OfficeCLI Pitch Deck Skill

This skill is a scene layer on top of officecli-pptx. Every pptx hard rule — visual delivery floor (title ≥ 36pt / body ≥ 18pt / title ≥ 2× body), 12-column grid on 33.87×19.05cm, 4 canonical palettes, chart-choice decision table, connector canon (shape / from / to / tailEnd=triangle), shell escape, resident + batch, Delivery Gate 1–5a — is inherited, not re-taught. This file adds only what fundraising needs on top: stage diagnosis (A / B / C), 5 赛道 arc templates, 10 key-slide recipes (cover / problem / solution / market / product / model / traction / team / financials / ask), pitch-specific numbers convention, a VC ship-check, and a pitch-specific fresh-eyes Gate 6.

When the pptx base rules cover it, the text here says → see pptx v2 §X. Read skills/officecli-pptx/SKILL.md first if you have not.

Setup

If officecli is missing:

• macOS / Linux: curl -fsSL https://d.officecli.ai/install.sh | bash
• Windows (PowerShell): irm https://d.officecli.ai/install.ps1 | iex

Verify with officecli --version (open a new terminal if PATH hasn't picked up). If install fails, download a binary from https://github.com/iOfficeAI/OfficeCLI/releases.

⚠️ Help-First Rule

This skill teaches what a fundraising deck requires, not every command flag. When a prop name, enum value, or preset is uncertain, consult help BEFORE guessing.

officecli help pptx                          # All pptx elements
officecli help pptx <element>                # Full schema (e.g. chart, shape, connector, picture)
officecli help pptx <element> --json         # Machine-readable

Help reflects the installed CLI version. When this skill and help disagree, help wins. Every --prop X= in this file has been grep-verified against officecli help pptx <element> — if help adds / renames a prop in a later version, trust help.

Mental Model & Inheritance

Inherits pptx v2. You should have read skills/officecli-pptx/SKILL.md first. This skill assumes you know how to: add slides + shapes + charts + connectors; address by @name= / @id=; quote paths; use batch heredocs; write --prop tailEnd=triangle on every flow connector; and run the 5-gate Delivery Gate. If any of those are unfamiliar, open a pptx v2 session before continuing.

Shell & Execution Discipline

Shell quoting, incremental execution, $FILE convention → see pptx v2 §Shell & Execution Discipline. Same rules verbatim — quote [N] paths, single-quote values containing $ (including $35M, $1.2B TAM in a cover or ask slide), never hand-write \$ \t \n in executable examples, one command at a time. Examples below use $FILE (FILE="deck.pptx").

Single-quote every shape text containing $. --prop text="Series B · $35M" (double quotes) is WRONG — zsh expands $35M → empty, deck renders Series B · M silently. --prop text='Series B · $35M' (single quotes) is right. This is the #1 pitch-deck shell-escape failure mode ($35M, $18M ARR, $1.2B TAM appear on cover/ask/financials/milestones). Gate 2 cannot detect a stripped $35M — no residue. Gate 2b catches common strip patterns; single-quoting PREVENTS them.

What "pitch deck" means here (identity)

A pitch deck is a pptx with a fundraising layer on top: VC-oriented narrative arc, verifiable metrics, stage-appropriate data density, founder-credibility surface. Slides are consumed at ~3 seconds per slide in a live room — the pptx v2 rule. Pitch decks add a second constraint on top: every slide carries one investable proposition. If a slide is "interesting background" that doesn't move the ask forward, cut it. VCs will not. The base pptx rules still apply; pitch decks add six deltas:

1. Stage determines everything. Series A / B / C each dictates slide count, narrative weight, which metrics are must-haves, and tolerance for unit-econ sophistication. A Series A deck with 6 pages of CAC/LTV math reads as over-packaged; a Series B deck missing unit econ reads as incomplete. Pick the stage first — everything downstream follows.
2. Narrative arc beats feature dump. 10 essential slides in a fixed order: cover → problem → solution → market → product → model → traction → team → financials → ask. Out of order = VCs disengage.
3. Numbers are a contract. TAM/SAM/SOM must be clean three-layer; CAC/LTV must have a payback line; ARR ≠ revenue; Use-of-Funds must be a four-bucket pie. Sloppy numbers = round dies.
4. Team slide carries prior companies. Avatar grid alone reads as a student project. Add prior-company logos / names + one-line role. Without this, first-time founders look exactly like first-time founders.
5. Traction chart y-axis starts at 0. A "hockey stick" starting at y_min = 80% of current is a visual lie — VCs who have seen 10,000 decks spot it in < 2 seconds.
6. The ask is a slide, not a footnote. $XX M hero + four-bucket Use-of-Funds + runway length. "We're raising some money" is not an ask.

