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PITCH GUIDE

Marketplace pitch deck guide

Solving the chicken-and-egg problem

Marketplace investors focus on liquidity, network effects, and take rates. Your pitch should demonstrate how you solve the cold-start problem and build defensible supply-side advantages.

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Key Metrics to Know

Gross Merchandise Value (GMV)

Total value of transactions on your platform.

Benchmark: Varies by vertical. Show month-over-month growth.

Take Rate

Your revenue as a percentage of GMV.

Benchmark: Services: 15-25%, Products: 5-15%, Luxury: 10-20%.

Liquidity

Percentage of listings that transact within a time period.

Benchmark: Strong liquidity: >50% of listings transact.

Buyer/Seller Ratio

Balance between supply and demand sides.

Repeat Rate

Percentage of users who transact multiple times.

Benchmark: Strong retention: >40% repeat within 90 days.

Must-Have Slides

1Liquidity strategy

Show how you achieve and maintain liquidity

  • Explain your initial supply acquisition strategy
  • Show current liquidity metrics by cohort
  • Describe geographic or category expansion plans

2Network effects

Demonstrate defensibility

  • Quantify how value increases with users
  • Show switching costs for both sides
  • Explain data advantages you build over time

3Unit economics by cohort

Prove the model scales

  • Show contribution margin per transaction
  • Break down customer acquisition by side
  • Demonstrate improving economics over time

Common Mistakes to Avoid

  • !Subsidizing both sides indefinitely
  • !Launching too many categories/geographies at once
  • !Ignoring supply quality in favor of quantity
  • !Not building tools for power users
  • !Underinvesting in trust and safety

What investors expect

  • Clear solution to chicken-and-egg problem
  • Evidence of organic supply-side growth
  • Improving unit economics as you scale
  • Strategy for defending against competitors
  • Path to sustainable take rate

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