Pitch deck clients are founders getting ready to raise money, and they buy quickly because a date is attached. A design or writing freelancer finds them where the dates are public: accelerator cohorts, demo days, startup event lists and founder announcements. The strongest first message shows a redesign of one slide from their own public material. This page covers where to look, what the sample looks like, and how to price the work.
Where the dates are public
- Accelerator and demo day pages. Programs list their cohort companies and the demo day date. A founder with a demo day in five weeks needs a deck now.
- Pitch events and competitions. Local startup weeks and university contests publish applicant or finalist lists.
- Founder posts. A post saying "starting to fundraise" or "joining a cohort" is an open invitation to a helpful reply.
- Product launches. A company launching in the last month often raises next. Product Hunt lists them by day.
Redesign one slide, from public material
Most founders have a public version of their story: a website, a launch post, a short video. Take that and make one slide, such as the problem slide or the traction slide, clean and clear. Send it as an image in the email body, not as an attachment. A fictional designer, Noor Haddad, does this for companies in a cohort. Her email:
Subject: One slide for the Fieldwise deck
Hi Ben, I noticed Fieldwise is in the spring cohort and that demo day is on March 12. I made a version of your "how it works" slide from what is on your website: three steps, one picture, no paragraph. It is below. If it is useful, I design full decks for early stage software companies in about 8 working days, from $2,400.
Noor Haddad, noor@haddaddesign.example
77 Mission St, San Francisco, CA 94105. Reply "stop" and I won't write again.
A good sample proves skill, and a date shows you read their situation. Use only public information and do not alter their logo or claim you worked with them. Include your address and an opt-out, since it is commercial email under CAN-SPAM, which allows 10 business days to honor a request.
How to price
Founders compare you with templates and with agencies. Three common structures:
- Per slide. For example $150 to $250 a slide for a design only job from a deck they have written. Easy to quote, but it rewards padding.
- Per project. One price for a 12 to 15 slide deck, two rounds of changes. Best for clarity.
- Story plus design. A higher price, since you also help structure the narrative: problem, solution, market, traction, team, ask.
State a delivery time. Speed is valued here. Ask for half upfront, which a founder with a date will accept. Compare against the thinking in how to price your services.
What a good first call covers
- Who they will pitch and when.
- What they have: a draft, notes, or nothing.
- Which numbers are real. Never invent traction for a slide.
- Who approves. A deck with three approvers takes three times as long.
Keep the work flowing
A deck is a project, not a retainer, so keep a list of next candidates. Offer a one page investor update template and a follow up package for founders after they raise. Finding clients for UI and UX design and getting clients as a graphic designer cover related channels.
Rocketship can find the founders of early stage companies that match your description by name and email them from your own Gmail, with follow ups, while you work on the samples. Start the 7-day trial, card required.
Make the first sample tomorrow rather than after your portfolio looks perfect. The founder cares about the date, not the polish.