Some Tips for Pitching at Kickstart | RISE Summit – 4th February

In the pitch, you should establish that you:

• Are a world-class team: Highlight accomplishments from the past that would make
someone want to bet on you
• Are solving a BIG problem for a LARGE number of people
o Investors look at it to understand how big a company can you potentially
become
o Investors want to invest in companies that will become 200 - 1000 Crore in a
5-7 year period.
o Think about this scale, then paint them a picture of how you are going to
accomplish this target. It should be crystal clear to you. Think big and plan
things.
o Then pitch to your mentors and people whose opinion you value. Let them
punch holes in your pitch and ask you difficult questions. Find the answers to
their questions as well.
o Establish that you are actually capable of working out your plan. This can be
done by initiating conversations with potential customers and getting letters of
intent.
• Show that you have a great product that works well:
o Highlight the USP of your product.
o If you want, you can demo this for 1 minute. But be cognizant of the time.
• Encouraging traction / Some early users or customers:
o Share about your early customers and their feedback.
o Talk about your revenue and the growth you have been experiencing month on
month.
o If you are a consumer application, share your MAU / DAUs.
• Teach them something about your space that they did not know:
o This is an important point and you should not take it lightly. You know your
business well.
o Talk about user behavior and other fundamental insights uniquely available to
you out of operating this business and in this space.
• Leave 5 minutes for the investors to ask you questions
o Questions can be to test your understanding or to actually evaluate your
startup’s suitability for funding
o Even if you don't agree with something, don’t try to justify your point, try to
absorb what the investor is saying. Be open to feedback
• Self Practice your 5-minute pitch at least 4-5 times and then practice it with
someone else (perhaps your mentor or your business partner) and take their feedback
• Be confident - You are ready to pitch!