How I Build Investor-Ready Pitch Decks for Founders in the USA and Beyond

Dragana Todorovska
Nov 30, 2025
7 min read

Over the last few years I’ve helped founders in the USA and worldwide raise money with pitch decks that are clear, data-driven, and visually polished. Most of my clients are raising Seed, Series A, or later funding rounds and need a document that can survive serious due diligence, not just look good on screen.

In this article I’ll walk you through exactly how I create pitch decks—from research and structure to design, collaboration, and even turning the deck into a video presentation.

Along the way I’ll touch on some common questions founders search for online, such as:

Best software tools for creating a professional pitch deck
How to design a pitch deck that investors love
Top platforms offering pitch deck templates online
Where to find affordable pitch deck design services
Examples of successful pitch decks from tech startups
What are the key slides every pitch deck should include?
Apps that help with pitch deck collaboration for remote teams
How to convert a pitch deck into a video presentation
Which online services provide pitch deck review and feedback?
How to use AI tools to generate pitch deck content quickly

Let’s go step by step.

1. Discovery: Understanding the Business and Funding Strategy

Every project starts with a structured discovery process. I need to understand:

What stage you’re in (pre-revenue, early revenue, growth, etc.)
How much you’re raising and how you’ll deploy the capital
Your business model, pricing, margins, and path to profitability
Your target market (often the USA, but also wider regions if relevant)
Traction so far: users, revenue, pilots, LOIs, partnerships

We usually do this via a tailored questionnaire and a call. For US-based founders raising Seed or Series A, I pay special attention to unit economics, runway, and go-to-market because that’s what VCs scrutinize the most.

From this call I create a deck blueprint—a slide-by-slide outline of the story we want to tell.

2. Best Software Tools for Creating a Professional Pitch Deck

Once I know the story, I move into tools and design. My core setup is simple and very focused:

I build the pitch deck in Canva from start to finish. Canva gives me flexible layouts, strong typography options, and easy brand customization, which is perfect for fast-moving founders.
For visuals, icons, illustrations, and mockups I use Envato (Envato Elements) as my main source for graphics. I select professional assets there and then adapt them inside Canva so everything looks cohesive and on-brand.

This Canva + Envato workflow lets me:

Keep a consistent visual identity across all slides
Create clean, investor-ready charts and diagrams
Collaborate easily with founders, since Canva is cloud-based and simple to comment on

When everything is finalized, I export the deck from Canva as PDF and PowerPoint, so you can send it to investors, upload it to data rooms, or present live in meetings and demo days.

3. How to Design a Pitch Deck That Investors Love

My goal is always to design a pitch deck that investors love to read and can quickly understand. That means:

Clarity over buzzwords – every slide has one key message, not five.
Numbers over adjectives – “$500k annualized revenue with 15% MoM growth” beats “strong traction.”
Visual structure – consistent headers, icons, and color codes so the eye knows where to look.
Fast scanning – seasoned US investors look at hundreds of decks; I design for a 60–90 second skim first, deeper read later.

I constantly ask: If an investor in New York opens this deck on their phone between meetings, will they get the story?

4. Top Platforms Offering Pitch Deck Templates Online (And How I Use Them)

Yes, there are many top platforms offering pitch deck templates online—Canva, Pitch, Google Slides template libraries, and specialized pitch-deck sites.

I do not just plug your logo into a random template. Instead, I use templates:

As a starting framework for slide layouts that already follow best practices
For speed when we need a first draft for an upcoming investor meeting
As inspiration for visual styles that can be adapted to your brand

From there, I heavily customize the layouts, reorder sections, and create unique graphics and financial visuals tailored to your company.

5. Where to Find Affordable Pitch Deck Design Services

Founders often search where to find affordable pitch deck design services. My own service is built exactly around that need:

I combine strategy + financial modeling + design in one package, so you don’t have to pay three different providers.
I keep my process lean and remote, which lets me work with US startups at a price that’s accessible for Seed-stage budgets.
Instead of selling just “pretty slides,” I focus on investor-grade content: TAM/SAM/SOM, CAC/LTV, revenue projections, and realistic roadmaps.

This is especially valuable for founders who already spent money on product and legal work and need a smart way to present everything to US or global investors.

6. Examples of Successful Pitch Decks From Tech Startups (And What I Learn From Them)

I regularly study examples of successful pitch decks from tech startups—classic ones like Airbnb, Uber, or Intercom, and more recent SaaS and fintech decks.

