---
name: pitch-presentations
description: "Build and rehearse pitches for investors, clients, partners and leadership: problem and why now, solution, proof, model and numbers, team, a specific ask, investor and client deck structures, a two-minute verbal pitch, sent and live versions, hard questions with answers and same-day follow-up. Use whenever someone needs a pitch deck, investor pitch, sales or client pitch, partnership pitch, internal budget pitch, demo day presentation or an elevator pitch."
license: CC-BY-4.0
metadata:
  author: Afeez Adebayo
  author_url: https://afeezadebayo.com
  author_linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/afeez-adebayo/
  author_x: https://x.com/za_icon
  source: https://afeezadebayo.com/skills-md/productivity/communication-presentations/pitch-presentations/
  category: productivity
  subcategory: communication-presentations
  version: "1.0.0"
  created: "2026-10-14"
  updated: "2026-10-14"
---

# Pitch Presentations

A pitch asks someone to commit: an investor to fund, a client to buy, a leadership team to back a project, a partner to sign. Most pitches fail for the same reasons: they open with the company instead of the audience's problem, cram in every feature, hide the ask, skip the numbers decision makers need and leave no clear next step. Investors often spend only a few minutes on a deck before deciding whether to take a meeting, so the story must land fast. [Reported, DocSend pitch deck research]

This skill builds and rehearses pitches for investors, clients, partners and internal leadership: the problem and why now, the solution and how it works, proof, the business model or commercial terms, the team, the ask and the next step, with versions for a sent deck, a live meeting and a two-minute verbal pitch, plus preparation for tough questions.

## Operating principles
1. **Their problem first.** Open with the audience's pain or opportunity, not your history.
2. **One clear ask.** Say exactly what you want and what happens next.
3. **Proof beats claims.** Traction, results, customer quotes and data carry the pitch.
4. **Simple numbers.** Market, model, economics and use of funds that a decision maker can follow.
5. **Short and rehearsed.** Ten to fifteen slides, delivered in about twenty minutes, with time for questions.

## Pitch types
| Type | Audience wants to know | Ask |
|---|---|---|
| Investor (seed to Series A) | Problem, market size, traction, team, why now, economics | Amount, use of funds, milestones |
| Client or sales pitch | Their problem understood, your solution, proof, price, risk | Pilot, contract, next meeting |
| Partnership | Shared opportunity, what each side gives and gets | Agreement to a pilot or terms |
| Internal (budget or project) | Problem, cost of doing nothing, plan, return, risks | Approval of budget or resources |
| Demo day or competition | Memorable story, traction, team in 2 to 5 minutes | Follow-up meetings |

## Investor deck structure (10 to 15 slides)
```
1. Title: company, one-line description, contact
2. Problem: who has it, how painful, evidence
3. Solution: what you do and how it works (show the product)
4. Why now: what has changed (technology, regulation, behaviour)
5. Market: size and segments, bottom-up where possible
6. Traction: revenue, growth, users, retention, notable customers
7. Business model: pricing, unit economics, sales motion
8. Competition: alternatives and why you win
9. Go-to-market: how you acquire customers
10. Team: why this team wins
11. Financials: key numbers and projections (brief)
12. The ask: amount, use of funds, milestones it reaches
13. Closing: vision in one line and contact
```
This mirrors widely used templates such as Y Combinator's and Sequoia's guidance on what investors look for. [Reference, YC and Sequoia pitch guidance]

## Client pitch structure
```
1. Their situation and goal (in their words)
2. The cost of the problem (time, money, risk)
3. Our approach and how it works for them
4. Proof: similar customer results, references
5. What it looks like: timeline, team, onboarding
6. Investment: options and pricing
7. Risks and how we manage them
8. Next step: pilot, decision date, contacts
```

## When to use, and when not to
Use it for fundraising, sales and client pitches, partnership proposals, internal budget requests, demo days and competitions.

Don't use it for written proposals (the Workplace Writing `proposals` skill) or for general presentations that are not asking for a commitment (`presentation-storyline`).

## Inputs
- Audience, decision makers and what they care about.
- The ask and the next step you want.
- Problem evidence, product, traction and results.
- Market, model and financial figures.
- Competition and differentiation.
- Time slot and format (sent deck, live, video, demo day).

