Board Deck Template for Seed & Series A Startups
A complete, slide-by-slide template for your startup board presentation. Stop guessing what to include and start running effective board meetings.
What This Template Covers
A 15-20 slide framework covering executive summary, metrics, financials, department updates, and strategic discussions. Adaptable for seed through Series B companies.
Creating your first board deck can feel overwhelming. What do investors actually want to see? How much detail is too much? What's the right balance between good news and challenges?
This template answers those questions with a concrete, slide-by-slide framework used by hundreds of successful startups. As fractional CFOs, we've helped dozens of founders build board decks that inform, engage, and build investor confidence.
Template Overview
For a comprehensive understanding of why each section matters, see our Ultimate Guide to Board Decks and Investor Updates.
Template Structure
Slide 1: Executive Summary
The most important slide in your deck. If board members only read one slide, this should tell them everything critical.
Executive Summary Template
Key Metrics Snapshot
3-5 of your most important metrics with trend indicators
ARR: $1.2M (+15% MoM) | Customers: 45 (+8) | Runway: 16 months
Top 3-5 Wins
- • Closed Acme Corp ($120K ACV) - largest deal to date
- • Shipped v2.0 with enterprise features
- • Hired VP Engineering from Stripe
Top 3-5 Challenges
- • Sales cycle lengthening (45 → 62 days avg)
- • Churn increased in SMB segment
- • Still searching for Head of Marketing
Board Asks
- • Intro to [specific company] for partnership discussion
- • VP Marketing candidates from your networks
Pro Tip: Use red/amber/green color coding on your key metrics so board members can instantly see what's on track vs. needs attention.
Slides 2-3: Key Metrics Dashboard
Your metrics dashboard should show the KPIs that matter most for your business, with historical context and targets.
What to Include
Revenue Metrics
- • ARR/MRR with growth rate
- • Revenue vs. target
- • New vs. expansion revenue
- • Pipeline value
Customer Metrics
- • Total customers
- • Net adds this period
- • Churn rate
- • NPS/CSAT scores
Unit Economics
- • CAC and trend
- • LTV:CAC ratio
- • Payback period
- • Gross margin
Product/Engagement
- • Active users (DAU/MAU)
- • Feature adoption
- • Engagement trends
- • Support ticket volume
Presentation Tips
- Show 6-12 months of history - Trends matter more than single points
- Include targets - Show where you expected to be vs. where you are
- Use consistent formatting - Same metrics, same order, every meeting
- Add brief commentary - 1-2 sentences explaining significant changes
Slides 4-6: Financial Overview
The financial section tells investors whether you're a good steward of their capital. For detailed guidance, see The Financial Slides Every Board Deck Needs.
Slide 4: Cash Position & Runway
Essential Elements
For help calculating these numbers, see our guides on startup runway and burn rate.
Slide 5: P&L Summary
Show a high-level income statement with budget comparison:
- Revenue (actual vs. plan)
- Gross margin
- Operating expenses by category
- Net income/loss
- Variance explanations for material differences
Slide 6: Cash Forecast
A 6-12 month projection showing expected cash balance, ideally with multiple scenarios (base, optimistic, pessimistic).
Slides 7-12: Department Updates
Cover key functional areas with progress, challenges, and priorities. Not every department needs a slide every meeting—rotate based on what's most relevant.
Product Update
- • Major releases since last meeting
- • Roadmap progress (% complete vs. plan)
- • Key product decisions or pivots
- • Upcoming priorities
Sales Update
- • Bookings vs. target
- • Pipeline by stage
- • Key wins and losses (with learnings)
- • Sales team capacity and hiring
Team Update
- • Headcount changes
- • Key hires and departures
- • Open roles and progress
- • Culture/engagement notes
Slides 13-14: Strategic Discussion Topics
This is where you engage your board for input on key decisions. Don't just present—invite discussion.
How to Frame Discussion Topics
Good Discussion Topic Format
Context (2-3 sentences)
What's the situation? What data informs this?
Options (2-3 options)
What are the realistic paths forward?
Management Recommendation
What do you think we should do and why?
Question for Board
What specific input do you need?
Example Topics
- "Should we raise a bridge round now or wait for Series A metrics?"
- "We're considering acquiring a competitor—what factors should we weigh?"
- "International expansion: UK first or stay focused on US?"
- "Should we pivot our go-to-market from PLG to enterprise sales?"
Appendix
The appendix holds detailed data you might need to reference but don't need to present. Include:
- Detailed financial statements
- Full pipeline report
- Product roadmap details
- Customer list with status
- Competitive landscape
- Historical metrics tables
Pro Tip: Number your appendix slides (A1, A2, A3) so you can quickly reference them during Q&A: "That's covered in detail on slide A4."
Customizing for Your Stage
Seed Stage
- Simpler metrics (focus on product-market fit signals)
- More product and customer updates
- Less detailed financials
- 12-15 slides total
Series A+
- Full unit economics
- Department-level detail
- Comprehensive financials with forecasts
- 18-25 slides total
Template Checklist
- Executive summary with wins, challenges, and asks
- Metrics dashboard with trends and targets
- Cash position, runway, and burn rate
- P&L with budget comparison
- Department updates with priorities
- Strategic topics framed for discussion
- Appendix with detailed supporting data
Need Help Building Your Board Deck?
Eagle Rock CFO helps startups create compelling board presentations that inform, engage, and build investor confidence. Let us help you prepare for your next board meeting.
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