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A Guide to Crafting the Perfect Startup Pitch

Pitch

As an entrepreneur with a unique business idea, your most difficult task is to make others believe in your idea as much as you do. Your knowledge of your business and the passion for its concept reflects in how you pitch your startup. While learning comes from failures, your target should always be to ace your pitch the first time you deliver it. The idea of pitching your business to the experienced investors can be quite daunting. You are standing in front of the people who can look right through you and your words. Any mistakes or misinformation can ruin the opportunity of a successful investment.

If you have watched a few episodes of the Shark Tank, you would know how brutal investors can be with their probing and reprimanding. While their harsh words can be quite painful, the more disappointing part is when you are not able to get the investment you want.

Regardless of all the internal and external forces, favoring and non-favoring odds, it is your perfect pitch that can win the investors over. What you need to focus on is how you can craft the perfect pitch that has the thinnest chances of being turned down by potential investors. Here are the tips that will help.

7 Tips to Craft and Deliver the Most Successful Business Startup Pitch

1)    Keep Your Pitch Short

Do whatever it takes—hire professionals or spend hundreds of hours brainstorming—but come up with a shortened, succinct and most effective version of your pitch. Don’t make your investors yawn. Split your pitch into three to four different phases and transition through them smoothly. For example, split your pitch into four parts that could look like this:

  • Tell the story how it started.
  • Explain clearly what your product/service is.
  • Give out numbers i.e. revenue, sales, profits, losses etc.
  • State the size of the investment you are looking for and explain what the purpose for which you need the said amount.

So, you could give 2 and half minutes to every part and complete your pitch in 10 minutes. Increase the time for the section which you believe needs more attention.

2)    Be VERY Clear about Your Product/Service

One of the biggest mistakes that startup teams make is not being able to explain the idea they are selling. It can often happen when you divide your product/service into multiple sections with each section solving a different problem. If you are not able to explain your product/service clearly, it is an indication of one of the two problems or both: 1) you have not worked on your pitch and 2) you don’t know your service/products very well yourself. As soon as the investors feel lost during your pitch, consider the opportunity lost too.

3)    Know Your Target Market and Product’s Uniqueness

Many entrepreneurs’ pitches have turned into nightmares because of this particular point. It is like an interviewer asking you, “Why should we hire YOU?” There might be many other products similar to yours in the market without you knowing about them. What you have to know is what makes yours unique/different.

You must also know the market you are targeting with your product. Keep in mind that investors are often not interested in products that only target a niche market. Take the example of selling Christmas trees that only sell in the Christmas season—indicates a niche market, a limited product.

4)    Know Your Numbers

If you have not done your homework on your numbers, you have no chance of getting an investor interested in your product. It’s sad but true. In fact, some investors are only interested in numbers as they believe it’s the numbers that tell the real story, not the business owner him/herself. Know your revenues, sales, losses, incomes, etc. Make sure you know your profits and revenues regarding months, quarters and years. If they ask you how much profit you made in last three months, you must come up with an answer immediately.

5)    Be Clear on How You Intend to Spend the Money

This section is where the investors will gauge how trustworthy you are and how good you are as a person in the leading position for your business. Of course, if you want money for your business you must also know where you are going to spend it. A few things that investors are trying to find out by asking “how you are going to spend the money” are as under:

  • You aren’t asking for money just because you haven’t been able to take a paycheck from your business.
  • You are not going to use the money to pay for debts and old investments.
  • You are not going to use the investment money for a business process that will not contribute to business’ growth and expansion.

If your demand for money ends up being for any of the reasons mentioned above, you are likely to be rejected for your investment.

6)    Show Your Passion

Barbara Corcoran, successful businesswoman and investor, says that she looks at the enthusiasm and passion of an entrepreneur for their business. She believes that you cannot fake passion. Whether you are pitching through an online platform or live in front of the investors, your passion can get them interested in your business even if it is not something they have done before.

7)    Choose the Right Platform

In today’s digital world, you can gather funds from investors through an online platform, which is the most popular and successful way for entrepreneurs to gather funds for their start-ups. However, when it comes to choosing the platform, you must pick one that has a reliable network of investors, significant traffic, reputable online image and great exposure for startups. One that fulfills all these requirements and more is Funded. Funded is currently one of the best and most reliable platforms for startups, especially when it comes to angel investors.

