Pitch deck playbook: How to create a pitch that gets funded

Indian VCs see hundreds of decks every month and spend under four minutes on each. If your story does not click immediately, the meeting ends before it begins. So let us step back and look at what actually makes a pitch deck work, based on how investors in India really think.

This guide breaks down the exact structure, logic, and mistakes behind pitch decks that get funded, using insights from real investor behaviour and successful raises.

The truth about pitch decks

Your pitch deck is not about your product. It is about de-risking an investment decision.

Investors are asking one question throughout your deck: Is this business likely to work, and can this team execute it?

Everything else is secondary. According to industry data, VC investments in India jumped sharply in 2024, which also means competition for attention is intense. Your deck is not just competing with startups in your category. It is competing with every opportunity an investor sees that week.

Before you even open PowerPoint, test this. Can you explain your startup in 30 seconds to someone who knows nothing about your industry? If they do not immediately understand the problem and solution, your deck is not ready.

The slide structure investors expect

A strong pitch deck is short, focused, and predictable. Most funded decks in India follow a 10-12 slide structure. Here is how each slide should work.

1. Opening slide: your billboard

This is the most important slide in the deck. One sentence that makes investors lean forward.

Avoid vague claims like “Revolutionising education with AI.” Instead, show a clear outcome. For example: helping 10 million students access high-quality education at Rs 50 per month. Include your company name, a sharp tagline, and one strong metric if you have it.

2. The problem

Investors fund painkillers, not vitamins. Your problem should feel expensive, frequent, and urgent.

Use specific, verifiable data. Show the economic cost of the problem and quantify how many people or businesses are affected. Avoid vague phrases like “broken system” or problems you have never personally experienced.

3. The solution

Do not list features. Describe the transformation. A useful approach is the before-and-after framework. Show what life looks like today without your product, and how it changes after adoption. Investors care about outcomes, not technical details.

4. Market size

This is where many founders lose credibility. Indian VCs dislike inflated top-down numbers. Instead of quoting a massive industry figure, use a bottom-up calculation. Show how many customers exist, how much they pay annually, and what realistic penetration looks like over time. Specific maths signals serious thinking.

Proving the business works

Once the story is clear, investors want proof.

5. Business model

Explain exactly how you make money. Subscription, commission, transaction fees, or SaaS models are well understood in India. What investors dislike is uncertainty. If your answer is “we will figure monetisation out later,” your deck will not move forward. Investors want to see that the business can generate cash without raising money forever.

Unit economics matter here. Your lifetime value should be at least three times your customer acquisition cost. Even early estimates are better than silence.

6. Traction

This is the most important slide if you have any traction at all. Even small numbers beat big claims with no proof. A growing waitlist, early revenue, strong engagement, or month-on-month growth signals momentum. Investors trust evidence more than projections.

Why this team will win

7. Competition

Never say you have no competitors. That signals poor research. Acknowledge where competitors are strong and clearly explain how your approach is different. Avoid comparison charts where you win on every metric. Honesty builds trust.

8. Team

Indian investors invest in people as much as ideas. Highlight relevant experience, domain knowledge, and complementary skills. Previous startup experience, even failed attempts, adds credibility. Avoid listing every degree or irrelevant role. Investors want to know if this team can execute.

The numbers and the ask

9. Financials

Your projections should be ambitious but believable. Avoid the hockey stick trap. Showing revenue going from zero to Rs 50 crore in three years without explaining assumptions kills credibility. Instead, explain customer acquisition, pricing, conversion rates, churn, burn rate, runway, and path to profitability.

10. The ask

Be specific. “We are raising Rs 2 to 3 crore” sounds vague. “We are raising Rs 2.5 crore at a Rs 12 crore pre-money valuation to achieve specific milestones over 18 months” shows preparation. Break down how the funds will be used and what outcomes they will unlock.

Closing the deck strong

Your final slide should reinforce your core message and make it easy to follow up. Summarise your vision, restate your key metric, clearly repeat the ask, and include contact details. If you include a roadmap, keep it realistic and focused on the next 12 to 24 months. Too many slides, too much text, unclear revenue paths, or unrealistic financials are the fastest ways to lose attention.

The one thing that matters most

At the end of the day, your pitch deck is just a tool. What really matters is traction. A mediocre deck with strong momentum will beat a perfect deck with no proof every time. If traction is not there yet, pause fundraising. Spend the next few months getting users, revenue, and validation. Then build a deck that showcases that momentum. Because momentum raises money. Not slides.

Want the complete breakdown?

Read the full guide to see detailed examples, slide templates, common red flags, and a pre-deck checklist used by funded Indian startups. Click here to access the full pitch deck guide.