Pitch deck guide
Competition slide in a pitch deck: purpose, rubric and three fixes
Last verified: October 20, 2026
The competition slide of a pitch deck names the alternatives a customer uses today, including doing nothing or using a spreadsheet, and states the one dimension on which the company is better. An honest map of alternatives builds more trust than a quadrant where only the company sits in the top right corner.
What this slide is for
The rubric has no separate competition score. The slide supports two others: the problem score, where the top anchor asks why current alternatives fail the customer, and the solution score, which asks for a stated differentiator.
What the rubric looks for
The getfund rubric v1 does not score slides one by one. It scores dimensions across the whole deck, and this slide supplies evidence for the ones below.
- Solution and product evidence, getfund rubric v1, score 3: The product is shown (screenshot, photo, demo or step-by-step workflow) and tied to the stated problem
- Solution and product evidence, getfund rubric v1, score 5: As 4, plus a defensible advantage (patent, proprietary data, network effect, exclusive distribution) backed by evidence
- Problem clarity, getfund rubric v1, score 3: A specific customer and pain, with one concrete example, quote or number
- Problem clarity, getfund rubric v1, score 5: As 4, and the deck shows why the current alternatives fail this customer
Three fixes
- List the real alternatives customers use now, including manual ways.
- Compare on the one or two criteria customers say they care about, with facts you can defend.
- Replace a self-serving quadrant with a short table and a one-line reason you win.
A template sentence
Fill the brackets with your own confirmed facts. Do not copy the sentence as written, and do not invent a figure to fill a gap.
Today [customer group] uses [alternative one] or [alternative two]; we differ on [one criterion] because [fact that explains it].
The check that applies
getfund rubric v1, Text density (3 points): Share of slides over 100 words: at most 10% full points, at most 25% half, above none
Tables fill up fast. The text-density check counts slides above the dense threshold, so keep the table to a few rows and short cells.
Frequently asked questions
- What if I have no competitors?
- Customers always do something today, even if it is manual. Name that as the alternative.
- Should I name large companies?
- Name them if customers really use them. Naming only weak competitors reads as avoidance.
- Do I need a feature matrix?
- A short table is fine. Keep it to the criteria customers care about, not every feature.
Sources
- getfund rubric v1, published on the pitch deck scorer page
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