Here's how you can pitch your innovative food science ideas to potential investors effectively.

As the Chinese phrase goes, "When you know your audience and yourself, you will win all your battles". Before pitching, always read up on your investors. Do they specialize in food and beverage, sustainability, or tech? Tailor your pitch to highlight aspects of your innovation that align with their goals. If they’re more into returns, focus on financial growth. If they’re passionate about impact, show how your product helps people or the planet. Knowing what resonates with them makes it easier to capture their attention and build a meaningful connection.

Je pense que l’essence même du pitch est là… Durant un pitch, ne parlez pas de votre produit, parlez plut?t de la problématique qu’il résout. C’est cela qui va intéresser les potentiels investisseurs. Exemple : John a une fille de 3 ans qui s’appelle Lucia. Elle est allergique aux oeufs et comme tous les enfants elle voudrait manger des gateaux ou des crêpes. Cela fend le c?ur à John, parce qu’après tout ce n’est qu’une enfant. Elle a 4 ans et tous les évènements sont un stress pour John car il doit surveiller à la minute près ce que Lucia mange. Aussi, elle n’a que 4 ans, elle ne sait pas quel produit contient des oeufs ou non…

This topic is not only about pitching to food investors, it is the general approach to investors. Investors are not scary people. They are like you and me and I find it useful to bring across the point using a story. Bring them along the journey of how the problem was identified, the process we went through to create a solution, and the impact we envision. A compelling story not only educates but also inspires action. Facts tell, Stories sell.

For early stage investment, Investors are actually judging the founder, whether they have what it takes to turn the idea into success. We often get asked about the analysis of our competitive edge. As such, risk analysis and management is an important segment that can build trust and increase the confidence of the investor.

One thing I learnt from the Investment rounds, is that Investors invest in people, not just ideas. In our rounds, our investors feedback that they can see our passion and commitment to what we want to achieve. And that is why they decide to invest in us at our Angel round. If you are also looking for early stage investment, engaging with stories and emotions, backed by facts, are helpful.