Question: What is one thing you should consider adjusting about your pitch for different investors?
Your Story
"Your story is very important, but tailoring your story to resonate with your target investor is more important. If you know their background or obstacles the investor had trouble overcoming, explain through a story/scenario where your solution could have conquered their dilemma. This targeted approach creates an emotional connection and meaning."
@bigfishpresco
Your Angle, Based on Their Past
"Pitching different investors is a lot like dating (only it's socially acceptable to end up with more than one investor at a time). While "dating" different investors, understand their needs or motivations: Do they invest in other companies like you? What successes/failures have they had in your space? Answer these questions before you walk in to the meeting, and change your angle for each pitch."
@leighrowan
The Mutual Benefits
"Each investor relationship offers distinct advantages, and your business will always provide unique value if added to a strategic portfolio. Frame the deal in a way that demonstrates strong mutual benefit. Once everyone's needs are aligned, everything else is a no-brainer. This will make the whole process of fundraising a lot more interesting for both startups and investors."
@firaskittaneh
Your Lingo
"I hear so many pitches where entrepreneurs pitch me and have phrases and lingo that I don't understand. Take out all the lingo that you use with your buddies. You're pitching professionals; make it sound like it."
@johnrampton
Your Angle, Based on Their Bias
"When preparing to pitch a certain investor, find out what the biggest successes in their careers have been. Maybe it was about enterprise sales, mobile, viral or building a marketplace. It will influence how they look at every opportunity they encounter, so find an angle that makes your startup match their bias."
@steli
The Hook
"Engaging investors is about hooking them in to what you have to say and making them care. You need to tell a good story to keep them with you, so share your business’ unique history with a sense of narrative. What experiences led you to launch your business? What concerns caused you to pivot? What have been your biggest breakthroughs? Those 'plot points' will keep investors intrigued."
@earlysharesCSO
Value Outside of Investment Dollars
"While every investor brings money to the table, most will also have other value they can add to the company. For each investor, your pitch should include how their knowledge, experience or network will translate into an added benefit for the company. Not only will this enhance the deal upside for both parties, but the investor will also appreciate that you see them as more than just a checkbook."
@MintonLawGroup
Financial Assumptions
"A common mistake startups make when pitching to investors is showing financial assumptions that are unrealistic our unfounded. It's easy to be optimistic when you are enthusiastic about your idea, but more important to investors is how you're actually going to earn revenue and scale while reducing churn rates. Tell investors how you plan to get users and revenue rather than what you hope to make."
@dnevogt
Nature and Length of the Pitch
"The slide deck you email an to an investor to read through should be much different than the deck you use when giving a presentation in person. We had about eight different decks at any given time while starting CoachUp, depending on if we’re giving a 3-minute pitch vs. a 10-minute pitch, whether the pitch was in person or not, and how knowledgeable the investor was about our industry."
@aradmand
