Founder Institute: Week 11 - Pitch like It's for Peter Thiel

Says, “I am the greatest, that is understood,

But even I didn't know I could pitch that good!”

- Kenny Rogers, The Greatest

Why are you pitching? Before opening your mouth, decide what message you want to get across. What will your words accomplish? Are you talking to an investor to raise money? Are you talking to possible advisors to tap into their knowhow? Is it something else? Whatever your goal, be entertaining, have high energy, and inspire.

Simple, huh!? ;)

Some tips and tricks for the Pitch

Startup Wise Guys, an accelerator with a passion for early stage startups, took Founder Institute participants through practical pitch training. Erik and Calum from Wise Guys are used to seeing hundreds of pitches each month and train their startups to be the best in the world.

Pitch like it’s for Peter Thiel. Every time you introduce your company, act like you are pitching it to Peter Thiel (or whoever else your role model is). Aim that high and have that mentality. No use to do anything less.

Do this now: We (value proposition), for (customer), because (problem). Fill in the brackets to have a good one-sentence pitch.

Example: “We provide online platform for smart landlords to avoid sh*tty tenants” by CapIT24.

Take care of your value proposition. When talking to customers, be ready to pitch different value propositions to different segments. While some core customers might go for the price, then others care more for something else.

Example: “Our raw pet food lets pets live longer” by Dr. Ruul.

Finish with an ask every time. Don’t assume people can read minds. Every time you pitch, let people know what you need. Is it advice, money or something else?

Example: “We are going to grow beyond Baltic markets in the next 12 months. If you can help with this, we would love to talk.” by Targetta

Why don’t you talk about your success? Startup is a business so revenue models and traction are key components of presenting what you do. Put customer interaction into numbers and communicate it. For example, you can mark where your new users come from (e.g. through blog posts, ads) and leverage on that.

Check out the pictures!