Reverse handoff — when to go BACK to pptx base

Stay in pptx v2 base for board reviews, all-hands, sales decks, product launches, training decks — anything not tied to raising capital. Use this skill only when: (a) the user mentions a specific round (seed / Series A / B / C) or a VC meeting, AND (b) the deck needs at least 4 of {problem, traction, team with credentials, Use-of-Funds, stage-appropriate unit econ, financial projections}.

If the user says "fundraising deck" but the context is a corporate BU quarterly ask, that is a board review. Route to pptx v2 Recipe (d) 10-slide blueprint. If the user says "board review" but the context is a small company raising a bridge round, route here.

Series A / B / C stage diagnosis (decision tool)

Read this before writing a single command. Pick the row that matches the user's description — everything downstream (slide count, which metrics, which recipes, what the team slide must show) derives from this one call.

Decision procedure. From one or two user sentences ("Series B, $18M ARR, 120 customers, $35M raise"), pick exactly one stage row. All later choices in this skill reference your stage: which 赛道 template to pull, which recipes are mandatory vs optional, and which Delivery Gate 6 checks fire.

Corner cases. Bridge rounds & convertibles between A → B are closer to A or B depending on whether the bridge milestone is "finish PMF" (A shape) or "hit unit-econ target" (B shape). "Extension" rounds at the same stage reuse the earlier stage's skeleton and add a one-slide "progress since last round" update.

Non-SaaS stage overrides. The ARR / unit-econ shape of Series B fits SaaS. For other verticals, substitute revenue band + unit-econ equivalent + Gate 6.3 grep:

Substitute the analogue grep when running Gate 6.3 on these verticals. False WARN on SaaS CAC/LTV = expected; real concern = vertical-specific analogue present. Bio Series B decks especially: burn + runway-to-milestone IS the "unit econ" story.

赛道 arc templates (5 families)

5 mainstream verticals. Each one has different slide weights because what VCs require as proof-of-concept differs. Pick the vertical row; the slide skeleton is a copy-able starting point. Slide counts assume the matching stage row above.

(1) B2B SaaS / Enterprise software

Canonical arc — the template most of VC muscle memory is built on. Series B example (20 slides): cover · TL;DR · problem · problem evidence · solution · product loop · market TAM/SAM/SOM · unit economics (CAC / LTV / payback / GM) · ARR trajectory · retention cohort · logo wall · team · competitors · financials 4-year · ask. Must-have: unit-econ slide from Series A onward; logo wall from Series B onward.

(2) Consumer (B2C app / consumer hardware / D2C)

Narrative-driven. Early-stage decks lean on product-experience screenshots + founding story + "why now" market timing; lighter on unit econ (which are usually weaker than SaaS). Series A example (14 slides): cover · hook (30-second product demo or 1-line vision) · problem (lived experience) · solution (product shots) · product-experience flow · "why now" market window · pre-order / crowdfunding / early-sales evidence · retention / engagement (DAU, D30) · market (top-down ok if bottom-up unreliable) · competitive positioning · founder story + team · press / endorsements · financials · ask. Must-have: product visuals on ≥ 3 slides; "why now" slide (window justification); engagement metric not just revenue.

(3) Deep Tech / Frontier tech (AI foundation models, quantum, climate hardware, robotics)

Technology credibility is the sell. Pre-revenue deep tech replaces "traction" with technical milestones + defensibility. Series B example (22 slides): cover · thesis (one-line "what changes if this works") · problem (current state of art) · solution (technical approach) · technology architecture · benchmarks vs SoTA · pipeline / TRL levels · market (long-tail) · business model · early commercial traction (pilots, LOIs) · IP / patents · team (usually PhD / ex-FAANG-research) · partners · financials · ask. Must-have: benchmark slide; IP slide; team slide dense with PhDs / prior-lab names.

(4) Marketplace / Network business (two-sided platform, social, commerce)

Liquidity is the metric. Replace "unit econ" with GMV + take rate + cohort retention + supply / demand balance. Series A example (15 slides): cover · problem (friction in current supply-demand) · solution · product demo (both sides) · network effects diagram · early liquidity (first-week GMV, time-to-match) · cohort retention · geographic / category expansion plan · competitive positioning vs incumbents · take-rate model · team · financials · ask. Must-have: liquidity metric slide; cohort retention chart; network-effect diagram.

