Making the VC pitch

Making the VC Pitch
How to engage venture capitalists so they
invite you back for the more important
second meeting
Presented by: www.kickstartall.com

• test You’re on the
calendar!
You just scheduled a meeting
with a VC or angel investor.
You’re excited about having an
opportunity to show your new
product idea.
You have 20 minutes,
maybe, to make your case.
Do you know what you are
going say?
What is it, exactly, that you
want from them?

VC Presentation Horror Stories
Let me tell you
about myself. I’m
awesome. I did
this, and this, and
this. Everything I
touch turns to
gold. Have I told
you about me?
Guess what?
It’s not about you!
Tip: Don’t get too
wrapped up in yourself.
The Mummy: An entrepreneur spent 20 minutes talking about himself.
It’s about your customers
and the problem they are
trying to solve.
Well, it’s very nice meeting
you, but I’m sorry, we’re
out of time.

Twenty years ago, the
WDE industry adopted
a predilection for
applying sophisticated
MQT algorithms to
unify the UPG code-
base to include open
source, SaaS and now
cloud based solutions
that hyperscale . . .
Speak the language
of your audience.
Tip: Leave the jargon to a
minimum.
The Mad Scientist: An entrepreneur began his presentation with a very technical introduction.
What are you talking
about? I still don’t get
what you do.
VCs are business people, not
technical experts.

Hi. We know the same
people. How do you
know Fred? What do
you think of Fred? How
do you like the city?
How’s your family?
How about them
Giants?
Be respectful of
the clock.
Tip: Control the agenda.
The Time Sucker: An entrepreneur spent all his time on small talk.
Great meeting you. Too
bad we didn’t have time
to talk about your
product.
Time is precious. Get to the
point. Don’t waste your
opportunity.

We don’t have a
business plan yet (I
didn’t know I needed it
for this meeting). But I
have a lot of great
ideas. First let me tell
you about market
growth in China. The
feature set could be
broad and general, or
we could customize it.
Oh, and don’t let me
forget . . .
Be prepared and
professional.
Tip: If you cannot
deliver a compelling
business case in 20
minutes, you are not
ready.
The Incoherent Monster: Beware of the unprepared presenter.
Come back when you
have a business plan.
Avoid presentations that
look like you pulled random
ideas or slides together.

The objective of your presentation is
simple: to engage
Tell me
more!

5 Rules to Govern your Presentation
To be taken seriously, you must be personal,
yet professional. And you must be confident
and comfortable in engaging in a
meaningful dialog.
What you say is just as important as how
you say it.
VCs listen to hundreds of presentations
every year. How will yours stack up?
These 5 rules will help you prepare an
effective presentation.

Rule #1: Less is More
• Present an executive summary.
• Don’t overwhelm them with
details. (10 slides, max!)
• Engage the VC in a dialog, not a
lecture.
• Invite them to ask questions.
The objective of the first meeting is
to make a good enough impression
that they will invite you back. That
means:

Rule #2: Own the marketing high ground
• Know your target persona
• Focus your positioning
statement
• Create a compelling story
(via the Message Box
technique)
Lead with the
customer problem,
not the technology
See templates
and examples
in here.

Rule #3:
Anticipate the
questions they
will ask
• What problem are you solving with this new
product or service?
• How big is this problem or opportunity (i.e.
target market size)?
• Why did you build this?
• What will your target customers (personas)
think of your product or service?
• How have they coped without your
product/service?
• How does your product compare with
competitive alternatives?
• How do you plan to reach this market?
• What do you want from us?
Tip: You should be prepared with
concise answers.

Rule #4: Control the agenda
By anticipating the questions, you
can control the agenda.
You must try to avoid distractions
or paths of questioning that take
you away from achieving your
objective.
Remember: You have limited time
to make your business case. Even if
you think you have an hour on the
their agenda, it is best to assume
you will have only 20 minutes to
present your case.
VCs will appreciate a concise,
clearly focused presentation,
allowing more time for questions.

Rule #5: Always end with a call-to-action
Most meetings end with an uncertain next step.
Don’t let that happen to you.
If you end the meeting with a “wait and see”
attitude, then they will probably never call you
back.
Be bold, but not aggressive.
Include a clear call-to-action. Ask for their interest
and availability to continue the dialog you’ve
started today.

VC Presentation Agenda
An example
The Problem
• What is the problem your target customers face?
The Evolution of Alternative Solutions
• Why aren’t current products sufficient to solve this problem today?
The Criteria for Competitive Advantage
• Regardless of vendor selected, what criteria do customers require?
Why You’ll Succeed
• Corporate summary
• Market size and opportunity
• Product suite and roadmap
• Benefits and competitive advantage
• Sales and marketing strategy
• Financial forecasts
• Investment strategy
Summary
• What do you want from these VCs?
• Call to action

Take advantage of our special offer:
FREE 30 minute consultation to review your presentation
Janet Gregory and Mike Gospe are sales and marketing executive coaches with a specialty in
assisting entrepreneurs and business executives to become better communicators. Give us a
call to schedule a 30 minute phone consultation.
Janet Gregory
(510) 693-7546
janetg@kickstartall.com
Mike Gospe
(650) 464-7662
mikeg@kickstartall.com
Also, click on
The Marketing High Ground by Mike Gospe
www.kickstartall.com

Making the VC pitch

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