How to build your seed round pitch deck y combinator post. Jan 31, 2025 · A comprehensive guide from Y Combinator on how to craft a good pitch deck to raise a seed round for your company. Questions, tips, and resources. Different people accept different outcomes for their startup; it's all a matter of what you want to do. com 4 Haje Kamps Helping startup founders raise early-stage VC funding 9mo Jan 7, 2016 · A Brief Glossary of Key Terms The term you are looking for is not here? Disagree with the definition? Go to Investopedia for a more authoritative source. The last thing to remember is that your Series A documents are a foundation and precedent for the terms of future rounds. Evan Baehr & Evan Loomis Get Backed Craft your story, build the perfect pitch deck, and launch the venture of your dreams. Haje Jan Kamps Pitch Perfect Raising capital for your startup. Jan 20, 2025 · Here’s why these pitch deck templates are worth your attention: Techstars: A pre-seed giant backing over 9,000 founders, boasting a $105B total graduate market cap. If you're pitching and there are local VCs or Syndicates, better luck there. It recommends keeping the decks concise by focusing on the narrative and avoiding excessive detail typically found in longer decks. ) Discover the best ways for a seed-stage startup to pitch to investors and successfully fundraise from Y Combinator’s Michael Seibel. If you can answer all seven questions succinctly you’ll be well ahead of the curve. The deck emphasizes competitive advantages, the business model, and future growth plans while seeking to raise $1. It is important to note that the number of slides needed to cover each section may vary depending on your industry. What's How to build your seed round pitch deck : YC Startup Library | Y Combinator ycombinator. ) How to get your first customers https://lnkd. Discover the best ways for a seed-stage startup to pitch to investors and successfully fundraise from Y Combinator’s Michael Seibel. Here is the YC seed deck template that works. Lyra has raised $6 million to expand its AI-native video meeting 𝗧𝗼𝗽 𝟭𝟬 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗰𝗲𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗘𝗮𝗿𝗹𝘆-𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁𝘂𝗽 𝗳𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀 1) Tool from Y Hey there, Over the past few months, I've been actively working on my pitch and pitch deck, going through countless iterations. Learn how these successful companies structured their presentations, […] A curated list of 100+ startup fundraising resources Check out all resources that will make it easy for you to get funded. How today's fastest-growing companies drive breakout success. YC's Kevin Hale goes over the fundamentals of pricing and monetization, how it affects your customer acquisition strategy, and how to optimize it through a few rules of thumb. You then turned that capital into a solid customer base, consistent revenue, or are hitting other KPIs relevant to your company and now The document provides a template for how founders should structure their seed funding presentation decks. Coinbase’s seed round pitch deck uses graphs and visuals to demonstrate the traction their product is getting and emphasize the growth potential. Jan 22, 2023 · Conclusion Putting together a pitch deck for Y Combinator can be a daunting task, especially for first-time entrepreneurs. Jan 15, 2025 · In this episode of How to Build the Future, Garry sits down with Parker Conrad, Co-founder & CEO of Rippling, the all-in-one HR, Finance, and IT software company that’s valued at $13. This is where a well-crafted seed deck comes into play. By using the structure and best practices offered by Y Combinator, founders can create a strong pitch deck that can attract investors and secure successful funding. Do you personally place a significant emphasis on it? And in your experience, do investors value founders who deliver strong pitches? Jan 9, 2016 · The set of requirements to raise a seed round changes as the set of requirements to launch, test and validate an idea changes. Learn how to make the perfect Y Combinator pitch deck with examples instantly usable as templates, and expert tips on structure, format, and design. But you might be passionate. Jul 21, 2021 · The best pitch deck templates for raising seed and pre-seed investment To help you take your fundraising efforts to the next level, we have compiled our ultimate list of pitch deck templates. In my experience you have to have 10x the amount of traction to get a good investor to overlook a non-technical team. Get the Y Combinator pitch deck template with a free open-sourced design. To be effective, your pitch has to be clear and concise. in/dpZRrpq7 9. com 1 1 Comment Ruichao Zhang Learn the secrets of crafting a winning pitch deck format from Sequoia, YC, and Guy Kawasaki. 