What is the total amount of funding Stack 'Em 5 is seeking?

According to Slide 2, the company has a four-phase roadmap. Phase 1 requires $100,000, Phase 2 requires $750,000, Phase 3 requires $1,000,000, and Phase 4 requires $500,000. This brings the total projected capital need to $2,350,000, though the deck suggests Phases 3 and 4 will be self-funded.

What are the specific perks for investors in this deck?

Slide 14 outlines a tiered reward system. All investors receive a 'Special Wooden Deluxe Edition.' At the $5,000 level, investors earn 0.1% of profits. The $25,000 level includes VIP accommodations for Comic-Con, the $50,000 level allows the investor to be a show representative, and the $100,000 level offers an Advisory Board seat.

How does the company define its target market?

The company targets 'Social Strategy Gamers.' Slide 8 defines this persona as typically 31 years old with 14 years of gaming experience. Slide 7 further notes that 'Avid Gamers' spend an average of $85 per month and that the U.S. market contains 49 million strategy game play opportunities.

What is the product actually like?

Slide 9 provides a visual of the 'Stack 'Em 5 Solution.' It is a physical tabletop game consisting of a square wooden board with a grid of vertical wooden pegs. Players appear to stack colored wooden beads (red, blue, yellow, purple, green, orange, and black) onto these pegs.

Does the deck provide any information on manufacturing or unit economics?

The deck mentions manufacturing in a general sense but lacks specific unit economics. Slide 11 lists 'Solidify manufacturing relationship in China' as a Phase 1 milestone. However, there is no mention of the cost to produce one unit, the intended retail price, or the projected profit margins.

Stack 'Em 5 Pitch Deck (2015): 14-Slide Breakdown

See all 14 slides of the Stack 'Em 5 pitch deck — a 2015 deck — with a slide-by-slide teardown of what the deck does well and where it falls short.

Stack 'Em 5 is a tabletop strategy game seeking to transition from a physical product to a digital ecosystem through a four-phase funding strategy. The deck identifies a target demographic of 31-year-old social strategy gamers and cites a growing $100 billion gaming market as of 2017. While the product is clearly visualized as a wooden board game with vertical pegs and colored beads, the deck lacks critical financial data such as unit costs, retail pricing, or current sales traction. Instead, it relies on a tiered investment structure that offers perks ranging from deluxe editions to advisory…

Key takeaways

The company outlines a total capital requirement of $2.35 million across four distinct development phases (Slide 2).
Phase 1 focuses on crowdfunding and infrastructure with a $100,000 target, while Phase 3 targets $1,000,000 for digital game development (Slide 2).
The deck identifies the 'Social Strategy Gamer' as a 31-year-old with a 52/48 male/female gender split (Slide 8).
Market data claims the gaming industry is growing at 23.6% per year and was projected to exceed $100 billion by 2017 (Slide 7).
The product is a physical board game featuring a wooden base with vertical spikes and colored beads (Slide 9).
The management team consists of three C-level officers: Michael S. Renfro, Mark D. Katz, and John Patrick (Slide 13).
Investment incentives include earning 0.1% of profits for every $5,000 invested (Slide 14).
A $100,000 investment level grants the investor a seat on the Stack 'Em 5 Advisory Board (Slide 14).

Executive Summary and Investment Roadmap

Slide 1: Title Slide

The deck opens with a minimalist title slide for 'Stack ‘Em 5,' subtitled 'a Skylar Forrest Game.' The design uses a pale green background with a red arrow element on the left, a motif that continues throughout the presentation.

Slide 2: Investment Opportunities

This slide outlines a four-phase financial roadmap. Phase 1 seeks $100,000 via 'Crowd Funding' for infrastructure and internet marketing. Phase 2 seeks $750,000 in 'Investment' for manufacturing, inventory, and direct marketing. Phase 3 ($1,000,000) and Phase 4 ($500,000) are labeled as 'Self Funded,' focusing on digital game development and virtual user experience enhancements respectively. The total capital mentioned across all phases is $2,350,000.

Slide 3: Company Vision/Mission

The vision is stated as bringing people together through 'fun, challenging and socially interactive games.' The mission focuses on three pillars: providing multi-level strategy games to a broad audience, instilling a culture of quality, and providing growth for customers, employees, and partners.

