{"id":5059,"date":"2015-08-26T06:00:03","date_gmt":"2015-08-26T13:00:03","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/thinkapps.com\/blog\/?p=5059"},"modified":"2015-08-25T17:40:09","modified_gmt":"2015-08-26T00:40:09","slug":"startup-pitch-podcast","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thinkapps.com\/blog\/post-launch\/startup-pitch-podcast\/","title":{"rendered":"Mastering the Art of the Startup Pitch"},"content":{"rendered":"

Whether you’re on\u00a0stage at Demo Day or trying to convince the\u00a0first customer to sign up, continually mastering your startup pitch should be one of your top priorities as a founder.<\/em><\/p>\n

Before they give you money, VCs want to know that you’ve not only created something great, but that you’ve got the competence, foresight, and flexibility to build your big idea into an actual game changer. Meanwhile, potential users want to know that you’re not just another app but actually\u00a0have their best interests in mind.<\/p>\n

Whether you’re looking for funding, users, or both, you have to sell people\u00a0with your startup\u00a0pitch. And who better to ask for advice\u00a0than the hosts of the new podcast\u00a0The Pitch<\/a>?<\/p>\n

Josh Muccio<\/a> and Sheel Mohnot<\/a> started\u00a0The Pitch podcast in June. <\/em>On each bi-weekly episode, startup founders pitch their product to a network of angel investors.\u00a0In addition to\u00a0this project, Muccio hosts The Daily Hunt<\/a> podcast and Mohnot is an angel investor.<\/p>\n

In a recent interview, they gave us some invaluable insight\u00a0about the best and worst startup pitch they’ve heard and how to perfect yours.<\/h3>\n

\"startup<\/a><\/h2>\n

What\u2019s the most non-conventional startup pitch you\u2019ve heard?<\/h2>\n

Mohnot<\/strong>:\u00a0It’s actually one of my own. We were pitching my startup FeeFighters<\/a> at a FinTech conference in New York full of stodgy people. We wrote a pretty funny script that involved magic, Samuel L. Jackson, and a little bit of swearing, and it went over really\u00a0well. The crowd loved us and we won “Best of Show” at the conference.<\/p>\n

This proved to me that humans are humans, and everyone loves humor and excitement.\u00a0You can present something as boring as a new payment gateway\/processor<\/a> via humor. You can see the video here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Whether your audience is investors or potential customers, accelerators like Highway1<\/a> are a great resource for\u00a0helping you craft your startup pitch into an engaging story.<\/em><\/p>\n

What\u2019s the most important part of the startup pitch?<\/h2>\n

Muccio<\/strong>: At the seed stage, it’s hard to really get a sense for a company. So, there are three\u00a0things that I think drive investments:<\/p>\n

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  1. Traction:<\/strong>\u00a0If you have traction, that trumps everything.<\/li>\n
  2. Team is crucial:<\/strong>\u00a0Prove to me that you are smart and\u00a0determined to win.<\/li>\n
  3. Tell a story:\u00a0<\/strong>If you built this product to solve a problem you\u00a0were having, then tell that story in a compelling way. If you’re building it for a target audience other than yourself, then tell the story of one of your first customers. The story should clearly communicate the problem you are solving and the vision you have for the future. Then you can talk about how you solve this problem better than anyone else.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    YC partner\u00a0Michael Seibel<\/a>\u00a0breaks this down in his own format<\/a>\u00a0for a 30-second and 2-minute startup pitch.<\/em><\/p>\n

    What\u00a0are the first questions VCs ask after a startup pitch?<\/h2>\n

    Mohnot<\/strong>:<\/p>\n

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