💰 Y Combinator’s Advice on How to Build a Great Seed Round Pitch and Deck Investors typically invest in only 1% of the pitch decks they receive. How to build your seed round pitch deck : YC Startup Library | Y Combinator ycombinator. It is suitable for entrepreneurs, startup owners, and other business professionals because this template is designed with the unique and professional aesthetic of Y Combinator pitch decks If you are building a tech startup and no one on your team can write code or do the technical work necessary, the bar to raise investment is much much higher. Unlock funding with our comprehensive seed round pitch deck template and guide, perfect for startups seeking investment and growth. The Y Combinator Modern Pitch Deck is a premium template available in PowerPoint (PPT) and Google Slides, featuring 55 slides in a contemporary color scheme of cream, orange, and black. To apply for the Y Combinator program, submit an application form. Note that one of Y Combinator’s key components is the problem (above) and solution (below) slides. Parker is the co-founder of two unicorns and has one of the more dramatic startup journeys in recent years. This listicle showcases eight startup pitch deck examples, including Airbnb, Uber, Buffer, LinkedIn, Sequoia Capital's template, Y Combinator's Demo Day pitch, Front, and Mixpanel, to help you craft your own. May 19, 2025 · How To Perfectly Pitch Your Seed Stage Startup With Y Combinator's Michael Seibel - YC Seed Pitch Secrets That Most Founders Miss: Master Your YC Pitch: A Founder's Ultimate Guide. I pitched him my idea and he liked it and asked for a pitch deck to review with his partner this FRIDAY and we have another meeting next week. The template includes slides for the company overview, problem statement, solution, traction metrics, competitive advantages, business model, market opportunity, team, and funding request. With cloud providers and app stores that part of equation got changed, so some ideas (not all) can be validated on the cheap. 5 billion. However, if you take the right steps and follow the guidelines outlined in this blog post, you can create a compelling pitch deck that will help you secure the funding you need to bring your venture to life. The best way to communicate with investors over cold email is simple: make it short. Master the art of storytelling and adapt to impress any investor. (Alejandro Cremades) They are also spending 24 Jan 9, 2024 · In this guide, we go over what seed funding is, how much should you raise, how long should it last, how much dilution should you give, and 6 sources to raise it. com 18 2 Comments YC's library of startup advice: essays and videos that teach you how to start a company. VCs need an airtight TAM SAM SOM analysis of your market in the pitch deck to validate initial interest. ) How to build your seed round pitch deck https://lnkd. But I'm still uncertain about whether I should continue investing so much time in it. Startups are companies that are designed to grow and scale rapidly. This article analyzes their recommendations and highlights key points for creating a strong pitch deck that will convince investors. If you want to shoot for the billion dollar outcome, then perhaps fundraising from VCs is the right move. In this interview, he shares his origin story, the lessons learned from his first two YCombinator Pitch Deck Tdmplate John Doe Founders build bad seed decks No money means companies are forced to survive on revenue (The Problem) This wastes a huge amount of time Bad seed decks mean they don't raise the money they need Our template solves this problem (The Solution) It's fast to use Simple to explain Improves lives and cleans teeth Jul 6, 2022 · To entice and convey their narrative to investors, businesses seeking funding for the first time will need a seed round presentation deck. The program culminates in Demo Day, where startups pitch to a carefully selected audience of investors. It is fully editable. The document provides tips for creating an effective pitch deck presentation for Y Combinator's Demo Day. As a founder you’ll have to pitch your startup countless times. But investors want Learn how to build an investor-ready pitch deck that closes funding — including slide-by-slide guidance, expert tips, and real startup deck examples. The program includes weekly dinners, office hours with YC partners and access to the network of other YC founders. Nov 9, 2022 · Here’s the essential pitch deck structure to convince investors. The template then provides a fictional example deck following the guidelines, with placeholder slides about the benefits of the deck template, metrics showing its impact, the business model Aug 14, 2020 · こんにちわ。