Slide 4: Success Metric

This slide contains no text or data. It features a 3D stock graphic of a gold figure carrying a key toward the word 'SUCCESS.' It serves as a transition slide but offers no specific KPIs or metrics.

Market Analysis and Opportunity

Slide 5: The Game Landscape

A simple flow diagram shows three categories—Avid Gamer, Strategy Gamer, and Casual Gamer—all pointing toward a central 'Gamers' circle. This slide establishes the broad categories the company intends to address but does not provide market sizing at this stage.

Slide 6: In the News - March 2015

This slide displays the logos for NBC Nightly News and The Today Show. It implies media coverage from March 2015, though no specific headlines, quotes, or context regarding the nature of the coverage are provided.

Slide 7: Market Opportunity

The company provides several industry statistics: the game industry is growing at 23.6% per year and was expected to exceed $100 billion by 2017. It notes that avid gamers spend $85/month on average. The slide also lists 'unintended gaming outcomes,' such as 56% of parents saying games are a positive factor in their kids' lives and 77% of gamers playing for at least one hour per week.

Slide 8: Target Customer

The 'Social Strategy Gamer' is defined with specific demographics: 31 years old, a 52/48% male/female gender split, and 14 years of gaming experience. This level of specificity suggests the founders have a clear persona in mind for their marketing efforts.

Product and Competition

Slide 9: Stack ‘Em 5 Solution

This slide provides the first look at the physical product. It is a wooden board game with a grid of vertical dowels. Small, colored wooden beads are stacked on these dowels. The image shows beads in seven different colors, suggesting a multi-player or complex strategy component. The logo 'Stack ‘Em 5' is visible in the corner of the product shot.

Slide 10: Competitive Landscape

A collage of existing games represents the competition. Featured titles include Sequence, Scrabble, Connect 4, Dungeons & Dragons, Sorry!, Chess, Checkers, Stratego, Ringgz, and Monopoly. The slide does not include a feature comparison matrix or a 'magic quadrant' to explain how Stack ‘Em 5 differentiates itself from these established brands.

Execution and Team

Slide 11: Business Milestones - Phase 1

This slide lists eleven tactical goals for the initial phase, including developing a website, finalizing product and packaging design, establishing a 'high-end custom design shop,' and solidifying a manufacturing relationship in China. It also mentions completing base-unit manufacturing testing.

Slide 12: Business Milestones - Phase 2

Phase 2 milestones include establishing a worldwide headquarters, beginning full production of 'base-unit products,' expanding management, sales, and administrative teams, and implementing the go-to-market strategy.

Slide 13: Management Team

The team consists of three individuals: Michael S. Renfro (Chief Creative Officer), Mark D. Katz (Chief Strategic Officer), and John Patrick (Chief Operating Officer). The slide includes photos but lacks professional biographies, past successes, or relevant industry experience for the members.

Slide 14: Crowdfunder Investment Perks

The final slide details the 'Stack ‘Em 5 Family' membership levels. All investors receive a deluxe wooden edition. Specific tiers include: $5,000 (0.1% of profits), $25,000 (VIP Comic-Con 2016 accommodations), $50,000 (Appearance as a company representative at a gaming show), and $100,000 (A seat on the Advisory Board). This structure confirms the deck was designed for a Regulation Crowdfunding (Reg CF) or similar platform.

What Stack 'Em 5 Does Well

The deck clearly defines its target audience. By pinpointing a 31-year-old 'Social Strategy Gamer,' the founders show they have moved beyond the 'everyone likes games' fallacy. The visual representation of the product on Slide 9 is also effective; it is immediately clear that this is a premium, tactile wooden product rather than a plastic toy or a purely digital app. The multi-phase roadmap on Slide 2 provides a logical progression from a physical product launch to a digital expansion, showing long-term thinking.

What is Missing from the Stack 'Em 5 Deck

The most significant omission is the lack of unit economics. There is no information regarding the Cost of Goods Sold (COGS), the Manufacturer's Suggested Retail Price (MSRP), or wholesale pricing. For a physical product company, these numbers are the foundation of the business model. Additionally, the 'Competitive Landscape' slide is merely a collection of logos; it fails to explain why a consumer would choose Stack 'Em 5 over a classic like Connect 4 or a deep strategy game like Stratego. The 'Management Team' slide also lacks credentials, which is a missed opportunity to build trust with potential investors.

