officecli-pitch-deck

# OfficeCLI Pitch Deck Skill **This skill is a scene layer on top of `officecli-pptx`.** Every pptx hard rule - visual delivery floor (title ≥ 36pt / body ≥ 18pt / title ≥ 2× body), 12-column grid on 33.87×19.05cm, 4 canonical palettes, chart-choice decision table, connector canon (`shape` / `from` / `to` / `tailEnd=triangle`), shell escape, resident + batch, Delivery Gate 1–5a - is inherited, not re-taught. This file adds only what **fundraising** needs on top: stage diagnosis (A / B / C), 5 vertical arc templates, 10 key-slide recipes (cover / problem / solution / market / product / model / traction / team / financials / ask), pitch-specific numbers convention, a VC ship-check, and a pitch-specific fresh-eyes Gate 6. When the pptx base rules cover it, the text here says `→ see pptx v2 §X`. Read `skills/officecli-pptx/SKILL.md` first if you have not. ## Runtime contract Wayland Desktop supplies a checksum-pinned native `officecli` runtime. Do not install, update, download, or replace it from this skill. Native authoring requires the exact verified `1.0.136` version. If `officecli --version` or the required `officecli --help` surface fails, stop and use Wayland's reinstall/update recovery path; never bootstrap mutable code or silently switch to hosted-credit generation. ## ⚠️ Help-First Rule **This skill teaches what a fundraising deck requires, not every command flag.** When a prop name, enum value, or preset is uncertain, consult help BEFORE guessing. ```bash officecli help pptx # All pptx elements officecli help pptx <element> # Full schema (e.g. chart, shape, connector, picture) officecli help pptx <element> --json # Machine-readable ``` Help reflects the installed CLI version. When this skill and help disagree, **help wins.** Every `--prop X=` in this file has been grep-verified against `officecli help pptx <element>` - if help adds / renames a prop in a later version, trust help. ## Mental Model & Inheritance **Inherits pptx v2.** You should have read `skills/officecli-pptx/SKILL.md` first. This skill assumes you know how to: add slides + shapes + charts + connectors; address by `@name=` / `@id=`; quote paths; use `batch` heredocs; write `--prop tailEnd=triangle` on every flow connector; and run the 5-gate Delivery Gate. If any of those are unfamiliar, open a pptx v2 session before continuing. ## Shell & Execution Discipline **Shell quoting, incremental execution, `$FILE` convention** → see pptx v2 §Shell & Execution Discipline. Same rules verbatim - quote `[N]` paths, single-quote values containing `$` (including `$35M`, `$1.2B TAM` in a cover or ask slide), never hand-write `\$ \t \n` in executable examples, one command at a time. Examples below use `$FILE` (`FILE="deck.pptx"`). **Single-quote every shape text containing `$`.** `--prop text="Series B · $35M"` (double quotes) is WRONG - zsh expands `$35M` → empty, deck renders `Series B · M` silently. `--prop text='Series B · $35M'` (single quotes) is right. This is the #1 pitch-deck shell-escape failure mode (`$35M`, `$18M ARR`, `$1.2B TAM` appear on cover/ask/financials/milestones). Gate 2 cannot detect a stripped `$35M` - no residue. Gate 2b catches common strip patterns; single-quoting PREVENTS them. ## What "pitch deck" means here (identity) A pitch deck is a pptx with a **fundraising layer** on top: VC-oriented narrative arc, verifiable metrics, stage-appropriate data density, founder-credibility surface. Slides are consumed at ~3 seconds per slide in a live room - the pptx v2 rule. Pitch decks add a second constraint on top: **every slide carries one investable proposition**. If a slide is "interesting background" that doesn't move the ask forward, cut it. VCs will not. The base pptx rules still apply; pitch decks add six deltas: 1. **Stage determines everything.** Series A / B / C each dictates slide count, narrative weight, which metrics are must-haves, and tolerance for unit-econ sophistication. A Series A deck with 6 pages of CAC/LTV math reads as over-packaged; a Series B deck missing unit econ reads as incomplete. Pick the stage first - everything downstream follows. 2. **Narrative arc beats feature dump.** 10 essential slides in a fixed order: cover → problem → solution → market → product → model → traction → team → financials → ask. Out of order = VCs disengage. 3. **Numbers are a contract.** TAM/SAM/SOM must be clean three-layer; CAC/LTV must have a payback line; ARR ≠ revenue; Use-of-Funds must be a four-bucket pie. Sloppy numbers = round dies. 4. **Team slide carries prior companies.** Avatar grid alone reads as a student project. Add prior-company logos / names + one-line role. Without this, first-time founders look exactly like first-time founders. 