Workflow
1. Clarify Requirements
- Ask the user: Single-slide or multi-slide (3-4 slides)?
- Ask the user: Any specific focus areas or topics to emphasize?
- Only after user confirms, proceed to research
2. Research & Planning
Data Sources:
- Primary: Company filings (BamSEC, SEC EDGAR - "Item 1. Business", MD&A), investor presentations, corporate website
- Market data: Bloomberg, FactSet, CapIQ (price, shares, market cap, net debt, EV, ownership)
- Estimates: FactSet/CapIQ consensus for NTM revenue, EBITDA, EPS
- News: Press releases from last 90 days, M&A activity, guidance changes
Required Metrics:
- Financials: Revenue, EBITDA, margins (%), EPS, FCF for ±3 years
- Valuation: Market Cap, EV, EV/Revenue, EV/EBITDA, P/E multiples
- Growth: YoY growth rates (%)
- Ownership: Top 5 shareholders with % ownership
- Segments: Product mix and/or geographic mix (% breakdown)
Normalization:
- Convert all amounts to consistent currency
- Scale consistently ($mm or $bn throughout, not mixed)
Before Building:
- Print outline to chat with 4-5 bullet points per item (actual numbers, no placeholders)
- Print style choices: fonts, colors (hex codes), chart types for each data set
- Get user alignment: "Does this outline and visual strategy align with your vision?"
3. Slide-by-Slide Creation
CRITICAL: You MUST create ONE slide at a time and get user approval before proceeding to the next slide.
For EACH slide:
- Create ONLY this one slide with PptxGenJS
- MANDATORY: Convert to image for review - You MUST convert slides to images so you can visually verify them:
soffice --headless --convert-to pdf presentation.pptx
pdftoppm -jpeg -r 150 -f 1 -l 1 presentation.pdf slide
- MANDATORY VISUAL REVIEW: You MUST carefully examine the rendered slide image before proceeding:
- Text overlap check: Scan every text element - do any labels, bullets, or titles collide with each other?
- Text cutoff check: Is any text truncated at boundaries? Are all words fully visible?
- Chart boundary check: Do charts stay within their containers? Are ALL axis labels fully visible?
- Quadrant integrity: Does content in one quadrant bleed into adjacent quadrants?
- If ANY overlap or cutoff is detected: Fix immediately using these strategies in order:
- First: Reduce font size (go down 1-2pt)
- Second: Shorten text (abbreviate, remove less critical info)
- Third: Adjust element positions or container sizes
- Re-render and verify again - do not proceed until all text fits cleanly
- Show slide image to user with download link
- STOP and wait for explicit user approval before creating the next slide. Do NOT proceed until user confirms.
YOU MUST CHECK FOR THESE SPECIFIC ISSUES ON EVERY PAGE:
- Table rows colliding with text below them
- Chart x-axis labels cut off at bottom
- Long bullet points wrapping into adjacent content
- Quadrant content bleeding into adjacent quadrants
- Title text overlapping with content below
- Legend text overlapping with chart elements
- Footer/source text colliding with main content
Slide Format Requirements
Information Density is Critical
The #1 goal is MAXIMUM information density. A busy executive should understand the entire company story in 30 seconds. Fill every quadrant to capacity.