When I analyze those decks, I focus on:

How they open with the problem in a single, sharp sentence
How they build credibility early with traction, logos, or data
How they connect the product, business model, and market size
How they close with a clear ask and use of funds

I apply these patterns to my clients’ decks while making sure the story is authentic to your company and not just a copy of a famous example.

7. What Are the Key Slides Every Pitch Deck Should Include?

Founders often ask: What are the key slides every pitch deck should include?

Here’s the backbone I usually follow (and adapt if needed):

Title & One-Line Value Proposition
Problem – who is hurting, how big is the pain, especially in the USA if that’s the main market
Solution / Product – what you do and why it’s a must-have
Market Size (TAM/SAM/SOM) – with clear methods and data sources
Business Model – pricing, revenue streams, gross margin drivers
Traction – users, revenue, pilots, key metrics
Go-to-Market Strategy – channels, sales motion, CAC payback
Competition – landscape + your core differentiators
Product Roadmap – what’s next, especially for the next 12–24 months
Team – why this team can win in this market
Financial Projections – usually 3–5 years, with key assumptions
Ask & Use of Funds – how much you’re raising and where it goes

For US investors, I also highlight regulatory context, market entry strategy, and scalability because those often come up in Q&A.

8. Apps That Help With Pitch Deck Collaboration for Remote Teams

Most of my clients are remote, often with founders in the USA and team members spread across different time zones. To keep projects efficient, I use apps that help with pitch deck collaboration for remote teams, such as:

Google Drive + Google Slides for live comments and version control
Canva for shared design boards and quick visual iterations
Notion or similar tools for storing market research, assumptions, and drafts
Zoom, Google Meet, or Teams for walkthrough calls and feedback sessions

This way, everyone can see progress, leave comments directly on slides, and keep the process transparent.

9. How to Convert a Pitch Deck Into a Video Presentation

A growing number of founders want to convert a pitch deck into a video presentation, especially for US accelerators or investors who prefer asynchronous pitches.

Here’s how I handle it:

Script the voiceover based on the slide content—short, punchy, and aligned with the investor’s attention span.
Use tools like Loom, Zoom, or screen-recording software to record you presenting the deck, slide by slide.
Add simple transitions, highlight key numbers, and ensure the audio is clear.
Export a concise 5–10 minute video that you can send with the PDF deck.

I help clients rehearse the script so they sound confident and stay on message.

10. Which Online Services Provide Pitch Deck Review and Feedback?

Founders also search for which online services provide pitch deck review and feedback.

In my process, review and feedback are built-in:

I go through multiple revision rounds where we sharpen the messaging, tighten the numbers, and make sure each slide earns its place.
I provide investor-style comments (“This slide is too crowded,” “This metric needs context,” “We need proof for this claim”).
I also advise on email outreach and how to frame the deck when sending it to US investors or funds.

Some founders also share the deck with mentors, accelerator managers, or friendly investors; I then integrate their feedback into the next version.

11. How to Use AI Tools to Generate Pitch Deck Content Quickly

Finally, a big topic: how to use AI tools to generate pitch deck content quickly.

I do use AI—but carefully and strategically:

AI helps with brainstorming headlines, rewriting sentences for clarity, and generating alternate ways to explain complex ideas.
I sometimes use it to summarize market reports or draft initial versions of problem statements or value propositions.
However, every single slide is manually checked, edited, and aligned with your real numbers, market data, and fundraising strategy.

AI is a speed booster, not a replacement for human judgment, financial modeling, or real market research.

12. From First Draft to Investor-Ready Deck

To put it all together, here’s how a typical project flows:

Discovery & Data Collection – questionnaires, calls, financial data, and any existing materials.
Outline – define the key slides every pitch deck should include for your case.
First Draft – I create the content and basic layout directly in Canva, using Envato graphics where needed.
Design Pass – refine visuals, charts, and branding; integrate examples of successful pitch decks from tech startups as reference points.
Revisions & Collaboration – iterate using apps that help with pitch deck collaboration for remote teams.
Final Investor Version – produce the main deck (and, if needed, a teaser one-pager and a version to convert into a video presentation).

The result is a professional, investor-ready pitch deck that clearly communicates your story, your numbers, and your ask—whether you’re pitching angels in your local city or venture funds across the USA.

If you’re a founder planning to raise capital and you want help turning your story into a clear, compelling deck, this is exactly the process I follow with my clients.