SaaS and software · Vertical SaaS deck
Vertical SaaS decks that make one industry look big enough.
Vertical software sells deep into one industry. Investors ask two questions: is the industry large enough, and can you earn more from each customer than a general tool could?
Fixed prices. No calls: you brief us in writing and comment in writing.
Market
Every business in the niche, counted one by one
Illustration only. Any figures are invented for this sample slide.
Who reads it
Investors who know software well but may not know your industry.
Turnaround
5 business days for a design rebuild; 3 business days for an audit.
How it differs
How a vertical SaaS deck differs from a general pitch deck
A general SaaS deck assumes the investor knows the buyer. A vertical SaaS deck usually has to explain the industry first: who the businesses are, how they run today and who decides. It then has to show that one industry is enough, which means earning more per customer than a general tool could. That is why revenue layers matter: subscription first, then payments, add-ons or services, each reported on its own. Investors also look for the control point, the system the customer would not switch off.
Slide by slide
What goes in a vertical SaaS deck
- 01
The industry
How it works today, explained for outsiders.
- 02
The workflow you own
The daily job your product runs.
- 03
Customers and market
How many businesses you could serve and what each can pay.
- 04
Revenue layers
Subscription plus payments, add-ons or services.
- 05
Traction
Customers, revenue and retention.
- 06
Competition
Legacy software, spreadsheets and paper.
- 07
Expansion
Adjacent segments and geographies.
- 08
Team
Industry and software experience together.
The questions behind every slide
What readers of a vertical SaaS deck ask
Each answer names the slide or document where it belongs. If a question has no home in your deck, the reader will ask it in writing, or stop reading.
- 1
Is the buyer the business owner, and how quickly do they decide?
The customers and market slide should name who buys, often the owner, and the typical time from first contact to sign-up.
- 2
Which part of your product would a customer never switch off?
The workflow slide should name this control point, the daily system the business runs on, because it is what makes further products sell.
- 3
How much revenue is subscription and how much is payments?
The revenue layers slide should report each line separately, with payment volume shown as context and net payments revenue as the revenue figure.
- 4
How many customers use payments or add-ons?
The revenue layers slide should show the attach rate for each product beyond the core subscription.
- 5
How do you reach businesses in this industry at a cost that works?
The traction slide or appendix should show where customers come from, such as referrals, trade groups or partners, and what each channel costs.
- 6
What do customers use today, and how hard is it to switch?
The competition slide should show the current tools, including paper and spreadsheets, and what migration takes.
- 7
Is the industry seasonal or cyclical?
The traction slide should note seasonality where it exists, with monthly figures in the appendix so a slow month is not misread.
- 8
Which segment comes next, and what supports it?
The expansion slide should show early customers or demand from the adjacent segment, not only the intention to enter it.
Headline rewrites
Slide titles that say something.
A reader skims headlines first. A label tells them the topic; a sentence tells them the point. Bracketed figures are placeholders for your own numbers.
Before
Revenue layers
After
Payments and add-ons now add $[X] a month per customer on top of subscription
Before
The workflow you own
After
[Industry] owners run their day in [product], from booking to payment
Before
Competition
After
Most new customers switch from paper and spreadsheets, not from other software
What we fix
Faults we see in vertical SaaS deck drafts
Assuming investors know the industry's jargon.
Market size taken from a generic software report.
Payments revenue mixed into subscription revenue.
What you receive
Documents we produce
- Investor deck
- Industry primer appendix
- One-page summary
Every file is delivered editable, in PowerPoint, Google Slides or Keynote, with a PDF for sending. A vertical SaaS deck rebuild starts at $3,500; the full Raise Set with one-pager and teaser is $10,000.
Format
Length, versions and appendix
- Length
- Similar to other SaaS decks, plus a short industry primer early in the deck or in the appendix.
- Send-ahead version
- A PDF that defines the industry's terms in plain words, since many readers will not know them.
- Presented version
- Spend the first minutes on how the industry works today; the rest of the deck depends on it.
