How to Build the Perfect Pitch Deck, According to Fundraising Experts

Follow this five page template to keep your pitch smart and focused.

By Rollups by AngelList Nov 18, 2025

This story appears in the November 2025 issue of Entrepreneur. Subscribe »

Here’s the best and worst part about a pitch deck: It should be short.

Founders always want to go long. They have so much information to share, and so many points they want to make! But that just muddies the pitch.

So we asked Rollups by AngelList (it’s an AngelList brand that helps companies fundraise) to share their ideal pitch format — and they gave us this. It’s just five pages.

Brevity forces focus. After all, investors don’t want to know everything about your business — not initially, at least. They just want to understand if you’re solving the right problem, and if you’re the people to make it successful.

Don’t worry — five isn’t a standard you must hit. If you need a few more pages, nobody will be upset.

So, what belongs in those pages? Follow this template, and best of luck in your pitch meetings!

Related: Most Founders Obsess Over Their Pitch — and Overlook What Actually Gets a ‘Yes’

Page 1: Purpose and vision

Vision: Think bigger than your V1 product. Share your vision for how the world should look when you’re done.

Potential : Your purpose and vision should illustrate what happens if things go really well for your startup.

POV: Do you see the world differently than others? What is everyone else wrong about, and why?

Page 2: The problem you’re solving

Who: Who has the problem? Be specific. What is their job title? How do they spend their time?

What: What is their problem in five words or fewer? Make it painfully obvious.

Where: Is this a global problem?

Why: What is the root cause of the problem? Even better if this is an “earned secret” only you know.

When: Does your user/customer only have this problem once? Do they face it daily? Monthly?

Page 3: Your solution

Killer features: Pull the top two to three features out of the demo and list them on the page. Focus on the ones that draw users and customers to your product.

Differentiation: Subtly show what makes your solution unique, but don’t launch into a full competitive analysis (yet).

Sanity check: Is it apparent to a new reader that the “Solution” slide answers the “Problem” slide?

Related: I Won $100,000 for My Business Pitch — and 3 Simple Strategies Helped Me Do It

Page 4: Progress to date

Timing: What has happened recently that makes now the right time for you to exist?

path: Show how a path to exponential revenue growth is possible.

Traction: Share data on first customers/users/pilots. Include testimonials. Have you won any big names, and can you show their logos? Any evidence that you might unseat an incumbent?

GTM: What is your go-to-market (GTM) or distribution strategy? Do you have evidence that it is a reliable machine?

Page 5: What makes your team the right team

Sources: Link to social profiles. Include press coverage.

Logos: Where has the team worked before?

Impact: What impact did they have there?

Value: What unique value do they bring to your startup?

History: Does the team have a history of working together?

Related: You Won’t Have a Strong Sales Pitch Until You Follow These 6 Pitch Strategies

After the Pitch: Your due diligence materials

Don’t include this in your pitch deck, but have it ready for when investors ask.

Road map: What next milestone will this funding round enable you to reach?

Cap table: Detailed view of company ownership plus founder stock purchase and IP assignment agreement(s).

Customer roster: Investors may want to see where revenue is coming from. Can be deidentified (i.e., “Customer #12”).

Financials: Historical and forecasted P&L for next one to two years, plus a bal-ance sheet/cash-flow statement.

Competition: Competitive analysis table.

Ask: How much you’re raising this round and high-level use of funds.

Here’s the best and worst part about a pitch deck: It should be short.

Founders always want to go long. They have so much information to share, and so many points they want to make! But that just muddies the pitch.

So we asked Rollups by AngelList (it’s an AngelList brand that helps companies fundraise) to share their ideal pitch format — and they gave us this. It’s just five pages.

The rest of this article is locked.

Join Entrepreneur+ today for access.

Subscribe Now

Already have an account? Sign In

Related Content