Investors spend 3.2 minutes reviewing pitch decks. The problem slide determines if they keep reading.
A weak problem slide kills deals before they start. Too vague, and investors assume you don't understand the market. Too complex, and they lose interest.
The best problem slides do three things: define a specific pain point, show its impact with data, and make the audience care. This guide covers how to build problem slides that convert, with examples from eight proven templates.
Key takeaways
- Problem slides work best with 3-5 bullet points and supporting data
- Specific problems beat broad market observations every time
- Visual hierarchy matters - lead with the pain, support with evidence
- Ellty's view tracking shows which problem slides hold attention longest
- Templates save 4-6 hours versus building from scratch
What is a problem slide in a pitch deck?
A problem slide presents the specific challenge your product or service solves. It typically appears as slide 2 or 3 in a pitch deck, immediately after the title slide and optional mission statement.
The slide establishes why your company needs to exist. Without a compelling problem, there's no reason for your solution.
Most problem slides include three elements: the core problem statement, evidence of its impact, and why existing solutions fail. The best ones make investors think "someone needs to solve this now."
Why problem slides make or break your pitch
VCs reject 99% of pitches. The problem slide often determines which ones survive the first cut.
Investors pattern-match. They've seen thousands of pitches. Generic problems signal inexperienced founders.
"Small businesses struggle with marketing" says nothing. "B2B SaaS companies waste $50K annually on unqualified leads" gets attention.
The problem slide proves market understanding. Specific pain points show customer research. Quantified impact demonstrates market size. Clear problem definition suggests a focused solution.
Skip the problem slide or rush through it, and investors assume you're building a solution looking for a problem. That's a red flag in any market.
Problem slide examples + templates
Different pitch scenarios require different problem slide approaches.
Investor pitch deck
The investor pitch deck template focuses on market-wide problems backed by data. Problem slides here paint the pain point with hard numbers.
Structure emphasizes financial impact. Lost revenue. Wasted resources. Inefficient processes.
Works for any startup raising capital. The format stays consistent whether you're seeking $100K or $10M. Tech companies, consumer products, B2B services - the problem slide adapts to your market.
Full template below:
VC pitch deck
Built specifically for technology startups targeting venture capital. Problem slides highlight technical limitations and market inefficiencies.
The template guides founders to frame problems VCs care about: scalability issues, market fragmentation, outdated solutions.
Best for AI, apps, or hardware startups where the problem requires technical innovation to solve.
Full template below:
Sales pitch deck
Sales-focused problem slides differ from investor versions. They target specific client pain points rather than market-wide issues.
The template structures problems around what prospects lose today: time, money, opportunities. Each bullet point connects to measurable business impact.
Includes dedicated slides for defining customer pain points with supporting metrics or case studies. Works for SaaS companies, service businesses, and B2B sales teams.
Full template below:
Startup pitch deck
Early-stage startups need problem slides that establish market need without extensive data. This template balances vision with evidence.
Problem slides here start with clear mission statements, then paint pain points that resonate emotionally and logically.
Guides founders to show deep market understanding even before extensive validation. Perfect for pre-seed and seed rounds.
Full template below:
Fundraising pitch deck
Versatile template that adapts problem slides for different funding stages. Structure covers everything investors need: the problem your business solves and market opportunity.
Problem definition stays flexible - works for tech, healthcare, consumer goods. The framework guides you to focus on the most compelling aspects of the problem.
Full template below:
Series A pitch deck
Series A problem slides build on proven traction. The template assumes you've validated the problem and need to show its scale.
More than 15 slides guide the complete story. Problem slides here include market data, customer feedback, and growth barriers.
Positions the problem as what's preventing faster growth, not just what motivated the startup initially.
Full template below:
Series B pitch deck
Series B templates frame problems differently. You've solved the initial problem - now it's about scaling challenges.
Problem slides focus on growth barriers: market fragmentation, operational inefficiencies, competitive pressures.
The template helps businesses that have proven their concept show why additional funding unlocks exponential growth.
Full template below:
B2B sales deck
Built for enterprise sales with longer cycles. Problem slides here go deeper into operational pain points.
Dedicated slides for defining customer pain points, outlining tailored solutions, highlighting product capabilities. Each problem connects to specific departmental challenges.
Perfect for sales reps, founders, business development teams preparing client presentations or partnership proposals.
Full template below:
Questions your problem slide must answer
Investors scan problem slides for specific answers. Miss any of these questions, and you've lost them.
1. Who exactly has this problem?
"Everyone" is not a target market. Investors want specifics.
Bad: "Companies struggle with data" Good: "B2B SaaS companies with 50-200 employees lose customer data across 6+ tools"
Define the company size, industry, and specific role feeling the pain.
2. How big is the problem financially?
Problems without price tags are inconveniences. Show the cost.
Time wasted x hourly rate = money lost. Customers churning x lifetime value = revenue impact. Inefficiency x volume = total waste.
One strong number beats ten weak claims.
3. Why does this problem exist now?
New regulations? Market shifts? Technology changes? Growing complexity?
Investors want to know why this problem matters today versus five years ago. What changed that makes your timing right?
4. What happens if they don't solve it?
Paint the downward spiral. Problem gets worse how? Costs increase when?
"Ignoring data silos leads to 15% annual customer churn increase" shows urgency better than "This problem is important."
5. Why haven't existing solutions worked?
Every problem has attempted solutions. Why do they fail?
Too expensive? Too complex? Wrong approach? Missing features?
Your answer sets up your solution's differentiation.
Key elements
The best problem slides follow a consistent structure.
The problem statement
Lead with one clear sentence. No jargon. No assumptions.
"Companies waste 40% of marketing budget on unqualified leads" beats "Marketing inefficiency reduces ROI across channels."