Final Word

As a startup, the presence and preparation of your competitors might be intimidating at first, but that’s what you need to change about yourself. Your competitors might have reached to a bigger network of investors, more inventory and better technologies to support their mission, but what can make the difference is your passion and confidence in your startup pitch.

Who we are: Funded.com is a platform that is A+ BBB rated over 10+ years. Access our network of Investors, get instantly matched with a Lender, or get a business plan by visiting us Funded.com

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How To Make The Perfect Pitch To An Angel Investor?

The time has come for you to make your pitch to your angel investor. Everything you have invested into your business start-up rides on this moment, and it is up to you to make the best impression possible. While it can be easy to get bogged down in the details of your presentation, you need to consider what is needed to pique the interest of your seed investor and not bore them into submission.

Think about what makes you stand out as a business startup and use your assets to your advantage. Sure, the numbers are important in your pitch, but they should be used judicially. Your private investor is investing in you as much as your business plan, and your performance will set the stage for that all-important funding.

Keep these tips in mind when you are developing the perfect pitch for your angel investor and be sure to keep it light, entertaining, and above all interesting. You only have a few minutes to garner their nod, and you want to make the most of this opportunity.

Be Relatable

Because an angel investor is buying into you as much as the products and services you are looking to market, you need to sell yourself first. Allow them to see inside your world with antidotes that they can relate to. A good story can connect you to your angel investor and allow you to be a reliable source that they wouldn’t mind working with.

Keep It Simple

You may be immersed in the industry and the lingo that it uses, but your seed investor will feel alienated by your use of jargon if they don’t understand. Simplify the message and teach them along the way. Don’t use acronyms and be sure to avoid technical specs if they aren’t necessary.

Incorporate Images

The images that you choose to showcase to your business startup are crucial to helping your private investor see your vision. Most people are visual and need the help of visual aids to get the message across. Keep your images simple and make sure they properly represent your products and services. A typical power point presentation uses 12 slides, nothing more, nothing less.

Invite the Team

You have no doubt selected the best people in the business to work with you. Your angel investor needs to see the whole team to know how valuable they are to your business startup and how they, along with you, can propel the company forward. Invite them to the pitch and introduce them and their strengths.

Show Them How It Works

Let your angel investor see your products up close and personal. Be sure to show them how it works. Provide them customized samples that are geared toward their likes. It’s even better if your product can solve a problem they have right now. They’ll be able to see the merits immediately and invite you into the fold. If it’s a service that you offer, let your angel investor try it out. Make this part of your pitches hands-on and personal as possible, so you stand out.

Tell Them About The Money

Money talks and you need to show your current revenue stream and the impact the new funding will make on your business. If new start up, show the capital disbursements in how the Angel Investors funds will be used. Be ready to provide details on your sales revenue year-to-year as well as all your costs. You should have these numbers memorized, so you look prepared. Also, don’t forget to announce any large orders you have secured that will be coming in the next month or year. The more you can show your private investor that you have the goods to make this work, the more opportunity you have to secure that funding for your business start-up.

Use A Realistic Valuation

When it comes time to provide your valuation, it is key that you are as realistic as possible. A valuation that is too high can show your inexperience while one that is too low can predict your demise. This is the most common error that business startups make, turning off investors before they have even seen the product.

Let Your Passion Shine

You certainly should show your passionate side when it comes to expressing why you need funding from your angel investor. If they see the motivation and excitement you have, they will be more willing to fund you as they know you will give it your all to succeed.

Propose An Exit Strategy

During your pitch, you need to show your investor how they will recoup the funding that they are offering up. Remember they don’t want to be a lifetime partner. They want to earn as much as they can and get out. Propose a payback strategy as well as an estimated timeline. This will allow them to see the ROI of funding your startup business and the potential for their investment.

Don’t Forget The Follow-Up

Once you have privately pitched an investor. You still need to seal the deal and ask for the sale. Follow up with persistence to get your funding as your investor may move quickly to a new startup opportunity. You’ll also have to hammer out the details through negotiations that could be tedious to agree on. Get the process going immediately so your startup business can move forward too.

 

More detailed information and useful advice can be found at Funded.com. If you need to access our network of angel investors or a business plan for start-up funding visit  Funded.com