PITCH DECK CHECKLIST FOR UK STARTUPS
InvestorUniverse. Tick each line when it is true of your deck.

BEFORE YOU START
[ ] The deck can be read in a few minutes with nobody in the room.
[ ] It is about ten slides, and every slide earns its place.
[ ] One idea on each slide, and the headline says what the slide proves.
[ ] Every number says what it measures, the period and how it was counted.

TITLE
[ ] Company name and a one-line description a stranger could repeat.
[ ] Contact details and the date of the deck, so a forwarded copy can be traced back to you.

PROBLEM
[ ] It says who has the problem and how often.
[ ] It says what the problem costs them in time or money.
[ ] It names why the options they use today fall short.

SOLUTION
[ ] It explains what you do in as few words as possible.
[ ] It shows the product, with a screenshot, a short demo or a prototype.
[ ] It states the concrete benefit to the customer, ideally with a number.

TRACTION
[ ] It shows what is real: revenue, users, pilots, a waitlist or signed letters of intent.
[ ] Charts have labelled axes, a period and a unit.
[ ] Nothing in the plan is dressed up as traction.

MARKET
[ ] Market size is worked out from the number of buyers and the price, so a reader can check it.
[ ] It explains why now: what has changed that makes this the right moment.

COMPETITION
[ ] It names real competitors and the alternatives customers use today.
[ ] It compares them on points your customers care about, such as price, features or ease of use.
[ ] It does not claim there is no competition.

BUSINESS MODEL
[ ] It says who pays, how much and how often.
[ ] It shows how customers find you and, if you know, what it costs to win one.
[ ] If you have no revenue yet, it shows the pricing you are testing and the early evidence.

TEAM
[ ] It gives one relevant line for each founder about what they have done before.
[ ] It covers the key hires still to make.
[ ] It sits early in the deck if your team is your strongest asset.

THE ASK
[ ] It states how much you are raising and what the money will achieve.
[ ] It says where you expect to be when this money runs out.
[ ] It says whether you expect to use SEIS or EIS, if you have applied for advance assurance.
[ ] It sits on its own slide so it is the last thing a reader sees.

BEFORE YOU SEND IT
[ ] Someone outside the company has read it and can say what you do.
[ ] The file opens on a phone, and the file size is small enough to email.
[ ] Spelling, names and figures are checked, and figures match your financial model.
[ ] Each version carries a date so nobody works from an old copy.