Market slide in a pitch deck
What it is, why it matters, and how to write it so investors take your market seriously.
What is the market slide?
The market slide proves that your idea is not just about solving a real problem. It also needs to be solving one in a space worth betting on.
This slide isn't just about throwing a big TAM number on the screen. It's about showing that:
- The market is large enough to matter
- You know who your customers are
- The market is growing or shifting
- You can actually reach those customers
If your market slide is vague or inflated, investors won't believe your upside. If it's small or unproven, they won't see the return.
What investors look for
These are the exact criteria Pitchkit uses to evaluate your market slide:
- Market size quantification — What is the total addressable market (TAM), and what's your serviceable and obtainable portion? Bonus: Bottom-up logic.
- Clear customer segments — Who exactly are you targeting? Startups? Mid-market? Gen Z creators in Canada?
- Market growth potential — Is this market expanding? Are there tailwinds or new behaviors forming?
- Market accessibility — Can you actually reach these customers? Do they have budgets? Do you have a wedge?
Anything less, and investors assume you're guessing—or overhyping.
Good vs. bad examples
✅Strong
"Our wedge market is mid-size EU SaaS teams spending $3B annually on CS tools. Our entry segment is 12,000 companies in the €2–20M ARR range. Market growing at 18% YoY."
- Precise, reachable segment
- Market growth data
- Entry strategy
❌Weak
"We're targeting the $400B global software market."
- No customer segment
- No focus
- No relevance
Common mistakes
- Top-down only: "We'll take 1% of a $100B market" is a joke. Investors want segmentation.
- Too general: If your segment could apply to 100 other startups, it's not focused.
- No proof of reach: You can't just say "anyone" and hope CAC makes sense.
Best practices
- Start with your beachhead: Who are your first 100 paying customers? Build the market slide from there.
- Use bottom-up math: Pricing × customers × usage beats Gartner graphs.
- Highlight trends: AI adoption, regulation shifts, consumer behavior. Use something that backs urgency.
Make your market look like an opportunity, not a fantasy.
How Pitchkit helps
Pitchkit's market slide builder helps you:
- Define and size your real segment
- Map bottom-up and top-down TAM
- Connect market timing to your problem
- Get feedback on whether it's believable or ballooned
You don't need a 50-page market report. You need to prove your upside and focus.
FAQs
- Do i need a TAM, SAM, SOM breakdown? If it's clean and makes sense, yes. But even just a beachhead + TAM + growth rate can work.
- How do i prove accessibility? Reference customer acquisition, sales channels, partnerships, or early traction.
- Should i use trends or graphs? Yes but don't let visuals replace logic. One graph + a real customer segment > three slides of jargon.