the core experience - Highlight what's different - Keep it simple **Don't:** - Show every feature - Include UI-heavy screenshots with no context - Use mockups if you have a real product **For Pre-Product:** - Show prototype/mockup - Be clear it's not built yet - Focus on the experience you'll create --- ### SLIDE 7: Traction **Purpose:** Prove it's working. **Best Traction Metrics by Stage:** | Stage | Good Traction | |-------|---------------| | Pre-seed | Waitlist, LOIs, pilot customers | | Seed | Revenue, users, growth rate | | Series A | Revenue growth, retention, unit economics | **Structure:** - Lead with strongest metric - Show growth trajectory (graph) - Include context (timeline) **What Investors Care About:** 1. **Growth rate** (MoM, WoW) > absolute numbers 2. **Retention** > new users 3. **Revenue** > free users 4. **Engagement** > signups **Example:** "$30K MRR, growing 25% MoM 100 paying customers (75% month-over-month retention) Started charging 4 months ago" **No Traction?** Show other signals: - Waitlist with conversion - Letters of intent - Pilot commitments - Expert/customer testimonials --- ### SLIDE 8: Business Model **Purpose:** How you make money. **Include:** - Revenue model (subscription, transaction, etc.) - Pricing - Unit economics (if available) **Keep Simple:** "We charge $X per [unit] per [period]." "Customer pays [how much] for [what]." **If you have data:** - Customer acquisition cost (CAC) - Lifetime value (LTV) - LTV/CAC ratio (3+ is good) - Payback period **Example:** "SaaS: $99/user/month Current LTV: $2,400 | CAC: $400 | LTV/CAC: 6x Payback: 4 months" --- ### SLIDE 9: Competition **Purpose:** Show you understand the landscape and why you win. **DO NOT:** Say "We have no competition." (It means no market or you don't understand it.) **Best Format:** 2×2 Matrix or Feature comparison **2×2 Matrix Example:** | | Low [Axis 1] | High [Axis 1] | |---|---|---| | **High [Axis 2]** | Competitor A | **YOU** | | **Low [Axis 2]** | Competitor B | Competitor C | Choose axes where you win. **Alternative: Why We Win** - We're faster because [technical advantage] - We're cheaper because [efficiency] - We're better for [specific segment] because [focus] **Don't:** - Dismiss competitors - Show a feature matrix where you check every box - Ignore the "do nothing" alternative --- ### SLIDE 10: Team **Purpose:** Why YOU can pull this off. **Include:** - Founders (photo, name, relevant background) - Key relevant experience - Why this team for this problem **What Matters:** - Relevant domain expertise - Relevant startup/tech experience - Co-founder complementarity - Prior exits (if any) **Format:** [Photo] Name | Role Previously: [Relevant credential] [One-line about why they're perfect] **Example:** "Jane (CEO): 10 years at Google Ads, built their SMB product John (CTO): Ex-Stripe, scaled payments infra 100x We met this problem daily—now we're solving it." **If team is weak:** - Show advisors - Show early hires you'll make - Be honest about gaps and how you'll fill them --- ### SLIDE 11: Ask **Purpose:** What do you want? **Include:** - Amount raising - What you'll do with it - Key milestones you'll hit **Example:** "Raising $2M Seed Use of funds: - 50% Engineering (ship v2, integrations) - 30% GTM (first sales hire, marketing) - 20% Operations (12-month runway) Milestones: $500K ARR, 500 customers, Series A ready" **Don't:** - Be vague about use of funds - Ask for too wide a range ("$1-5M") - Skip this slide ``` --- ### Step 3: Apply Stage-Specific Adjustments ``` ## Adjustments by Stage ### Pre-Seed ($500K-$1M) **Focus:** Problem, solution, team, early signal **Acceptable to not have:** Revenue, clear CAC/LTV, full team **Key question:** "Is this a problem worth solving by these people?" ### Seed ($1M-$3M) **Focus:** Traction, product-market fit signal, GTM hypothesis **Expected:** Some revenue or strong engagement, clear positioning **Key question:** "Is this working? Can it scale?" ### Series A ($5M-$15M) **Focus:** Unit economics, scalable GTM, repeatable sales **Expected:** $1M+ ARR, clear path to $10M+, proven CAC/LTV **Key question:** "Does this scale? What does $100M look like?" ``` --- ### Step 4: The 