Pitch deck: ten slides, one story, zero filler
A deck isn't a business plan in slides. It's a tight narrative: problem, solution, proof, ask. If a slide doesn't move the decision forward, it's cut.
The structure that works
Ten to twelve slides are enough for a first round. The order tells a story — it doesn't list headings.
- Hook: the problem in one sentence and one number.
- Solution and demo: what it does, ideally shown.
- Market and targeted beneficiaries.
- Business / funding model.
- Traction or proof of execution, however modest.
- Measurable impact and SDGs.
- Team.
- The ask: amount, use, next step.
Deck or one-pager?
A deck is presented; a one-pager is read without you. Many calls ask for the latter. Write the substance first (the diagnostic), then adapt it to the required format — not the other way around.
The same content, badly formatted, loses the call: read the brief (page count, language, PDF/PPTX) before you write.
What to cut
The 'competition' slide with a quadrant where you sit alone top-right; the five-year projections; decorative quotes. Keep what answers 'why you, why now, why this amount'.
GIAN and the deck
Prepare a first pitch deck from your project's information (diagnostic, funding identified, roadmap): GIAN generates a slide proposal that you review and refine, then export to PDF or PowerPoint. Like other Grant Writer documents, generating it uses credits.