How To Pitch Angel Investors And Venture Capitalists

I hear from a great deal of my clients that they're looking for the secret to the, "best pitch to investors."  To me, this always sounds like looking for the secret to, "the best pitch to ask someone to prom."  There is no perfect method.  There is no secret.  At the end of the day, all you can do is show up and do your best.  There are, however, things you should remember to do and things you should definitely avoid.   

Strong Opening:  Start off the presentation strong.  This can be intimidating based on the fact that people get nervous over just how to craft those first few sentences that you're going to say to a potential investor, but that's why you practice.  Come up with a strong lead-in line, a humorous anecdote, or just a casual introduction to start the ball rolling.  Keep in mind that no matter how you open, the idea is to find a professional, but pleasant way to deliver the beginning to your pitch.  

Origin Story:  How did we get here?  The tired and true way to discuss the project you're pitching is to tell the story of how you conceived of the idea.  If it's a product, what precipitated the inspiration?  If it is a service, what was the need and how did you discover the market demand for it?  Keep this story tight, though.  Long-winded rambling tales can bore the audience when you forget that not everyone finds the same topic interesting.  Cover the key points and then move on.   

Visuals for Visualization:  Nothing beats a good prop for a presentation.  PowerPoint has made presenting to groups relatively simple and visually-appealing whether in business meetings or pitch sessions.  Don't use this as the only source for presentation material, though.  If possible, go out and have more professional looking digital slides done.  If your project requires a prototype, definitely have one produced so that investors can get a good look at what you're talking about.  

Healthy Body:  Change up the pace when discussing the project.  Don't keep an even tone throughout the whole pitch.  Making it feel like a more natural explanation will temper the fact that you're standing in front of strangers and asking them for money.  Also, don't oversell.  Confidence and arrogance have a great deal of similarities and can be easily interchanged when you're not careful.  Your idea is not the end-all-be-all on the planet, but you should still believe in it.  As long as you're not overselling it, then you should be able to convince others that it's worthwhile. 

The End:  Endings are just as important as openings.  Just make sure that you end as strong as you started.  Restate the key points from your initial pitch and cover the key points that you've already gone over and you should be able have a strong finish.   

Dynamic Duo or Dark Knight:  If any of these pieces of advice seem to be too much for you as an individual to accomplish, that is not as much as a negative as you might think.  Selecting an experienced proxy can be the wisest decision involving these sorts of presentations.  If you feel you can cover some of these points, but not all, then look into having a partner on board.  Splitting the workload can create a natural rhythm that can ease pacing issues or any impediments that may arise. 

These aren't the secret to the perfect pitch.  No, they're just the advice handed down to me from people who actually succeed in front of an investor.  You can take it or leave it, but at least listen to it.