## Workflow

### Step 1. Research the audience
Investors: thesis, stage, portfolio, cheque size. Clients: goals, pain, decision process, budget. Leaders: priorities and concerns.

### Step 2. Write the one-line pitch
Who you help, what problem you solve, how, and the proof: "We help mid-size lenders cut loan processing from 5 days to 1, and 12 lenders now use us."

### Step 3. Define the ask
Amount, decision or next step, and what it makes possible.

### Step 4. Build the story
Use the right structure above; one message per slide with an assertion headline.

### Step 5. Gather proof
The strongest numbers, customer names and quotes, before-and-after results.

### Step 6. Make the numbers simple
One slide each for market, model and financials; show assumptions; avoid dense spreadsheets.

### Step 7. Create versions
A sent deck that stands alone, a live deck with fewer words, a one-page summary and a two-minute verbal pitch.

### Step 8. Prepare for questions
The 20 hardest questions with short answers and backup slides.

### Step 9. Rehearse
Timed, out loud, with someone playing a sceptical investor or buyer.

### Step 10. Follow up
Same day: thanks, the deck, answers to open questions and the next step.

## Hard questions to prepare
| Investor | Client | Internal |
|---|---|---|
| Why now? | Why you over the incumbent? | Why this over other priorities? |
| What if a big company copies you? | What if it does not work? | What is the cost of waiting? |
| What are your unit economics? | What does implementation take? | How will we measure success? |
| Why is this team the one to win? | Who else uses you like us? | What risks are we taking? |
| How will you use the money? | What is the total cost? | Who owns delivery? |

## The two-minute verbal pitch
```
Problem (20s): who has it and how much it costs them
Solution (30s): what you do and the key insight
Proof (30s): traction or a customer result
Why us and why now (20s)
Ask (20s): what you want and the next step
```

## Edge cases and judgement calls
| Situation | What to do |
|---|---|
| Pre-revenue | Lead with problem evidence, pilots, letters of intent and team |
| Weak traction in one area | Show the strongest metric and explain the plan openly elsewhere |
| Very technical product | One simple analogy, a demo and outcomes, not architecture |
| Five-minute slot | Problem, solution, proof, ask; everything else in the appendix |
| Hostile or sceptical audience | Acknowledge risks openly; show how you reduce them |
| Sent deck with no presenter | More explanation per slide; a one-page summary first |

## Handoffs to related skills
- Story structure: `presentation-storyline`
- Slide design: `slide-design`
- Delivery and questions: `presenting-delivery`
- Data slides: `data-storytelling`
- Written proposals: the Workplace Writing `proposals` skill
- Positioning and messaging: the Product Marketing skills

## Worked example
A fintech founder's seed deck had 28 slides starting with company history and ending with a vague "looking for investment". The rebuild opened with the problem (mid-size lenders take five days to process loans, losing borrowers), showed a short product demo, moved traction to slide five (12 lenders, £1.2m annual run rate, 140% net revenue retention), simplified the market to a bottom-up estimate, added a clear ask (£2.5m for 18 months to reach £5m run rate) and cut to 13 slides with an appendix. The founder rehearsed against 20 hard questions. Meetings converted to second meetings far more often, and the round closed in ten weeks.

## Common mistakes
- Starting with the company instead of the problem.
- Burying traction.
- Vague or missing ask.
- Market sizes that are top-down and unbelievable.
- No preparation for hard questions.

## Output format
```
1. Audience research notes
2. One-line pitch and ask
3. Slide-by-slide outline with headlines
4. Proof and numbers slides
5. Versions: sent deck, live deck, one-pager, two-minute pitch
6. Hard questions with answers
7. Rehearsal and follow-up plan
```

## Self-check before you answer
- Does the pitch open with the audience's problem?
- Is the ask specific, with what it makes possible?
- Is proof early and strong?
- Are hard questions prepared and rehearsed?

---
Created by Afeez Adebayo, Marketing, SEO & Growth Expert
Website: https://afeezadebayo.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/afeez-adebayo/
X: https://x.com/za_icon
Source: https://afeezadebayo.com/skills-md/productivity/communication-presentations/pitch-presentations/

Licence: CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). You may copy, share and adapt this skill, including for commercial use, as long as you credit Afeez Adebayo and link to the source URL above. Keep this notice in any copy or adapted version.