What are the best strategies for standing out at a startup pitch competition?

1. Keep it short and sweet, don't overexplain what you are building. It should be as easy to understand as possible 2. Let the slides complement you and not the other way around. You have to captivate the audience and keep their attention on you, not the slides 3. Let your passion for your product shine through. People love to see someone who is completely "nerding" out over their idea.

To stand out at a startup pitch competition, tailor your pitch to be hyper-personal and specific to your audience. Understand the backgrounds, interests, and goals of the investors and demonstrate how your startup aligns with their aspirations. Show them how investing in your venture will contribute to their personal and professional success in a unique way. This approach not only showcases the potential of your startup but also creates a direct connection with the decision-makers, making your pitch memorable and impactful. Personalization sets you apart in a sea of generic presentations, as it demonstrates not only your business acumen but also your commitment to building meaningful, mutually beneficial relationships.

I have been hearing startup founders pitching for a while. One big mistake that entrepreneurs repeatedly make is that of not customizing the pitch to the audience. If you are a startup founder trying to raise capital, do some homework and learn more about the audience you are pitching to; what are their preferences, have they invested in similar companies, what are the key things that they look for, etc. It is important to understand that investors are as interested in business models and how the startup will make money as in the product and its features. Be prepared to answer the "business and sales" questions and about the customer.

I’ve pitched to rooms of 5-40-100 people. Both presenting the business idea and pitching directly for capital. 1. know your audience or panel I researched the careers and backgrounds of panel judges, discovered their interests and former places of work. I provided samples of our product to each of them with relevance to their own personal background (themed artwork) I tailored a 5 minute pitch down to 90 seconds for large audience TV and practiced it to strangers on the train. I prepared answers for 3-5 minutes of questions and tried to think of the toughest possible questions we’d be asked. The pitch was to Sir Richard Branson in a shark tank style event and 3 UK celebrity investors, we won the pitch from 300 companies.

1. Select the most effective communicator on your team to articulate the story. This is crucial for connecting with the audience and making a lasting impact. 2. Speak statistics from the market and relate them to your business. Additionally, highlight relevant case studies and emphasize the business impact.

When crafting a pitch, ask yourself three key narrative elements: the past (Why), the present (What, How), and the future vision (Where). The "Why" involves storytelling about the past, about the journey that led to the creation of your startup. The “What” and "How" represent your current mission, focusing on the most valuable and impactful thing you're doing. Lastly, the "Where" is your intended direction and aspiration. It's where you see your startup heading, the long-term impact you aim to make, and how your current actions are a stepping stone towards that future. A compelling pitch weaves these elements together, creating a narrative that resonates emotionally and logically, demonstrating progress and potential.

Your pitch should weave a compelling narrative that not only explains what your startup does but also shares the journey of why and how you're doing it. A story that connects emotionally and intellectually with the audience will be more memorable and impactful.

Stories are always helpful. Be it how you started this journey to how you acquired your first customer, if it's narrated well the idea can be sold well. Prepare your story telling skills and how you can engage the judges

A big component of effective storytelling is in the authenticity of the storyteller. Authenticity comes from a place of truthfulness and lived experience. This level of authenticity requires vulnerability on the part of the storyteller. While anyone can tell a story, the greatest storytellers can take their audience along the journey and engage them in a way they themselves feel the range of emotions the story will elicit.

Telling a story during a pitch is vital because it captures attention, makes your idea relatable, and creates an emotional connection. A compelling narrative helps the audience see the real-world impact of your startup, not just the data and technicalities. It makes your pitch memorable and can significantly influence decision-making. Also, it makes your intentions authentic!

Regarding the article's insights, it's vital for entrepreneurs engaging with investors to clearly present financial details, including raised capital, the funding source (VC or Business Angel), and notably, plans for the next round—such as valuation and key metrics. These specifics form the bedrock of a successful pitch, forging a strong connection with potential funders.

Every start-up is very dear to its founder. But pretty much all companies (with limited products and focus) can be summarized in 2 or 3 sentences. So, 3 to 5 minutes is enough. So the first step: do not engage in a "limited time" mentality. 3 to 5 minutes (especially 5 minutes) is a pretty long period of time.

