For entrepreneurs looking for funding to grow their business, pitching is crucial… As a part of the Denver Metro Small Business Development Center’s (SBDC) Trout Tank program, entrepreneurs can learn how to hone their pitch and grab the attention of lenders and investors.
Are you ready to pitch? Here’s three quick tips to be pitch perfect from Dave Harris, operations director of Rockies Venture Club.
The clock starts once you start talking
The start of your pitch is crucial, and time begins ticking once you start talking. Cheat time by putting up a great introductory slide. Include your company name, logo and a tweet-length description of your company.
The 10 seconds between when you get introduced and when you start talking (the title slide) will have already provided the audience an introduction of the company they are about to fall in love with.
Pro Tip: Use your slides as a presentation guide for the investors, but don’t put every piece of information on your slides. They’re your tool to enhance the story; you’re there to tell it.
The team matters most
Careful not to put your team slide in the front of your deck – the audience doesn’t have enough information at the beginning of your pitch to determine if your all-star team has the right skill-set and experience to match the value proposition of your business.
Include the c-suite of your company, with headshots, titles or roles and some information on their backgrounds. Make it visual. Include the logos of the former corporate or startup companies where your team cut their teeth.
Pro Tip: If you have an impressive board or group of advisers, include them on a follow-up slide — that can go a long way for angel investors.
Create a summary slide to drive Q&A
Your final slide can be just as much of an asset as all of your previous slides. Include a concise summary slide that includes some of the key points of your pitch. This can help to spark questions from the investors, who may have not retained every detail of the presentation. You should also build in some “back pocket” or appendix slides to speak to during Q&A.
Pro Tip: If hands are not going up during Q&A and you still have some time left on the clock, just say, “We often get asked this question…” and flash to one of your “back pocket” slides.
Want to learn how to develop your pitch even further? Be a part of SBDC’s Trout Tank Pitch Accelerator to take your business to the next level. Registration opens May 1.
Olivia Rollene was the marketing and program coordinator for the Denver Metro SBDC.