2-Minute Pitch (Demo Day) ``` ## Demo Day Format ### Total Time: 2 minutes ### Structure: **Hook (10 sec):** "[Company] is [category] for [customer]." Or: "[X] companies have [problem]. We fix that." **Problem (20 sec):** Who, what, why it hurts—specific and relatable. **Solution (20 sec):** What you built, how it works, key insight. **Traction (20 sec):** Best metrics, growth rate, proof it works. **Business Model (15 sec):** How you make money, unit economics if strong. **Market/Why Now (15 sec):** Big opportunity, market timing. **Ask (10 sec):** What you're raising, what you'll do with it. **Close (10 sec):** Memorable one-liner, call to action. ### Demo Day Tips - Practice until it's natural - Don't rush—pause for impact - Memorize the flow, not word-for-word - End with energy - Have your email visible ``` --- ## Examples ### Example 1: Pre-Seed Pitch Deck **Input:** > "Create a pitch deck for my AI sales email tool. We help SDRs write personalized emails. Pre-seed, raising $750K. We have a working product and 50 beta users." **Output:** ## Pitch Deck: [SalesFlow AI] **Slide 1: Title** ``` [SalesFlow Logo] AI-Powered Sales Emails That Get Responses Jane Smith | jane@salesflow.ai ``` --- **Slide 2: Problem** ``` SDRs spend 40% of their time writing emails. Most of those emails get ignored. The average SDR: • Sends 100+ emails/day • Gets <2% response rate • Wastes 3+ hours/day on copy-paste personalization Top performers personalize deeply—but that doesn't scale. ``` --- **Slide 3: Solution** ``` SalesFlow writes personalized emails in seconds. Input: prospect LinkedIn + company data Output: unique, personalized email Not templates. Not mail merge. Actually personalized—every email is different. [Screenshot: Before/After of generic vs. personalized email] ``` --- **Slide 4: Why Now** ``` Three shifts make this possible: 1. GPT-4 quality: AI can write like humans now 2. Data availability: LinkedIn, company data, news all accessible 3. Buyer expectations: Generic emails don't work anymore 2024: The year personalization becomes mandatory. ``` --- **Slide 5: Market** ``` $4.5B Sales Engagement Market TAM: $4.5B (all sales software) SAM: $800M (email/outreach tools) SOM: $100M (AI writing for sales) 3M+ SDRs in the US alone Each worth $500-2000/year ``` --- **Slide 6: Product** ``` [Product screenshots showing:] 1. Paste LinkedIn URL 2. AI analyzes profile + company 3. Generates personalized email 4. One-click send to sequence "Write 100 personalized emails in 10 minutes" ``` --- **Slide 7: Traction** ``` Early but promising: • 50 beta users (SDRs at 20 companies) • 15,000 emails generated • 4.2% response rate (vs. 2% baseline) • 3 paid pilots starting ($500/mo each) [Graph showing weekly email volume growth] ``` --- **Slide 8: Business Model** ``` SaaS: $99/user/month Target customer: SDR teams of 5-50 Contract value: $500-5,000/month At scale: CAC target: <$500 LTV: $2,000 (20-month lifespan) LTV/CAC: 4x+ ``` --- **Slide 9: Competition** ``` ↑ Personalization | Lavender ←─────────────────→ [SalesFlow] | | | • Manual research • AI-generated | • Time-consuming • Instant | • Suggestions only • Full emails | Outreach, Salesloft | └─────────────────────────→ Automation We're the only tool that writes truly personalized emails, not templates. ``` --- **Slide 10: Team** ``` [Photo] Jane Smith | CEO • 8 years at Salesforce, led SMB product • Sold to thousands of sales teams [Photo] Tom Chen | CTO • ML engineer, ex-OpenAI • Built GPT applications at scale We've lived this problem and built the solution. ``` --- **Slide 11: Ask** ``` Raising: $750K Pre-Seed Use of funds: • 60% Product (AI model, integrations) • 30% Go-to-market (first customers) • 10% Ops (runway) Milestones to Seed: • $50K MRR • 500 paying users • Prove 2x response rate improvement ``` --- ### Example 2: Demo Day Script **Input:** > "Write my 2-minute Demo Day pitch based on the deck above." **Output:** ## Demo Day Script (2:00) **[0:00-0:10] Hook** "SDRs spend half their day writing emails that nobody opens. SalesFlow is AI that writes personalized sales emails that actually get responses." **[0:10-0:30] Problem** "The average SDR sends 100 emails a day. Response rate? Under 