Per quadrant targets:
- Company Overview: 6-8 bullets minimum (HQ, founded, employees, CEO/CFO, market cap, ticker, industry, key stat)
- Business & Positioning: 6-8 bullets (revenue drivers, products, market share %, competitive moat, customer count, geographic mix)
- Key Financials: Table with 8-10 rows OR chart + 4-5 key metrics (Revenue, EBITDA, margins, EPS, FCF, growth rates, valuation multiples)
- Fourth quadrant: 5-7 bullets (ownership %, recent M&A, developments, catalysts)
Information packing techniques:
- Combine related facts: "HQ: Austin, TX; Founded: 2003; 140K employees"
- Always include numbers: "$50B revenue" not "large revenue"
- Add context: "EBITDA margin: 25% (vs. 18% industry avg)"
- Include YoY changes: "Revenue: $125M (+28% YoY)"
- Use percentages: "Enterprise: 62% of revenue"
If a quadrant looks sparse, add more:
- Segment breakdowns with %
- Geographic revenue splits
- Customer concentration (top 10 = X%)
- Recent contract wins with $ values
- Guidance vs. consensus
- Insider ownership %
Line spacing - use single textbox per section:
def add_section(slide, x, y, w, header_text, bullets, header_size=10, bullet_size=8):
"""Header + bullets in single textbox with natural spacing"""
tb = slide.shapes.add_textbox(x, y, w, Inches(len(bullets) * 0.18 + 0.3))
tf = tb.text_frame
tf.word_wrap = True
# Header paragraph
p = tf.paragraphs[0]
p.text = header_text
p.font.bold = True
p.font.size = Pt(header_size)
p.font.color.rgb = RGBColor(0, 51, 102)
p.space_after = Pt(6) # Small gap after header
# Bullet paragraphs
for bullet in bullets:
p = tf.add_paragraph()
p.text = bullet
p.font.size = Pt(bullet_size)
p.space_after = Pt(3)
return tb
Key spacing principles:
- Put header + bullets in SAME textbox (no separate header textbox)
- Use
space_after = Pt(6) after header, Pt(3) between bullets
- Don't hardcode gaps - let paragraph spacing handle it naturally
- If content overflows, reduce font by 1pt rather than removing content
-
3-4 dense slides - use quadrants, columns, tables, charts
-
Bullets for ALL body text - NEVER paragraphs. Use ONE textbox per section with all bullets inside - do NOT create separate textboxes for each bullet point. Use PptxGenJS bullet formatting:
// CORRECT: Single textbox with bullet list - each array item becomes a bullet
// Position in top-left quadrant (Company Overview) - after header with accent bar
slide.addText(
[
{ text: 'Headquarters: Austin, Texas; Founded 2003', options: { bullet: { indent: 10 }, breakLine: true } },
{ text: 'Employees: 140,000+ globally across 6 continents', options: { bullet: { indent: 10 }, breakLine: true } },
{ text: 'CEO: Elon Musk; CFO: Vaibhav Taneja', options: { bullet: { indent: 10 }, breakLine: true } },
{ text: 'Market Cap: $850B (#6 globally by market cap)', options: { bullet: { indent: 10 }, breakLine: true } },
{ text: 'Segments: Automotive (85%), Energy (10%), Services (5%)', options: { bullet: { indent: 10 } } }
],
{ x: 0.45, y: 0.95, w: 4.5, h: 2.6, fontSize: 11, fontFace: 'Arial', valign: 'top', paraSpaceAfter: 6 }
);
// WRONG: Multiple separate textboxes for each bullet - causes alignment issues
// slide.addText('Headquarters: Austin', { x: 0.5, y: 1.0, bullet: true });
Bullet formatting tips:
bullet: { indent: 10 } - controls bullet indentation (smaller = tighter)paraSpaceAfter: 6 - space after each paragraph in points- Pack multiple related facts into each bullet (e.g., "HQ: Austin; Founded: 2003")
- Include specific numbers and percentages for information density
-
Title case for titles (not ALL CAPS), left-aligned
-
Consistent fonts everywhere including tables
-
Company's brand colors - YOU MUST research actual brand colors via web search before creating slides. Do not guess or assume colors.
-
Follow brand guidelines if provided
Visual Reference
See examples/Nike_Strip_Profile_Example.pptx for layout inspiration. Adapt colors to each company's brand.
First Page Layout
Must pass "30-second comprehension test" for a busy executive.
Slide Setup (CRITICAL)
Use 4:3 aspect ratio (standard IB pitch book format):
const pptx = new pptxgen();
pptx.layout = 'LAYOUT_4x3'; // 10" wide × 7.5" tall - MUST USE THIS
Slide Coordinate System
PptxGenJS uses inches. 4:3 slide = 10" wide × 7.5" tall.
