What Investors Really Want in a Pre-Seed Pitch Deck
Cut through the noise with a clear, compelling story that gets to “yes.”
At the pre-seed stage, your deck isn’t about proving scale. It’s about proving clarity. Investors know you’re early. They’re not expecting polished traction or bulletproof financials — they’re looking for signal through the chaos. Here's what we at 16VC look for in decks that actually get us excited:
🧠 1. A Sharp, Simple Problem Statement
Start with the pain. Not a broad industry trend — the real, visceral problem you’re solving. The best decks describe the problem in a sentence you can’t unsee.
✅ Bad: “The e-commerce industry is growing rapidly.”
✅ Good: “40% of Shopify sellers spend 10+ hours a week manually fixing abandoned carts.”
🚀 2. Your Unique Insight
What do you know that most others haven’t figured out yet? This shows us you're not just copying what worked in 2018 — you’re seeing a new path forward.
🧠 This is often the slide that hooks us.
🛠 3. The Product — and Why It’s Built This Way
At pre-seed, mockups or prototypes are fine. But explain why you’re building it the way you are. The “why now” and “why this approach” matters more than polish.
🧩 4. Your Wedge Into the Market
How do you enter in a way that’s achievable, focused, and creates leverage? Don’t try to boil the ocean. Tell us your beachhead.
🎯 “We’re starting with mid-size clinics in the UK before expanding to enterprise hospitals.”
🔥 5. Early Proof (or Honest Signals)
No revenue? That’s okay. Show us what non-revenue traction you’ve got:
Waitlist signups
Pilot results
Strong user testimonials
Advisors or letters of intent
🧪 We don’t need results — we need signs of motion.
🧬 6. The Team — Founder-Market Fit
Why you? Why this team? We’re looking for edge — unique experience, grit, or an unfair advantage. Show us how your story intersects with the problem.
💰 7. What You’re Raising and Why
Be direct. How much are you raising, and what will that unlock?
“We’re raising $500K to build v1, onboard 10 design partners, and hire a founding engineer.”
Avoid vague asks like “we’re open to discussing funding options.”
⚠️ Bonus: Slides You Don’t Need
At pre-seed, don’t waste time on:
Detailed 5-year financials
Total addressable market math with made-up numbers
Org charts for future hires
Focus on clarity over complexity.
💬 Final Thought
You’re not pitching a company. You’re pitching a belief — that the problem is real, that your approach is smart, and that you’re the ones to do it. Make that belief contagious.
Want feedback on your deck? We’re happy to do a teardown.