Do you remember how your startup was formed—all the trials and tribulations, the highs and lows? If you’ve been in the startup ecosystem for a while now, you probably have enough material to write your own book. Now, imagine condensing that epic story into five to seven minutes. Dreadful, isn’t it?
But this is your investor pitch – something you should master. Prospective investors and business partners simply don’t have the time to listen to every startup life story they encounter. Often, they prefer a minimized version of a business proposal to judge if they should invest in a startup.
So how can you shrink your wonderful proposal into convenient sound bites when pitching to investors face-to-face? We helped you do some groundwork and sought the input of actual investors (who will also be present at Tech in Asia Tokyo 2017 to hear you pitch at our Speed Dating sessions).
Here’s what they said:
Finish ahead of time.
You have only that few minutes to get your point across especially during networking events. Sometimes, you have a leisurely 15-minute timeframe. Sometimes, it’s as short as five minutes. Regardless of how long it is, you should finish before the bell rings.
“Please end the pitch before [the deadline] so that we have some time for questions and answers,” said Quest Ventures. Even if your pitch is only a minute long, leaving time for investors to ask a question or two will help them clarify some points about your business.
Product first.
Singapore-based venture capitalist firm Rebright Partners tells entrepreneurs to always show their product first before focusing on the founders, the story, and other aspects of the business. An incredible story may help your case in the long run, but what investors are mainly looking for is a profitable product. Especially with just five minutes on both your plates, cut to the chase and give them what they want to hear.
If you don’t have a marketable product or a prototype yet, focus on your minimum viable product (MVP). Even just a slight preview of what you’ll eventually offer to the market could help sway investors to your side.
Know your stuff.
Fast talking can only get you so far. While you do have to put on your marketing hat for an excellent pitch, you have to know everyone’s there to understand your business, too. This includes reliable figures, well-researched data, and actual market studies. Sweet talking can hook them in. Doing your homework, however, can get them to stay for the afterparty.
“No bullshit,” as Global Founders Capital simply states. Investors are professionally trained to listen to your pitches. They can detect sugar-coated, flowery words from a mile away. Before approaching a potential investor, make sure you’ve done your homework.
Differentiate yourself from others.
The startup ecosystem is booming. You’re competing for the attention of investors with dozens, if not hundreds, of other startups. Firstly, you have to compete with the startups in your industry. Secondly, you have to stand out from other startups in the same room during networking.
Global investment firm Atomico invites pitching startups to answer a simple question: “What’s the unique user experience you can deliver that other companies don’t have?” Investors don’t want to hear their umpteenth pitch about a food delivery startup. They want to know why your startup rocks and how it will skyrocket above the competition.
See more: Deck your pitch with slides to impress (Bonus: free pitch deck template!)
Date an investor today
Do you have your pitch ready? Are you looking for willing and dependable investors for your startup? At Tech in Asia Tokyo 2017, thousands of startup founders and investors will gather for two full days of exhibition, workshops, and networking.
If you already have a Startup Pass or a Bootstrap Alley Exhibitor Pass, you can pre-register here for the Startup-Investor Speed Dating session, the best quick fire way to network and pitch your story to interested investors. Pre-registration ends on September 14.
No tickets yet? It’s not too late to grab yours! Purchase your passes below and get a 15 percent discount using the offer code tiatokyo15, valid until August 18.
Interested in more face time opportunities with investors? This November 1-2, over 50 international investors will also be down at Tech in Asia Jakarta 2017 to hear your pitch at our Startup-Investor Speed Dating sessions. Find out more about how you can participate here.
This post What a good pitch should be, according to investors appeared first on Tech in Asia.
from Tech in Asia https://www.techinasia.com/good-pitch-investors
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