- x: horizontal position from left edge (0 = left, 10 = right)
- y: vertical position from top edge (0 = top, 7.5 = bottom)
- Content must stay within bounds - leave 0.3" margin on all sides
First Page Positioning (in inches)
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ y=0.2 Title: Company Name (Ticker) │
├────────────────────────────┬────────────────────────────────────┤
│ y=0.6 Company Overview │ y=0.6 Business & Positioning │
│ x=0.3, w=4.7 │ x=5.0, w=4.7 │
│ h=3.0 │ h=3.0 │
├────────────────────────────┼────────────────────────────────────┤
│ y=3.7 Key Financials │ y=3.7 Stock/Recent Developments │
│ x=0.3, w=4.7 │ x=5.0, w=4.7 │
│ h=3.5 │ h=3.5 │
└────────────────────────────┴────────────────────────────────────┘
y=7.5
Title Section (y=0.2)
Company Name (Ticker) - Example: Tesla, Inc. (TSLA)
slide.addText('Tesla, Inc. (TSLA)', { x: 0.3, y: 0.2, w: 9.4, h: 0.35, fontSize: 18, bold: true });
4-Quadrant Layout (y=0.6 to y=7.2)
| Quadrant | Position | Content |
|---|
| 1 | x=0.3, y=0.6, w=4.7, h=3.0 | Company Overview: HQ, founded, key stats, business summary (4-5 bullets) |
| 2 | x=5.0, y=0.6, w=4.7, h=3.0 | Business & Positioning: revenue drivers, products/services, competitive position, growth drivers (4-5 bullets) |
| 3 | x=0.3, y=3.7, w=4.7, h=3.5 | Key Financials: Revenue, EBITDA, margins, EPS, FCF + Valuation (Mkt Cap, EV, multiples) — table OR chart, not both |
| 4 | x=5.0, y=3.7, w=4.7, h=3.5 | For public companies: 1Y stock price chart + top shareholders. For private: Recent developments or Ownership/M&A history |
Font Sizes - USE THESE EXACT VALUES
| Element | Size | Notes |
|---|
| Slide title | 24pt | Bold, company brand color |
| Quadrant headers | 14pt | Bold, with accent bar |
| Body/bullet text | 11pt | Regular weight |
| Table text | 10pt | Use 9pt for dense tables |
| Chart labels | 9pt | Keep labels short |
| Source/footer | 8pt | Bottom of slide |
CRITICAL: If text overflows, REDUCE font size by 1pt and re-render.
Visual Accents (REQUIRED)
Each quadrant header MUST have a colored accent bar to the left:
// Add accent bar for quadrant header
slide.addShape(pptx.shapes.RECTANGLE, {
x: 0.3, y: 0.6, w: 0.08, h: 0.25,
fill: { color: 'E31937' } // Use company brand color
});
slide.addText('Company Overview', {
x: 0.45, y: 0.6, w: 4.5, h: 0.3, fontSize: 14, bold: true, fontFace: 'Arial'
});
Visual elements to include:
- Accent bars next to all section headers (brand color)
- Thin horizontal divider line between top and bottom quadrants
- Company logo in top-right corner if available
- Subtle gridlines in tables (light gray #CCCCCC)
First Page Formatting
- Font: Arial (or as specified by user/brand guidelines)
- Quadrant titles: Title Case (not ALL CAPS), e.g., "Company Overview" not "COMPANY OVERVIEW"
- Bullets: Bold key terms at start, e.g., "Market Position: Leading global manufacturer..."
- White background only — no boxes, fills, or shading
- Section headers: bold text, follow brand guidelines for styling
- All quadrants equally sized and aligned
Subsequent Pages: Free-Form Layouts
- Two-column (40/60 or 50/50), full-slide charts, or sidebar layouts
- Each page elaborates on first page content
- Maintain consistent typography and color scheme
- Suggested flow: Products/Market → Financial Analysis → Leadership
Charts (Multi-Slide Profiles)
For multi-slide profiles: Include 2-3 actual PptxGenJS charts. Never use placeholder divs or static images.
