How can you deliver a winning pitch?

Always remember the maxim in politics, "If you are explaining, you are losing." The same applies in business. If you have to educate, you'll have to work harder to sell. A related rule in early stage entrepreneurship is that your audience isn't you. What may make perfect sense to you may not to others. What you think is the greatest thing since sliced bread may not be a solution to their problems. So, as you research your audience to develop your early pitch, use this as an opportunity to get honest feedback on whether you are embarking on a new hobby that will never make money, have a solution in search of a problem, or are really onto something that is easily understood by your target market.

To truly know your audience and make your pitch human and relatable, it is essential to deeply understand the audience’s background, interests, goals, and pain points through meticulous research, and use this insight to tailor your message. Show genuine interest and understanding of their needs, making them feel seen and valued. Remember the human on the other side and don't use language that only means something in your company.

Delivering a winning pitch can be a transformative journey through your heart. If you choose to! What I have seen to work more often than not is when I am able to be truly authentic and vulnerable to myself while being able *feel* my audience. When 2 violins play they must be in tune for us to be able to hear an harmonious music, right? Same goes with you: when you tune in with your own 'music' and your audience's, you have a winning pitch. As you dive deep into your heart and are able to feel your audience's specific needs, you enter into resonance with them. The pitch is not about you but about the dance you are having with your audience. And, suddenly questions are asked, inquiries are made, you have delivered a winning pitch!

Know your audience and then use the Minto Method to structure your pitch to answer the questions they are going to have in their own minds.

Use the ‘standard’ heroes journey. 1. Name a big recent change. 2. Explain how this will create winners AND losers. 3. Show what the ‘promised land’ will look like for the winners. 4. Present the ‘magic tools’ the winners need to get there. 5. Show how others have used your tools to get to the ‘promised land’. This is the ‘ultra modern’ version of the ancient ‘Hero Journey’ It still works after 5,000 years. ??

Clearly articulate the specific customer pain point or need your idea addresses. Use data, customer quotes, or real-world examples to demonstrate this is a pervasive issue your target audience cares about solving. Paint a vivid picture of their struggles and frustrations. This establishes empathy and grabs attention. explain how your innovation uniquely solves this problem better than any existing option. Use simple, benefit-driven language to highlight the key advantages and value proposition. If possible, include demonstratives like prototypes, screenshots, or simulations to bring your solution to life. Outline the core functionality and differentiators compared to alternatives.

I couldn't agree more. A compelling pitch is essentially storytelling. Hook them early and make the problem relatable, almost personal. Your solution should then unfold as the 'hero' of that story. But remember, overcomplicating things can lose an audience; keeping it simple and clear is invaluable. Visual aids can also be a game-changer, they bring abstract concepts into focus, making your pitch memorable.

Always falling in love with the problem, not the solution. Dedicate at least 2 slides to define the problem, use numbers, and make it absolutely painful.

Always put a max of 3 pieces of information on each slide.... Use numbers and make it relatable, ask a question to make audience think, answer the question in between your words while they are thinking...

If you start with the problem, you're automatically putting the end consumer at the middle of the process. Amazon has done pretty well with this approach. So has Apple. Be concise when detailing the problem. If your audience doesn't understand the problem quickly, than you're either in front of the wrong audience, you've done a poor job of describing the problem, or you're product actually solves no problem (or potentially a problem that doesn't exist yet, but that's pretty rare). Providing the problem then providing the solution is a very simple story arch that brings the audience on the journey with you, keeping them engaged & ultimately more effectively influencing their next step.

Start by clearly defining the problem you are solving and who your target customers are. Provide evidence that this is a real pain point by sharing metrics on the size of the market opportunity. Share any positive metrics or growth you've achieved so far - number of customers, revenue, engagement rates etc. Case studies and testimonials from happy early users are powerful to prove your idea resonates. Share any positive metrics or growth you've achieved so far - number of customers, revenue, engagement rates etc. Paint a vision for future opportunities if your idea is scaled. Analyze the total addressable market size you could capture and your goals for customer acquisition, revenue, funding needs, and team growth in the next 1-3 years.

Be authentic, use numbers and circles, maximum three pieces of information per slide, make it related to what you have been talking about in the previous slide, all slides should be connected.

Also, if you already have a community, is very good to showcase your reach within the niche you are in. A strong community can help with user acquisition. Satisfied customers are more likely to refer friends and colleagues to your startup, leading to organic growth. Investors appreciate startups that have a clear strategy for user acquisition and growth.

This is where you show what you have done with the little you have so feel free to toot your horn a little bit but do not lie and do not be too humble. Here you are trying to prove to the investors that you are reliable enough to put their money to good use.

For traction: - relative growth (i.e. month over month MRR growth) is always a better indicator than raw numbers with no reference point - show how your product builds a moat or becomes more sticky over time (i.e. users/workspace, sessions per week, demos per user, etc) - prove that selling to your audience is predictable (i.e. CAC) and vast (i.e. market size, industry growth rate) For potential: - show you have a repeatable distribution channel - show that while you don't yet know all the answers, you have clear hypotheses and experiments to uncover them - show why your team is most apt to tackle this opportunity (via skills, experience, proprietary tech, etc)

Never do it alone .. no investor will put his money in a business that is ran by a one man show … too risky . At least one co-founder is needed to hedge the risk of investment and complement the thinking for the company’s success .

Always aim to gain an unfair advantage by delving deep into the expertise of your team. Additionally, have a specific number in mind and prepare financial projections. For fundraising pitches, include a simplified version in the main pitch and a more detailed one in the appendix.

