Thirty seconds. That’s all you have to capture an investor’s attention through your elevator pitch, so why should they sink money into your company?
Venture capitalists like Shaheel Hooda are busy fielding competing demands with limited time, so when they hear a pitch that’s vague, unexciting, or filled with buzzwords, it’s easy to say no. They’re looking for clarity, momentum, and a big vision presented in a concise, relatable way.
“You should be able to convey a lot of information in 30 seconds but still be emotional, story-driven,” Hooda said. “Not dense. Not jargony.”
Don’t ramble
Session one of Hooda’s Masterclass: Get Ready, Set, Raise introduced the idea that fundraising is like dating. Session two took it a step further: your pitch is the pickup line. How can you spark enough curiosity to earn that date?
“It needs to lead to, ‘I really want to meet with this founder. I really want to learn more about this business.’ Just like the first date, ‘I really want to learn about this person,’” Hooda said.
“Proximity leads to relationship. Relationship leads to trust. Trust leads to investment.”
Investors are listening for:
- a bold hook
- a clear, massive problem
- a unique solution
- early traction
- a confident ask
Session two fostered an environment for founders to draft their pitch, receive immediate feedback, and muster the courage to stand and deliver it to the room. There were some nerves, hesitancy, and discomfort, but participants persisted. Then came the multi-million-dollar question: would you invest? There was nowhere to hide.
Nothing beats confronting fear in a small setting of peers going through the exact same thing: trying to boil down what only your business can do in a punchy, digestible manner without getting granular.
It might be intimidating to be in the spotlight, especially when you’re presenting an unpolished snapshot of your business as you ask for money, but practising is the only real way to build confidence.
“Own the space. Don’t let the space own you,” Hooda said.
Founders left the class saying they plan to finesse their hook, emphasize scalability, reduce ambiguity, and record themselves to truly see how they come across — you might as well perceive yourself as potential investors would.
Uncomfortable exercises like this point to the bigger challenge in early-stage funding: how best can you communicate the value of what you’re building?
To hone your pitch, consider dropping by to book one of our meeting rooms with a fellow founder to build confidence together, one practice at a time. We’re passionate about creating a space for founders to connect with the community and cultivating Pitch Culture to showcase what they’re building.