10 investor pitch deck mistakes that cost you funding, and how to fix them

Think your pitch deck is ready? You might be unknowingly making the exact mistakes that get your deck ignored. From hidden credibility killers to design choices that reduce the impact, this guide breaks down the 10 most common pitch deck mistakes, and how to fix them before they cost you funding.

10 Investor Pitch Deck Mistakes That Could Cost You Funding (And How to Fix Them)

A great pitch deck doesn’t guarantee funding, but a bad one can definitely cost you the opportunity.

Investors review dozens of decks every week, sometimes every day. If yours doesn’t stand out within the first few slides, you’ve likely lost their interest. It’s not just about the data, it’s about how well you communicate your story, opportunity, and credibility.

As a presentation design agency, we’ve worked with startups across industries, helping founders craft investor decks that lead to funding conversations. Over time, we’ve noticed a pattern of mistakes that show up far too often and silently hurt good ideas.

In this guide, we break down the 10 most common pitch deck mistakes, explain why they matter, and show you how to fix them.

1. Information Overload

Let’s start with the most common pitfall- trying to say everything at once.

If your slides are packed with text, multiple charts, or too many bullet points, investors will tune out. Remember, they’re skimming through your deck, not studying it all.

Here’s how to fix it:

• Focus on one key message per slide

• Use strong headings, not paragraphs

• Support with clean visuals (icons, charts, illustrations)

• Prioritize clarity over completeness

Still unsure where to draw the line? Our copywriting guide for presentations dives deep into balancing brevity and impact of your slide content.

2. No Clear Storytelling

A deck isn’t just about your numbers, it’s about the story you’re telling. If your pitch jumps from problem to product to revenue without a logical flow, investors will get lost.

Here’s how to fix it:

Map your slides like a narrative arc:

1. The Problem
2. The Solution
3. Market Opportunity
4. Business Model
5. Traction & Milestones
6. Team
7. Ask

Your narrative should become a strong story that adds to the emotional aspect of your deck.

Related read: How to use storytelling in presentations

3. Focusing Too Much on the Offering

Yes, your offering matters, but investors care more about whether there’s a business behind it.

Decks that obsess over features and tech (while skipping over market potential or revenue strategy) raise doubts about business acumen.

Here’s how to fix it:

• Introduce the product with clarity, keep it to one well-designed slide

• Then move quickly into your target audience, market size, GTM strategy, and monetization

• Use visuals to demonstrate value

4. Weak Market Research

Statements like “The market is huge” without any context or data? That’s a red flag.

Here’s how to fix it:

• Include TAM / SAM / SOM estimates

• Back them up with sources (investor-grade, not Wikipedia)

• Keep it relevant to your niche and target market

5. Ignoring the Competition

Claiming you have “no competitors” will not help you build credibility or trust. It might end up doing the opposite.

Here’s how to fix it:

• Acknowledge direct and indirect competitors

• Show where you fit in and what makes you different

• Use a competitor matrix or positioning graph

Want to frame your advantage in a way that makes it more convincing to the investors? Our guide on persuasion tactics for presentations can help.

6. Complicated Financials

Investors don’t expect you to have every metric figured out, but they do want to see directional clarity. A slide full of spreadsheets, projections, and micro-metrics without a story will get skimmed and skipped.

Here’s how to fix it:

• Stick to 3–5 year projections

• Include burn rate, revenue, key cost drivers

• Use graphs to show trends

7. No Clear Ask

A surprising number of decks forget to clarify the ask and allocation of funds that they’re aiming for. It gets worse if you’re vague about how funds will be used.

Here’s how to fix it:

Include a slide that outlines-

• How much you’re raising

• What you’ll use it for

• Expected return or timeline

For Example, “We’re raising $2M to expand our team, scale marketing, and finish product development, with a projected 3x ROI in 5 years.”

8. Ineffective Slide Design

Bad visuals equals lost attention. That’s just how it works. Cluttered layouts, inconsistent fonts, or pixelated graphics send the wrong message, even if your content is great.

How to fix it:

• Use a clean, modern layout

• Limit fonts to two max

• Stick to a clear color palette

• Prioritize white space

To get learn more about how to make your slide design more impactful, check out our guide on designing a great presentation.

If you’re curious about whether AI could do the design job, give this blog a read to know what AI can offer and where you need to bring in human design expertise- AI vs human presentation designers- Which one’s right for you?

9. Skipping Traction and Milestones

Investors need to see signs of progress. Without it, your idea feels untested—even if it isn’t.

Here’s how to fix it:

Show traction in:

• User acquisition

• Revenue growth

• Retention metrics

• Strategic hires or partnerships

10. Forgetting the Human Element

People invest in people. A strong team slide can build trust fast, but only if it goes beyond names and titles.

Here’s how to fix it:

• Include headshots

• Add short, relevant bios

• Highlight domain expertise and previous wins

Emotional triggers that add a persuasive element to your pitch deck

Fixing your deck’s structure is just the start. Great decks also feel persuasive, because they speak to human emotion.  Most founders believe that investor pitch decks are all about logic, market size, revenue models, and projections. While data is critical, emotions drive decisions just as much as facts.

Investors aren’t just looking at numbers, they’re evaluating your vision, passion, and the real-world impact of your business. If your pitch deck can trigger the right emotions, it becomes far more persuasive. Here’s how you can use emotional triggers:

1. Urgency

Fear is one of the strongest motivators. If investors don’t feel a sense of urgency around the problem your business is solving, they may not see the opportunity as compelling enough. Make the problem feel immediate.

How to use it in your pitch deck:

• Show the pain points your target audience faces.
• Use real-life stories or statistics to illustrate the seriousness of the problem.

For example:

“Every 39 seconds, a business is hacked. The average cost of a breach? $4.35 million.”‍

2. Hope

While fear gets attention, hope and aspiration make people act. Investors want to back something exciting and transformative.

How to use it in your deck:

• Show a clear, compelling vision of what success looks like.
• Use testimonials, case studies, or prototypes to prove your idea works.
• Help investors imagine how big this opportunity can be.

For example:

“Imagine hiring the right candidate in 3 days instead of 3 months. That’s the HR shift we’re building upon.”

3. Personal Connection

If investors don’t trust you, they won’t fund you, no matter how great your numbers look. They’re looking for answers to- Why you? What makes you care about this problem?

How to use it in your pitch deck:

• Highlight your personal connection to the problem.
• Show your team’s credibility- their past successes, expertise, and industry knowledge.
• Use social proof- quotes from advisors, investors, or early customers to establish trust.

For example:

“Our CEO spent years working in hospitals and saw firsthand how broken patient workflows delay care. That’s why we’re solving this.”

Related read: Mastering the art of persuasive presentations

Final Thoughts

Avoiding these 10 mistakes will put you in a much stronger position, but if you really want to stand out, your pitch deck should be a tight collaboration between business strategy, copywriting, and design.

If you need a fresh set of eyes on your investor pitch deck, Contact us for a free review or a quick consult. At Crappy presentations, we also work on sales decks, corporate presentations, event presentations, product launch presentations, and custom templates, offering expert presentation design services to help you build effective presentations that get the results.

For more guides and insightful tips about presentations and presentation design, explore the Crappy Presentations Blog.