What belongs in the appendix
- Industry primer and glossary
- Market count with sources
- Payments economics: volume, take rate and costs
- Attach rates by product
- Acquisition channels and their cost
- Industry rules that affect the product
Before you send it
Vertical SaaS deck checklist
- Subscription and payments revenue are reported separately.
- Payment volume is never shown as revenue.
- Industry terms are defined for outsiders.
- The unit counted is clear: account, location or user.
- Market counts cite where each number came from.
- Attach rates are shown for each add-on product.
- Seasonality is noted where it affects the charts.
- Expansion claims have evidence beside them.
Glossary
Terms used in a vertical SaaS deck
- Vertical SaaS
- Software built for one industry, rather than one function used across many industries.
- Control point
- The core system a business runs on daily and would not shut off, which gives its vendor room to sell more.
- Embedded payments
- Payment processing offered inside the software, so customers take payments without a separate provider relationship.
- Gross payment volume (GPV)
- The total value of payments processed through the platform; it is volume, not revenue.
- Take rate
- Net payments revenue as a share of payment volume.
- Attach rate
- The share of customers who use a given add-on product.
Your written brief
What to send us for a vertical SaaS deck
No call needed. Send what you have; missing items are listed in our written reply, and nothing is invented to fill a gap.
- 01A list of industry terms and what they mean
- 02Count of businesses you could serve, with sources
- 03Revenue by line: subscription, payments, add-ons and services
- 04Payment volume and net payments revenue by month
- 05Customer list by segment, with locations per account
- 06Acquisition channels and their cost
- 07Competitor list, including legacy software and manual methods
- 08Existing deck and model
Packages
Four packages, fixed prices.
Deck Audit
$1,500
3 business days
A written verdict on the deck you have, before you send it to anyone.
- Slide-by-slide notes inside your file
- The fixes that matter most, in order
- Story, numbers and design, each assessed
- The investor questions your deck leaves open
One deck, up to 20 slides. No redesign included.
Choose Deck AuditInvestor Finish
$3,500
5 business days
Your draft, rebuilt to investor standard. Design only.
- Up to 15 slides rebuilt
- Charts redrawn from your data
- Your brand applied throughout
- One written revision round
- Editable PowerPoint, Google Slides or Keynote
Design only: your wording and slide order stay as they are.
Choose Investor FinishFinish + Story
$6,500
8 business days
We restructure the argument, rewrite the headlines, then rebuild the deck.
- Up to 20 slides
- Narrative restructured from your draft and notes
- Headlines rewritten as full-sentence points
- Send-ahead PDF version
- Two written revision rounds
We work from your facts. No market research or financial modeling.
Choose Finish + StoryRaise Set
$10,000
12 business days
Everything a raise needs, in one matching set.
- Up to 30 slides plus appendix
- Investor one-pager
- Short teaser version for cold outreach
- Three written revision rounds
- All source files
No investor introductions, fundraising or legal advice.
Choose Raise SetNot included in any package: Calls or meetings · Market research · Financial modeling or valuation · Investor introductions · Fundraising, legal or securities advice. Extra slides and extra revision rounds are quoted in writing before we start them.
Questions, answered.
How do we size a niche market?+
Count the businesses you could serve and multiply by what each could realistically pay, and show the working on the slide.
How much does a pitch deck cost here?+
A written Deck Audit is $1,500. Investor Finish, a design rebuild of up to 15 slides, is $3,500. Finish + Story, with the argument restructured, is $6,500. Raise Set, up to 30 slides with a one-pager and teaser, is $10,000.
How long does it take?+
Three business days for an audit, five for Investor Finish, eight for Finish + Story and twelve for Raise Set, counted from payment and a complete brief.
Is there a call?+
No. No package includes a call or meeting. You brief us in writing and comment in writing.
What do I need to send?+
Your draft deck in any editable format, or notes if you chose a package with writing, plus a few lines on who will read it and what you are asking for.
How do I pay?+
By card, through a secure payment link we send once scope and delivery date are confirmed in writing.
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Further reading
Sources we read when writing this page. General information only; not legal, tax or investment advice.
Have a draft? Send it today.
Choose a package, link your deck and write a few lines about who it is for. You get scope, a delivery date and a payment link in writing.