Over the course of my career managing a business Incubator in London, I was pitched by a ton of founders. The pitches were often heavy in detail around the product and a bit chaotic. It was often quite difficult to garner what the core idea was. What is he mission, the raison d’etre here I would often ask.
Before we get started, one key tip: only seek to raise capital if you absolutely need it.
Below is a list of 12 tips that will help you convince potential investors that you are worth betting on. These are often not included in the lists you see online, probably because the people writing the lists have never raised capital. That is why I have included them here.
- Keep it simple, both in terms of the business model… and the presentation
- Do include financials
- Make the financials believable and evidenced
- Ensure financials are in the milestones
- Know the industry you are aiming to disrupt
- Explain why you are different from other players
- What are the barriers to entry?
- Understand the risk to the investor
- Explain what any money raised will be spent on
- Leave your ego at the door
- Do not hide behind acronyms and buzzwords
- Finally, if you don’t know the answer, admit it