Tell your start-up story

Pitching for investment success

Miriam Gilbert – Storytelling with Numbers

90% start-up investment pitches fail

Lack of preparationOf content and soft skills

No investment fitDoes not meet investors’ portfolio need

No compelling storyProduct / Business idea is not convincing

Weak teamExpertise and dynamics are not convincing

Understand your audience

Not all investors are the same – who are they?

What do you know about your audience?

Are they:• Angels or VC’s?• Leaders of followers?What is the investment fit?

Common mistakesand how to avoid them when pitching

Solve a problem

Focusing on the problem rather than your solution creates interest and human connection

Present a strong team

Make sure your team’s expertise shines through and you demonstrate great team dynamic

The right balance

Present all the critical data but don’t provide a lecture. You want to sell your idea, not educate

Level of detail

Critical information

Address the obvious

questionsDon’t pretend there are no competitors or risks. Admit past mistakes and explain what you learned from them.

Keep the audience engaged

Don’t talk too fast or too long (20min

max)

Never read the slides

Make eye contact

Invite questions

Be mindful of cultural differences

Shaking hands

Eye contact

Common phrases

Using first names

Other?

I say tomatoes, You say tomatoes

Use storytelling for impact

Make your pitch really memorable

Audiences remember

1 week after pitch

during pitch

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90%100%

% data retention

100%10%of the

data

of the Story

but almost

How stories work

Stories provide a frame of reference and can create an emotional connection

Status Quo

Challenge

Proposal

Conflict

Real solution ACTION

Call to

Simple storyline

Ideas from everyday life

Create

persona

Compare and contrast

Set in context

Analogies

Personal / shared experience

Simple language tricksTo achieve greater influence

This is great

BUT…

I agree and that means…

I agree and that is why…

As you notice / realise / see / experience…

you will…

Use straightforward design techniques

You can apply immediately

Chose a theme and apply consistently

Consistent fonts – max. 3 styles

Consistent backgrounds – simple is best

Consistent style elements

Uncluttered – lots of white space

A monochromatic colour scheme looks professional

15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 55 60 65 70 75 80 85 90 950

2

4

6

8

10

12

14Freq.

Details in hand-out

Keep technical details, complex tables and drawings for the hand-out

0) Cover Slide1) Elevator Pitch Slide2) Team3) Board Members & Advisers & Future Hires (Optional, combine w/ team slide)4) Market Opportunity: Define Market, Size & Target Client5) Market Problem & Current Solutions6) Your Solution (1-5 slides)7) Traction & Awards (Optional, if none yet) (1-3 slides)8) Market Fit / Competition (Optional, can be explained in slide 5 & 6)9) Competitive Advantages (Optional, can be explained in slides 5 & 6)10) Business Model: Key Revenue Streams11) Marketing Approach & Strategy: Key Expenses / Time-Efforts12) Financial Projections13) Exit Strategy (Optional)14) The Ask: Capital Raise / Uses / Intros15) Closing Slide: Questions? Contact Details

Slides to include in your slide deck

Q & A

THANK YOU!Wishing you the best of luck, Miriam Gilbert

Email:

miriam@storytellingwithnumbers.com

Tel: +44 (0) 783 40 59 240

Web: www.storytellingwithnumbers.com

Twitter: MiriamRGilbert