Team Slide: How to Present Your Founders and Key Hires

After reviewing over 100 team slides from successful seed and Series A fundraises, one mistake appears in nearly half of rejected decks: leading with credentials instead of relevance. Founders list Harvard MBAs and Google tenure when investors are asking a simpler question—why are YOU the right people to solve THIS specific problem?

According to TechCrunch's analysis, investors spend more time on the team slide than almost any other in a pitch deck. At pre-seed and seed stages, where traction is limited, the team slide often determines whether you get a second meeting. But most founders approach it backwards, showcasing prestige rather than founder-market fit.

This guide covers what belongs on your team slide and what to leave out, the formats that actually work (based on decks that closed rounds), the specific mistakes that cost founders funding, and how to connect your background to the problem you're solving.

Why Investors Care About the Team Slide#

Before diving into design and content, let's understand why the team slide matters so much in fundraising.

Ideas Are Cheap, Execution Is Everything#

Every investor has been pitched hundreds of ideas. Most of those ideas sound promising on paper. What separates funded companies from rejected pitches is the team's ability to execute.

Sequoia Capital's presentation guide emphasizes that around 80% of fundraising success comes from your ability to tell a story--and the team slide is where you prove you're the right storytellers to make that narrative reality.

The Founder-Market Fit Question#

Investors increasingly focus on "founder-market fit"--the alignment between founders' backgrounds and the problem they're solving.

According to OpenVC's team slide analysis, the best team slides answer one fundamental question: Why is this team uniquely qualified to solve this specific problem?

A former healthcare executive building a healthtech startup has obvious founder-market fit. A team of fintech engineers building banking infrastructure has it. Three consultants with no industry experience building a niche SaaS tool? That's a harder sell.

Your team slide must make founder-market fit immediately apparent.

Early Stage vs. Later Stage Emphasis#

The importance of the team slide varies by stage:

At pre-seed and seed, your team slide may be the deciding factor. Investors have limited traction to evaluate, so they're betting almost entirely on people.

As Vestbee's fundraising research notes: "If the team has a prominent figure onboard, it would be wise to put the Team slide at the start of the deck. Otherwise, it would be better to place it somewhere in the middle or at the end."

What to Include on Your Team Slide#

Now let's break down exactly what belongs on a winning team slide.

Essential Elements#

Every team slide should include these components:

1. Professional Headshots

High-quality, consistent photos of each team member. This seems obvious, but we've seen countless decks with:

• Low-resolution LinkedIn crops
• Casual selfies
• Inconsistent backgrounds and lighting
• Stock photo placeholders

Basetemplates' team slide guidance emphasizes: "Make sure always to use high-quality photographs instead of selfies made with your mobile phone."

2. Names and Titles

Clear identification of each person and their role. The CEO title is most important for investors--they need to know who's ultimately responsible.

3. Relevant Experience (2-3 Bullets)

The most critical element: why each person is qualified for this specific startup.

Include:

• Previous companies (especially recognizable names)
• Previous roles with clear relevance
• Specific accomplishments with numbers
• Exits or successful ventures
• Domain expertise in your market

Avoid:

• Generic job descriptions
• Unrelated experience
• Educational credentials alone (unless exceptional)
• Long paragraphs

Example of good vs. bad bios:

4. Complementary Skills

Investors look for teams with complementary capabilities. Your slide should implicitly show that you have:

• Technical expertise (can build the product)
• Commercial expertise (can sell and market)
• Industry expertise (understand the customer)
• Operational expertise (can scale)

If one person covers multiple areas, make that clear.

Optional Elements (Use Strategically)#

Advisors and Board Members

Include advisors only if they:

• Are genuinely involved (not just lending their name)
• Have directly relevant expertise or networks
• Add credibility you don't otherwise have
• Will actually help the company succeed

According to VIP Graphics' pitch deck guidance, advisors can strengthen a team slide when they fill gaps in the founding team's experience--but "name dropping" uninvolved advisors backfires with sophisticated investors.