ZVentureCapital大久保（@koheei_okubo）です。今回は、海外著名VCによるピッチ資料のテンプレートをご紹介します。これから資金調達に回られる起業家のご参考になればと思います。また、「上場企業から学ぶバズったピッチスライド」「プレゼンは魅せ方が鍵～資料作成に役立つIR資料 Apr 23, 2025 · Crafting a Winning Pitch: Lessons from the Masters A compelling pitch deck is essential for securing funding. Learn how to choose investors and time your funding round to obtain financing with our seed funding guide. IntroductionStarting a startup is an exhilarating journey, and a crucial step in this adventure is attracting the right investors. Jul 19, 2022 · Get inspiration for your pitch deck from these seed to Series C-stage startups that have successfully fundraised since 2020! The document discusses a solution for startups struggling to create effective pitch decks, highlighting the company's template that simplifies the process and significantly improves fundraising outcomes. The Y Combinator Guide to Perfectly Pitching Your Seed Stage Startup with Michael Seibel by Jason Lemkin | Blog Posts So as we gear up for 2025 SaaStr Annual, May 13-15 in SF Bay, we wanted to take a look back at the top sessions from recent years. Mar 13, 2025 · A well-crafted pitch deck is essential for startup founders to attract investors and secure funding. It emphasizes that slides should clearly communicate the top 5-7 key points about the startup in a way that is legible, simple, and obvious. Where can I find a kickass, clean pitch deck? Early stage founders often seek guidance in crafting the perfect pitch deck for investors. Welcome to /r/startups, the place to discuss startup problems and solutions. Designing a seed round pitch deck is a crucial step in securing funding for your startup. The template then provides a sample deck following this advice, with sections laying out the problem being solved, product details, traction metrics, the Mar 14, 2018 · The pitch deck here shows how Aaron believes companies should make their seed decks. The thing to remember is that you already have everything you need to create a great presentation. Steve Blank Startup Owners Manual A Step-By-Step Guide for Building a Great Company. Angel Investor – A (usually) wealthy private investor in startup companies. The document provides a template for how founders should structure their seed funding presentation decks. Jan 10, 2022 · Let’s say you use the $500k from YC as your “seed round”, so instead your first round is your A series selling 25% with a post money valuation of $20 million, and a 10% post money option pool (which usually all comes from the pre money investors). . 5 million for Mar 1, 2024 · Seed funding is a startup's earliest funding stage. Here are design principles to follow when creating your pitch deck and How to build your seed round pitch deck : YC Startup Library | Y Combinator ycombinator. It emphasizes clarity and concision, helping startups effectively communicate their value to investors and avoid common pitfalls of poorly designed decks. Here's advice on building a pitch deck: Don't go to SF. He shares his tips on how to craft your pitch in a clear and concise way that effectively grabs your audience's attention. VCs usually want at least an intro, it's not a 0% probability. This document provides a template for a seed round pitch deck, with explanations for each suggested slide. However, many fundraising Founders struggle with the TAM SAM SOM pitch deck page, especially when they are raising Seed funding for their startup. Maybe not need. Jan 10, 2025 · In this episode of How to Build the Future, Garry sits down with Parker Conrad, Co-founder & CEO of Rippling, the all-in-one HR, Finance, and IT software company that’s valued at $13. Simple slides express only one clear idea per slide Jan 7, 2016 · Second, simplify your pitch to the essential–why this is a great product (demos are almost a requirement nowadays), why you are precisely the right team to build it, and why together you should all dream about creating the next gigantic company. Although the main objective for this template is a business to raise its seed round, the deck isn't dissimilar to the best practices for a Series A pitch deck, which will be coming out soon. There are probably 100 reasons why your company is great, but people can only really remember a few of How to convince investors https://lnkd. With a 50% monthly growth and 95% better performance than traditional fundraising methods, the business generates revenue from every deck produced and has a scalable model for future growth Sep 24, 2019 · Y Combinator CEO and Partner Michael Seibel on how to cold email investors. How to Build a Great Series a Pitch and Deck _ YC Startup Library _ Y Combinator (1) - Free download as PDF File (. (I believe even one of your examples, Google Collection of Y Combinator Resources from founders who have applied, failed, or succeeded. The