Imported from organvm-iv-taxis/a-i--skills (
skills/professional/pitch-deck-patterns/SKILL.md). Install upstream withnpx skills add organvm-iv-taxis/a-i--skills --skill pitch-deck-patterns. Copyright stays with the author (MIT).
Pitch Deck Patterns
Build presentations that communicate vision, demonstrate value, and compel action.
Narrative Structures
The Classic 10-Slide Pitch
| Slide | Purpose | Time |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Title | Name, tagline, contact | 15s |
| 2. Problem | Pain point with evidence | 1min |
| 3. Solution | How you solve it | 1min |
| 4. Demo/Product | Show, don't tell | 2min |
| 5. Market | TAM/SAM/SOM, growth | 1min |
| 6. Business Model | How you make money | 1min |
| 7. Traction | Metrics, milestones, users | 1min |
| 8. Team | Why this team wins | 30s |
| 9. Ask | What you need, what they get | 30s |
| 10. Contact | CTA, next steps | 15s |
The Problem-First Arc
Hook → Pain → Failed Solutions → Your Insight → Product → Evidence → Vision → Ask
Best for: Markets where the problem is well-known but solutions are bad.
The Vision-First Arc
Vision → Why Now → How → Product → Traction → Team → Ask
Best for: Category-creating products where the vision is the differentiator.
The Traction-First Arc
Results → How We Did It → The Market → The Team → What's Next → Ask
Best for: Growth-stage pitches where numbers speak louder than vision.
Slide Design Principles
One Idea Per Slide
BAD: Slide with 5 bullet points, a chart, and a screenshot
GOOD: One clear statement + one supporting visual
The 3-Second Rule
A viewer should grasp the slide's point within 3 seconds. If they can't, simplify.
Visual Hierarchy
1. Headline (largest, boldest) → The claim
2. Key visual (chart/screenshot) → The evidence
3. Supporting text (smallest) → The context
Data Visualization
| Data Type | Best Chart | Avoid |
|---|---|---|
| Trend over time | Line chart | Pie chart |
| Comparison | Bar chart | 3D chart |
| Part of whole | Stacked bar, treemap | Pie chart (>5 segments) |
| Relationship | Scatter plot | Table |
| Single metric | Large number | Any chart |
The Big Number Slide
┌─────────────────────────────┐
│ │
│ 47% │
│ reduction in deploy time │
│ │
│ (from 45min to 24min) │
│ │
└─────────────────────────────┘
Content Patterns
Problem Slide
Formula: Specific pain + Quantified impact + Who feels it
"Engineering teams waste 15 hours/week on manual deployment tasks.
For a 50-person team, that's $1.2M/year in lost productivity."
Solution Slide
Formula: What it does + How it's different + Key benefit
"One-click deployment pipelines that integrate with your existing
CI/CD stack. No migration needed — install and deploy in 5 minutes."
Market Slide
TAM/SAM/SOM Framework:
- TAM (Total Addressable Market): Everyone who could use it
- SAM (Serviceable Addressable Market): Your reachable segment
- SOM (Serviceable Obtainable Market): What you'll capture in 2-3 years
Traction Slide
Show growth trajectory, not just current numbers:
Month 1: 50 users
Month 3: 500 users
Month 6: 5,000 users
Month 12: 50,000 users (projected)
Team Slide
Focus on: Why this team? Not resume bullets, but relevant achievements.
"Previously built and sold DevToolCo (acquired by BigCorp).
15 years combined experience in CI/CD infrastructure.
Early engineers at [credible company]."
Audience Adaptation
| Audience | Emphasize | De-emphasize |
|---|---|---|
| Investors | Market, traction, team | Technical details |
| Technical | Architecture, scalability | Business model |
| Executives | ROI, risk, timeline | Implementation details |
| Internal | Impact, resources needed | Market analysis |
Delivery Tips
Timing
- 5 minutes: Problem + Solution + Demo + Ask
- 10 minutes: Full 10-slide deck
- 20 minutes: Deck + deep-dive on 2-3 slides + Q&A
- 30 minutes: Full deck + demo + extensive Q&A
Opening Hooks
- Startling statistic: "90% of deployments fail on first attempt"
- Story: "Last month, our team lost 3 days to a broken deploy..."
- Question: "How many hours does your team spend on deployments?"
- Demonstration: Start with the product, then explain the context
Anti-Patterns
- Wall of text — If it's readable as a document, it's not a presentation
- Feature list — Benefits, not features; outcomes, not capabilities
- Vanity metrics — "10M downloads" without engagement or revenue context
- Missing the ask — Always end with a clear, specific call to action
- One-size-fits-all — Adapt emphasis for each audience
- Demo disasters — Pre-record demos or have a screenshot fallback