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Melanie Goodman's avatar

It’s amazing how Kawasaki’s framework still sets the gold standard after all these years. There’s something timeless about the balance he strikes between storytelling and structure -it forces clarity without killing creativity. Most founders could save themselves countless revisions if they just embraced that discipline early on. I’ve seen pitch decks crumble under the weight of too many buzzwords, while the best ones often follow this very formula. It’s a true masterclass in doing more with less.

Which of the ten slides do you find founders struggle with the most when putting this framework into practice?

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Chris Tottman's avatar

They struggle with 2 things primarily. 1. They pitch the product & problem NOT the investment proposition (how we all make a ton of money relative to the investor across the table) & 2. They struggle with the story narrative ie the entire story line. In reality the Founder is the pitch and the slide frameworks to aids to strip the noise out of the pitch. The slides themselves are simply part of the support act - no one invests because of the slides. I hope this helps 🌞

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Dennis Berry's avatar

Great framework from master Kawasaki... (And, of course Chris Tottman)

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Chris Tottman's avatar

Thanks Dennis. I'm a massive fan of your worm and so loving the appreciation 👏

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Richard Blundell's avatar

This is world class 💥

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Chris Tottman's avatar

World class indeed - I have a total brain crush on guy ! 🧠

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Bandan Singh's avatar

Appreciate the reminder that simplicity is still the ultimate sophistication.

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Chris Tottman's avatar

OMG - that is so so true. Great wisdom ✨

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John Brewton's avatar

Every founder should tattoo “clarity beats cleverness” before building their pitch.

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Chris Tottman's avatar

Love it 😂💪

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