2%. The problem isn't effort—it's personalization. Top performers research every prospect. But that takes hours—it doesn't scale. Generic emails don't work anymore. Buyers know when they're in a sequence." **[0:30-0:55] Solution** "SalesFlow solves this. You give us a LinkedIn profile. Our AI reads their background, their company, recent news, and writes a unique email—not a template, not mail merge—actually personalized. What took 5 minutes now takes 5 seconds. Scale AND personalization." **[0:55-1:15] Traction** "We launched 8 weeks ago. 50 beta users have sent 15,000 emails. Their response rates doubled—4.2% versus the 2% baseline. We just signed our first three paying pilots, $500 a month each. This works." **[1:15-1:30] Business Model + Market** "We charge $99 per user per month. There are 3 million SDRs in the US—this is an $800 million market. The shift to AI writing is happening now. GPT-4 made this possible." **[1:30-1:45] Team** "I'm Jane. I spent 8 years at Salesforce selling to these teams. Tom, my co-founder, built GPT applications at OpenAI. We lived this problem. Now we're solving it." **[1:45-2:00] Ask** "We're raising $750K to get to $50K MRR and prove we can 2x response rates at scale. If you're an SDR, a sales leader, or an investor who's tired of bad cold emails—come talk to us. SalesFlow. Personalized emails that get responses." --- ## Checklists & Templates ### Pitch Deck Review Checklist ``` ## Deck Quality Check ### Structure - [ ] 10-15 slides max - [ ] Follows standard order - [ ] No unnecessary slides - [ ] Each slide has one point ### Content - [ ] Problem is specific and quantified - [ ] Solution is clear in 10 seconds - [ ] "Why now" is compelling - [ ] Market size is bottom-up credible - [ ] Traction is the best available - [ ] Competition is honest - [ ] Team backgrounds are relevant - [ ] Ask is specific ### Design - [ ] Readable at 8pt (presentation size) - [ ] Minimal text per slide - [ ] Visuals support, not distract - [ ] Consistent formatting - [ ] No typos ### Story - [ ] Flows logically - [ ] Builds excitement - [ ] Ends with clear action ``` --- ### Slide Content Templates ``` ## Quick Templates ### Problem Slide "[Customer segment] struggle with [problem]. Currently they [painful workaround]. This costs them [impact]." ### Solution Slide "[Product] is [category] that [benefit]. Unlike [alternative], we [differentiation]." ### Why Now Slide "[Change] has created [opportunity]. We're positioned to [capture it]." ### Market Slide "TAM: $[X] ([total market]) SAM: $[Y] ([reachable segment]) SOM: $[Z] ([our target])" ### Traction Slide "$[X] MRR | [Y]% MoM growth [Z] customers | [A]% retention [Timeline context]" ### Ask Slide "Raising $[X] [stage] Use: [breakdown] Milestones: [targets]" ``` --- ## Skill Boundaries ### What This Skill Does Well - Structuring video production workflows - Creating storyboard frameworks - Suggesting technical approaches - Providing creative direction templates ### What This Skill Cannot Do - Replace professional videography - Edit video files directly - Make final creative judgments - Guarantee audience engagement ## References - Y Combinator. "How to Make a Pitch Deck" (YC library) - Sequoia Capital. "Writing a Business Plan" (classic framework) - Reid Hoffman. "Blitzscaling Lectures" - LinkedIn pitch deck - DocSend. "Pitch Deck Data Reports" (what gets funded) - Kawasaki, Guy. "The Art of the Start" - 10/20/30 rule ## Related Skills - [fundraising-narrative](../fundraising-narrative/) - Story beyond the deck - [startup-metrics](../startup-metrics/) - What metrics to include - [positioning](../../strategy/positioning/) - Differentiation strategy - [storytelling-storybrand](../../content/storytelling-storybrand/) - Narrative structure --- ## Skill Metadata - **Mode**: cyborg ```yaml name: yc-pitch-deck category: startup subcategory: fundraising version: 1.0 author: MKTG Skills source_expert: Y Combinator, Sequoia Capital source_work: YC Library, Sequoia Business Plan difficulty: intermediate estimated_value: $10,000 pitch deck consulting tags: [pitch-deck, fundraising, YC, Sequoia, startups, investors, Demo-Day] created: 2026-01-25 updated: 2026-01-25 ```