How to Build a Unit Economics Slide That Investors Understand
- Giorgi Meskhi
- Jan 9
- 4 min read
Most founders don’t lose investors because their idea is bad.They lose them because, at some point in the deck, the numbers stop making sense.
The unit economics slide is often where that happens.
Not because founders don’t understand their business, but because they try to explain too much, too precisely, or in the wrong language. Investors don’t need a spreadsheet. They need to understand whether your business can scale without breaking.
This guide shows you how to build a unit economics slide that investors actually understand. Step by step. Plain language. No finance theory. Just what belongs on the slide, what doesn’t, and how to present it with confidence.
What a Unit Economics Slide Is (and What It Is Not)
A unit economics slide exists to answer one question:
Does this business make money per unit, and does that improve as it scales?
That’s it.
What it is:
A simplified explanation of how one unit generates profit
A way for investors to judge scalability and margin logic
A bridge between your business model and your financial projections
What it is not:
A finance spreadsheet
A full CAC/LTV analysis
A place to show precision for the sake of precision
Investors don’t use this slide to audit your math.
They use it to test whether your business logic holds together.
If they can’t understand the unit in 30 seconds, the slide is failing.
When You Need a Unit Economics Slide in a Pitch Deck
In a unit economics slide of the pitch deck, expectations depend on the stage, but the pattern is consistent.
You typically need this slide when:
You are raising Seed or Series A
You already have revenue or clear pricing logic
You claim scalability as part of your story
It is optional (but still useful) at pre-seed if:
Pricing is not finalized
Revenue is not live
The model is still exploratory
In most decks, this slide sits:
After the business model slide
Before or right after traction
Before financial projections
Placed correctly, it explains why growth makes sense before investors see big numbers.
How to Build a Unit Economics Slide Step by Step
This section is instructional by nature.
No slide example needed here yet — logic comes first.
Step 1 – Define the Core Unit
Start with one clear unit.
Examples:
One customer
One transaction
One subscription seat
One patient
One order
If you can’t explain your business using one unit, investors will assume the model is unclear.
Do not mix units on the same slide.
Step 2 – Calculate Revenue per Unit
Show how that unit generates money.
Keep it simple:
Average revenue per customer per month
Revenue per transaction
Revenue per order
Avoid edge cases and best-case scenarios. Use realistic averages.
Step 3 – Identify Direct Costs Only
Include only direct, variable costs tied to the unit:
Infrastructure per customer
Payment processing
Fulfillment or delivery
Direct customer support
Exclude marketing, overhead, and fixed costs.
If a cost doesn’t scale with the unit, it doesn’t belong here.
Step 4 – Show Gross Margin Clearly
This is the most important output of the slide.
Revenue minus direct costs equals gross profit per unit.
Gross profit defines whether scaling helps or hurts the business.
Growth amplifies margins.
Growth also amplifies losses.
Step 5 – Explain Payback Logic (Without Turning It Into a CAC/LTV Slide)
You don’t need full acquisition math here.
Investors want to understand:
How long it takes for one unit to become profitable
Whether margins improve over time
This can be shown with:
Month of breakeven
Number of transactions to recover costs
Simple margin expansion note
If this turns into a math lecture, the slide has failed.
Unit Economics Slide Example (Simple and Investor-Readable)
A strong unit economics slide example typically shows:
One unit
5–7 numbers total
Clear labels
Obvious gross margin
What investors notice first:
Unit definition
Gross margin
Whether the logic feels intuitive
What they question immediately:
Cost assumptions
Margin sustainability
Whether growth hides weak fundamentals
If the example requires explanation beyond one minute, it’s too complex.
Unit Economics Slide Best Practices
Best practices:
One unit only
One time horizon
Clear assumptions
Visual hierarchy over detail
Conservative numbers over optimistic ones
Precision without logic creates doubt.
Clarity with modest assumptions builds trust.
Common Unit Economics Slide Mistakes (and How to Fix Them)
These mistakes are pattern-based and widely recognizable:
Mixing CAC and LTV into the slide
Overloading the slide with numbers
Hiding weak margins behind complexity
Showing false precision
Each mistake signals confusion — or avoidance.
How the Unit Economics Slide Connects to the Rest of the Pitch Deck
This slide must align with:
The business model slide
Traction metrics
Financial projections
If unit economics say one thing and projections say another, investors notice instantly.
Consistency across slides builds trust faster than any single chart.
When Founders Should Get Help With Unit Economics
You should consider help when:
Investors keep asking the same questions
You struggle to explain margins simply
Different slides contradict each other
You feel the slide is “almost right”
Almost right is usually not good enough.
How Runway Team Builds Investor-Ready Unit Economics Slides
At RunwayTeam, we start with logic, not math.
We help founders:
Define the right unit
Align numbers with the business story
Remove noise and false precision
Design slides for decision-makers, not analysts
Our goal is not to impress with complexity.
It’s to make the business easy to understand — and easy to believe.
FAQs
What is a unit economics slide?
A simplified explanation of how one unit of your business generates profit.
How detailed should it be?
Clear enough to understand in under a minute.
Is this the same as a CAC/LTV slide?
No. CAC/LTV focuses on acquisition. Unit economics focuses on profitability.