Instructions for Founders

Founders should look at Slide 2 as a good example of how to break down a large funding goal into digestible phases. However, they should avoid the mistake made on Slide 4—using 'filler' slides with stock 3D graphics that add no value to the pitch. When presenting a competitive landscape, founders should use a comparison table to highlight specific unique selling points (USPs) rather than just showing a collage of famous brands. Finally, if you are raising money for a physical product, always include a slide on your supply chain and margins to prove the business is scalable.

Frequently asked questions

What is the total amount of funding Stack 'Em 5 is seeking?: According to Slide 2, the company has a four-phase roadmap. Phase 1 requires $100,000, Phase 2 requires $750,000, Phase 3 requires $1,000,000, and Phase 4 requires $500,000. This brings the total projected capital need to $2,350,000, though the deck suggests Phases 3 and 4 will be self-funded.
What are the specific perks for investors in this deck?: Slide 14 outlines a tiered reward system. All investors receive a 'Special Wooden Deluxe Edition.' At the $5,000 level, investors earn 0.1% of profits. The $25,000 level includes VIP accommodations for Comic-Con, the $50,000 level allows the investor to be a show representative, and the $100,000 level offers an Advisory Board seat.
How does the company define its target market?: The company targets 'Social Strategy Gamers.' Slide 8 defines this persona as typically 31 years old with 14 years of gaming experience. Slide 7 further notes that 'Avid Gamers' spend an average of $85 per month and that the U.S. market contains 49 million strategy game play opportunities.
What is the product actually like?: Slide 9 provides a visual of the 'Stack 'Em 5 Solution.' It is a physical tabletop game consisting of a square wooden board with a grid of vertical wooden pegs. Players appear to stack colored wooden beads (red, blue, yellow, purple, green, orange, and black) onto these pegs.
Does the deck provide any information on manufacturing or unit economics?: The deck mentions manufacturing in a general sense but lacks specific unit economics. Slide 11 lists 'Solidify manufacturing relationship in China' as a Phase 1 milestone. However, there is no mention of the cost to produce one unit, the intended retail price, or the projected profit margins.

Cover slide of the Stack 'Em 5 pitch deck — 2015 — Stack 'Em 5 pitch deck, slide 1 (2015)

Stack 'Em 5 pitch deck: the facts

Company: Stack 'Em 5
Year: 2015
Stage: Early Stage / Crowdfunding
Slides: 14
Sector: Tabletop Gaming / Toys
Deck type: Crowdfunding Pitch Deck
Outcome: Not stated
Headquarters: Not stated

Stack 'Em 5 pitch deck PDF

The full Stack 'Em 5 deck is embedded on this page and can be read slide by slide in the browser — no download or account required. Each slide is covered in the breakdown above.

What the Stack 'Em 5 pitch deck was used for

Stack 'Em 5 is presented as a physical tabletop strategy game and toy, with a 14‑slide pitch deck dated around 2015 for an early‑stage equity crowdfunding raise. The existing description of the deck indicates a multi‑phase funding roadmap totaling $2.35 million and a focus on market demographics and tiered investor rewards via crowdfunding platforms. No external, independently verifiable information about a company or legal entity named Stack 'Em 5, nor about a corresponding funding round, could be found beyond the Slideshare deck reference. As a result, analysis of business facts and financing must rely solely on the limited meta‑information available about the deck itself.

What the Stack 'Em 5 deck got right

Structured multi‑phase funding roadmap. The deck outlines a multi‑phase funding roadmap totaling $2.35 million, indicating that the creators thought through staged capital deployment rather than a single undifferentiated lump sum, which can help communicate ambition and long‑term planning for the product line.
Emphasis on market demographics and target audience. The focus on market demographics suggests that the team considered who would buy the game and toy, potentially segmenting by age, interests, or family versus hobbyist audiences—an important framing for tabletop investors.
Tiered reward structure for crowdfunding investors. A tiered reward system for equity‑crowdfunding investors indicates an attempt to align investor incentives with contribution levels, which can be helpful in motivating a broad base of small backers typical of crowdfunding campaigns.
Dual positioning as tabletop game and toy. Positioning Stack 'Em 5 within both tabletop gaming and toys may open multiple distribution and merchandising channels (game stores, toy retailers, online marketplaces), which can be attractive if executed well.
Accessible shared pitch format. Using a Slideshare deck for a 2015 crowdfunding pitch suggests the team aimed for accessible, shareable materials that could be circulated easily among potential backers and partners.
Clear early‑stage crowdfunding framing. Framing the project explicitly as an early‑stage/crowdfunding campaign allows expectations to be set around risk and investor profile, appealing to backers comfortable with early concept investments rather than late‑stage, fully proven products.

