Making the Most of Your Pitch: 6 Questions to Answer When Crafting a Story to Raise Funds

6 Questions to Craft Your Story

Pitching your startup is something that should be simple, yet we tend to complicate it. When I am behind the camera to guide a startup founder to present their company, here are the 6 questions I ask founders to help them craft an effective pitch.

What do you do?

Your potential investors want to know what you do in the most simple way possible. Provide a clear and concise overview of who you are, what you do, and whom you serve - something that they can easily remember and tell others.

How did your idea come about?

Your personal story matters. Telling your story of how the company comes is a great opportunity to connect emotionally with your potential investor and share your passion in a genuine way. Share about your initial idea, your inspiration, your challenges, and what the first season in your company's journey was like.

Where are you today?

No matter if you are pre-seed, seed A, B or C, celebrating your success and impact is a great way to share what your company has accomplished thus far. This is an opportunity to present measurable metrics that demonstrate your trajectory and reached milestones.

Whom do you help?

Sharing your client base gives your potential investor and understanding of your target audience and persona, giving them a glimpse of your potential market.

If you have an opportunity to add a client testimony, this is a great time to do so.

Where are you going?

Now when you have shown that you are credible, this is when you lay out your long-term vision and goals. Your potential investors want to hear about the startup's plans for growth and how they plan to achieve them.

Note that this is the stage where many start-ups tend to exaggerate, so make sure that you provide information that can be proven during your investors' due diligence process.

What do you need to get there?

There are several types of investments, and many different trajectories to take moving forward. Specify what type of investments you are looking for, if it's strictly financial or a strategic partnership, to allow your potential investors to find their place in your company's journey.

Now craft your pitch!

Use these 6 questions to craft your own company's story to make an impact, memorable pitch to your investors. I highly recommend that you consider using video to present your company. For more tips, subscribe!