pitch-deck-creation

Pitch Deck Creation

Generate professional investor-ready pitch decks. This skill covers both the narrative structure (what goes on each slide) and the visual design rules (how it should look), then produces a .pptx file via a bundled Python script.

Deck Structure

Use the 12-slide framework — total ~6 minutes. Never exceed 20 slides.

#	Slide	Duration	Key Question to Answer
1	Title	15s	Who are you?
2	Problem	45s	Is this a real problem people pay to solve?
3	Solution	45s	Is this 10x better than the status quo?
4	Demo/Product	60s	What does it actually look like?
5	Market Size	30s	Is this big enough to matter?
6	Business Model	30s	How do you make money?
7	Traction	45s	Is this actually working?
8	Competition	30s	Why you, not them?
9	Team	30s	Can these people execute?
10	Financials	30s	Revenue projections, unit economics
11	The Ask	15s	How much, what for, timeline
12	Contact	10s	Email, next steps

Detailed slide guidance: consult references/pitch_deck_best_practices.md for content rules, examples, and common mistakes for each slide type.

Step-by-Step Workflow

Step 1: Gather Information

Ask the user conversationally. Probe for specific metrics and data.

Required:

• Company name and tagline (one sentence)
• Problem being solved (with data/stats if available)
• Solution and key features

Recommended (include if available):

• Market size (TAM/SAM/SOM) and growth rate
• Traction: revenue, users, growth %, milestones
• Business model: pricing, revenue streams, unit economics
• Competition: competitors and your differentiators
• Team: founders and key hires with relevant background
• Financials & Ask: amount, use of funds, runway, milestones

For missing info, offer placeholder slides that can be updated later.

Step 2: Create pitch_data.json

Format collected information as JSON for the generation script:

{
  "company_name": "Company Name",
  "tagline": "One-line description",
  "problem": [
    "Problem statement with data",
    "Impact/urgency statement"
  ],
  "solution": [
    "How the product solves the problem",
    "Key feature 1 and its benefit",
    "Unique value proposition"
  ],
  "market": [
    "TAM: $X total addressable market",
    "SAM: $X serviceable market",
    "SOM: $X obtainable market"
  ],
  "product": ["Feature 1", "Feature 2", "Tech highlights"],
  "traction": ["Revenue: $X (YY% growth)", "Users: X,XXX active", "Key milestone"],
  "business_model": ["Revenue model", "Pricing: $XX/month", "CAC, LTV, margins"],
  "competition": {
    "our_advantages": ["Advantage 1", "Unfair advantage"],
    "competitors": ["Competitor 1", "Competitor 2"]
  },
  "team": [
    "CEO: Name - relevant experience",
    "CTO: Name - built X at Y"
  ],
  "financials": [
    "Raising: $X seed/Series A",
    "Use of funds: XX% eng, XX% sales",
    "Milestones with this funding"
  ]
}

Notes: all fields are optional except company_name; competition can be an object (two-column layout) or a plain array.

Step 3: Generate the PowerPoint

python3 scripts/create_pitch_deck.py pitch_data.json output_filename.pptx

Requires python-pptx: pip3 install python-pptx

The script produces a .pptx with consistent formatting, color scheme, and typography — ready for presentation or manual customization.

Step 4: Review and Iterate

• User updates pitch_data.json with new info, re-runs the script
• For design beyond the script, advise manual editing in PowerPoint
• PDF export: File → Save As → PDF (for sharing)
• Presentation timing: ~10–15 minutes for 10–12 slides

Visual Design Rules

Typography

Element	Size (1920×1080)	Rule
Slide title	48–72px	Max 6 words
Key stat	96–144px	One per slide max
Body text	24–32px	Max 6 bullet points
Caption/source	16–20px	Always cite data
Font	Sans-serif only	Inter, Helvetica, SF Pro

The 1-6-6 Rule

• 1 idea per slide
• 6 words max per bullet
• 6 bullets max per slide

If you need more text, you need more slides.

Color

Element	Guideline
Background	Dark navy/charcoal OR clean white — pick one, commit
Accent	ONE brand color for emphasis
Text	White on dark; dark grey (#333) on light
Charts	2–3 colors max; brand color = your company
Avoid	Gradients on text, neon, more than 3 colors

The bundled script defaults: Primary #2962FF (titles), Secondary #646464 (body), white background.

Layout

Rule	Why
Consistent margins (80–100px)	Professional, clean
Left-align body text	Easier to scan
One visual per slide	Focus attention
Slide numbers visible	Investors can reference specific slides
Logo in corner	Subtle brand reinforcement

Chart Type Guide

Chart	Use For	Never Use For
Line chart	Growth over time (traction)	Category comparisons
Bar chart	Comparing amounts	Time series
Concentric circles	TAM/SAM/SOM	Anything else
2×2 matrix	Competitive positioning	Feature comparison
Single big number	Key metric highlight	Multiple metrics
Pie chart	Never	Anything — hard to read, unprofessional

For competition slides: use a 2×2 positioning map, not a feature matrix against competitors.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Mistake	Fix
20+ slides	Max 12–15
Wall of text	Apply 1-6-6 rule
Feature matrix vs competitors	Use 2×2 positioning map
Pie charts	Use bar or single big number
No data source citations	Always cite
Team slide with 8+ people	Max 4, most relevant only
Vanity metrics	Show revenue, active users, retention
Missing "The Ask" slide	State amount + use of funds + timeline
Inconsistent design	Same colors/fonts/margins throughout

Tailoring for Audience

Seed/early-stage investor deck: emphasize problem, solution, market size, and team; show early traction; clear funding ask.

Growth-stage / Series A deck: lead with traction and revenue metrics; detailed unit economics; strong competitive moat story.

Sales / BD deck: de-emphasize fundraising; focus on customer ROI, case studies, and testimonials.

Product launch deck: highlight product features and market need; include demo screenshots; emphasize innovation.

Resources

• scripts/create_pitch_deck.py — generates PowerPoint from pitch_data.json
• references/pitch_deck_best_practices.md — comprehensive guide: slide-by-slide content rules, design best practices, audience tailoring, pre-pitch checklist