Article · 12 min read

How to Create a Compelling Market Size Slide (With Examples)

Richard Dulude · Underscore VC (Richard Dulude) Free Intermediate

This is the most direct answer to your question from an investor who reads these slides for a living. It walks through why a bottoms-up number (customers times price they will pay) signals you understand your buyer, and treats the classic top-down TAM slide as a trap. You get a concrete formula and worked examples you can drop straight into your deck.

  • Bottoms-up market size equals number of customers times price they will pay
  • A bottoms-up slide signals you actually know your buyer and pricing
  • Lead with bottoms-up and use the big top-down figure only as context
Open on underscore.vc ↗

It answers 2 questions

  1. Investors keep asking for a top-down TAM slide, but I built my number bottoms-up. Which do I show?
  2. How do I research market size and timing when I can only spend a weekend and have no budget for reports?

Read with it

  1. The single best thing ever written on customer conversations. It teaches you to ask about the customer's life and past... momtestbook.com Book · ~130 pages The Mom Test Rob Fitzpatrick
  2. Most market sizing advice online is generic TAM SAM SOM filler. This one is written by an investor, backed by a survey of 30... Pear VC Essay · ~15 min read Market Sizing Guide Ian Taylor
  3. The definitive essay on where good ideas come from: notice problems you personally have, don't force it. Use it as the lens for... paulgraham.com Essay · ~20 min read How to Get Startup Ideas Paul Graham
  4. 200+ candid conversations with Indian founders and investors on how they actually found their idea, spotted a trend, and... Apple Podcasts Podcast · podcast series (45-90 min episodes) The Neon Show (formerly 100x Entrepreneur) Siddhartha Ahluwalia
  5. Long-form, candid interviews with Indian founders and investors on how they actually grew, distributed and built brand, one of... The Neon Show / Neon Fund Podcast · 200+ episodes The Neon Show (100x Entrepreneur Podcast) Siddhartha Ahluwalia
  6. A leading early-stage Indian VC firm answering the questions founders wish they could ask a VC face-to-face, including how they... Prime Venture Partners Podcast Podcast · 30-50 min per episode Prime Venture Partners Podcast: Fundraising Masterclass for Founders Prime Venture Partners
eChai Partner Brands The partnership →