What do you do if your pitch to investors isn't securing funding for your venture?

In my experience it is most important to pitch to the right investors, to those whoa are aligned with your mission and purpose. You can waste a lot of time if you are not focused and have not done your homework to really know all there is to know about the potential investors.

If investors aren't giving you money for your business after you've pitched to them, it's time to tweak your approach. First, ask the investors why they said no. Use their feedback to improve your pitch presentation, making sure it's easy to understand and looks good. Tell your business story in a way that grabs their attention, and show any progress you've made since your last try, like getting people to test your product. And in my suggestion focus on talking to investors who are interested in design. Connect with more investors by going to events and making friends in the business world. Keep trying, learning, and improving until you get the funding you need.

Important to reflect on WHY, HOW, and WHAT in the self-assessment. Capture all the QUESTIONS asked can provide insights behind what's most critical to investors, might be missing, or needs improvement. Is it lacking clear value proposition, and market potential? Is the business model solid enough, with clarity in customer acquisition strategy, sales channels, and pricing? Have the team demonstrated strong passion, expertise and experience for the venture, including proactive risk assessment and mitigation? How engaging was the presentation delivered? Is financial projection realistic, how much funding you are seeking and how it will be used? Self-reflection and feedback seeking will bring you most insights to refine or pivot the pitch.

Reflect on your pitch as if you're hearing it for the first time. Ask yourself, "Would I invest in this?" It's crucial not to take this process personally but rather see it as an opportunity for essential growth. A fresh set of eyes, or simply stepping away from your presentation for a bit, can provide new insights that might just make the difference in your next round.

Basicamente o pitch tem que ter 3 partes bem definidas! 1 - Qual o tamanho do problema 2 - Como sua empresa vai resolver 3 - Por que eu confiaria em você A maioria foca muito na primeira parte e falha intensamente nas partes 2 e 3.

Pay very close attention to the questions asked by perspective investors. In my experience, many investors will state their objections or concerns in the form of an innocent question instead of asking it outright.

After your pitch, consider asking investors not just why they passed but what changes might have swayed their decision. It’s also helpful to ask what part of the pitch caught their attention the most, as this gives you clues on strengths to build upon. When you ask, frame it as seeking advice for improvement rather than questioning their decision. This not only helps refine the pitch but also builds relationships with potential future stakeholders.

Seeking feedback is an important aspect and many a times we either resist or assume things . Asking feedback and then digesting the message will help you redefine and redraft your line of position. Don't hesitate to ask for feedback

I often observe people getting blindsided by their own expertise or ego. An excuse I often hear is, "They don't know any better." But is it true? The best way to validate is to get feedback. When seeking feedback, ask for specific examples and understand the thinking behind why that was an area of feedback. We also need to be careful and not fall into the trap of applying every feedback. Focus on actionable and relevant feedback.

I would carefully review my approaches and expressions to the potential funders. Also, some fund raising can take time, therefore considering more time and effort is important.

Refining your pitch based on investor feedback is essential. It might mean clarifying your value proposition, honing financial projections, or better demonstrating market understanding. Don't just change slides – strengthen the overall narrative of why your venture is a worthwhile investment. A refined pitch demonstrates your adaptability and responsiveness – key qualities investors seek in entrepreneurs.

Look at refining your pitch as an ongoing process rather than a one time fix. This allows you to continuously improve and adapt based on feedback, progressively sharpening your pitch...

Refining a pitch is about content & delivery as is written clearly here. A common pitfall is to spend a lot of time on the content, and too little on the delivery. Ask for help with the storytelling element of it, and remember how important the first impression is - body language is key, just like how you come across as a team. Continuous improvement is part of the game - good luck!

One thing I like to do is reach out to those who might have a new take on your sector. Sometimes a fresh perspective can make all the difference. Engaging with local entrepreneur groups or online communities specific to your industry can expose you to investors who are looking for new ideas.

In my startup fundraising experience, it is a numbers game. Statistically, a company will go through around 200 meetings with potential investors before it is able to raise its funding round. Be ready for a long effort and a steep learning curve along the way. Expanding your network proactively and quickly is certainly a key task to accomplish.

Engage your existing customer base for insights on what they value most about your product or service. Their feedback might lead you to uncover an entirely new angle or opportunity for your business. This makes sure your pivot is grounded in real user needs and can dramatically improve your appeal to investors who see a user approved proposition!

Before pivoting, try to understand what value your product or service brings to the table compared to your competitor from a customer perspective. It is critical to see it from a customer's rather than an industry's view. There is a difference between both, as what you think are differentiating factors actually don't matter to a customer. Once you gain clarity on that, decide again if a pivot is necessary or if a slight tweak to your current offering would suffice.

If you're going to fail...fail fast. This allows you to pivot and apply what you've learned. Often times, a pivot can be a simple as adjusting the pricing model or redefining which segments to focus on.

Depending on the stage at which you seek funding, an alternative to funding could be M&A. Merging or getting acquired may be an elegant way to take care of funding concerns while keeping your stake significant through an equity roll-over into the combined company. If you choose to acquire instead, the joint story (even in planning phase, before a deal consummation) may add enough meat to your pitch to become exciting to investors.

Razor-focusing your investment search is a powerful fundraising strategy. No point in contacting investors who do not work with the types, industries, or stages of projects you are proposing. Researching relevant potential investors takes more time at the beginning, but makes the overall fundraising effort significantly more efficient.

If all paths and doors lead you nowhere, it is okay to do a reset and relaunch. Use the experiences of the current pitch and plan your second one . Experience makes a huge difference

Referring to advice from Warren Buffett and Lo Kheng Hong, many Indicators will make investors willing to invest their money in the stock market, not simply like we think demand and supplies. For example investor willing to invest their money on company with negative cash flow. How, what, and why they're willing to do for a company like that? Using that method like the master investor do it, I realize and learn 2 points. First is trust, make sure the company is managed by management who is honest, professional, integrity, and capacity. Second, I am good at ROE and NPM. Companies with large profits that tend to rise are like having money printing machines. this is an insight we can learn from the investor's point of view.