Key Hires

For Series A and beyond, showing that you've built beyond founders is a positive signal. Include VP-level hires who demonstrate:

• Your ability to recruit talent
• Scaling beyond founder-led functions
• Operational maturity

See our Series A pitch deck guide for more on team slides at later stages.

Company Logos

Instead of text-heavy experience descriptions, consider using logos from previous employers:

[Photo] Sarah Chen, CEO
Google | Stripe | Stanford MBA
3 exits, 15 years B2B SaaS

Logos communicate credibility faster than text and make slides more scannable.

Team Slide Formats That Work#

The layout of your team slide matters almost as much as the content. Here are proven formats:

Format 1: The Standard Grid#

The most common and effective format for 3-4 team members:

[Photo]          [Photo]          [Photo]
Name, Title      Name, Title      Name, Title
- Experience 1   - Experience 1   - Experience 1
- Experience 2   - Experience 2   - Experience 2
- Experience 3   - Experience 3   - Experience 3

When to use: Default choice for most pitch decks. Works well with 3-5 team members.

Best practices:

• Equal-sized photos and text blocks
• Consistent formatting across all team members
• Left-aligned text for readability
• Adequate spacing between members

For professional headshot layouts and consistent formatting, Deckary's icon library includes 600+ professional icons for team structures, org charts, and people representations.

Format 2: Featured Founder + Team#

When one founder has exceptional credentials that should lead:

+------------------+    +--------+--------+
|                  |    | Photo  | Photo  |
|  CEO Large Photo |    | Name   | Name   |
|  Detailed Bio    |    | Brief  | Brief  |
|                  |    |        |        |
+------------------+    +--------+--------+

When to use:

• When CEO has standout credentials (successful exit, famous company, industry legend)
• When co-founders have supporting but less notable backgrounds
• When raising from investors who may recognize the lead founder

Format 3: Timeline/Journey#

For teams with shared history or narrative arc:

2015: Met at Google     2018: First startup      2022: This company
   [Photo + Photo]         [Photo + Photo]          [Full team]
   Built X together        Acquired by Y            Solving Z problem

When to use:

• Co-founders have meaningful shared history
• Previous ventures are relevant to current startup
• The journey itself is compelling

Format 4: Skills Matrix#

When emphasizing complementary capabilities:

                    Technical  Commercial  Industry
Sarah (CEO)           ●●○        ●●●         ●●●
John (CTO)            ●●●        ●○○         ●●○
Maria (VP Sales)      ●○○        ●●●         ●●●

When to use:

• Team diversity is a key strength
• You want to highlight coverage across all critical functions
• Addressing investor concerns about gaps

Format 5: Advisor Integration#

When advisors add significant credibility:

+-------------+-------------+-------------+
| Founders                                 |
| [Photo] [Photo] [Photo]                 |
| Full bios with experience               |
+-------------+-------------+-------------+
| Advisors                                 |
| [Small photo + logo] [Small photo + logo]|
| Name, Title at Famous Company            |
+------------------------------------------+

When to use:

• Advisors are well-known in the investor's network
• Advisors fill clear gaps in founder experience
• Advisors are genuinely committed (not just names)

Best Practices for Team Slides#

Based on reviewing hundreds of pitch decks and feedback from investors, here are the practices that consistently work:

1. Lead with Relevance, Not Prestige#

The most common team slide mistake: leading with prestigious credentials that aren't relevant.

Mistake: "Sarah, CEO - Harvard MBA, Goldman Sachs, BCG"

Better: "Sarah, CEO - Built 3 fintech products; 10 years payments experience; previously at Stripe"

For a fintech startup, Stripe experience matters more than Goldman. Match your credentials to your startup's needs.

2. Show Founder-Market Fit Explicitly#

Don't make investors connect the dots. State clearly why your background makes you the right team.

According to Storydoc's team slide research, the best team slides include a narrative explaining why this team is uniquely positioned to solve this problem--not just a list of credentials.

Add a framing statement:

"Our team combines 25+ years of enterprise software experience with deep healthcare domain expertise. We've seen this problem firsthand and built the solution customers asked for."

