Slaying the DragonsHow to Pitch to Investors

Agenda

Who are you pitching to?

What to include in your pitch

How do you present your

pitch

Who are you pitching to?

Who are you pitching to?

Elevator Pitch• Goal: introduce what you do• 30-90 seconds• Network to get follow up meetings

Elevator Pitch

Introduce your company to the audience• We are [company].• We make/provide/sell [your solution]• For [target customers]• Who need to solve [problem].• Unlike [competition] • Our solution [unique value proposition].

Elevator Pitch

• We are Car2Go.• We provide a car rental service• For mobile urban citizens • Who need a car for short trips but do not own a

car.• Unlike rental car companies and taxis• Our service offers per minute car rental that

allows customers to use and leave cars wherever they are, for less than 50 cents per minute

Example

Elevator Pitch Tips

Plain English

Every word counts

Memorize it

Test & adapt

Who are you pitching to?

Full investor pitch• Goal: find out who is interested• Less is more

• 5-15 minutes• Present for 5-7 minutes max• 10 slides max, with backup• Use remainder for Q&A

• Questions = Interest!

• “One thing I like to tell founders is the more you talk, the more you have an opportunity to say something that people don’t like. Talk less and it will probably be better.”

Michael Seibel, Partner Y-Combinator

• “There is no danger with having too short a pitch because an interested party will ask for more information. There is great danger with having too long a pitch because you’ll bore the audience.”

Guy Kawasaki, Startup Guru

What to include in your pitch

Investor Pitch

What to include in your pitch• Start with your elevator pitch• Add details on

• Problem• Solution• Market size• Competition• Business

model

• Traction• Your “ask”• The “plan”• Forecast• Team• Exit

Investor Pitch

What problem are you solving?• Describe the market opportunity

• Tell a story!• Why has it not been solved

• Share your unique insight

How will you uniquely solve this?• Describe your solution

• Demo (sometimes)• What is your “secret sauce”?• Sell the company, not the product

Investor Pitch

How big is the market?• Describe the market opportunity

• Be specific!

Who are your competitors?• Direct competitors and “Alternatives”• How are you different

• Compare, e.g. 2x2 quadrant• Be realistic

• Never, ever say “no competition”!

Sample competitive Quadrant

Investor Pitch

How will you make money?• What is your business model• How will you “monetize” your customers

What is your traction?• How many customers/users do you have• What is your revenue• How fast are you growing• Other relevant metrics

• Cost of acquisition• Conversion• Cost of Goods Sold

Investor Pitch

What are you asking for?• How much are you raising?• What do investors get in return

• Know investment terms• Or, are you looking for advisors, mentors, staff?

What will you do with the money?• What will the funds be used for?• How will you execute on the growth plan?

Investor Pitch

What is your forecast?• Make sure it is realistic• Optional slide – make it part of your backup

• Interested investors will ask for this!

Who is on your team?• People invest in people, not ideas• Optional slide – only if strong & relevant

Investor Pitch

What are your “exit” plans?• State your intentions• Highlight comparables in the industry

Questions from the audience• Always leave time for this• Know your state of business• Know your metrics• Have additional details as “backup” slides• Don’t answer if you don’t know

How do you present your pitch

Just remember…

Investors don’t like bacon

If you put lipstick on a pig…. It’s still a pig

Top 10 Presentation Tips

Practice

Do not read

Face the audience

Relax & slow down

Practice

Walk around

Be energetic & passionate

Font size 24+

Looks matter

Repeat questions

Practice

Need help?

Accelerators

Local resource to help prepare your pitch• Programs to create your “lean canvas business

model”• Mentors/Executive-in-Residence• Investor networks

Accelerators

Need more help?

Pitch reviewsMatching Government Grants

Networking

1-855-534-8433concierge.innovation.gc.ca