(5) Bio / Life sciences / Healthtech

Regulatory pipeline IS the business. Replace "product roadmap" with clinical pipeline + regulatory path + scientific evidence. Series B example (22 slides): cover · unmet medical need · scientific rationale (mechanism of action) · preclinical / clinical data (ORR, safety, endpoints) · pipeline chart (candidates × stages × dates) · differentiation vs standard of care · IP / exclusivity · regulatory strategy (IND, BTD, fast-track) · market (prevalence × pricing) · commercial strategy (orphan / specialty / biosimilar) · partnerships / collaborations · team (CSO / CMO with prior FDA wins) · financials (burn to next milestone) · ask. Must-have: pipeline chart; clinical data slide; team slide with prior regulatory wins.

Cross-vertical rule. You can mix elements across templates, but never drop a must-have from your primary vertical. A SaaS deck missing unit econ, a bio deck missing a pipeline chart, a marketplace deck missing a liquidity metric — each is an instant VC disqualification.

Slide Patterns (layout canon)

Patterns are layout geometry; recipes below are narrative intent. A slide picks one pattern for its visual shape (6 canonical ones below) and one recipe for what it argues (cover / problem / traction / ...). Multiple recipes can share one pattern — Problem / Why-Now / Traction-callout all lean on the 3-stat row (C.2). Pick the pattern first, then fill it with recipe content.

Speaker notes rule. Every content slide (non-cover, non-closing) MUST carry speaker notes via officecli add "$FILE" /slide[N] --type notes --prop text='…'. Missing notes = not shippable — inherits pptx v2 §Hard rules (H7). Run officecli help pptx notes to confirm prop names before building.

Pattern reuse discipline. Never run the same pattern on two consecutive slides — even with different data, two identical geometries in a row read as a template loop. Alternate C.2 with C.4 or C.5b to break rhythm.

Vertical centering. When a slide carries fewer elements than the pattern's maximum, nudge y-positions down 2–3cm to center the visual weight. Tables below assume full content.

C.1 Title / Cover (dark gradient)

3–4 text shapes on a gradient fill. Slide 1 in every deck.

+----------------------------------+
|                                  |
|          TITLE (centered)        |
|          tagline                 |
|                                  |
|   round · amount · date          |
|  ________________________        |  <- thin brand band
+----------------------------------+

Use this when the slide is the first one (Cover recipe 1) — 3-second identity grab. Background is a 180° linear gradient between two dark palette shades (e.g. Professional Navy 1E2761 → 0D1F35). If the title wraps to 2 lines, add height (4cm → 5cm), never drop font below 36pt — sub-36pt on a pitch cover reads as timid regardless of content. Transition: fade.

C.2 3-Stat callout row

Title + 3 big-number / label pairs across. The default for Problem / Why-Now / Traction-callout slides.

+----------------------------------+
|  Title                           |
|                                  |
|   73%      12hr      $4.2B       |
|   label    label     label       |
|   source   source    source      |
+----------------------------------+

Use this when you have 2–3 anchoring numbers and the story is "three facts argue the point" — Problem, Why-Now, Market-callout, single-row Traction. Labels ≥ 16pt is the H4 floor (sub-label exception); a number without a label reads as bravado, so never drop labels to 12–14pt to fit more text.

C.3 4-Stat callout row

Same geometry as C.2 but 4 columns. Numbers 60pt, width 7cm each.

+-------------------------------------+
|  Title                              |
|                                     |
|  73%   12hr   $9M   4.2x            |
|  lbl   lbl    lbl   lbl             |
+-------------------------------------+

Use this when exactly 4 parallel metrics tell the story and 3 feels under-counted. Prefer C.2 if in doubt — 4 always feels tighter than 3, and wrap risk is real.

Wrap warning. At 60pt in 7cm width, dollar patterns with both $ and . fail: $9.4M is 5 glyphs but the wide $ and . in a serif bold make it wrap to 2 lines and destroy the callout. Safe dollar shapes at 60pt/7cm: $9M, $96B, $4K (3–4 chars). Non-dollar shapes: 340%, 4.2x, 12.3 safe up to 5 chars. Values ≥ 6 chars (197min, 3 Days) will wrap — either (a) drop font to 44–48pt, (b) abbreviate (197m, $9M), or (c) shift to C.2 (9cm per stat). Single tokens only, no internal spaces.

