The message is the medium. Or, is it the other way around? In any case, new mediums for startup pitches are taking the ‘boring’ out of ‘bored-room’ and encouraging startups to get creative. I witnessed this first-hand on last year’s Startup Train on the way to Montreal’s Startup Festival. Even while pitching on a moving train full of entrepreneurs, the basics remained the same. If anything, it increased the importance of hammering home some basic points in a short timeframe:
- What problem has your startup identified?
- What’s your solution? And lastly
- why does it matter (market opportunity, business model, etc)?
Ensuring you are passionate and telling a great story are equally important. Investors and mentors want to see, feel and interact with your vision for the company – if not they will see right through you. Don’t let the setting fool you, it’s really important. Don’t believe me? Check out this business pitch video from Parkie, an app for locating and paying for parking spots. It was shot with a flip-cam from the dashboard of a car. It’s a little long, but you get the idea: KISS (keep-it-simple-silly) or you lose the interest of your audience.
Visuals are equally important. Lots of white space and visually representing the opportunity are key. Checkout Piccsy’s visual presentation: I love how simple, but yet impactful it is by telling a really great story for Piccsy.
Overall, whether it’s plane, train or automobile, the message of your startup remains the same. How you deliver it is up to you, just ensure you take the points above into consideration.