key advice is to keep the deck concise and tell a clear narrative about the problem, solution The deck below is a template for how I think companies should build seed decks. Jul 19, 2022 · Get inspiration for your pitch deck from these seed to Series C-stage startups that have successfully fundraised since 2020! How to build your seed round pitch deck : YC Startup Library | Y Combinator ycombinator. In this post I’ve condensed the pitch creation process to answering seven questions. Convertible Note – This is a debt instrument that will convert The deck below is a template for how I think companies should build seed decks. in/dMi-gyZ5 8. While the main target for this template is a company raising its seed round, the deck is not all that different from best practices for a Series A deck - which we’ll release next. Here is the YC Seed Deck Template that works. Mar 21, 2025 · Key takeaway: Y Combinator’s pitch deck is simple because seed-stage companies need to tell a clear, concise story investors can understand at a glance. If you're a first time founder, you need to tell investors "what they are paying for". And being passionate is a definite win. Four times a year we invest in a large number of startups. Share non-obvious insights – What do you know that others don’t? Let’s be real: fundraising remains one of the most painful yet necessary processes for early-stage founders. It recommends keeping the decks concise by focusing on the narrative and avoiding excessive detail. Having all of this together in one place before you sign a term sheet will cut as much as a week off of your closing process. Y Combinator created a new model for funding early stage startups. Legible slides use large, bold text in a clear font with high contrast against the background. YC Group Partner Gustaf Alströmer gives non-obvious advice on how to talk to both current and potential us – Listen to How to Talk to Users with Gustaf Alströmer | Startup School by Y Combinator Startup Podcast instantly on your tablet, phone or browser - no downloads needed. Cap / Target Valuation – The maximum effective valuation for an investor in a convertible note. - Download as a PPTX Y Combinator has helped thousands of founders create pitch decks for their seed round fundraising. Slide 2: Define the problem; how does it affect businesses Dec 20, 2022 · YC often says "talk to your users", but actually doing that is surprisingly tricky. Anyone here with experience who can share a template/example? I'm thinking it should be a 1-2 page memo with some pictures of the prototype etc. YC Partner Geoff Ralston gives an introduction to the key concepts to keep in mind once you enter a fundraising process. In this interview, he shares his origin story, the lessons learned from his first two Jul 24, 2025 · Business See the 8-slide pitch deck AI video calling platform Lyra used to raise a $6 million seed round from Y Combinator and 468 Capital By ChiTown Darren July 24, 2025 Lyra’s cofounder, Courtne Marland, had the idea for the product while working as a marketing consultant. This checklist includes all the information you'll need to have ready once you sign a term sheet. But what makes a seed deck successful, and how can you ensure yours stands out?The Purpose of a Seed DeckAttracting InvestorsYour seed deck is your first impression. pdf), Text File (. But if you don't or what you have cannot get there, then sometimes it's much better for you to not sell any of your equity. txt) or read online for free. com 19 2 Comments Álvaro Samagaio Host at Founder Tales & Shutdown Podcast | Data at Rows | Primus Inter The document introduces a seed deck template designed for founders preparing for pitch presentations. It's a tool to captivate potential We would like to show you a description here but the site won’t allow us. in/dgXup46w 10. Be sure to read and follow all of our rules--we have specific places for common content and requests. Y Combinator has helped thousands of founders create pitch decks for their seed round fundraising. Nov 15, 2015 · The following is an adaption of a presentation I give to YC startups before we have them create their presentation slide decks for Demo Day. One of the best was when Michael Seibel from Y Combinator came to share his guide to pitching your seed stage startup to VCs. Jul 14, 2025 · Seed round pitch deck samples A seed round in investments is the initial round of funding for a startup, aimed at securing enough capital to develop the idea into a functional product or service. A well-designed pitch deck will provide investors with a clear understanding of your business and its potential for success. Here’s how to make a solid Demo Day slide deck. Y Combinator's Pitch Deck Template: Slide 1: Initiate the intrigue with your company's name and a punchy