3. Use Consistent Visual Formatting#

Visual inconsistency signals lack of attention to detail. Ensure:

• Same photo dimensions and quality
• Same background or treatment for all headshots
• Consistent font sizes and spacing
• Aligned text and elements

For quick alignment and professional formatting, PowerPoint alignment shortcuts can save significant time.

4. Keep Bios Concise#

Investors scan slides in 15-30 seconds. According to Qubit Capital's research, you should use no more than 500 characters of text for each bio.

Rule of thumb: 2-3 bullet points per person, maximum 15 words per bullet.

5. Include Quantified Achievements#

Numbers are more credible than adjectives:

6. Use Logos Instead of Text Where Possible#

Company logos communicate faster than text and save space:

[Photo] John Smith, CTO
[Google logo] [Meta logo] [Stanford logo]
Built ML systems serving 100M+ users

7. Address Obvious Gaps#

If your team has an obvious gap (no technical founder, no sales experience), address it:

• Mention hiring plans: "Recruiting VP Sales with enterprise SaaS experience"
• Highlight advisors who fill gaps
• Show how current team compensates

Pretending gaps don't exist damages credibility. Acknowledging them shows self-awareness.

Common Mistakes to Avoid#

These errors consistently hurt team slides:

Mistake 1: Too Many People#

The problem: Including 8-10 team members, including junior employees and peripheral advisors.

Why it fails: Dilutes focus on the people who matter. Investors want to know about decision-makers, not your entire org chart.

The fix: Limit to 3-5 people maximum. Include founders and C-level only. Save the full team for an appendix.

Mistake 2: Irrelevant Experience#

The problem: Listing every job a founder ever had, regardless of relevance.

Why it fails: Makes investors question your judgment about what matters.

The fix: Only include experience directly relevant to this startup. A 10-year career should become 2-3 targeted bullets.

Mistake 3: No Photos or Bad Photos#

The problem: Missing photos, placeholder icons, or low-quality images.

Why it fails: Creates an impersonal impression. Suggests lack of professionalism or commitment.

The fix: Invest in professional headshots with consistent style. If budget is limited, take photos against a plain background with good lighting.

For placeholder people icons when drafting slides, see our guide on person icons for PowerPoint.

Mistake 4: Generic Role Descriptions#

The problem: "Sarah is responsible for product strategy and vision."

Why it fails: Tells investors nothing about Sarah's qualifications or track record.

The fix: Replace responsibilities with achievements: "Built products used by 2M+ users at Uber."

Mistake 5: Misleading Titles#

The problem: Using inflated or misleading titles ("Growth Hacker," "Chief Evangelist," "Marketing Ninja").

Why it fails: Signals immaturity. Investors see through title inflation immediately.

The fix: Use standard titles that communicate roles clearly (CEO, CTO, VP Sales).

Mistake 6: Listing Advisors Who Aren't Involved#

The problem: Name-dropping famous advisors who gave one phone call and won't engage further.

Why it fails: Sophisticated investors will check. Discovery destroys credibility.

The fix: Only include advisors who are genuinely committed. If asked, you should be able to describe their specific contributions.

Mistake 7: Inconsistent Formatting#

The problem: Different photo sizes, varying bio lengths, misaligned elements.

Why it fails: Signals lack of attention to detail--a red flag for execution ability.

The fix: Use a template with fixed dimensions. Audit for consistency before sending.

Examples from Funded Startups#

Let's examine how successful companies presented their teams:

Airbnb - Seed Round (2009)#

Airbnb's original pitch deck included a simple team slide:

What worked:

• Clean, consistent photos
• Focus on relevant experience (RISD design background, relevant technical skills)
• Brief bios highlighting unique qualifications
• Connection to the problem (founders had experienced the pain point)

Key lesson: Even without famous company logos, the founders showed why their specific backgrounds made them right for this opportunity.

Buffer - Seed Round (2011)#

Buffer's team slide showed:

What worked:

• Transparency about being a small team
• Emphasis on relevant skills (product development, marketing)
• Honest about stage while showing competence
• Connected team experience to company needs

Key lesson: You don't need legendary credentials. You need to clearly explain why your experience fits your startup.

