I explore this question in my short, mostly visual emails, crafted through my lens as a B2B communication consultant. Join me for insights on effective communication, marketing, psychology, and the philosophy of value.
Your solution - the least important part of your pitch
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When pitching to investors, spend as little time as possible talking about your solution. Sounds counterintuitive? Imagine this: Turns out this mom learned about the solution from another parent in the class, and almost all the parents are already using it with similar results! The best part? It only costs $7.99 a month. At this point, you are probably itching to sign up, even though I haven't told you what the thing IS. Is it an app? A book? A course? A gadget? Investors sift through dozens of pitches, where the solutions change but what they are attuned to remains the same - a sense of opportunity. There’ll be plenty of time later for them to dig into the details of your solution, but in this initial pitch, they are focused on 'markers of opportunity' like relevance or credibility. Your solution? It needs to be there as context but more than that - it becomes a distraction. P.S. |
What makes people value one thing over another?
I explore this question in my short, mostly visual emails, crafted through my lens as a B2B communication consultant. Join me for insights on effective communication, marketing, psychology, and the philosophy of value.
If you're in deep tech, you probably don't think of your presentations as "conveying emotions." That's something for actors or marketers, right? Wrong. Emotion isn't a side effect of your presentation—it's the goal. Every presentation aims to inspire action. Whether it's funding, buy-in, or a simple nod of interest, it's neurologically impossible for people to act without emotional involvement. Logic alone doesn’t move us—emotion does. (hence e-motion) Researchers found that people with...
Whether it's an investor pitch or a software product, narrative transforms randomness into harmony. It’s the difference between random facts and a clear, engaging experience. So, how do you develop a sense of narrative? Start by understanding what happens when something grabs your attention: Multiple brain regions are activated, simulating actions and emotions. Dopamine is released, driving engagement and focus. Mirror neurons fire, making us "experience" the story. The amygdala and...
I'm allergic to any formulaic approaches to pitching, like the common 'problem-solution-traction-team' template. Not because it's uncreative, but because it's UNSCIENTIFIC. These top-down frameworks are too simplistic and lack the rigor tech professionals typically display in other parts of their work. What's top down vs bottom up thinking? Imagine you get up at night to get a sip of cold water. You have a sufficient mental map of your apartment so you don't even turn on the lights - that's...