SaaS pitch deck
SaaS investors pay for recurring revenue that grows on its own. They look past new logos to the question underneath: once a customer signs, do they stay, and do they spend more each year?
The numbers
Any one SaaS number can look good on its own. Investors trust the deck when growth, retention and efficiency all point the same way.
Annual recurring revenue: the yearly value of active subscriptions, without one-off fees. Growth is how fast it rises.
On the slide: by month or quarter, with new, expansion and churned ARR shown as separate bars so the source of growth is clear.
How much revenue this year's customers bring compared with last year, after upgrades, downgrades and churn. Above 100% means you grow even with no new customers. SaaS Capital's 2023 survey of private B2B companies put the median at 102%[1].
On the slide: one number for the last 12 months, plus gross retention, so investors see how much you lose before upgrades.
How much cash you burn for each rupee of new ARR. Lower is better. It became a standard efficiency check after 2020[2].
On the slide: for the last two or four quarters, with the trend. A falling burn multiple tells a strong story.
How long a deal takes from first call to signature, and who signs. A ₹2 lakh tool bought by one manager and a ₹50 lakh platform bought by a committee are different businesses.
On the slide: the median cycle, average contract value and the job title that signs. Investors use it to judge how sales will scale.
Net revenue retention by quarterly cohort for the same fictional company. Above 100% means customers spend more over time than the revenue lost to churn.
Who buys
In B2B software the person who uses the product is often not the person who pays for it. Investors want to know both, because it decides how you sell.
Bottom-up products are picked by users, who start free or on a card, and spread through a team. They need a large top of the funnel and a clear moment where a team upgrades.
Sales-led products are bought by a manager or a committee after demos and a trial. They need a sales team, longer cycles and larger contracts to pay for both.
Say which you are, show the funnel or pipeline that matches it, and name the buyer's title. A deck that claims both motions at the seed stage usually has neither working yet.
In the meeting
Slide by slide
The order follows the structure most investors expect, from Sequoia's original business plan outline[3] to Y Combinator's seed deck advice[4]. The notes are what changes for SaaS.
Red flags
Investors give a deck a few minutes. DocSend found average review time fell to under three minutes in 2022[5]. These are the slides that use those minutes badly.
Astitva writes your investor story free from a short brief, in this order, then designs each slide in your own brand for 5 credits. A 12-slide deck is 60 credits.
No card needed. Packs from ₹299 or $3, no subscription.
Twelve slides in investor order with ARR and growth by quarter, net and gross revenue retention, burn multiple or CAC payback, sales cycle and buyer, pricing and gross margin.
SaaS Capital's 2023 survey of private B2B SaaS companies put the median at 102%. Companies with larger contracts tend to report higher retention.
Net cash burned divided by net new ARR in the same period. It shows how efficiently a company turns spending into recurring revenue; lower is better.
Yes. Astitva writes the investor story free from a short brief and designs each slide in your brand for 5 credits. New accounts get 50 free credits.
Figures from these sources were current when this guide was written. Rules and benchmarks change, so check the latest version before you rely on one.