YC Pitch Deck

Last reviewed: 2026-04-28

Writing guide — prompt structure to paste into any installed PPT skill

YC Framework Fundraising

Best for: Seed and Series A fundraising, Y Combinator demo day, and any investor presentation following the standard startup pitch structure

Not ideal for: Enterprise sales decks, consulting deliverables, or internal presentations — the YC format is optimized for investor storytelling, not operational communication

The YC Slide Framework (10–12 Slides)

Problem

The specific pain point, with evidence of how widespread and acute it is

Rule: one problem only — don't list three problems on one slide

Solution

Your product or service, described in one sentence. Show the "aha moment."

Rule: avoid jargon — a 10-year-old should understand the solution

Market Size

TAM / SAM / SOM with credible sources. Show why this is worth a venture bet.

Rule: use bottom-up calculation, not "if we get 1% of a $1B market"

Product

Screenshot, demo flow, or mockup. Show don't tell.

Traction

Revenue, users, growth rate, key customers. The most important slide for Series A.

Rule: show a chart — numbers alone are less convincing than a growth curve

Business Model

How you make money, unit economics, and path to profitability

Competition

Competitive landscape — be honest, not dismissive. Show your differentiation clearly.

Team

Why you are the right people to solve this problem. Domain expertise, relevant exits, co-founder dynamic.

Rule: include only relevant credentials — LinkedIn resumes don't belong here

Financials (optional)

3-year projections with key assumptions. Keep it simple.

10–12

The Ask

How much you're raising, what you'll use it for, and your 18-month milestones

Rule: be specific — "to grow the team" is not a use of funds

Core Principles Enforced

1️⃣

One Idea Per Slide

Every slide has a single, clear message. Tell your skill to refuse to cram multiple points onto one slide — if you give it five things, it creates five slides.

✂️

10–12 Slide Discipline

YC partners review thousands of decks — the format enforces brevity. Cap your prompt so it won't let the deck grow beyond 12 slides without a clear structural reason.

📈

Traction-First Ordering

For best results, prompt that for Series A decks, traction should appear early — not buried in slide 9. Ordering adapts to your funding stage.

Signals

Framework

Y Combinator

Slide Count

10–12 slides

Type

Writing guide

Best Stage

Seed / Series A

How to use this guide

This page is a prompt template, not an installable skill. The structure below is the part that takes longest to write — copy it into your prompt to any of these real, installed PPTX skills:

Anthropic PPTX

the canonical PPTX skill from Anthropic

PPT Master

10+ templates including marketing/social cards

Polished Documents

for YC-style minimal brand themes

# 1) Install one of the skills above (e.g. Anthropic PPTX):
git clone https://github.com/anthropics/skills
cp -r skills/skills/pptx ~/.claude/skills/anthropic-pptx

# 2) Paste a prompt that follows the structure on this page:
"Create a YC-style pitch deck on [topic].
 Follow the structure described in https://powerpoint.md/skills/yc-pitch-deck.html
 — i.e. use the headlines, sections, and visual conventions documented there."
        

Your skill does the rendering. This guide ensures the prompt produces output that matches the genre conventions audiences expect.

Alternatives & Tradeoffs

Investment Banking Pitch Book

For M&A / IPO situations where the audience is bankers, not VCs — different structure entirely

Financial Services Plugins

Better if you need live financial data (FactSet/PitchBook) embedded in your fundraising deck

Polished Documents

Pair with YC Pitch Deck — this skill handles structure, Polished Documents handles visual brand (use Stripe or Apple theme for startup pitches)