For single-slide profiles: Use tables for financials (more space-efficient). Only add a chart if it replaces the table, not in addition to it.
| Data Type | Chart Type |
|---|
| Revenue trends | Line or column (multi-year) |
| Geographic breakdown | Horizontal bar |
| Product mix | Pie with percentages |
| Financial comparison | Column |
| Stock price (1Y daily) | Line |
Chart Code Examples
Horizontal Bar (fits in bottom-right quadrant for 4:3 slide):
slide.addChart(pptx.charts.BAR, [{
name: 'FY2024 Revenue by Region',
labels: ['North America', 'EMEA', 'China', 'APLA'],
values: [21.4, 13.6, 7.6, 6.7]
}], {
x: 5.0, y: 4.1, w: 4.5, h: 3.0, // Fits in bottom-right quadrant (4:3)
barDir: 'bar', chartColors: ['FF6B35'], showValue: true,
dataLabelFontSize: 10, catAxisLabelFontSize: 10, valAxisLabelFontSize: 10,
dataLabelFormatCode: '$#,##0.0B',
title: 'Revenue by Geography', titleFontSize: 12, titleBold: true
});
Pie Chart (fits in bottom-right quadrant for 4:3 slide):
slide.addChart(pptx.charts.PIE, [{
name: 'Product Mix',
labels: ['Footwear', 'Apparel', 'Equipment'],
values: [68, 29, 3]
}], {
x: 5.0, y: 4.1, w: 4.5, h: 3.0, // Fits in bottom-right quadrant (4:3)
showPercent: true, showLegend: true, legendPos: 'r',
dataLabelFontSize: 10, legendFontSize: 10,
chartColors: ['FF6B35', '2C2C2C', '4A4A4A'],
title: 'Revenue Mix FY24', titleFontSize: 12, titleBold: true
});
Line Chart (full width for subsequent slides):
slide.addChart(pptx.charts.LINE, [{
name: 'Revenue ($B)',
labels: ['FY21', 'FY22', 'FY23', 'FY24', 'FY25E'],
values: [44.5, 46.7, 48.5, 51.4, 54.2]
}], {
x: 0.3, y: 1.2, w: 9.4, h: 5.5, // Full width for 4:3 slide
chartColors: ['FF6B35'], showValue: true, lineSmooth: true,
dataLabelFontSize: 11, catAxisLabelFontSize: 11, valAxisLabelFontSize: 11,
title: 'Revenue Trend & Forecast', titleFontSize: 14, titleBold: true
});
Financial Data Formatting
Always use native PptxGenJS tables or charts - NEVER plain text prose or HTML tables.
Use slide.addTable() for financial data (fits in bottom-left quadrant for 4:3 slide):
// Add header with accent bar first
slide.addShape(pptx.shapes.RECTANGLE, {
x: 0.3, y: 3.7, w: 0.08, h: 0.25, fill: { color: 'E31937' }
});
slide.addText('Key Financials & Valuation', {
x: 0.45, y: 3.7, w: 4.5, h: 0.3, fontSize: 14, bold: true, fontFace: 'Arial'
});
// Financial data table
slide.addTable([
[{ text: 'Metric', options: { bold: true, fill: '003366', color: 'FFFFFF' } },
{ text: 'FY24', options: { bold: true, fill: '003366', color: 'FFFFFF' } },
{ text: 'FY25E', options: { bold: true, fill: '003366', color: 'FFFFFF' } }],
['Revenue', '$51.4B', '$54.2B'],
['YoY Growth', '+6.0%', '+5.5%'],
['EBITDA', '$8.9B', '$9.5B'],
['EBITDA Margin', '17.3%', '17.5%'],
['EPS', '$3.42', '$3.75'],
['Market Cap', '$185B', '—'],
['EV/EBITDA', '12.5x', '11.7x']
], {
x: 0.45, y: 4.1, w: 4.3, h: 3.0, // Below header in bottom-left quadrant
fontFace: 'Arial', fontSize: 10,
border: { pt: 0.5, color: 'CCCCCC' },
valign: 'middle',
colW: [1.8, 1.25, 1.25] // Column widths
});
❌ Incorrect: Plain text like Note: FY2024 revenue growth +1.0%, Net Income $5.1B...
❌ Incorrect: HTML tables that don't convert properly to PowerPoint
For projections, use Bear/Base/Bull case scenarios in structured tables.
Quality Checklist
First Page
All Slides
Note: Reference the PPTX skill for PowerPoint file creation.