How to make the title slide of your pitch deck
Based on advice from Aaron Harris (Y Combinator), Kevin Hale (Y Combinator) · Updated 2 October 2026
Short answer
Your company name and one line on what you do. That's all Y Combinator's seed template asks of the title slide, and it's the only section that should be exactly one slide. YC partner Kevin Hale's test works here too: show it to a stranger, and if they can't immediately say what you do, rewrite the line.
What YC asks for
- The name of your company.
- One line describing what you do.
- Exactly one slide. Every other section in YC's template can take up to three.
Make the line legible and obvious
Kevin Hale's rules for slides YC founders use at Demo Day:
- Legible: large type, bold text, a simple font and good contrast with the background. Text near the top is easier to read.
- Obvious: show the slide to a stranger and ask what it means. If they don't immediately say your idea, it isn't obvious yet.
In your deck
Read your title line to someone outside your industry. If they can't repeat back what you do, that's the first fix.
Real examples
Airbnb (2008) · slide 1
Airbnb's 2008 cover: the logo and one line, book rooms with locals rather than hotels.
See the whole Airbnb deck
Coinbase (2012) · slide 1
Coinbase's seed cover says what it is in four words, your hosted bitcoin wallet, next to screenshots of the product.
See the whole Coinbase deck
Dropbox (2007) · slide 1
Dropbox's 2007 cover: the logo and one line, moving the world's files.
See the whole Dropbox deck
Read the originals
- How to build your seed round pitch deck · Aaron Harris (Y Combinator)
YC's seed deck template, with what goes on each slide.
- How to design a better pitch deck · Kevin Hale (Y Combinator)
How to make each slide legible, simple and obvious.
Questions founders ask
- What should be on the first slide of a pitch deck?
- Your company name and one line on what you do, as Y Combinator's seed template puts it.
- Should the title slide have a tagline or a description?
- A description. YC asks for one line on what you do, and Kevin Hale's test is whether a stranger can immediately say what it means.
- How many title slides should a deck have?
- One. YC's template says the title is the only section that should be exactly one slide.
Get your deck reviewed the same way.
Comments on every slide, the words to change highlighted, and the 3 fixes that matter.
Keep reading
- How to write the problem slide in your pitch deck
What YC says goes on a pitch deck problem slide, Kevin Hale's six signs of a great problem, and how Airbnb and Uber framed theirs.
- How to write the solution slide in your pitch deck
What YC says goes on a pitch deck solution slide: what you do, in as few words as possible, and the concrete benefits. With Airbnb, Dropbox and YouTube.
- How to build a seed pitch deck: YC's template, slide by slide
Y Combinator's seed deck template explained slide by slide: title, problem, solution, traction, insight, business model, market, team and the ask.
- How many slides should a pitch deck have?
Y Combinator's seed template points to 10 to 15 slides. What famous decks like Airbnb, Coinbase, Intercom and Uber actually used.