PitchMagic

How to show your business model in a pitch deck

Based on advice from Aaron Harris (Y Combinator) · Updated 2 October 2026

Short answer

Lay out how you make money. Y Combinator's seed template says the business model is important, that you probably don't know all the details yet but should know a lot of them, and that you can add slides if something complicated needs more space.

What YC asks for

  • Who pays, how and how much, as far as you know it.
  • You won't know every detail at seed, but you should know a lot of them.
  • If part of it is complicated, give it its own slide, up to three in total.

In your deck

Check that someone can read your business model slide and say who pays you and roughly how much.

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Real examples

  • Airbnb pitch deck, slide 7

    Airbnb (2008) · slide 7

    Airbnb showed its model in one line: a 10% commission on each booking, at an average $25 fee.

    See the whole Airbnb deck
  • Dropbox pitch deck, slide 14

    Dropbox (2007) · slide 14

    Dropbox laid out freemium for individuals and a per-seat license for small businesses.

    See the whole Dropbox deck
  • LinkedIn pitch deck, slide 20

    LinkedIn (2004) · slide 20

    LinkedIn named three revenue lines while keeping the core service free.

    See the whole LinkedIn deck

Read the originals

Questions founders ask

What goes on a business model slide?
How you make money: who pays, how and how much. Y Combinator's seed template says you should know a lot of the details, even if not all of them.
Do I need financial projections in a seed deck?
YC's seed template doesn't include a projections slide. It asks for the business model and, in the ask, what the money gets you over the next year.
Where does the business model slide go?
After the insight and before the market, in Y Combinator's seed template.

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