What could have been stronger

Large multi‑phase funding ask without externally supported justification. The deck references a multi‑phase funding roadmap totaling $2.35 million, but there is no externally verifiable detail on how these phases are structured, what specific milestones each phase funds, or why this level of capital is appropriate for a physical tabletop game. This makes capital efficiency and use‑of‑funds difficult for investors to assess.
Limited evidence of traction or validation in accessible materials. The existing description notes that the deck focuses heavily on market demographics and tiered investor rewards, but there is no corroborated information that the deck presents concrete traction metrics such as pre‑orders, prototype testing, retail interest, or community size. Absence of visible traction is a meaningful gap for an early‑stage tabletop game pitch.
Lack of visible team and execution credentials. No external record of the company structure, founders, or team background can be found, and the deck’s text is not readable from OCR. Investors cannot evaluate execution risk, relevant experience in game design/manufacturing, or the team’s ability to manage a $2.35M roadmap.
Crowdfunding reward focus without clearly accessible investment terms. The deck is described as emphasizing a tiered reward system for equity‑crowdfunding investors, but without externally accessible terms (valuation, security type, rights, timeline) investors cannot understand how these rewards translate into economic outcomes or how investor protection is addressed.

How an investor would read this deck

What draws attention

Clarify the game’s unique mechanics and differentiation versus other stacking or abstract strategy tabletop games, since external searches surface multiple similarly named but unrelated titles, indicating a crowded space.
Explain and justify the total $2.35 million multi‑phase funding roadmap with detailed budgets, manufacturing costs, marketing plans, and contingency assumptions for a physical game and toy line.
Provide clear information about the founding team, their track record in tabletop design, manufacturing, and distribution, and any partners for production or retail.
Make the structure of the tiered equity‑crowdfunding rewards explicit, including what investors receive at each tier (equity, revenue share, product bundles) and how these are backed legally.
Present any real‑world validation (playtest data, small‑batch sales, retailer interest, or convention presence) to demonstrate demand beyond the conceptual deck.

Risks that stand out

Limited or no publicly visible traction increases market‑demand uncertainty for a physical tabletop game, especially when asking for a multi‑million‑dollar funding roadmap.
Absence of externally verifiable information about the founding team or company structure increases execution and governance risk, particularly under an equity‑crowdfunding model with many small investors.
Manufacturing and distribution of physical games and toys carries operational risks (delays, cost overruns, safety and compliance issues), which are not documented in external sources for this project.
The emphasis on tiered investor rewards without clear, externally accessible legal and economic terms poses risk that crowdfunding investors may not fully understand or appropriately value the securities offered.
Given the lack of external records of a completed crowdfunding campaign or subsequent commercial release, there is a possibility that the project stalled or never reached market, increasing the risk that investors would not see returns.

Questions this deck invites

Can you provide full financial projections and a detailed breakdown of how the $2.35 million multi‑phase roadmap is allocated across design, tooling, manufacturing, marketing, and working capital?
What is the precise legal entity behind Stack 'Em 5, and what jurisdiction and corporate structure will be used to issue equity‑crowdfunding securities?
What concrete traction exists to date—prototype builds, pre‑orders, signed letters of intent from retailers or distributors, or community size metrics?
What is the manufacturing and supply‑chain plan for the physical game and toy components, including identified factories, MOQ (minimum order quantities), and quality‑control processes?
How are investor protections handled in the tiered reward system (liquidation preference, information rights, anti‑dilution), and what is the valuation implied by the equity tiers?

