Pitch Perfect: Crafting an Effective Startup Pitch
                     PITCH PERFECT: CRAFTING AN 
EFFECTIVE STARTUP PITCH
YOU NEED TO BE KNOWLEDGEABLE
• With your business idea in mind, it's time to sit 
down and learn. You need a thorough 
understanding of the industry you want to be 
part of. If you don't know what you're talking 
about, no one will want to invest in your idea.
Source: www.inc.com
DESCRIBE YOUR PRODUCT AND SERVICES
• Try not to focus on the idea of your business 
too much. Many people who are starting a 
business get so wrapped up in the idea of the 
business that they fail to talk about the 
product and services the business will provide.
Source: www.inc.com
DISCUSS HOW YOU INTEND TO ATTRACT 
CUSTOMERS
• You need a good strategy to attract 
customers. Regardless of how good your 
business idea is, investors won't support you if 
you don't have a compelling way of making 
your business desirable to the public.
Source: www.inc.com
PREPARE A COMPELLING VISUAL 
PRESENTATION
• Humans are visual creatures. So don't just tell 
your investors what your business is or how 
they'll profit from it, show them. There are 
many tools to create a visual aid to go with 
your pitch. You could use a PowerPoint 
presentation or an online platform.
Source: www.inc.com
MANAGE YOUR TIME WELL
• You should not spend too much time pitching 
your idea. Thirty minutes should be more than 
enough time for the pitch. Before asking for a 
meeting with potential investors, condense 
your information to fit in that time frame; be 
brief, but comprehensive.
Source: www.inc.com
KNOW WHO YOU’RE PITCHING
• Some entrepreneurs try to get in front of 
every investor, despite their industry 
expertise or firm’s investment stage. You need 
to consider that, when you accept an 
investment, it’s about more than money; you 
enter into a partnership. 
Source: online.hbs.edu
CONSIDER HOW YOU’RE PRESENTING 
YOURSELF, NOT SIMPLY YOUR IDEA
• Although your ideas and skills matter, your 
personality is equally as important. 
• According to research published in the 
Harvard Business Review, venture capitalists’ 
interest in a startup “was driven less by 
judgments that the founder was competent 
than by perceptions about character and 
trustworthiness.”
Source: online.hbs.edu
TELL A STORY
• When describing your business idea, zero in 
on the problem you’re addressing and how 
you’re solving it better than the competition. 
• You could do this by presenting a real-life 
scenario in which you describe the pain point 
a current or prospective customer faced and 
how your product or service fixed the issue.
Source: online.hbs.edu
SHOW THE ROADMAP
• Although you’re in the early stages of your 
business, investors want to know how they’ll 
cash out in the end. To clinch your pitch, 
highlight your exit strategy and the options 
available.
Source: online.hbs.edu
THANK YOU