Clarisse Molad

1. Dr. Clarisse Behar Molad
Balkan Unlimited, President of the Board

2.  Professor of global business management
with emphasis on technology
entrepreneurship
 Over 15 years experience as an international
consultant to start-ups, corporations, NGO’s
and governments
 Began working in the Balkans in 2004 as
Fulbright Scholar and USAID consultant
 Helped create Balkan Unlimited as a result of
work with Macedonian Government on an
Innovation Initiative in 2010-2011
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3.  Business plans are useful in a world
where analysis gives you control over
the future, but in a start-up today,
even the best-laid business plans
often fall short!
 You can write a beautiful 50-page
business plan without ever talking to a
potential customer.
 This will NOT attract an investor…
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4.  You need to persuade investors in a
very short time that your company has
the technical expertise, business
acumen and potential to develop
innovative products for a ready
market.
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5.  The overall objective of the pitch is to
make a sound business case for your
company. So…
 Outline the value of investment
proposition and demonstrate how
investors are going to benefit from the
company’s progress through a handful
of well-placed key messages that
resonate with investors.
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6.  Show the concrete steps you have
taken to develop your
proposed/existing business
 Always Identify a market opportunity
or prove you have interacted with
potential customers to demonstrate
your start-up's viability!
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7.  Make sure you do your research
because knowledge is power!
 You have to know your audience,
know your company and product
and most importantly, know what
you can offer your target market
in terms of their need.
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8.  If the pitch is in relation to a problem
that your business/service/product
will solve, then place it in that context.
 If the investors can relate to the
problem, then they are more likely to
put their money where your mouth is.
 So keep it relevant, interesting and
professional.
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9.  Its all in the numbers!
 Make sure the facts and figures tally.
 Any inconsistency will be picked on
and picked apart by any shrewd
investor.
 Do not give them a reason to turn you
down.
 They have choices, make sure yours is
the one that they choose!
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10.  Practice makes perfect - most of the
time…
 Practice allows you to feel more
confident and prepared and will help
you iron out any problems in the run-
up.
 One of the ways of doing this is by
pitching to your friends, family,
teachers, etc.
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11.  The pitch should flow seamlessly, using clear
and assertive words that tell a compelling
story to capture and maintain investor
interest.
 The key is to simplify the story, limiting each
slide to one take-away point, paring down
excessive verbiage on slides and adding
visuals to illustrate important points.
 Be sure to maintain a consistent level of
disclosure, and tone down any blatant
promotion.
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12.  Arouse interest immediately by hooking the
audience with your “elevator pitch” — a
clear, 30-second description of the
company and its investment attributes —
along with a noteworthy accomplishment or
milestone that establishes credibility at the
outset.
 The entire presentation should be
structured to support these key messages!
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13.  Design your presentation so it’s easy to
follow
 Succinctly explain your business, products
and technology or your exploration and
development strategy
 Choose key investment strengths and
reinforce them
 Describe your target market, business
strategy and management expertise
concluding with financials and a strong,
confident close
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14.  Define the market opportunity in
realistic terms.
 Investors want to know that you
understand your company’s or
product’s true market potential.
 Describe the market’s size,
characteristics, growth potential and
trends.
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15.  Technology investors are looking for
undiscovered companies with leading science
and intellectual property that addresses an
unmet need.
 Explain the technology in very simple terms.
 Where possible, use analogies to drive the point
home.
 Focus on the novelty of the technology, how it
works, proof of concept, how it compares to the
gold-standard in the industry and the company’s
product development and marketing plan.
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16.  Whatever stage a company is at, you must
be able to clearly articulate its goals and
long-term business plan.
 If you are looking to sell or license rights to
a product, development rights to a
property, or enter into a joint venture, you
should be able to confidently convey your
strategy for doing so.
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17.  Investors like management teams that can
get results, ideally made up of professionals
with a track record of successful discovery,
expertise in taking a product or project
beyond the feasibility stage, as well as
experience forming partnerships and raising
capital.
 Briefly highlight management’s track record
and expertise by pointing out relevant past
accomplishments.
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18.  Given that few start-up companies are
profitable, valuation may revolve around
discovery, intellectual property, or
management expertise
 Investors pay close attention to the progress
of product/project development, partnerships
and, in particular, the amount of money a
company has on hand compared with its
expenditures.
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19.  Always end the presentation on a high
note!
 When looking for financing, specify
how much you need in this round and
how it will be used, with emphasis on
the company’s investment merits
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20.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gI4eOZ6
s6bU&feature=player_embedded
 David S. Rose on pitching to VCs on TED:
“Investing in YOU: integrity, passion,
experience, knowledge, skills, leadership,
commitment, vision, realism”
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