Pitch deck:
structure, key slides & checklist

A pitch deck is a visual presentation of 10-14 slides that tells your startup's story: problem, solution, market, traction and business model. Its goal: trigger a next step (call, meeting, due diligence). It's not a detailed business plan, but a storytelling tool designed to convince quickly.

Usually 10–14 slides. The golden rule: 1 slide = 1 clear idea. A deck that's too long loses attention. Better a short, punchy deck than an exhaustive one. For details, prepare a separate appendix.

Essential slides: (1) One-liner/vision, (2) Problem with ICP, (3) Solution, (4) Product/demo, (5) Market TAM/SAM/SOM, (6) Traction/proof, (7) Business model, (8) Go-to-market, (9) Competition, (10) Team, (11) Ask (amount + use). Order can vary based on your strength (e.g., start with traction if it's strong).

Common mistakes: too much text (VCs skim), no proof/traction, vague ICP ("everyone is our customer"), Ask slide without specific amount or use of funds, ignoring competition, team presented without execution credibility, unrealistic projections without assumptions.

Ember is not a generic slide generator. It's a vertical AI sparring partner that structures the foundations of your pitch: the WHY module (13 questions, 7 phases) clarifies your vision and value proposition. The ICP module generates a persona across 16 dimensions for your Problem slide. The Market module automatically calculates your TAM/SAM/SOM with sources. The Competition module positions your offering on relevant axes. Interviews synthesize customer verbatims (Say/Think/Do) to credibilize your traction. Result: a coherent pitch deck fed by structured data, not empty slides.

ChatGPT generates generic content from prompts. Ember structures vertical strategic thinking: each module (WHY, ICP, Market, Competition, Interviews) asks targeted questions and synthesizes your answers into actionable deliverables. Ember's AI doesn't replace your thinking, it challenges it. It detects inconsistencies between modules (e.g., ICP vs target market), suggests reformulations, and generates cross-insights. It's a sparring partner that pushes you to structure your thinking, not an assistant that fills in boxes.

Ember offers several integrated AI features: the AI coach in each module asks clarifying questions and challenges your assumptions. The pitch deck editor (coming soon) includes a 'Practice' mode with voice recording and AI feedback on your delivery. The Interviews module automatically synthesizes customer interviews into Say/Think/Do insights. Each module generates personalized recommendations based on your previous answers. The goal: help you pitch with confidence, not generate generic slides.

The pitch deck is a visual storytelling tool (10-14 slides) to trigger interest. The business plan is a detailed document (20-50 pages) for execution and due diligence. The deck opens the door, the business plan walks through it. Prepare both, but send the deck first.