What founders can take from the Stack 'Em 5 deck

When raising for a physical tabletop game via crowdfunding, providing externally accessible traction data (playtest results, early adopters, convention feedback) is critical to reassure investors that the product resonates beyond concept art and demographics.
Multi‑phase funding roadmaps for relatively small physical products need detailed cost breakdowns and milestones; otherwise, larger total asks (such as $2.35 million) can appear disproportionate and hard to validate.
Equity‑crowdfunding pitches should make investment terms and investor protections as transparent as consumer‑facing reward tiers, since sophisticated backers will scrutinize governance and economics, not just perks.
Having a visible founder/team presence—with verifiable experience in game design, manufacturing, and distribution—helps de‑risk execution in investor eyes and should be prominently featured and easily discoverable.
For niche tabletop projects, maintaining a clear, searchable online footprint (official site, campaign page, rules overview) significantly improves discoverability and credibility with both investors and players.
Differentiation in a crowded category such as stacking or abstract strategy games requires clear articulation of what is unique about the mechanics and experience; this needs to be evident both in the deck and across external materials.

Stack 'Em 5 pitch deck: common questions

What is Stack 'Em 5?

Stack 'Em 5 appears to be a physical tabletop strategy game presented in a 14‑slide pitch deck on Slideshare in 2015, aimed at positioning the product within the table‑top gaming and toys sector. The game itself is framed as a strategy‐oriented stacking or placement experience for players, but there is no external product page or rulebook publicly available to confirm gameplay details.

Did Stack 'Em 5 successfully raise funding from this pitch deck?

The Slideshare deck is tagged as a 2015 early‑stage/crowdfunding pitch with 14 slides, but no linked crowdfunding campaign (such as Kickstarter, Indiegogo, or a dedicated equity‑crowdfunding portal page) could be independently located. There are also no press releases or filings that document a formal round associated with the deck.

Is there an official website or product page for Stack 'Em 5?

Apart from the Slideshare upload of the pitch deck and the brief description noting a multi‑phase roadmap totaling $2.35 million, there is no traceable public web presence (company site, social media accounts, or marketplace listings) that can be confidently attributed to Stack 'Em 5. Searches for similarly named games (e.g., Stack'em, Stack 5, Stack Em apps) surface unrelated titles from other publishers and platforms.

Is there a Kickstarter or other crowdfunding campaign page for Stack 'Em 5?

No. Searches of major crowdfunding platforms, general web results, and tabletop game databases do not surface a campaign or listing clearly tied to Stack 'Em 5 as described in the Slideshare deck. Any similarly titled projects found are clearly different products by other creators, so they cannot be treated as evidence about this deck’s fundraise.

Who created Stack 'Em 5, and what happened to the project after this deck?

There is no independently verifiable information about founders, team members, legal entity, or later commercial release linked to Stack 'Em 5. The available information is limited to the Slideshare deck metadata and the descriptive note about a multi‑phase funding roadmap and tiered crowdfunding rewards.

Sources

Funding and outcome facts on this page were researched on 2026-08-22 from the pages below.

Stack 'Em 5 pitch deck slides

Stack 'Em 5 pitch deck slide 1 of 14 — Stack 'Em 5 pitch deck — slide 1 of 14

Stack 'Em 5 pitch deck slide 2 of 14 — Stack 'Em 5 pitch deck — slide 2 of 14

Stack 'Em 5 pitch deck slide 3 of 14 — Stack 'Em 5 pitch deck — slide 3 of 14

Stack 'Em 5 pitch deck slide 4 of 14 — Stack 'Em 5 pitch deck — slide 4 of 14

Stack 'Em 5 pitch deck slide 5 of 14 — Stack 'Em 5 pitch deck — slide 5 of 14

Stack 'Em 5 pitch deck slide 6 of 14 — Stack 'Em 5 pitch deck — slide 6 of 14

What each slide of the Stack 'Em 5 pitch deck says

Slide 2

Investment Opportunities / Phase 1 Phase 2 Phase 3 Phase 4 Crowd Funding Investment Self Funded Self Funded Infrastructure, Internet Manufacturing, Inventory, Digital Game Virtual User Experience Marketing Direct Marketing Development Enhancements $100,000 $750,000 $1,000,000 $500,000

Slide 3

Company Vision/Mission '} | ' The company’s vision is to bring people of the world together | by means of fun, challenging and socially interactive games. 4 (The mission of the company is to be known as a I business of excellence that: + provides high-quality, multi-level strategy games to a broad audience; * provides a culture that instills quality in everything we do; and * provides growth and challenge to its customers, the company, our employees, and our business partners. x / /