Intro.
#Three Things You Must Answer in the First 30 Seconds
By the time slide 1 (cover) and slide 2 (problem) are done, an investor has already formed a first impression. If the answers to the following three questions aren't audible within that 30 seconds, the rest of the pitch tends to feel like a formality.
| Question | What it really asks | What needs to come through in 30 seconds |
|---|
| Why now | Why does this need to be solved now | At least 2 of: regulatory, technological, or behavioral change |
| Why us | Why can we solve it | Domain assets + firsthand experience |
| Why this | Why this particular solution | The root cause + your point of differentiation |
주의
If even one of these three isn't audible in the first 30 seconds, the investor files you under “review later.” “Review later” is usually just a polite way of saying no.
02
#Sequoia's 17-Slide Structure — Mapped for Korea
| # | Sequoia standard | Korean IR adaptation |
|---|
| 1 | Cover | Company name, logo, one-line value proposition |
| 2 | Problem | Target pain point + a direct quote |
| 3 | Solution | MVP screenshot + core value |
| 4 | Why now | Regulatory, technological, and behavioral factors |
| 5 | Market size | TAM/SAM/SOM (Korea first, then global) |
| 6 | Product | Feature demo + how it works |
| 7 | Traction | Users, revenue, MOUs, number of interviews conducted |
| 8 | Business model | One-line revenue formula + pricing |
| 9 | Competition | Comparison table with your differentiation highlighted |
| 10 | Team | Domain assets + firsthand experience |
| 11 | Roadmap | 12-month and 24-month stages |
| 12 | Financial | Year 1/3/5 revenue + bottom-up basis |
| 13 | Ask | Funding round + amount |
| 14 | Use of funds | Allocation + milestones |
| 15 | Vision | What the company looks like in 5 years |
| 16 | Closing | One-line message + contact info |
| 17 | Appendix (optional) | Patents, detailed financials, technical detail |
In Korean IR, it's natural to show the Korean market first on slide 5 (Market size) and follow with global figures. US VCs expect global-first, but Korean VCs want to hear “why Korea first” before anything else.
03
#Slides 1–3 — Where the 30-Second Decision Happens
- Slide 1 (Cover): company name, logo, one-line value proposition — in the form ‘the company that makes ___ ___.’ A viewer should know what the company does within 5 seconds.
- Slide 2 (Problem): the pain point + one direct quote + one market data point. Use quantified language like ‘___ people spend 30 minutes doing ___.’
- Slide 3 (Solution): an MVP screenshot + 3 core values. Show it as an image, not text — that's the standard.
TIP
If the first three slides are packed with dense text, investors are already worn out. ‘Less is more’ — these three slides are about visual impact first.
04
#Slides 4–7 — The Trust-Building Stretch
The minute or two after the first 30 seconds is the ‘trust-building’ stretch. Why Now, Market, Product, and Traction need to flow together, short and clear.
- Slide 4 (Why now): at least 2 of regulatory, technological, or behavioral change — with the timing and evidence for each stated explicitly.
- Slide 5 (Market): TAM/SAM/SOM as three layers + one bottom-up formula line. Korea, then global.
- Slide 6 (Product): a GIF or video of the product flow, or a 3-panel screenshot sequence. Minimal text.
- Slide 7 (Traction): 1–2 of your strongest metrics among users, revenue, MOUs, or number of interviews.
주의
If Traction is weak, lean into ‘pre-traction’ signals instead — interview counts, a waitlist, LOIs, and other pre-validation data. ‘We have no revenue yet, but ___ people are waiting’ works just fine.
05
#Slides 8–12 — Validating the Business and Execution
- Slide 8 (Business model): one-line revenue formula + pricing + core unit economics (LTV/CAC).
- Slide 9 (Competition): a 2x2 matrix or comparison table, with your area of differentiation highlighted.
- Slide 10 (Team): firsthand experience + domain assets + full-time commitment. Photos and LinkedIn links.
- Slide 11 (Roadmap): quarterly milestones for 12 months, plus a 24-month milestone. Include core KPIs.
- Slide 12 (Financial): Year 1/3/5 revenue + bottom-up assumptions. Sensitivity is optional.
TIP
Writing ‘no competitors’ on Slide 9 (Competition) costs you credibility instantly. Every business has direct or indirect competitors — or at least substitutes.
06
#Slides 13–17 — Closing
- Slide 13 (Ask): funding round (Pre-Seed/Seed/Series A) + amount + valuation range.
- Slide 14 (Use of funds): allocation by category + the milestone you'll reach after 12 months.
- Slide 15 (Vision): what the company looks like in 5 years — pick 1–2 of global reach, industry change, or social impact.
- Slide 16 (Closing): a one-line message + contact info. Something like ‘looking for people to build this with us.’
- Slide 17 (Appendix): patents, detailed financials, and technical detail, kept out of the main deck and moved to a separate document.
The amount on the Ask slide needs to be a reasonable range. In Korea, a seed round typically runs ₩200M–₩1B, and Series A runs ₩3B–₩10B. Too little signals a lack of ambition; too much creates dilution concerns — the standard is the minimum amount needed to hit your 12-month milestones, plus a 20% buffer.
07
#The Korean IR Environment — 7 Ways It Differs from the US
| Element | US standard | Korean adaptation |
|---|
| Language | Primarily English | Korean first, English as a supplement |
| Market order | Global first | Korea → global (“why Korea first”) |
| Team slide | Photo + LinkedIn | Photo + education + career history (standard Korean IR practice) |
| Presentation time | 10–15 min + Q&A | 5–10 min + 10–15 min Q&A (standard for government-program pitches) |
| Financial detail | Year 5 forecast | Focus on Years 1–3, with Year 5 as supporting detail |
| Valuation | Negotiated in the term sheet | Range stated up front |
| Cultural tone | Direct and confident | Humble tone + strong data (self-promotion reads poorly) |
TIP
In Korean IR, the combination of ‘a humble tone + strong data’ lands best. ‘We're the best’ is less effective than ‘our data shows ___.’
Summary.
#Writing Your 30-Second Core Message — Self-Diagnosis
- Is Slide 1's one-line value proposition understandable within 5 seconds?
- Is Slide 2's pain point expressed through a direct quote or quantified data?
- Is Slide 3's solution shown as an image rather than text?
- Does Slide 4's Why Now clearly state at least 2 of regulatory, technological, or behavioral change?
- Does Slide 7's Traction highlight your 1–2 strongest metrics?
- Is Slide 13's Ask a reasonable range? (Seed: ₩200M–₩1B / Series A: ₩3B–₩10B)
- Is your total slide count between 17 and 22? (Under 15 feels thin; over 25 feels bloated)
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