Alai

What do they actually do

Alai is a browser-based AI presentation editor that turns plain text or uploaded sources (PDFs, existing PPTs, URLs, docs) into multi-slide drafts with several layout options per slide. Users edit on a responsive canvas that keeps alignment and structure intact, so slides remain fully editable rather than flattened images (site, tools, blog).

Within the same editor, users can add or generate visuals via an image model they call “Nano Banana Pro,” intended for image-first slides that sit alongside standard editable slides. Finished decks export to PowerPoint (.pptx) and PDF, supporting handoff to external stakeholders (LinkedIn, Product Hunt).

Alai also offers an API and automation connectors so teams can generate or refresh decks from systems like CRMs or meeting notes, and it sells a freemium web product with paid tiers listed on its pricing page (API, YC, pricing).

Who are their target customer(s)

• Founders preparing investor pitch decks: They need polished, on-brand slides quickly without relying on designers, and must export clean PPT/PDF files for investor meetings and iterations.
• Sales and account teams creating proposals and client decks: They repeatedly personalize decks from CRM or meeting notes; manual formatting slows response times and consistency suffers across client materials.
• Consultants and strategy teams delivering client-facing presentations: High-volume bespoke decks consume billable hours; rapid client edits often break layouts and brand consistency, causing rework.
• Educators and trainers assembling lecture/workshop materials: Turning notes and PDFs into clear, visual, and editable slides is tedious; many tools export locked images that are hard to update.
• Product managers and internal comms owners making reports/roadmaps: They frequently update decks from meetings and analytics but spend time fixing alignment and design; they want repeatable, editable templates that stay consistent as content changes.

How would they acquire their first 10, 50, and 100 customers

• First 10: Run concierge pilots with YC/accelerator founders and consultants: personally onboard, build a first deck for free, collect feedback live, then convert with a one-time discount and fast support.
• First 50: Target similar profiles via LinkedIn and founder communities, launch on Product Hunt, publish templates/how‑tos for pitches and proposals, and offer small‑team pilots plus Zapier/Make connectors to pull notes/CRM data into Alai.
• First 100: Layer focused LinkedIn/search ads for founders, sales leads, and consultants; add HubSpot/Salesforce and Zapier marketplace listings; and close co‑marketing/reseller deals with accelerators and boutique agencies while using structured onboarding to convert pilots to recurring team accounts.

What is the rough total addressable market

Top-down context:

The presentation‑software market is about $7.27B in 2025, with roughly 45% attributed to business professionals, implying a ~$3.3B slice relevant to Alai’s core users (market).

Bottom-up calculation:

Using ~400M Microsoft 365 paid seats as a proxy, if ~10% are active presentation creators (40M) and 2–5% pay for a premium AI tool (800k–2.0M users) at ~$120–$500 ARR, that implies ~$96M–$1.0B ARR potential depending on mix (M365 seats, pricing).

Assumptions:

• 25–35% of business‑professional spend targets higher‑quality, repeatable, brand‑sensitive tools/services (to reach ~$0.8–$1.15B immediate SAM) (market).
• 10% of paid Microsoft 365 seats actively create professional presentations; 2–5% conversion to paid AI tooling.
• ARPU blends across Plus/Pro/Ultra with discounts yield ~$120–$500 per seat per year (pricing).

Who are some of their notable competitors

• Gamma: Web‑first AI presentation and page builder that turns prompts or uploads into scrollable, web‑native decks/sites; emphasizes quick theme switching and web documents over pixel‑precise, mixed image+shape slide canvases.
• Beautiful.ai: Automated layouts and brand‑safe “Smart Slides” for teams; strong on template‑driven consistency and brand control versus image‑first editable canvases and in‑editor image‑generation controls.
• Slidebean: Founder‑focused pitch deck tool with templates, analytics, and optional agency services; more fundraising/workflow‑oriented versus Alai’s iterative in‑editor AI generation and editable image slides.
• Canva: General design suite with vast templates and AI features; excels in template breadth, brand assets, and non‑slide content, while Alai focuses on high‑quality editable slide drafts and tighter slide‑level AI/layout choices.
• Tome: Narrative‑first AI storytelling that generates multimedia, story‑led pages from a single prompt; prioritizes block/story formats over an export‑focused, editable slide canvas for PPT/PDF handoff.