The 12-slide pitch deck template
A seed pitch deck structure used by Dragon founders. Twelve slides, no fluff, with notes on what investors actually look for on each.
- 01
Title & vision
Company name, one-line vision, founder names. Make the reader want slide 2.
- 02
The problem
Who suffers, how often, what it costs them today. Specific > broad.
- 03
The insight
What you know that others don't yet — the wedge that makes you defensible.
- 04
Product
One screenshot or diagram. Show, don't tell. Explain the magic in 2 lines.
- 05
Market size
Bottom-up TAM. Show working: # customers × ACV. Avoid Gartner top-down numbers.
- 06
Power (moat)
Which of Helmer's 7 Powers you're building toward, and the evidence so far.
- 07
Traction
Revenue, users, retention, LOIs, design partners. Curve > snapshot.
- 08
Business model
Pricing, ACV, gross margin, sales motion. One line each.
- 09
Go-to-market
First 100 customers — name them or describe them precisely.
- 10
Competition
2×2 chart with you in the corner. Honest about who's adjacent.
- 11
Team
Why this team will beat everyone else at this specific problem.
- 12
The ask
Amount raising, milestones it funds, runway it buys, target close date.
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