Tips for a winning pitch

It was great to officially kick off the NJ chapter TIE Women’s pitch competition last week with a mentoring session with Raghu Rao , serial entrepreneur, investor, and strategic advisor. The session was moderated by Shailja Dixit , CEO of Curio Digital Therapeutics and attended by several women entrepreneurs in various stages of their startup journeys.

Below are some highlights of the session "Tips for a winning pitch"

• What are some key elements in a pitch that investors are looking for?

The very first thing is for entrepreneurs to have a good pitch deck that articulates a compelling story. Investors are looking for scale and market traction. Pitch decks should include enough detail to show the pain point being addressed. They need to focus on the business opportunity and not so much on the technical aspects of the business.

• What is the commitment expected from founders?

Founders must be “all in” if they’re taking in money from outside investors. Investors want to see commitment, at least with the core people. Execution and business development should be full-time, with part-time support in other areas. An advisory board is very important where you cannot afford full-time people (eg: fractional CFO).

• How can early-stage entrepreneurs determine product market fit?

It is always good to have a pilot in the market to show proof of concept. This includes defining your target market, conducting market research, defining the Minimum Viable Product (MVP), engaging with early adopters, getting feedback, and iterating the product based on feedback. This can get challenging in a regulatory environment but some validation from customers or scientific studies while operating within regulatory constraints will be helpful to show product-market fit.

• What kind of financials should you put together for an early-stage company?

In the early stages, you’ll need to have a detailed projection of the company’s expected financial performance, usually over 3 to 5 years. These projections should be based on market research, realistic assumptions, and growth strategies. In addition, you’ll also need a revenue model with revenue streams, customer segments, pricing, and monetization strategy.

• What investment instruments do you recommend for early-stage companies?

If an early-stage startup is not getting good investors or your asking price, one option is to take a SAFE note. If you do have a well-established, marquee institutional investor interested in your startup, it’s better to go with the investment even if you have to give up more equity. The expertise and network that these investors bring is very valuable and their involvement can significantly enhance your chances of success.

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The TiE Women's Pitch Competition offers a remarkable opportunity for female founders to pitch their ventures to global investors and win up to $50K in equity-free prizes. The NJ chapter winner will have the chance to present their pitch at the TiE Global Summit in Singapore, with flight tickets sponsored by TiE New Jersey.

If you have any questions or need further assistance regarding the competition please reach out to program champion Nivedita Candade at?[email protected].