5. **Traction chart y-axis starts at 0.** A "hockey stick" starting at `y_min = 80% of current` is a visual lie - VCs who have seen 10,000 decks spot it in < 2 seconds. 6. **The ask is a slide, not a footnote.** `$XX M` hero + four-bucket Use-of-Funds + runway length. "We're raising some money" is not an ask. ### Reverse handoff - when to go BACK to pptx base Stay in **pptx v2 base** for board reviews, all-hands, sales decks, product launches, training decks - anything not tied to raising capital. Use **this skill** only when: (a) the user mentions a specific round (seed / Series A / B / C) or a VC meeting, AND (b) the deck needs at least 4 of {problem, traction, team with credentials, Use-of-Funds, stage-appropriate unit econ, financial projections}. If the user says "fundraising deck" but the context is a corporate BU quarterly ask, that is a board review. Route to pptx v2 Recipe (d) 10-slide blueprint. If the user says "board review" but the context is a small company raising a bridge round, route here. ## Series A / B / C stage diagnosis (decision tool) **Read this before writing a single command.** Pick the row that matches the user's description - everything downstream (slide count, which metrics, which recipes, what the team slide must show) derives from this one call. | Stage | Revenue band | Team | Slide count | Dominant narrative (weight) | Must-have data | Common red flag | | ----------------- | ---------------------------- | ------------ | ----------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | **Seed** | $0 – $1M ARR (often pre-rev) | 2 – 8 FTE | 10 – 12 | Problem (30%) + Solution (25%) + Team (15%) + Market (15%) + Traction (15%) | Founder-market fit story; 1 – 2 design-partner / pilot logos; top-down TAM ok | Over-claiming traction (10 customers = "market proven") | | **Series A** | $1 – $5M ARR | 10 – 25 FTE | 12 – 16 | Problem (20%) + Solution (20%) + **Market "why now"** (15%) + Product (15%) + Traction (20%) + Team (10%) | PMF proof (NRR > 110%, low churn), bottom-up TAM/SAM, pipeline / pilots converted | Bottom-up TAM feels fabricated; CAC not yet meaningful but shown anyway | | **Series B** | $5 – $30M ARR | 30 – 100 FTE | 18 – 22 | **Traction + Unit econ (30%)** + Market + Product + Team + Financials (ask) | ARR curve starting at 0; NRR, CAC, LTV, payback (< 18 mo ideal); cohort retention; logo wall | No unit-econ slide; CAC payback > 24mo without explanation; Use-of-Funds missing % | | **Series C** | $30M+ ARR | 100+ FTE | 20 – 24 | **Financials + Scale + Moat (40%)** + Market expansion + Team depth | Multi-year GAAP, rule-of-40, GM trajectory, international expansion plan, defensibility | No moat slide; revenue growth without margin story; team slide has no prior CEO / CFO | | **Bridge / SAFE** | any | any | 8 – 10 | **Specific bridge reason** + runway math + commitments | Prior round context; specific milestone the bridge funds; committed investor amount | Treating a bridge like a Series A - too many slides dilutes the ask | **Decision procedure.** From one or two user sentences ("Series B, $18M ARR, 120 customers, $35M raise"), pick exactly one stage row. All later choices in this skill reference your stage: which vertical template to pull, which recipes are mandatory vs optional, and which Delivery Gate 6 checks fire. **Corner cases.** Bridge rounds & convertibles between A → B are closer to A or B depending on whether the bridge milestone is "finish PMF" (A shape) or "hit unit-econ target" (B shape). "Extension" rounds at the same stage reuse the earlier stage's skeleton and add a one-slide "progress since last round" update. **Non-SaaS stage overrides.** The ARR / unit-econ shape of Series B fits SaaS. For other verticals, substitute revenue band + unit-econ equivalent + Gate 6.3 grep: | Vertical | Revenue "band" at Series B | "Unit econ" equivalent | Gate 6.3 substitute | | ------------------------- | ------------------------------ | -------------------------------------------------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | **Bio / Clinical-stage** | pre-rev, 20–60 FTE | burn rate + runway to next milestone (IND / Ph1 readout / BLA) | `shape:contains("ORR")` OR `contains("Pipeline")` OR `contains("BLA")` OR `contains("runway")` ≥ 1 | | **Deep Tech / Frontier** | pre-rev or early pilot rev | technical milestones + TRL level + benchmark vs SoTA | `shape:contains("TRL")` OR `contains("benchmark")` ≥ 1 | | **Marketplace / Network** | GMV $10–100M | take rate + cohort retention + liquidity | `shape:contains("GMV")` + `contains("take rate")` ≥ 1 | | **Consumer hardware** | $2–15M