Pitch Generator

When to use

Use this skill when the user asks for a pitch for an idea, product, project, or concept—especially for fundraising, partnerships, or customer acquisition.

Inputs to ask for (if missing)

Audience: who are we pitching (investor, VC partner, customer, employer, internal leadership)?
Audience level: generalist vs specialist (how much jargon/data is acceptable)?
Goal: what should the audience do next (meet you, invest, pilot, buy, hire, refer)?
Format: live pitch (more visuals/less words) vs emailed message (more words + appendices-ready detail).
Tone: professional, friendly, bold, etc.
Stage: what funding stage is the company at (pre-seed, seed, Series A, etc.)?
- If pre-seed, also ask: Is this friends & family, angel, accelerator, or institutional pre-seed?
Problem details (use the "1-sentence test" inputs):
- Who is affected?
- Root cause?
- Impact (cost/risk/time/pain)?
Value proposition details (use the "solution statement" inputs):
- Who you help
- What you do for them
- Outcome they get
- Alternative you displace (contrast)
Proof / traction (use the strongest available evidence):
- Tier 1: revenue / paying customers
- Tier 2: signed commitments (LOIs, design partners, pilots)
- Tier 3: usage/engagement metrics
- Tier 4: qualitative proof (quotes, NPS, referrals)
- Tier 5 (pre-seed only): problem validation evidence (customer discovery interviews, waitlist sign-ups, prototype demos)
Why now (timing thesis): what has shifted that makes this the right moment?
Market context (optional, only if the user has it):
- TAM/SAM/SOM framing or a credible target/customer count within 3 years
Competition / alternatives (who they compare you to, and are you additive or displacing?)
Team (optional, only if relevant to the ask):
- domain expertise, unfair advantage, why you/why now, execution history
Ask or next step (especially if fundraising):
- amount, structure, milestones, and timeline (or a concrete "next step" like "request a 30-min meeting")
Use of funds (especially at pre-seed): how will the money be spent? Map to concrete milestones (e.g., "hire 2 engineers, ship MVP, run 50 customer pilots in 12 months").
Instrument type (if fundraising and pre-seed/seed): SAFE, convertible note, or priced round? Include valuation cap and/or discount rate if known.

Pre-seed stage guidance

When the user is pitching at the pre-seed stage, apply these adjustments throughout all output variants:

What pre-seed investors are actually evaluating

At pre-seed, investors bet on founders more than products. They look for:

Deep problem understanding — evidence you've lived in the problem space, not just researched it.
Founder-market fit — unique expertise, passion, or lived experience that makes you the right person.
Resilience signal — indicators you can endure the long road ahead (prior execution, relevant grit).
Clear use of funds — a simple milestone roadmap, not a complex financial model. Show what the money buys: prototype, first hires, customer pilots, runway to seed.

Pre-seed readiness signals to highlight

Weave the strongest applicable signals into the pitch:

More than an idea: prototype, mockup, or MVP exists.
Validated problem: customer discovery interviews conducted, specific pain confirmed.
Compelling founder narrative: why you, why now, why this team.
Clear plan for funds: concrete milestones the raise unlocks, with a timeline (typically 12-18 months of runway).

Pitch priorities by pre-seed investor type

Friends & family: emphasize personal conviction, simplicity, and what the money enables. Keep jargon minimal.
Angel investors / syndicates: lead with founder credibility and problem depth. Angels value domain expertise and network effects.
Accelerators / incubators (YC, Techstars, etc.): focus on team velocity, market insight, and coachability. Show you can move fast with guidance.
Institutional pre-seed VCs: closest to a seed-style pitch — include market sizing, competitive landscape, and a credible path to seed.

Pre-seed pitch anti-patterns to avoid

Over-indexing on financial projections (a simple use-of-funds roadmap beats a 5-year DCF at this stage).
Stacking too many SAFE/note terms without explaining dilution impact.
Claiming traction you don't have — instead, reframe around problem validation and customer discovery.
Pitching "the idea" without showing progress (investors want to see you've already started executing).

Benchmark data (for calibrating asks and framing)

Typical pre-seed raise: $250K–$1M (some smaller, some larger).
Typical pre-seed company age: under 2 years from incorporation.
Common instruments: SAFEs (most common) and convertible notes.
Pre-seed goal: validate problem and solution, build initial product and team.
Seed benchmark for context: $500K–$5M, working product with early traction, median dilution ~20%.
Fundraising timeline: plan for several months from first conversation to close.
Solo founders: possible but harder — 35% of startups are solo-founded, but solo founders are statistically less likely to raise VC. If solo, emphasize advisory network and planned co-founder search.

Output format

Return 3 variants, each targeted to the audience and aligned to the workshop structure:

Patterns used (when a benchmark deck is available)
- Briefly list 1-2 messaging patterns extracted from the local benchmark deck and how they are adapted for the user's context.
- Keep this to 1-3 lines total.
One-liner pitch
- Must answer the "three questions to answer cold" in plain language:
  - What do you do?
  - Who is it for?
  - Why does it matter now?
- No jargon; quantify the benefit if possible.
Short paragraph pitch
- Must follow the "story arc":
  - Tension (problem)
  - Insight (your unfair knowledge / root cause)
  - Resolution (your solution)
  - Proof (the strongest evidence tier you have)
- Avoid hedging/filler; be direct and confident.
- At pre-seed: lead with problem validation evidence and founder insight rather than revenue metrics.
Slightly longer "investment-style" pitch (still concise)
- Mirror the "10 essential slides" at the level of messaging (not slide formatting):
  - Problem → Solution → Market → Business model → Traction (proof hierarchy) → GTM → Competition/alternatives → Team → Financials/metrics (only if the user has them) → Ask/next step
- Include assumptions drivers if financials/market numbers are mentioned (avoid "hockey stick" without drivers).
- At pre-seed: replace "Financials/metrics" with "Use of funds / milestone roadmap" and weight the Team and Problem sections more heavily. Include instrument type (SAFE/note) and target raise in the Ask.

Style rules

Clarity first: one sentence per core claim; define any necessary terms.
Specificity wins conviction: name customers (ideally by role/segment), and quantify benefits.
Contrast matters: explicitly name the alternative and why you're better (additive vs displacement).
Evidence hierarchy: if you don't have Tier 1, use Tier 2/3/4/5 — don't omit proof entirely.
Timing thesis: include "why now" as a concrete shift, not generic optimism.
No hedging language: avoid "I think maybe," "sort of," "hopefully," "maybe we could…"
At pre-seed: story over spreadsheet — a compelling narrative about founder-market fit and problem depth beats premature financial projections.

Reference example (pitch deck benchmark)

Use the well-known 2009 Airbnb fundraising deck as a quality benchmark for structure and clarity.
First check local benchmark files in skills/pitch-generator/benchmarks.
If one or more local benchmark decks exist there, use them as the primary reference instead of web sources.
If needed, select the closest benchmark by audience/stage (for ex

pitch-generator