Key perspective and guidelines for strong entrepreneur, customer of VC pitch. From Live presentation in Silicon Vally, 26 August, 2014

1. WWeellccoommee
Hacking the Pitching
Roy Terry at thePrimalPitch.com
Tuesday, 26 August 2014
- Hanhai Investment Inc., Startup University
- SVSIAN
- Startup Cofounders
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2. A TTaallee ooff TTwwoo AAnnggeellss
Have you attended other pitching sessions?
Bill and Steve…
=> Pitching needs disruption
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3. CChheecckk--iinn
Questions and Goals for today
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4. TThhee PPrriimmaall PPiittcchh
Tech, Slide Decks, VCs, Angels plus…
• The Structure of Clairity
• The Inner Game
• The Show biz
• Live Coaching
Goal for today: Think Different about pitching.
Structure and practice a better pitch.
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5. AA HHaacckk??
To Modify, co-opt or leverage an existing
system so that it works much better for a
specific goal
Donuts, Unix, and ear bones.
Hacking…
• The Rules
• The Code (mechanism)
• The Mindset
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6. DDiissccllaaiimmeerr
You’ll still need reality on your
side!
…and…
Raising money might be a bad
idea!
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7. Hack #11 –– IInnvveessttoorr MMiinnddsseett
Reflexive Beliefs
• There is strong competition
• Seen the idea before
• The market is “competent” at finding new ideas
already
• You do not have magical abilities
• Odds of success about 100 to 1
• Adoption is highly questionable (most people don’t
change)
• Hates: confusion, “it depends”, no traction, no
“friends, fools, and family”, no Prototype
IMPLICATION: Stop practicing a bad pitch. Get Better
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8. Hack #2 – KKnnooww yyoouurr ssttrruuccttuurree
Knowing your structure is THE METHOD used by
professionals to achieve reliable results!
Examples
• The Movies: A script is structure
• The typical News Story
• Your Pitch!
• Good Structure creates understanding and positive emotion.
• Failed structure creates frustration, resentment, rejection.
• Structure embodies your story
Pitching is NOT for “Cowboys”
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9. Insert
Headlines
Here!
Tell of “old failed
solutions”,
transition to your
discovery of the
REAL solution.
“Secret sauce”
(like nobody
else)
HHaacckk ##22 –– SSttrruuccttuurree
• Overview
• Problem
• Solution
• Market and how to get it
• Business Model
• Ask
Notice! The
embedded
story:
•setting
•conflict
•struggle
•victory
•Happily every
after
(creates good
emotion)
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10. Hack #3 – Understand ““SSttoorriieess””
• 4 Key leverage points
- Your inspiration to solve
- Your solution discovery
- Your Traction triumph
- Your gritty problem solving tactics
• Use some “Actualities” instead of stories
• 3 Images in every story: Problem appears,
conflict ensues (the fight), Victory image of
happiness
• ALWAYS: put the story in context by
explain the meaning for the pitch.
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11. Hack #4 – Did you prove tthhee HHyyppootthheessiiss??
“This business opportunity justifies
investment”
Unspoken Hypothesis of every pitch
Business Model +
Evidence: Market
Evidence: Team
Evidence: Tech
Evidence: Traction
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12. Hack #x – Steve’s OObbsseerrvvaattiioonnss
Mark Lichman of MDITouch
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13. Hack #5 – Break Habits aanndd MMiixx iitt uupp
Everybody has a “persona” and can get stereotyped – fight it.
• If you talk fast. Insert slow parts
• If you are always intense insert some kind of joke
or humor
• If you get wound up about the technology, make
a joke about it
 Be Human and find ways to relate to the
listeners
RESULT: You’re viewed as a better leader, better
collaborator, more trustworthy and more likeable
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14. Hack #6 – Feature yyoouu HHEEAADDLLIINNEESS!!
What get’s you to the fabled “WOW”?
Put it early in the structure!
• Traction
• Tech Prowess
• Truly rock star team
• Revenue
• Endorsements (name dropping)
• Media coverage
• IMPLICATION: If you have none of
these, GO GET SOME!
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15. Hack #77 –– GGeett aa ““uussee ccaassee””
Who, specifically, uses the product?
In what concrete situation?
By what “modality” do they use it?
How easy and different is the experience?
What’s the result?
Who gets paid by whom?
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16. Hack #Bonus – Talk lliikkee aa 1122 yyeeaarr oolldd!!
“I’ve fallen and I can’t get up!”
“We do Chicken Right”
“The Friendly Skies”
“Think Different”
“1000 songs in your pocket”
“Get a winning pitch!”
Beware of: Buzzwords, Business speak, over
qualification, too much detail, etc, etc….
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17. SShhooww ttiimmee
Practice with Live Coaching
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18. TThhaannkkss!!
Roy Terry at thePrimalPitch.com
• Meetup.com: SVSIAN
(SV Startup Incubation Acceleration Network)
• HanHai Investment Inc.
• Meetup.com: Find Your Cofounder
• Meetup.com: Silicon Valley Entrepreneurs Toastmasters
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