one-liner introduction. Mar 13, 2025 · Creating a seed round pitch deck requires strategic storytelling, accurate data, and a compelling vision. Money from seed rounds in the past would be usually spent in infrastructure and distribution. Jan 9, 2024 · In this guide, we go over what seed funding is, how much should you raise, how long should it last, how much dilution should you give, and 6 sources to raise it. Oct 27, 2024 · Learn the ins and outs of seed round funding for startups, from securing initial investment to scaling growth, in our comprehensive guide. We accept companies in batches four times a year. Context: 2nd-time founder with exit, Engineering at top 5 university Jul 19, 2016 · It is much easier to talk to an investor if they understand what your company does. The Seven Jul 24, 2025 · The post See the 8-slide pitch deck AI video calling platform Lyra used to raise a $6 million seed round from Y Combinator and 468 Capital appeared first on Business Insider. It outlines the problems with bad decks, presents a solution through an easy-to-use template, and highlights the traction and trust earned from over 630 companies. Therefore, it is a common query of how to build a seed round pitch deck. May 24, 2021 · When is the right time to raise a Series A round of funding? You made it past your initial seed funding round which means you successfully raised money on a story that got your investors excited about you as a leader and the vision of what you were building. / mwseibel Y Combinator invests a small amount of money ($150k) in a large number of startups (recently 200), twice a year. Y Combinator, one of the world’s most prestigious startup accelerators, offers a clear and compelling approach to creating an effective seed round pitch deck. Here are a few components to also include and consider to optimize for this. The document is a pitch deck template aimed at helping founders create effective seed investment decks. May 2, 2024 · Learn how to create a compelling seed pitch deck that grabs investors' attention and secures funding for your startup with just 10 essential components. We've partnered with Y Combinator to teach us how to create a pitch On Day 10 of our 100-Day Challenge, we’re diving into Y Combinator’s guide on how to build your seed round pitch deck. Y Combinator (YC): The accelerator behind 4,000+ funded startups, with a combined valuation hitting $600B. Good foundations make the next term sheet and financing round fast and simple, as future investors just step into the same straightforward terms. Slide 2: Define the problem; how does it affect businesses Y Combinator has helped thousands of founders create pitch decks for their seed round fundraising. But. Learn how to build your pitch deck, no matter where you are in your fundraising journey. Your slides should make your ideas more clear. Y Combinator has helped thousands of founders create pitch decks for their seed round fundraising. Y Combinator’s simple VC pitch deck template uses punchy bullet points rather than flashy graphics, so the focus stays on your startup’s idea. Here are design principles to follow when creating your pitch deck and Y Combinator has helped thousands of founders create pitch decks for their seed round fundraising. Here's a distilled guide to structuring your YC pitch deck, tailored to both seed round and Series A stages, based on insights from Y Combinator's own recommendations. How to design a better pitch deck Kevin Hale Investors invest in teams not slides. The template aims to streamline the deck creation process and has proven successful in raising funds for companies. The document discusses a solution for startups struggling to create effective pitch decks, highlighting the company's template that simplifies the process and significantly improves fundraising outcomes. How to Pitch Your Seed Stage Startup with Y Combinator's Managing Director Michael Siebel, Managing Director and Group Partner @ Y Combinator Come learn the best way to present your company to I'm gearing up for a pre-seed round and one of my angel investors recommended I make a memo instead of a deck. Y Combinator is the world's leading accelerator and their pitch deck template is great place to start when building a deck so we've gone ahead and redesigned it so you can get a great template & an even better design all for free. Your goal is to get a reply. Through a series of random and lucky events, I ended up on a 1:1 call with an angel today who owns a software development company that invests money and resources into early-stage (pre-seed) startups. In this lecture, YC Partner Kevin Hale goes over how to package up your idea and communicate it to an investor. I'm curious about your approach to pitching. koom xty rficg scfcnn fdvdq pdzrobih fvsd pidcc spsfe pdpqh