C.4 Chart + Context (chart left, stats right)

Chart takes left 55%, 2–3 stacked callouts on the right. The default for Traction / Financials / Market-sizing-with-context.

+-------------------------------------+
|  Title                              |
|                                     |
|  +---------------+   +--------+     |
|  |               |   | Stat 1 |     |
|  |    chart      |   +--------+     |
|  |               |   | Stat 2 |     |
|  +---------------+   +--------+     |
+-------------------------------------+

Sub-labels ≥ 16pt (H4 floor). For 5 stats stacked, drop number size to 44pt; 6+ stats means pick a different pattern. Post-batch for column/bar charts: officecli set "$FILE" "/slide[N]/chart[1]" --prop gap=80 to tighten bar spacing.

Use this when one primary chart drives the story and 2–3 numeric anchors reinforce it — Traction (ARR curve + current ARR + YoY + NRR), Financials (4-year column chart + assumption callouts), Market (bar chart + SOM / CAGR / methodology).

C.5 Icon-in-circle grid (3-row vertical)

3 vertical rows, each = circle icon on the left + title + 1-line description.

+---------------------------------------+
|  Title                                |
|                                       |
|  (o)  Label one                       |
|       description one                 |
|                                       |
|  (o)  Label two                       |
|       description two                 |
|                                       |
|  (o)  Label three                     |
|       description three               |
+---------------------------------------+

Use this when you have 3 short vertical points that benefit from a visual anchor per row — Solution mechanism, Value pillars, Product loop. Choose C.5b (2×2 grid) when items are parallel and you have exactly 4; choose a horizontal 5-across variant when icons should read side-by-side (e.g. 5-step process).

C.5b 2×2 Feature grid (4 parallel items)

4 rounded cards, 2 columns × 2 rows. Use when you have exactly 4 parallel items (product pillars, service types, feature quadrants).

+-----------------------------+
|  Title                      |
|                             |
|  +---------+  +---------+   |
|  | (o) T1  |  | (o) T2  |   |
|  | body    |  | body    |   |
|  +---------+  +---------+   |
|  +---------+  +---------+   |
|  | (o) T3  |  | (o) T4  |   |
|  | body    |  | body    |   |
|  +---------+  +---------+   |
+-----------------------------+

Use this when you have exactly 4 parallel items and the eye should land on each equally — 4 product pillars, 4 service tiers, 4 stakeholder types. 3 items feel lonely in a 2×2; 5+ items break the grid — go to a 3×2 (see pptx v2 §(d) grid math) or C.5 row pattern.

Z-order canon (critical). Each card's roundRect background must be added immediately before that card's icon / title / body shapes in the batch JSON — pptx paints in insertion order, so a background added after its text paints over and hides the text. When building with officecli batch, follow the per-card sequence bg → ellipse → title → body strictly. Pattern and z-order details → see pptx v2 §Recipe (c) z-order canon; reuse grid math from pptx v2 §(d) for non-2×2 counts.

Dark-background variant. Change card fill from F0F4F8 (light) to a lighter-dark shade like 1A2540 and bump body text to FFFFFF / E8E8E8. Palette variables (e.g. $MUTED) do NOT expand inside single-quoted heredocs — write the literal hex (64748B) in the JSON.

Key-slide recipes (10 essentials)

The 10 slides every pitch deck carries. Each recipe below gives: visual outcome (what the slide looks like from 3m away) + runnable block (≤ 18 lines) + QA one-liner. All recipes inherit pptx v2 palettes, grid math, type hierarchy, and --prop tailEnd=triangle on every connector. Recipes reference the Slide Patterns above: Cover reuses C.1; Problem / Why-Now reuse C.2; Traction / Financials reuse C.4; Feature / pillar slides reuse C.5b. $FILE is your deck file.

Long-title wrap rule. A 36pt+ title that wraps to 2 lines: add height (e.g. 2cm → 3.5cm) — never drop the font below 36pt. Titles < 36pt on a pitch deck read as timid regardless of content.

Chart series1.color= on add works (applies to every chart recipe below). Passing --prop series1.color= (or series2.color=, …) on chart add applies the series color and exits 0. Verify with a readback if you like: officecli get "$FILE" "/slide[N]/chart[1]/series[1]" --json | jq '.data.results[0].format.color'.

(1) Cover slide — company · tagline · round · date

Visual outcome. Dark navy fill, centered 44pt company name, 20pt one-line tagline underneath, small 16pt meta line at the bottom with round