- Name a specific customer, not "everyone" or "the market".
- Put a cost on the problem: time, money or risk.
- Sequoia's classic outline puts the problem, the solution and why now near the front of the deck[1].
- The solution answers the problem in the same words, before any features.
The problem slide
A weak problem slide says "healthcare is broken." A strong one says "a clinic receptionist spends three hours a day on the phone rescheduling appointments, and one in five patients still does not show up." The second names a person, a task and a cost.
- Who: the specific customer who feels the pain.
- What: the moment it happens, in their words.
- Cost: time, money or risk, with a number if you have one.
- Today: what they do about it now and why that falls short.
Why now
Investors want to know why this has not been solved before and why it can be solved today. A change in regulation, cost, technology or behaviour is the usual answer. Sequoia's well-known business plan outline gives "why now" its own place alongside the problem and solution[1].
The solution slide
Answer the problem directly, using the same words: "Clinics fill cancelled slots automatically, so receptionists stop chasing patients and no-shows fall." Then show the product in action, one screen or one photo, not a list of ten features.
Keep them connected
Read the two headlines one after the other. If the solution does not obviously fix the problem you described, rewrite one of them until it does. The rest of the deck, from market size to traction, builds on this link.