Pitching tips for start-ups from me, UCF and Guy Kawasaki

1. Art of the Pitch

2. Is a Pitch.
You have less than a page to
attract people and explain what
they get for investing.
One key = the video!

3. “if your idea can’t be conveyed
in a sentence its survival is
already in doubt”

4. Hello! We live in an
ADD/text/tweet world.

5. Today’s Situation
You are Telling a Story.
Who What Why How
It's not the complete story
Just the most compelling one

6. Your Pitch is a Story
Who What Why How
It's not the complete story:
Just the most compelling one.
(And hopefully it won’t put
everyone asleep.)

7. It’s Not About You
It's about them - the audience.
Frame it that way.
WIII4M
Who is the Audience?

8. The strength of the idea is not
enough. It’s about whether it
resonates and clicks into place in the
mind of your user in a heartbeat.

9. Very Important Point
You are NOT pitching a great idea,
team or product.
You ARE pitching what your business
will do for investors and for customers
SO, pitch how your business will solve
a tangible problem that exists
TODAY!!

10. Kill the geek speak
Focus on customer benefits, not
technical benefits.
Tell a story that paints a personal
picture for your audience.

11. Tips from UCF
Explain yourself in the first minute.
Grab them by the throat.
"So what?"
Know your audience.
10/20/30:
10 slides, 30 point font, 20 min max
"total addressable market"

12. 10 Pieces of the Pitch by UCF
1. Problem 6. Competition
2. Your Solution 7. Team
3. Biz model 8. Projections and
milestones
4. The Magic
9. Status and timeline
5. Marketing
10.Summary /call to
action

13. P
R
A
C
T
I
C
E

14. Coach, Mentor, Co-Founder, Board of Advisors

16. Slide 1 of 10: Overview
Insert “wow!” descriptive text with a
compelling proposition, no more than 10
words.
One-sentence “wow!” explaining exactly,
tactically what you do. There should be no
question about what business you are in and
who your customer is after this 60-second
description.

17. Slide 2: Problem / Opportunity
What searing pain do you cure?
Or, what great opportunity do you tap?
How many people/organizations feel
this pain or provide this opportunity?

18. Slide 3: Unfair Advantages
(Advantage 1) - What makes you special?
(Advantage 2) - Why will you win?
(How do you maintain unfair advantages?)
Why is the field tilted in your direction? It can be
technology, relationships, founders.
“We’re smart, hardworking, and really believe”
doesn’t cut it. Everybody says that.
Highly unlikely that it’s patents, too.

19. Demo
This is the place to do a demo. Ten minutes is long
enough. Try not to get sucked into a long demo so
you can’t finish your presentation.

20. 5) Sales and Marketing
How will you rollout? How will you introduce your
product or service?
How much have you done already?
How will you achieve critical mass? Sorry but “we’ll
go viral” isn’t a strategy. Neither is WOM.
What is the source of this expertise?
Tactics, tactics, tactics -- not wishful thinking

21. COMPETITION
We can, it can’t
’ It can, we can’t
’
(Competitor 1)
(Competitor 2)
(Competitor 3)

22. 6) Competition
Assume that the audience knows as much, and
maybe more, about the segment as you do.
If you say “we have no competition,” it usually
means that you’re either (a) clueless or (b)
addressing a market that doesn’t exist.
The reason why you want to show what you can’t
do is to build your credibility. If you’ll admit how
your competition is better than you, people are
more likely to believe you when you discuss how
you’re better than your competition.

23. 7) Business Model
• (Pricing)
• (Value of each customer)
• (Customer acquisition cost)
How will you make money?
Don’t show multiple revenue streams and don’t
try to make the point that you’re inventing a new
way to make money.
The most important thing to explain is the
assumptions in your business model and how
they determined the financial projections in the
previous slide.

24. Forecast // Vision of Evolution
Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 Year 4 Year 5
# of Customers
# of Employees
Sales
Expenses
Profits
“You’re pulling numbers out of the air and you have
no idea what will happen.”

25. Slide 9: Team
(Name, key facts)
(Name, key facts)
(Name, key facts)
3-4 key people. Highlights only. Use the logos of
recognizable past employers.
Do not list your accountant, law firm, and other vendors.
You’re paying them. They’re not “investing” in you. If
you’re going to list advisors, ensure that they are really
well-known for the market you’re going after.

26. 10) Status and Milestones
Current status
First ship?
First revenue?
Where are you now?
What are the next 2-3 big milestones?

27. Your Slidedeck
Don’t have slides this busy.
Guy says that because he is Guy he can – you
aren’t him.
Slides are to paint a story – not to be the story.
Reading your slides will annoy those you are
pitching to!!!!

28. Now People Who
Have Pitched
Reuben Pressman
Susie Steiner
Sean Davis

29. Acknowledgements
UCF
Guy Kawasaki
Other sources that I have collected
over the years.