Slide Strategies

15 proven deck structures with emotion arcs.

Strategy Selection

Strategy	Slides	Goal	Audience
YC Seed Deck	10-12	Raise seed funding	VCs
Guy Kawasaki	10	Pitch in 20 min	Investors
Series A	12-15	Raise Series A	Growth VCs
Product Demo	5-8	Demonstrate value	Prospects
Sales Pitch	7-10	Close deal	Qualified leads
Nancy Duarte Sparkline	Varies	Transform perspective	Any
Problem-Solution-Benefit	3-5	Quick persuasion	Time-pressed
QBR	10-15	Update stakeholders	Leadership
Team All-Hands	8-12	Align team	Employees
Conference Talk	15-25	Thought leadership	Attendees
Workshop	20-40	Teach skills	Learners
Case Study	8-12	Prove value	Prospects
Competitive Analysis	6-10	Strategic decisions	Internal
Board Meeting	15-20	Update board	Directors
Webinar	20-30	Generate leads	Registrants

Common Structures

YC Seed Deck (10 slides)

Title/Hook
Problem
Solution
Traction
Market
Product
Business Model
Team
Financials
The Ask

Emotion arc: curiosity→frustration→hope→confidence→trust→urgency

Sales Pitch (9 slides)

Personalized Hook
Their Problem
Cost of Inaction
Your Solution
Proof/Case Studies
Differentiators
Pricing/ROI
Objection Handling
CTA + Next Steps

Emotion arc: connection→frustration→fear→hope→trust→confidence→urgency

Product Demo (6 slides)

Hook/Problem
Solution Overview
Live Demo/Screenshots
Key Features
Benefits/Pricing
CTA

Emotion arc: curiosity→frustration→hope→confidence→urgency

Duarte Sparkline Pattern

Alternate between "What Is" (current pain) and "What Could Be" (better future):

What Is → What Could Be → What Is → What Could Be → New Bliss
(pain)     (hope)         (pain)     (hope)         (resolution)

Pattern breaks at 1/3 and 2/3 positions create engagement peaks.

Search Commands

# Find strategy by goal
python .opencode/skills/design-system/scripts/search-slides.py "investor pitch" -d strategy

# Get emotion arc
python .opencode/skills/design-system/scripts/search-slides.py "series a funding" -d strategy --json

Matching Strategy to Context

Context	Recommended Strategy
Raising money	YC Seed, Series A, Guy Kawasaki
Selling product	Sales Pitch, Product Demo
Internal update	QBR, All-Hands, Board Meeting
Public speaking	Conference Talk, Workshop
Proving value	Case Study, Competitive Analysis
Lead generation	Webinar

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