Brex - Series A and Beyond#

Later-stage example with exceptional credentials:

What worked:

• Highlighted previous exit (founders sold previous company)
• Showed complementary skills (one technical, one business)
• Included Stanford credential but led with startup success
• Used company logos for quick scanning

Key lesson: When you have standout credentials, lead with them. Previous exits and scaling experience are the strongest signals.

What These Examples Share#

Design Tips and Tools#

Beyond content, design quality signals professionalism and attention to detail.

Photo Guidelines#

Budget tip: If you can't afford a professional photographer, use a smartphone with portrait mode against a plain wall. Consistency matters more than perfection.

Slide Layout Principles#

Spacing: Leave adequate whitespace between team members. Cramped slides look unprofessional.

Alignment: Every element should align to a grid. Use PowerPoint's alignment tools or keyboard shortcuts for precision.

Typography:

• Names: 16-20pt, bold
• Titles: 12-14pt, regular
• Experience bullets: 10-12pt, regular

Color: Match your overall deck's color scheme. Use accent colors sparingly for emphasis.

Tools for Team Slides#

For headshot placeholders and people icons:

• Deckary's icon library includes professional person icons for team structures
• See our guide on person icons for PowerPoint

For overall deck structure:

• Review our pitch deck template guide for the complete 12-slide framework
• For later-stage raises, see Series A pitch deck requirements

For other pitch deck slides:

• Traction slide examples and metrics
• TAM SAM SOM market sizing

Team Slide Placement Strategy#

Where you place your team slide affects how investors perceive your pitch.

Standard Placement: Slide 7-8#

For most startups, the team slide comes after:

1. Title
2. Problem
3. Solution
4. Market Size
5. Business Model
6. Traction

This placement works when your traction or product is your strongest selling point.

Early Placement: Slide 2-3#

Move the team slide earlier when:

• Founders have exceptional credentials (successful exits, famous companies)
• You're pre-product and team is your main asset
• Investors already know a team member by reputation
• Industry expertise is critical and you have deep domain experience

According to Papermark's research on pitch deck analytics, investors spend 30% more time on the first few pages. If your team is exceptional, capitalize on early attention.

Late Placement: Slide 9-10#

Move the team slide later when:

• Your traction is your strongest asset
• The team, while capable, isn't a standout differentiator
• You want investors focused on metrics and opportunity

Connecting Team to Other Slides#

Your team slide shouldn't exist in isolation. Connect it to your broader narrative:

Connection to Problem Slide#

If founders experienced the problem personally, reference it:

"Our founders spent 5 years watching this problem destroy productivity at enterprise companies. We built the solution we wished existed."

Connection to Traction Slide#

Show that the team delivered results:

"This team has built [company] to [traction metric] in [time period]."

Connection to The Ask#

If you're hiring specific roles, mention it:

"With this funding, we're adding a VP Engineering with distributed systems experience to scale our platform."

This shows you understand team gaps and have a plan to address them.

Summary#

The team slide is often the difference between getting a meeting and getting passed on. Here's what we've covered:

What to include:

• Professional, consistent headshots
• Names and clear titles
• 2-3 bullets of relevant experience per person
• Quantified achievements where possible
• Advisors only if genuinely involved

Best practices:

• Lead with relevance, not prestige
• Show founder-market fit explicitly
• Keep bios concise (500 characters max)
• Use consistent visual formatting
• Address obvious gaps proactively

Formats that work:

• Standard grid for 3-5 members
• Featured founder + team for standout credentials
• Skills matrix to show complementary capabilities
• Logo-based bios for quick scanning

Mistakes to avoid:

• Too many people (limit to 3-5)
• Irrelevant experience (match to startup needs)
• Bad or missing photos
• Generic role descriptions
• Inconsistent formatting

Placement strategy:

• Early (slide 2-3) for exceptional teams
• Standard (slide 7-8) for most startups
• Late (slide 9-10) when traction leads

The best team slides tell a simple story: here are the people who will make this company successful, and here's exactly why they're the right ones for this challenge. Make that story impossible to miss.

For professional team icons and consistent slide formatting, Deckary offers 600+ icons including people and team representations that help create polished, investor-ready decks.