Now That’s How You Pitch a Startup! A Look at the Last Founder Showcase-Winning Pitch

The first major lesson entrepreneurs can take away from this pitch relates to slide design.

Too often, entrepreneurs try to fit tons of information into each slide, with a "the more the merrier" mentality. What they don't realize is that this does nothing but confuse the audience, because you are forcing them to read the slides and listen to the presenter at the same time. 

Lucy nails the slide design in her pitch - none of her slides have more than a few words on them, and instead they include imagery, product demos, and simple illustrations. The slides are there to visually guide the audience through her pitch, and they complement the words coming out of her mouth perfectly. 

"I love the fact that your slides are just images and then you tell the story - that's a great way to do it" - Jeff Richards, Managing Partner of GGV Capital on stage at the Founder Showcase

The second lesson relates to narrative.

At no point in Lucy's pitch are you confused, because she tells the story of her company with a very clear narrative.

In short, the narrative breaks down like this;

1. She Describes the Problem

The beginning of Lucy's outlines a clear problem: 1 in 5 people have foot problems, and everyone's feet are different - but the limitations of traditional manufacturing result in limited size choice for consumers.

2. She Describes the Solution:

Lucy then segways into Feetz, showing product demos of the app taking measurements of her own feet. Then, only after Lucy has described the problem and shown us the app does she segway into how Feetz can deliver the product within 7 days: 3D Printing. 

This sounds simple, but your average entrepreneur would have probably led the pitch with 3D printing, simply because it's "hot" and "sexy". Instead, Lucy stayed true to the narrative, and introduced 3D printing only within the construct of her story.

3. She Describes the "Company"

After completing the Problem/ Solution narrative, Lucy then segways into the company, outlining the team, traction (press and 1,000 beta testers), and plan for growth.  

4. She Has an "Ask"

Lucy makes why she is a pitching very clear: "a seed of $1.5 million".

Every pitch should end with an ask. 

One Final Lesson

At the end of your pitch, you should always have an impactful slide that contains basic information and leaves a lasting impression. The reason? Whether you are pitching on stage at a competition, or to investors in a small board room, the final slide will stay on screen for several minutes.