Table of Contents

1. Introduction

2. Guided Pitch Deck Templates

   • Y Combinator

   • Sequoia Capital

   • B2 Ventures

   • TechCrunch

   • Zendog Labs

   • Base Templates

   • Slidebean

   • PandaDoc

3. Lists with Pitch Deck Examples

   • OpenVC

   • Failery

   • Pitch Deck Hunt

   • Visible VC

4. Links to Resources

5. Conclusion

Introduction

Pitch decks are key for startups looking for funding from venture capitalists. In a tough world where only about 1% of startups get funding, a good pitch deck can help a lot. While you can use things like Notion pages or Loom videos to show your plans, venture capitalists still mainly want to see traditional pitch decks. There's not much gain in trying to do something completely new, so we suggest sticking with what works.

Making a good pitch deck can be hard. It requires knowledge and care. Startups often run into two big problems: not enough experience and not enough good feedback. Most founders don't make pitch decks every day, so they don't get many chances to get better at it. Also, feedback from friends or others may not be very helpful. On top of that, investors often don't give honest feedback. They might just tell you to "come back later" or "keep us updated", without really helping you improve. That's why it's important to look for outside help to make your pitch deck the best it can be.

In this blog post, we'll go over different kinds of pitch deck templates. We'll break them down into guided pitch deck templates and lists of pitch deck examples, giving a full view of what's out there. In the video below, we'll also talk about where to find design inspiration, but simple design templates alone won't guide you to a great pitch deck.

Note that resources cited in this blog post are linked in Section 4 - “Links to Resources.”

Guided Pitch Deck Templates

Guided templates are great because they offer a clear plan for making pitch decks. Most of the resources below are not just design templates, but also give you smart advice on what to include and how to arrange your slides. Here are some top guided template resources:

• Y Combinator: Y Combinator, a famous startup accelerator, has a guide for creating a Series Seed pitch deck created back in 2018. This is great for startups in the early stages. The guide focuses on content tips, and you'll find a link to design tips on their website. However, this template might not be useful for startups at a very early or late stage and it starts to be a little old.

• Sequoia Capital: This top tier venture capital firm says that pitch decks should cover key points like your company's purpose, problem, solution, market potential, competition, business model, team, financials, and vision. The contents and order can change depending on the startup, as this template is mainly based on the AirBnB pitch deck, but their advice is a useful, initial reference.

• B2 Ventures: B2 Ventures, a successful venture capital firm from Switzerland, gives tips and guidelines for fundraising pitch decks. Their guide aligns with the key points highlighted by Sequoia Capital, providing a good starting point for startups. However, just like Sequoia Capital, their guidelines are a bit too general, lacking detailed information you need for a great deck.

• TechCrunch: TechCrunch is a leading source for technology and startup news. They break down pitch decks and give general advice on building a good one. Their detailed analysis of slides and best practices can help you improve your pitch deck, but their other advice is also a bit too general.

• Zendog Labs (link): We created this pitch deck template based on our experience reviewing and building hundreds of pitch decks. Our focus is on content rather than design, offering specific advice on what to include in your deck, how to arrange each slide, and common mistakes to avoid. We believe our guide provides a unique depth of information.

• Base Templates: Created by entrepreneur and investor Max Fleitmann, Base Templates offers a variety of design-focused templates. While the instructions are less detailed than others, the templates provide a starting point and options for each slide. Combining our advice with the design choices from Base Templates could be helpful, even though we might not completely agree on the perfect structure.

• Slidebean: Slidebean gives a quick guide on pitch deck structure and best practices, with a strong focus on design. Despite their design-focused approach, the breakdown of slides and advice can still be helpful for startups.

• PandaDoc: Like Slidebean, PandaDoc mainly focuses on the design aspects of pitch decks. However, it's important to remember that content is also crucial. That said, PandaDoc's guidelines can provide useful information for startups.

Each of these guided templates has its own benefits and drawbacks. The Y Combinator and Zendog Labs templates offer detailed content tips, while Sequoia Capital, B2 Ventures, and TechCrunch provide additional, more general insights. Base Templates, Slidebean, and PandaDoc can give you plenty of design ideas that are more useful than the generic templates you might find elsewhere on the web.

Lists with Pitch Deck Examples

Another useful tool for making pitch decks is looking at examples from startups that have successfully gotten funding in the past. You can find these examples on platforms like OpenVC, Failory, Pitch Deck Hunt, and Visible VC. Here's a quick rundown of each:

• Failory: Failory lets you sift through pitch deck examples based on different criteria like industry, business model, customer type, stage, and amount raised. The best part is it shows you full pitch decks, not just single slides.

• Pitch Deck Hunt: Made by Max, the same person behind Base Templates, Pitch Deck Hunt shares pitch decks from various startups. Like Failory, you get to see full pitch decks and can search using filters like category and stage.

• OpenVC: OpenVC has a long list of startups, mainly sorted by their funding rounds. You can also filter by tags like "problem & solution" slide. This resource provides you with specific slide examples, not full pitch decks, so may be less useful (or more targeted) than Failory and Pitch Deck Hunt.

• Visible VC: Visible VC has a selection of pitch deck slides along with basic guidelines for creating effective decks. Their list of pitch decks is smaller, and the examples are not interactive – it's just individual slides with commentary from the Visible VC team.

Links to Resources

Conclusion

Making a persuasive pitch deck is a must for startups wanting venture capital funding. As opportunities to present to investors are limited, making a strong first impression is key. Using guided templates and looking at examples from successful startups can greatly improve your chances.

In this blog post, we looked at different types of pitch deck templates, like guided templates and lists with examples. Guided templates from trusted sources like Y Combinator, Sequoia Capital, B2 Ventures, TechCrunch, Zendog Labs, Base Templates, Slidebean, and PandaDoc provide helpful advice on organizing your pitch deck. Also, platforms like OpenVC, Failory, Pitch Deck Hunt, and Visible VC show examples from successful startups, allowing you to gain inspiration and refine your pitch deck.

It's important to remember, you need a balance between content and design. Start with focusing on getting the right content, then pay attention to design. Keep in mind, good design is important as many investors come from banking and strategy consulting backgrounds, and they value clean, mistake-free slides.

Did we forget a useful resource? Let us know at hi@zendoglabs.com and we'll update this blog post.