Bill Reichert, one of the most prominent venture capitalists in Silicon Valley, will discuss getting to WOW! when delivering an elevator pitch. About the Speaker: Bill Reichert is a partner at Pegasus Tech Ventures, managing investments in the U.S. from the Silicon Valley headquarters. He has helped manage Pegasus investments in AI, robotics, quantum computing, neuromorphics, space, and other sectors. He is also the chief evangelist for the Startup World Cup, a platform that connects and supports startup ecosystems all over the world. Bill started his investment career as the co-founder and managing director of Garage Technology Ventures, and has served on the boards of many startups. He also has several years of experience as a serial entrepreneur and operating executive. Prior to Garage, Bill was a co-founder or senior executive in several venture-backed technology companies, including Trademark Software, The Learning Company, and Academic Systems. Earlier in his career, Bill worked at McKinsey & Company, Brown Brothers Harriman & Co., and the World Bank. He has authored many articles and delivered many speeches on entrepreneurship, venture capital, innovation, and other topics.

1. Silicon Valley Pitch Secrets
for Entrepreneurs
Bill Reichert
Pegasus Tech Ventures
@billreichert

2. What is a Pitch?
A pitch is not your deck,
…it’s not your presentation,
…it’s not your executive summary,
…it’s not your business plan,
…it’s not your demo,
…it’s not your video.
Your pitch is the impression you create and leave behind.

3. You have 20 seconds . . .
to be COMPELLING!!
. . . or you might as well
go home

4. A good pitch requires an understanding of
Human Anatomy 101

5. An effective communicator engages
three body parts . . .

6. The head

7. The heart

8. The gut

9. Which is most important?
The heart

10. Typical Elevator
Pitches

11. ”CoolCo is a dynamic startup company that has
developed a revolutionary technology that is going
to disrupt our $56 billion industry.
Our team has over 45 years of combined experience,
and we have three patents pending.
We project that our curve-jumping, paradigm-
shifting solution will blah blah blah . . .“

13. “We use a 2048 Diffie-Hellman key exchange
and 256-bit triple DES to provide
impenetrable encryption for IoT devices.”

15. YOU

16. Getting to Wow!

17. Ignore the Pitch Coach Wisdom:
“Start with the problem”
“Tell a story”
“Here’s the perfect
template”
“Show a big market”
[ These will not get you to Wow! ]

18. BE COMPELLING
How much better are you?
How are you unique?
BE CREDIBLE
Can we believe you?
BE CLEAR
What do you do?

19. When do you
need to Wow?
• Pitching to investors
• Talking to customers
• Schmoozing at events
• Posting updates
• Recruiting employees
• Looking for strategic partners
• Sending out emails
• On your website
• Leaving voice mails
• Press releases, marketing materials
• Team training
. . . All the time!

20. Model for crafting your
DESCRIPTION
What do you do better than anyone?
Simple TechCrunch language
Wow!

21. Model for crafting your
BENEFIT
What compelling benefit do you offer
to whom?
“The big idea behind . . .”
Wow!

22. Model for crafting your
VALIDATION
How are you different and what is your
proof?
“Unlike other companies . . .”
Wow!

23. Model for crafting
your Wow!
What do you do better
than anyone?
BENEFIT
What compelling benefit
do you offer to whom?
VALIDATION
How are you different
and what is your proof?
DESCRIPTION

24. GETTING TO WOW!
ALTERNATIVE APPROACHES

25. Tell a STORY
Paint a PICTURE
“Imagine if . . .”

26. Use an analogy
“We are SAP for West African
blood supplies . . .”

27. Drop a really big name
“One of our founders is a
Nobel Prize winner . . .”

28. 01 Keep it simple
02 Be customer focused
Use one or two numbers
03
Don't lie
04

29. TOP 10
ENTREPENEUR LIES

30. Crafting
the
Perfect
Pitch
There is no Perfect Pitch . . .
You need a different pitch for
different situations . . .
• Handshake pitch
• Wow pitch
• Elevator pitch/Short pitch
• Demo Day pitch
• Partner pitch
• Pitch deck sent in advance/left behind

31. Y
our Slide
Deck
Core Topics . . .
• Overview/Wow
• Market Opportunity/Problem
• Solution/Benefits
• Technology/Secret Sauce
• Competitive Advantage
• Business Model
• Go-to-Market Strategy
• Traction/Pipeline
• Milestones
• Financial Projections
• Funding Plan
• Team
• Closing Summary
• Demo

33. Getting to WOW!
Silicon Valley Pitch Secrets
for Entrepreneurs
Bill Reichert &
Angelika Blendstrup
Available on Amazon.com

34. Silicon Valley Pitch Secrets
for Entrepreneurs
Bill Reichert
Pegasus Tech Ventures
@billreichert