Deel is one of the most successful startups today, valued at $12 billion. So when I found their pre-seed deck this week, I was really intrigued.
Deel’s deck from 2019 is simple and effective. Let’s dig in…
Framing the Problem
Founders Alex and Shuo do a great job of framing the problem.
In 2019, remote work was growing, and companies were hiring more staff abroad. Payroll and compliance is hard enough in your own state, but when you do business across the world, it really gets tricky.
Regulations vary a lot from place to place. Foreign exchange fees are brutal.
But Alex and Shuo promised to change all that…
What Deel Does
Next, the founders show us their solution: a platform that can pay anyone, anywhere efficiently.
The value prop is clear. Deel can get your employees paid in 1-2 days, versus 5 days without Deel. And not only is it faster, it’s cheaper.
Alex and Shuo make clear how their product is better than what’s out there. And if they can make it clear to investors, they might just be able to convince customers too.
And It’s Easy on the Eyes…
This is a pretty deck! A lot of YC decks look like this — big fonts, only a little text per slide, and about a dozen slides.
YC uses this template because it’s a darn good one!
Whenever I see a deck with tons of text on each slide, my eyes hurt. A deck is supposed to be an intro to the company, not a detailed memorandum.
When you present with a deck, you want to “let the slide be your guide,” as angel Jason Calacanis puts it. The deck should prompt you with a few key details, not lay out a script.
What I’d Change
I wish Shuo and Alex would’ve explained why they’re the perfect people to take on the problem of payrolls and compliance.
These two have some pretty impressive backgrounds! Both were repeat founders, which tends to help a person in their next startup.
But we would not know that from the deck.
I’d also throw in some basics on pricing and the number of companies in Deel’s target market. This gives us a general idea of the TAM.
Wrap-Up
Deel’s deck is simple, pretty and clear. I’m left thinking there’s a big opportunity here, and Deel might be the company to seize it.
These founders don’t get bogged down in unnecessary detail. They hit the highlights and that’s that.
Take Deel’s deck as a template. See if you can explain what you’re doing as clearly as Shuo and Alex did!
And once you’ve got it looking good, let me take a peak. 🙂
What are your pitch deck pet peeves? Leave a comment and let us know!
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More on tech:
Seed Stage Funding Falls to New Low
Note: I own a very small number of Deel shares because Deel bought a startup I invested in. They have no control over this post.
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