revenue (shipped units) | contribution margin + repeat rate + blended CAC | `shape:contains("repeat")` OR `contains("contribution")` ≥ 1 | Substitute the analogue grep when running Gate 6.3 on these verticals. False WARN on SaaS CAC/LTV = expected; real concern = vertical-specific analogue present. Bio Series B decks especially: burn + runway-to-milestone IS the "unit econ" story. ## Vertical arc templates (5 families) 5 mainstream verticals. Each one has different slide weights because what VCs require as proof-of-concept differs. Pick the vertical row; the slide skeleton is a copy-able starting point. Slide counts assume the matching stage row above. ### (1) B2B SaaS / Enterprise software Canonical arc - the template most of VC muscle memory is built on. Series B example (20 slides): cover · TL;DR · problem · problem evidence · solution · product loop · market TAM/SAM/SOM · **unit economics (CAC / LTV / payback / GM)** · ARR trajectory · retention cohort · logo wall · team · competitors · financials 4-year · ask. Must-have: unit-econ slide from Series A onward; logo wall from Series B onward. ### (2) Consumer (B2C app / consumer hardware / D2C) Narrative-driven. Early-stage decks lean on **product-experience screenshots + founding story + "why now"** market timing; lighter on unit econ (which are usually weaker than SaaS). Series A example (14 slides): cover · hook (30-second product demo or 1-line vision) · problem (lived experience) · solution (product shots) · product-experience flow · "why now" market window · pre-order / crowdfunding / early-sales evidence · retention / engagement (DAU, D30) · market (top-down ok if bottom-up unreliable) · competitive positioning · founder story + team · press / endorsements · financials · ask. Must-have: product visuals on ≥ 3 slides; "why now" slide (window justification); engagement metric not just revenue. ### (3) Deep Tech / Frontier tech (AI foundation models, quantum, climate hardware, robotics) Technology credibility is the sell. Pre-revenue deep tech replaces "traction" with **technical milestones + defensibility**. Series B example (22 slides): cover · thesis (one-line "what changes if this works") · problem (current state of art) · solution (technical approach) · **technology architecture** · benchmarks vs SoTA · pipeline / TRL levels · market (long-tail) · business model · early commercial traction (pilots, LOIs) · IP / patents · team (usually PhD / ex-FAANG-research) · partners · financials · ask. Must-have: benchmark slide; IP slide; team slide dense with PhDs / prior-lab names. ### (4) Marketplace / Network business (two-sided platform, social, commerce) Liquidity is the metric. Replace "unit econ" with **GMV + take rate + cohort retention + supply / demand balance**. Series A example (15 slides): cover · problem (friction in current supply-demand) · solution · product demo (both sides) · network effects diagram · early liquidity (first-week GMV, time-to-match) · cohort retention · geographic / category expansion plan · competitive positioning vs incumbents · take-rate model · team · financials · ask. Must-have: liquidity metric slide; cohort retention chart; network-effect diagram. ### (5) Bio / Life sciences / Healthtech Regulatory pipeline IS the business. Replace "product roadmap" with **clinical pipeline + regulatory path + scientific evidence**. Series B example (22 slides): cover · unmet medical need · scientific rationale (mechanism of action) · preclinical / clinical data (ORR, safety, endpoints) · **pipeline chart** (candidates × stages × dates) · differentiation vs standard of care · IP / exclusivity · regulatory strategy (IND, BTD, fast-track) · market (prevalence × pricing) · commercial strategy (orphan / specialty / biosimilar) · partnerships / collaborations · team (CSO / CMO with prior FDA wins) · financials (burn to next milestone) · ask. Must-have: pipeline chart; clinical data slide; team slide with prior regulatory wins. **Cross-vertical rule.** You can mix elements across templates, but never drop a must-have from your primary vertical. A SaaS deck missing unit econ, a bio deck missing a pipeline chart, a marketplace deck missing a liquidity metric - each is an instant VC disqualification. ## Slide Patterns (layout canon) Patterns are **layout geometry**; recipes below are **narrative intent**. A slide picks one pattern for its visual shape (6 canonical ones below) and one recipe for what it argues (cover / problem / traction / ...). Multiple recipes can share one pattern - Problem / Why-Now / Traction-callout all lean on the 3-stat row (C.2). Pick the pattern first, then fill it with recipe content.