Why pitches fail (+fix yours in 11 slides)
Steal this proven pitch deck framework to win over investors today
Hey - it’s Alex, this time together with pitch deck expert Majd Alaily!
In one of the recent episodes of MRR Unlocked, we wrote a guide on how to secure your funding in 2026.
Given that all of you really found value in that episode, and knowing that how to create a powerful sales deck was one of the best episodes so far, I’ve come up with another topic that will help you with your fundraising:
👉 How to Create the Perfect Pitch Deck
So I asked Majd to share his best tips with you.
This episode is written by Majd from his own experience in working with startups. Hope you find great value in it!
In case you missed the last 3 episodes:
✅ The Ultimate Guide for your SaaS pricing page
✅ How to create powerful SaaS lead magnets
✅ Get your first Investment Guide
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What is the problem with your pitch deck?
I’ve worked in sales at Google for 10 years, and been a founder for 4. And honestly? I’m tired of seeing terrible pitches.
This year alone, I’ve sat through over 100 pitches online, Zoom, demo days, or what have you.
And it’s always the SAME thing.
The founder comes on stage and manages in 10 minutes to completely lose you and the rest of the audience.
What happens?
As a founder, you know a LOT about your startup. You’ve lived and breathed this business, day in and day out, for perhaps years.
Sub-consciously, you assume you need to bring up the audience to your level.
Problem is… you’ve got 10 minutes, and your baseline is zero.
And so you go in with the dreaded “information dump”.
And then you get surprised why no one is investing in you.
But you’re disregarding a critical factor here
Information asymmetry.
You know so much about your business. And I know so little.
It’s not a smart strategy to try to get me to your level in our first meeting, let alone in 10 minutes.
What you need is to give me the Minimal Viable Information needed for me to say
“I get it. This is cool. Let’s book a second meeting.”
Second meetings lead to thirds; thirds lead to checks.
How can you do that? Steal this 11-slide template
After seeing 1,000+ pitches in my career, I’ve distilled everything I know about an amazing first pitch into this framework. I’ve also linked to bonus readings that can help you explore every topic in more detail.
Steal it with pride to build an AWESOME first pitch.
Problem
One sentence that makes the pain feel urgent and frequent.
I need to leave thinking: “wow, this problem is huge, (and I had no idea)”
Solution
Your clean answer to that pain (1–2 tight lines). No buzzword soup.
👉 Bonus: Perfect your elevator pitch here.
Unique Value (USPs)
2–3 reasons you win (at least one technical edge).
Think: data advantage, distribution wedge, speed/cost delta, technology usage or more.
Traction
Proof people want it. Even pre-revenue, you can show signals.
Good signals: REVENUE first. If not, look for retention, WAU/MAU, waitlist, organic %, cohort usage, time-to-value.
👉 Bonus: Here’s what you can show if you are pre-revenue.
Competition
Who else solves it, and why you win.
Don’t say “we have no competition.” You lose all your credibility.
👉 Bonus: How I know you have competition.
Market
Credible TAM/SAM/SOM.
Big enough to matter, focused enough to enter.
👉 Bonus: Size your market properly with this.
Revenue Model
How you make money, your pricing, and perhaps some early unit-econ sanity (CAC, payback).
If you’re pre-revenue: show a fast path to first dollars (pilots, LOIs, pre-orders).
👉 Bonus: How to monetize your startup.
Ambition (Vision + Projections)
Where this goes in 3–5 years, grounded by sensible assumptions.
Team
Why you are the ones that were born to build this.
Highlight prior wins, domain edge, unfair insight.
Go-to-Market
The growth engine (you’ve already built): How will you use funding to amplify your success and grow the business?
The Ask
How much you’re raising, how much you’re selling, and your next steps.
Make the next step explicit: “Let’s schedule the diligence call; our data room is ready.”
Action Items for Today
Audit your current pitch: Can you tell the full story in just 11 slides?
Optimize your skeleton: What should we add that’s missing? What’s extra that we should remove?
Practice pitching to a “cold” audience: Get feedback from someone who knows nothing about your business.
Cut the clutter: Focus only on what moves the conversation forward.
It’s really hard to get an investor meeting.
Don’t waste a great opportunity when you do get one.
Use this template to build a great narrative that creates funding momentum for your business.
👉 Bonus: Here’s how to make your startup irresistible to investors.
Now go do yourself a favor, and review that pitch deck of yours ;)
Happy growth 🚀
If you want more of Majd’s killer content, you can find it here:
Daily Insights: LinkedIn and Substack for startup strategies, tips, and real-world tactics
Free Report: Try the Problem-Solution Pulse: get an 11-page personalized breakdown of your startup’s foundation.
Advisory Support: Explore Ruya Advisory to see how we can work together 1:1 or through founder programs
3 ways I can help you grow your SaaS to €1 million ARR 👇
1️⃣ Use my free GTM library with 50+ free resources (guides, templates, workbooks, and tools) to build a strong GTM foundation (helped 5000+ SaaS leaders)
2️⃣ Get a 360° GTM audit of your status quo + a custom 6-month action plan
3️⃣ Work 1-on-1 with me - GTM Advisory for SaaS founders from €0 to €1 million ARR
 | A guest post by
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Was awesome collab-ing on this one Alex! Pitches can either be amazing moments of connections with investors... or information dumps.
Make sure you work towards a connection ;)
Has anyone here ever pitched investors yet? Would love to know how it went