Clarity is crucial in communication. Avoid industry jargon and be explicit in connecting the dots of your business model and value proposition. Your aim should be to leave the audience with a crystal-clear understanding of your product and its market fit.

Don't bullshit and don't be boring. The objective here is to turn potential investors on, get them interested so that you can have a proper in depth 1on1 conversation with them. They need to remember you - so try to do something unique, out of the box which will gauge their interest.

I always tell startup founders to keep the pitch simple and interesting! It should simple enough that my 12 or 13 year old can understand. No jargon! Keep it focused and do not make the product or service heavy with too many features. It makes it complicated, and you will spend more time trying to explain the reason for the unnecessary bells and whistles. And do not read off the script or the pitch. As a founder, you should be so familiar with your startup and its product that you should be able to pitch when woken up in the middle of the night! And that comes from keeping the pitch concise and simple.

Be prepared to address potential concerns or questions that may arise from investors or judges. Having well-thought-out responses ready will demonstrate your thorough understanding of the business and its challenges, as well as your readiness to face them.

True conviction in a pitch comes from openly playing devil's advocate and welcoming objections or challenges. It's not a comfortable place to be for any period of time, but the return is well worth the cost. Before a pitch, seek out opinions from people you respect but won't necessarily tell you what you want to hear. Stay close to people who will support you through everything, but always offer candid feedback when you need it.

A smart founder will be prepared to answer questions or concerns about the startup, its products, strategy, GTM, competitive advantage, competition, etc. Think about the kind of questions that can come from the audience/investors. This will also help refine your own pitch and add/eliminate certain elements that you may have not included or included. There are several shows and videos that you can watch to understand and prepare for the kind of questions that investors will ask. Be straightforward and if you do not know the answer, admit it. It will give you an opportunity for a follow up with the investor to answer their question, and for you to think about certain elements of your startup that you may not have thought about.

When it comes to competition, both - "there is no real competition" and - "the competition has a worse product" are not the right answer, especially in the early stage where you have not proved otherwise. Clarify, why your solutions still makes sense. Your ICPs might differ or the market has changed recently so that there is enough space for you in the future.

During the Q&A, be ready for tough questions. I always advise founders to rehearse responses to potential objections about their business model, market assumptions, or competitive landscape. Showing you’ve thought through these challenges demonstrates preparedness and builds investor confidence.

It is extremely rare that an investor commits after the first meeting. Be prepared to follow up after your pitch/meeting with investors, get feedback, advice, etc. Keep updating them on the progress, even if it is small. It tells them that you are working and making progress and that is likely to get them interested in wanting to invest or help.

After the pitch, be proactive in your follow-up. Provide additional information that was asked for during the pitch, reiterate your key points, and thank the audience for their time. Also, it is always a great idea to create some "next steps", so you have a reason to follow-up

Write down the name and any information you can gather from the people you meet. The context of the meeting, their response, any personal information you can gather - this will help when you reach out and ask you to follow up with a call or a meeting. You can use those subtle details to show them that you were paying attention and taking them seriously.

When pitching to investors, you can give an entry point for the follow-up when ending your pitch; "If you're interested in how we specifically plan to grow from 20 to 100 customers in the next 12 month, feel free to reach out to me via...."

The pitch doesn't end when you step off the stage. I've seen follow-ups make or break deals. Immediately send personalized thank-you emails, summarizing key points and offering to provide additional information. This proactive approach keeps you at the forefront of your mind and opens the door for further discussions.

Make yourself known weeks before the pitch competition. Connect with the panel on LinkedIn or members present. Have calls with them, get to know them and them you. The idea is you want to be front of mind when the time comes to pitch/present. There is no better way than pre-priming people in looking forward to what you're going to pitch about. This also demonstrates strategy, and a long term one to investors which is always good to know when deploying into founders.

Be true to your core. Prepare, have a refined deck and story, of course, but be authentic. Don't try to fake this, if you are passionate it will come across. Just find the reasons that are driving you to go into this challenge and let them speak for you. People won't know what hit them.