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.
