The Secrets to a Successful Pitch

From 9 Top Venture Capitalists

01. If your pitch isn't going well, it's totally
appropriate to say, "Are you with me? Does this
make sense to you?" Then you have an
opportunity to address whatever the concern is.
Spend the time and get to the bottom of it. The
worst thing you can do is press on.

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If you are on slide one and everyone nods, and
there are other bullet points on that slide,
move on. Otherwise, if they've already nodded
and you're still talking about that same thing,
they're going to be checking their email.

- Josh Makower, general partner on the health care

team of venture giant New Enterprise Associates

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Don't be afraid to talk about what keeps you
up at night or share your weaknesses. Failing to
acknowledge the skills you lack as a founder is
the greater weakness.

- Amy Nauiokas, founder and CEO of Anthemis

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Ask real questions about the type of
relationship investors expect to have with their
portfolio companies.

- Amy Nauiokas, founder and CEO of Anthemis

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Every leader tells us about their own
background, but you should also talk about
your team. That shows us you're humble and
have respect for the other people involved.

- Jenny Abramson, founder and managing director of

Rethink Impact

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Don't be overly conservative about how big
the business can get. VCs will require a haircut
on whatever numbers entrepreneurs give
them.

- Jenny Abramson, founder and managing director of

Rethink Impact

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You can't keep trade secrets from your
investors.

- Barry Schuler, managing director at DFJ Growth

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The number-one sign of complete
transparency is an entrepreneur who says, "I
don't know the answer to that question, but I
will get it to you."

- Barry Schuler, managing director at DFJ Growth

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Keep it short-four bullet points per slide. It
really detracts from the pitch if you're up there
talking with passion next to a slide that's
unintelligible.

- Barry Schuler, managing director at DFJ Growth

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Practice answering questions you have the
biggest insecurities with, either because of
your business model or your ability to present
it. You don't need to eliminate all risks or
uncertainties, but you do need to know how to
talk about them.

- Victoria Fram, co-founder and managing director of

VilCap Investments

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Sweat the financial details. You need to show
an awareness that one of your jobs is to not run
out of cash. You need to speak intelligently on
dilution and valuation. Say why you're raising a
given amount, what milestones that money
will allow you to achieve, and what milestones
come next.

- Victoria Fram, co-founder and managing director of

VilCap Investments

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Put your credentials front and center. If you
can start a sentence with, "When I was getting
my PhD at MIT," it's not bragging. People know
that took a long time and a lot of work.

- Ita Ekpoudom, New York City-based partner at

GingerBread Capital,

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Have up to three asks. If someone says,
"Maybe I'm not going to write a check, but
what could I do that would be helpful?" you
should have three key things in mind.

- Ita Ekpoudom, New York City-based partner at

GingerBread Capital,

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A pitch deck shouldn't be more than 15
slides, and it should be as visual as possible.
Sometimes, you'll see these beautifully done
40-slide decks. No one is going to read all that.

- Ita Ekpoudom, New York City-based partner at

GingerBread Capital,

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We love it when people open spreadsheets
and dashboards in meetings. Early-stage
operators should be grounded in the minutiae.

- Brett Berson, partner at First Round Capital

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Most breakout startups have a sound core
business. If you're pitching nine potential
revenue streams in addition to your core
business, that is concerning. It implies you may
not think the core business is that strong.

- Brett Berson, partner at First Round Capital