The statement should pass the "stranger test." Would someone outside your industry understand the problem immediately?
Keep it to 10-15 words maximum. If you need more, you haven't refined the problem enough.
Market pain points
Support your statement with 3-5 specific pain points. Each one should hurt.
Bad example:
- Marketing is challenging
- Budgets are limited
- Results vary
Good example:
- Sales teams reject 67% of marketing leads
- $50K monthly ad spend generates 12 qualified opportunities
- 6-month sales cycles kill cash flow
Use bullets or numbered lists. One line per point. Include numbers when possible.
Real-world impact
Show what happens when this problem goes unsolved. Make it expensive.
Time lost. Money wasted. Opportunities missed. Customers churning.
"This costs the average B2B company $2.4M annually" carries more weight than "This is a significant challenge."
Visual elements work here. Simple charts showing cost over time. Comparison graphics. Icons representing waste.
Visual hierarchy
Design guides attention. The problem statement gets the largest font. Supporting points come next. Evidence and impact last.
Use contrast. Dark text on light backgrounds. Bold for emphasis, not decoration.
White space prevents overwhelm. Each element needs room to breathe.
Color sparingly. Red for problems and losses. Your brand color for emphasis. Gray for supporting text.
One slide, one message. Save solutions for the next slide.
Build your problem slide in 4 steps
Creating a compelling problem slide takes research, not creativity. Follow this process.
Step 1: Start with customer research
Talk to 10-15 potential customers before writing anything. Ask what frustrates them most about the current situation.
Document exact phrases they use. "We're drowning in unqualified leads" becomes your problem statement, not your interpretation of their challenge.
Look for patterns. When three people mention the same issue, it belongs on your slide.
Skip surveys. Real conversations reveal problems people actually pay to solve.
Step 2: Quantify the impact
Problems without numbers are opinions. Find the metrics that matter.
Ask customers:
- How much time does this waste?
- What does this cost annually?
- How many customers do you lose?
- What opportunities are you missing?
Industry reports provide benchmarks. Gartner, Forrester, McKinsey publish problem-focused research. Use their data to support your claims.
Calculate the cost of inaction. Show what happens if they don't solve this problem.
Step 3: Pick your top 3-5 points
You'll find 20 problems. Show five maximum.
Rank by:
- Frequency (how often customers mention it)
- Severity (how much it costs them)
- Urgency (how soon they need solutions)
Group related issues. "Manual data entry" and "repetitive tasks" become "Teams waste 15 hours weekly on manual processes."
Cut anything vague. "Inefficient workflows" says nothing. "Sales reps spend 4 hours daily updating CRM instead of selling" hits hard.
Step 4: Write and refine
First draft: Write each problem as customers described it.
Second draft: Add specific numbers and impacts.
Third draft: Cut every unnecessary word.
Test readability. Would a smart 12-year-old understand each point? If not, simplify.
Read aloud. Stumbling means rewriting.
Final check: Does each bullet point make the reader think "Yes, we have that exact problem"? That's when you know it works.
Design best practices
Good design makes problems impossible to ignore. Follow these rules.
Font hierarchy matters. Problem statement: 36-44pt. Supporting points: 24-28pt. Details: 18-20pt. Nothing smaller.
Use contrast. Black text on white. Dark gray for secondary info. Skip light grays - they disappear on projectors.
Icons clarify meaning. Clock for time waste. Dollar sign for cost. Graph trending down for losses. One icon per bullet point maximum.
Charts beat paragraphs. Show revenue loss over time. Compare current state to ideal state. Use bar charts for comparisons, line charts for trends.
Limit colors. Red for problems. Your brand color for emphasis. Gray for context. Three colors total.
Mobile matters. Test on phone screens. Investors review decks on phones between meetings. If they can't read it there, you've lost them.
White space is data. Crowded slides signal confused thinking. Each element needs breathing room. When in doubt, cut content, not spacing.
Common mistakes to avoid
These errors kill problem slides. Check yours against this list.
Being too broad
"Businesses struggle with digital transformation" applies to everyone and no one.
"Manufacturing companies lose $2M annually from unplanned downtime" targets specific pain.
The narrower your problem, the stronger your solution appears. Trying to solve everything means solving nothing.
Lacking evidence
Claims without proof are noise. "Teams are unproductive" needs data.
Better: "Knowledge workers spend 2.5 hours daily searching for information across 9 different tools".
Every statement needs a source. Customer interviews. Industry reports. Your own product usage data.
Design
Wall of text = skipped slide. Eight bullet points overwhelm. Tiny fonts frustrate.
Investors spend 20 seconds per slide. Dense paragraphs guarantee they'll miss your point.
Three problems maximum on mobile. Five on desktop. Each with one supporting data point.
Ignoring the audience
VC problem slides differ from customer problem slides. VCs care about market size. Customers care about their specific pain.
Wrong audience focus:
- Pitching VCs with individual customer problems
- Pitching customers with industry-wide statistics
- Using technical jargon with non-technical audiences
Match your problem framing to who's in the room.
Other pitch deck slides explained
From title slides to financial projections - we cover every slide that matters.
Create pitch decks that get funded
Strong problem slides close deals. Weak ones waste opportunities.
The difference comes down to specificity, evidence, and design. Generic problems get generic responses. Specific problems backed by data get funding.
Pick an Ellty template that matches your pitch type. Add your research. Test with real viewers. Track what resonates.
Most founders guess what investors want to see. You'll know exactly what works through view analytics.
Start with the investor pitch deck template for general fundraising. Use sales deck template for client presentations.
Remember: investors decide in the first 3 minutes.
Your problem slide gets 60 seconds of that.
Make it count.
