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Do you need a pitch deck for pre-seed?

Usually yes, but a short one, and often not for the first conversation. At pre-seed a deck supports the story you tell; it doesn't replace it. Here's when it matters, what goes in it, and what to send if you're not ready.

The short answer

Most investors will ask for a deck at some point, usually before a partner meeting or when they share your company with colleagues. Few will refuse a first call because you don't have one. If you have something to show, such as a product, a pilot or early users, a simple deck helps investors remember you and pass you on.

When you can start without one

A warm introduction with a strong recommendation. The first call is often a conversation about you and the problem.
A demo says more than slides. If the product is live, a two-minute walkthrough can carry the first meeting.
You write better than you design. A one-page memo covering the same points is a respected alternative.
You're still finding the idea. Talk to investors for feedback early, and say plainly that you aren't raising yet.

What a pre-seed deck covers

Around ten slides is plenty. Each one answers a question an investor will ask anyway:

Problem. Who has it, and how painful is it today?
Solution. What you're building, in one sentence and one picture.
Why now. What changed that makes this possible or urgent?
Market. Who buys, and how big could this get? Build it up from real customers rather than quoting a giant top-down figure.
Product. Screenshots or a demo link.
Evidence. Users, revenue, pilots, letters of intent, waitlist, technical results: whatever proof you have, stated precisely.
Business model. How you'll make money, even if it's a hypothesis.
Competition. The alternatives customers use today and why you'll win.
Team. Why you are the people to build this.
The ask. How much you're raising and what it gets you to.

Send-ahead deck and presenting deck

A deck you email has to make sense without you in the room, so it needs more words. A deck you present can be mostly visuals while you talk. Many founders keep two versions. Send the self-explanatory one, as a link rather than an attachment, so it's easy to forward.

Common mistakes

Too long. Thirty slides at pre-seed suggests you don't know what matters.
Vague evidence. "Strong interest" is weaker than "4 pilots, 2 paying".
A market slide built from one big number.
No clear ask, or an ask with no plan for what the money achieves.
Hiding the team at the end when the team is your strongest point. At pre-seed it often is.

No deck yet? Pitch us anyway.

Dealtable's pitch is a short conversation, not a form. Tell us what you're building in your own words and share a deck or links only if you have them. Where there's a fit, we make a warm introduction to a partner fund or programme. No fee, no equity.

Start your pitch →