A balance team is extremely important when presenting your pitch. Founders must go first. 1 too few, 4 start to be too many. Too difficult to manage and seek constant alignment. 2 ideal, 3 less ideal, but also valid. Then you need to show very clearly their strengths and what they bring to the project/start up. Roles and responsibilities must be well defined. Then, present your top team members who should cover what the founder may lack. Bringing experienced people is ideal for any investors. If those members worked in a successful startup, you have half the way done. Finally, add your mentors and people advising you and/or board of directors. Never miss that point. Going solo will be seen as risky. Then ASK for the $$$ that you need.

1. Be clear as to why your team is most apt to tackle this problem and industry - whether it's your skillset, co-founder bond, experience, proprietary tech/patent, etc. 2. Help your investor/audience get conviction in your ability to navigate uncertainty and figure things out - while you don't have all the answers, you have clear hypotheses and experiments to uncover them

The entire purpose of a VC pitch is to convince them that you are the entrepreneur in whom they are going to invest their money and make a lot of money in return. Product is resume of the team. Integrity, confidence, Experience, technical competence etc matters alot. Convey them

Think it through - write it down - say it out loud - get feedback. A lot of the time we work on slides and imagine what we will say, and how it will sound. But the first step is to say it out loud, and hear how it sounds to you. Are these the words you would use to explain this to a friend over coffee? Are the sentences too long? Where should I put emphasis and energy in the way I tell it? Recording yourself really helps with this. Then try it out with a colleague or trusted friend. Ask them to tell you what stands out, what they don't understand, and to give you Friendly advice for improvement. That way they know what to look out for, and you'll get some concrete feedback that you can work with.

Record yourself and make adjustments based on the that. Tone is of utmost importance. Speak slowly and utilize pauses. Replace "hmm" with silence. Maintaining good eye contact is crucial; spread it throughout the room. ?? Pro tip: If you're nervous about looking directly into the audience's eyes, focus on their noses.

I find one of the best ways to get ready for a pitch is to practise it the same way that you’d be presenting it live. For example, if the pitch is on a Zoom call, once you have your presentation ready jump on a Zoom session and run through it like it’s live. Same goes for you’re audience, if you’re practising in front of people to get feedback etc where possible see if you can find the right audience. This is really important as the feedback you receive will be much more relevant and targeted then if you just got anyone to practise in front of. The end result of all this is that you’ll be so much more prepared and confident heading into your pitch.

Continuously adapt your pitch based on audience feedback - their body language, questions, and comments highlight what resonates versus what needs refinement. Iterating in this way sharpens an engaging pitch.

Practicing is great, but if you don't know what to practice then you won't get any better. Record yourself & be ruthless in your evaluation. Ask others for honest feedback. Scrutinize wins just as much as you scrutinize losses. Regardless, you have to have a mechanism for feedback, otherwise you could be practicing the wrong things.

You are the foremost authority on your products. To prepare effectively, thoroughly research the VCs you're targeting and compile a list of the most commonly asked questions. Additionally, practice pitching to as many individuals as possible and gather their questions. Above all, maintain honesty throughout your pitch. If you're unsure of an answer, it's better to admit it than to provide inaccurate information.

This is great advice to anticipate questions. Often, an audience will be slow to ask questions. Once you're done, you can say, "I'll take some questions now..." and after a slight pause, you could say, "Often, I'm asked about x... so here's a little more on that while you think of more questions" This puts everyone at ease and gives you chance to share even more valuable information. You'll find the 2nd and 3rd questions will come from the audience and will be more insightful.

Think through all the questions and objections that your audience may ask. With every pitch, jot down actual questions posed and craft meaningful responses to each of them. Iterate your next pitch and incorporate responses to the objections/questions you uncovered such that you address them prior to them being asked - helping build conviction in your narrative and ability to execute.

The preparation process is must followed. Preparation is the key to success in any endeavor, whether it's a professional presentation, a sports event, or any other level of execution. It's the fundamental difference between an amateur and a professional. Preparing for Potential Questions is an integral part of the pitching process. Go one better; also, be ready for a proactive discussion of questions that the audience did not ask but should have.

Share your unfair advantage. Demonstrate why your team and solution have distinct competitive edges. Quantify the opportunity. Provide hard evidence and data to establish credibility and showcase the size of the market. Craft a compelling narrative. Share the story of your idea in a memorable way. Start by getting their attention with a powerful hook. Know your audience. Research their needs, interests, and pain points so you can tailor your pitch accordingly. Focus on the benefits to them. Keep it simple. Avoid jargon and complex concepts. Use clear language to explain your idea and value proposition. Make it visual. Use slides, demos, prototypes to show don't just tell. Visuals make your ideas concrete and memorable.

Practice like a beast! You should know your pitch script so well that if a train suddenly drove through the room you would not miss a beat. This means memorizing every word, line, key point, slide transition... everything. Once you master this, your slides just become "billboards" behind you as you tell your story and win connections.

Less is more, be simple and clear. If your grandma and a 10-year-old can’t understand it, it might need more work. Afterwards, ask your practice audience to repeat your message back to you, the clarity on how they repeat it back to you is a good measure of how clear you actually are.

To deliver a winning pitch, start with a compelling story that captures the audience's attention and conveys the problem you're solving. Clearly define your value proposition and differentiation. Use visuals, data, and examples to support your points. Keep it concise and focused, addressing key pain points and benefits. Practice and anticipate questions, demonstrating confidence and expertise. Engage the audience with a strong delivery, eye contact, and enthusiasm. Finally, ends with a memorable call to action. A winning pitch combines a persuasive narrative with a confident and engaging presentation style.

Remember that your corporation and yourself are reflections of one another. A business is called an "entity" after all. Align core values, aim for positive change and above all, have fun! When your passion and fun can be seen in what you are doing, you pitch comes genuinely from the heart and can be felt by your audience. Besides, is it not more worth it when what you are doing brings you passion, excitement and fun? Welcome to the Entrepreneur life!