Born Global Boston Pitch Prep: Founders Get Sharpened and Ready for Venture Lab Launch

October 15, 2024 | Boston, MA

Trust, anticipation, and joy—that’s what a great pitch creates. It’s not just about selling an idea, but making people believe in it, look forward to it, and feel like they can be part of something extraordinary."

Authors: Steve Vilkas and Shweta Agrawal , Chapter Leads for Born Global Boston

With the Venture Lab Launch just a day away, the pitch preparation session on October 14th set the perfect stage for our founders to refine their stories, absorb feedback, and prepare to shine.

The mentors—Erika Haskins, Jason Kraus from Prepare 4 VC , and Irina Sychov —delivered expert feedback that not only refined the founders’ messaging but also provided valuable insight into what investors, partners, and customers expect.

While Amy Han , CEO of UNIEDU Global, wasn’t able to attend, she was with us in spirit. Like her peers, Amy stood out at Born Global Boston's first co-led event with Boston New Technology (BNT) "AI & EdTech At The Intersection", further reinforcing the strength of the founders we’ll see at tomorrow’s Venture Lab.

The session featured Terence Tan , co-founder of edm8ker er, who pitched his AI-powered platform, Eddy, designed to empower teachers with hands-on STEM activities. Terence recounted how his time as a teacher in Singapore revealed the need for accessible STEM tools and described Eddy’s ability to generate personalized lessons based on classroom needs.

However, the mentors pushed him to refine his message. Erika Haskins kins recommended aligning the tool’s features with Bloom’s Taxonomy, ensuring teachers see it as actionable, hands-on learning instead of just worksheets. Jason Kraus encouraged Terence to focus on early wins—such as his 80K in revenue from STEM hardware sales and new distribution partnerships—positioning them early in the pitch to grab investor attention. Iria advised Terence to lead with traction.

Taking it all in stride, Terence incorporated the feedback, sharpening his delivery to make Eddy’s value proposition clearer and more compelling.

Di Ye , founder of Talent Companion and an MIT lecturer, followed with a pitch that showcased her AI-powered coaching platform, which democratizes executive coaching to support talent development across all workforce levels. Di described how the platform integrates with tools like Slack and Teams to enhance performance reviews and provide on-demand coaching. While the mentors praised the innovation, they challenged her to clarify the pitch.

Erika advised focusing on either executive coaching or general workforce enablement to avoid confusing the audience. Irina emphasized the importance of clearly differentiating from competitors, underscoring the need to demonstrate why her team is the right one to take this product to market. Di responded by offering a more detailed explanation of her AI engine, ensuring she’ll be ready to articulate the platform’s unique advantages at the Venture Lab.

Erika’s lens as both a former school administrator and Economic Recovery Fellow highlighted how framing can make or break a pitch. Jason’s expertise in building strategic partnerships encouraged the founders to think beyond one-off sales. Irina’s straightforward feedback drove home the importance of leading with traction and competitive advantage to build immediate trust. These founders are exceptionally wise and have sharpened their edges considerably.

The session underscored why showcasing their startup is so important.

With its deep focus on education and solidarity, The Venture Lab is a collaborative platform, not a competition, where founders get the chance to make meaningful connections with investors and stakeholders, gaining support to fuel their journey forward. The prep session also helped to solidify that understanding.

For founders like Terence, Di, and Amy, this process represents an opportunity not just to promote their ventures but to align their growth with the larger Boston innovation ecosystem. With their performances at AI & EdTech At The Intersection still fresh in the community’s mind, these founders are ready to make their mark again.

??? Join us tomorrow, October 16th, at 7:00 PM EST for the official Born Global Boston Venture Lab Launch. Don’t miss your chance to meet these brilliant founders and be part of this thriving community. Register today—you won’t want to miss it!