Ask slide in a pitch deck

Be specific about what you need and what investors get in return.

Last updated: 2025-01-07

What this slide must prove

This is the slide that turns interest into action. It needs to answer: how much, for what, and why now.

Clear funding amount: What are you raising?
Use of funds: Where will the money go?
Milestones: What will you achieve with this capital?
Terms (optional): Valuation, instrument type, or round structure

Vague asks waste time. Specific asks build confidence.

What investors look for

Criteria used in real pitch reviews:

Right-sized round

Does the amount match the stage and milestones?

Clear use of funds

Does it map to the milestones? Is the allocation reasonable?

Achievable milestones

Will these make you fundable for the next round?

Reasonable runway

Does the math work? 18-24 months is typical for early rounds.

Investors want confidence that this round leads somewhere, either profitability or a strong next round.

Strong vs weak signals

Strong signal

"Raising $1.5M on a SAFE. Use of funds: 60% engineering (3 hires), 25% go-to-market, 15% ops. Milestones: $50K MRR and 100 paying customers in 18 months, positioning us for Series A."

Specific amount and instrument
Allocation tied to strategy
Measurable milestones with clear next-round logic

Weak signal

"We are raising $1-3M to scale the business and grow the team."

Range instead of number shows uncertainty
Scale the business is meaningless
No milestones or accountability

Common failure patterns

Wide ranges: Pick a number and defend it.
Vague use of funds: Be specific about roles, channels, and priorities.
Missing milestones: If you do not say what success looks like, investors cannot evaluate the bet.
Disconnected ask: The amount should flow logically from your financials and traction slides.

Quality criteria

One number: Not a range. Show you have modeled the business.
Milestones that de-risk: What must be true for the next round to happen?
Reasonable allocation: Hiring is the biggest cost at early stages. Be specific about roles and timing.

Target reaction: "This is a clear, fundable plan with accountability."

How Pitchkit helps

Pitchkit ask slide builder helps you:

Size your round appropriately for your stage
Structure use of funds that maps to milestones
Define milestones investors find compelling

You get feedback on whether your ask is credible and well-structured.

Start building

FAQs

Ask slide by stage

What is expected changes as you raise more:

Angel pitch deck Pre-seed pitch deck Seed pitch deck Series A pitch deck

Previous: Financials Back to all slides

Resources

Ask slide in a pitch deck

Be specific about what you need and what investors get in return.

Last updated: 2025-01-07

What this slide must prove

This is the slide that turns interest into action. It needs to answer: how much, for what, and why now.

Clear funding amount: What are you raising?
Use of funds: Where will the money go?
Milestones: What will you achieve with this capital?
Terms (optional): Valuation, instrument type, or round structure

Vague asks waste time. Specific asks build confidence.

What investors look for

Criteria used in real pitch reviews:

Right-sized round

Does the amount match the stage and milestones?

Clear use of funds

Does it map to the milestones? Is the allocation reasonable?

Achievable milestones

Will these make you fundable for the next round?

Reasonable runway

Does the math work? 18-24 months is typical for early rounds.

Investors want confidence that this round leads somewhere, either profitability or a strong next round.

Strong vs weak signals

Strong signal

"Raising $1.5M on a SAFE. Use of funds: 60% engineering (3 hires), 25% go-to-market, 15% ops. Milestones: $50K MRR and 100 paying customers in 18 months, positioning us for Series A."

Specific amount and instrument
Allocation tied to strategy
Measurable milestones with clear next-round logic

Weak signal

"We are raising $1-3M to scale the business and grow the team."

Range instead of number shows uncertainty
Scale the business is meaningless
No milestones or accountability

Common failure patterns

Wide ranges: Pick a number and defend it.
Vague use of funds: Be specific about roles, channels, and priorities.
Missing milestones: If you do not say what success looks like, investors cannot evaluate the bet.
Disconnected ask: The amount should flow logically from your financials and traction slides.

Quality criteria

One number: Not a range. Show you have modeled the business.
Milestones that de-risk: What must be true for the next round to happen?
Reasonable allocation: Hiring is the biggest cost at early stages. Be specific about roles and timing.

Target reaction: "This is a clear, fundable plan with accountability."

How Pitchkit helps

Pitchkit ask slide builder helps you:

Size your round appropriately for your stage
Structure use of funds that maps to milestones
Define milestones investors find compelling

You get feedback on whether your ask is credible and well-structured.

Start building

FAQs

Ask slide by stage

What is expected changes as you raise more:

Angel pitch deck Pre-seed pitch deck Seed pitch deck Series A pitch deck

Previous: Financials Back to all slides

Ask slide in a pitch deck

Be specific about what you need and what investors get in return.

What this slide must prove

What investors look for

Right-sized round

Clear use of funds

Achievable milestones

Reasonable runway

Strong vs weak signals

Strong signal

Weak signal

Common failure patterns

Quality criteria

How Pitchkit helps

FAQs

Should I include valuation on this slide?

How much runway should the round provide?

What if we are raising from angels vs VCs?

Ask slide by stage

Related slides

Ask slide in a pitch deck

Be specific about what you need and what investors get in return.

What this slide must prove

What investors look for

Right-sized round

Clear use of funds

Achievable milestones

Reasonable runway

Strong vs weak signals

Strong signal

Weak signal

Common failure patterns

Quality criteria

How Pitchkit helps

FAQs

Should I include valuation on this slide?

How much runway should the round provide?

What if we are raising from angels vs VCs?

Ask slide by stage

Related slides