How to Design a Pitch Deck Investors Can Read in 2 Minutes
DESIGN
Investors spend between 2 and 4 minutes on a pitch deck, based on DocSend data. To design for that, give each slide one clear point, write headlines that state the takeaway, put real numbers up front, and make the team and traction slides easy to scan. If a slide needs you there to explain it, rewrite it.
I'm sure you've spent weeks on your pitch deck. Maybe months. Here's the hard part: most investors will give it less time than it takes to make a coffee.
I've designed investor decks for over 10 years, including Series C and D materials. The decks that work have one thing in common. You can get the story without the founder in the room.
Here's how to design for the time investors give you.
How much time do investors spend on a pitch deck?
Less than you'd hope. The numbers shift a bit by study, but they're all short:
DocSend data puts the average first read at about 3 minutes and 44 seconds.
Cold decks (no warm intro) get about 2 and a half minutes.
A recent report on seed-stage decks found just under 2 minutes, down 24% since 2021.
Investors also don't read in order. They skim for answers to their own questions. The team slide gets the most time, followed by financials and traction.
So your deck has a job. It has to answer those questions fast, in any order.
Why does every slide headline need to say something?
Because the headline is often the only thing an investor reads on that slide.
Most decks use labels as headlines. "Traction." "Market." "Our Team." Those tell the reader what the slide is about. They don't tell them what to think.
Here's a made-up example:
Bad: "Traction"
Better: "Revenue grew 3x in 12 months, with 40 paying customers"
The better version gives the point in one line. If they skip the chart, they still got it.
When a founder sends me a deck, the first thing I do is read only the headlines, top to bottom. If that reads like a story, the deck is in good shape. If it reads like a table of contents, we start there.
How much should go on one slide?
One idea. That's it.
I see this a lot on product slides. A founder lists six features in small bullets, with a screenshot squeezed in the corner.
Bad: Six bullets on what the product does, plus a tiny screenshot
Better: One large screenshot and one line on what the customer gets out of it
An investor can get a clear product screenshot in seconds. Six bullets? They'll skip them.
If you have more to say, split it into two slides. Two clear slides read faster than one crowded one.
Which slides need the most design work?
The ones investors spend the most time on. That's your team, financials, and traction.
For the team slide:
Use real photos, all in the same style
Add one line per person on why they're the right fit (past roles, past wins)
Show logos of past companies if they help
For financials and traction:
Use a chart, never a table of 30 numbers
Put your key unit numbers (like customer cost and lifetime value) in the main deck, where people see them
Show the assumptions next to any growth forecast
A big growth curve with no assumptions makes investors trust you less.
Can someone understand your deck without you?
They need to. Decks get forwarded. About 30% of decks that lead to a meeting get shared inside the firm first. Your deck may land in front of a partner you've never spoken to.
More firms also use AI tools to screen decks before a person looks. So:
Keep your text as real text, and don't bake it into images
Spell out what your company does on slide one, in plain words
Skip inside terms only your team uses
Here's a quick test. Give your deck to a friend for 2 minutes. Then ask them what you do, who it's for, and how much you're raising. If they can't answer, an investor can't either.
FAQ
How many slides should a pitch deck have?
For a deck you send by email, I'd aim for 10 to 15 slides. That's enough to tell the full story without asking for more time than investors give. Put extra detail in an appendix.
Should I send the same deck I present?
I'd make two versions. The one you send needs more words on each slide, since it has to stand on its own. The one you present can have fewer words, since you're there to talk through it.
Should my financials go in the appendix?
Keep your key numbers in the main deck. Investors spend a lot of their time on financials and traction. If they have to dig for them, they may not bother.
Want a fresh set of eyes on your deck before you send it? Email me at hello@ashleycarre.com. Tell me what you're raising and when, and I'll tell you where I'd start.
Sources
Looking to start a project or you need consultation first? Feel free to contact me.