How to prepare for your pitch? A guide from someone on both sides of the table

Our end-to-end guide to everything you need to do before you click that ZOOM link

Quick Note: This is catered to virtual pitch meetings. Read about our recommendations for in-person meetings on our guide to setting them up in conferences.

It’s time to get ready (mentally and physically) for your prospective funder call.

Here’s our quick guide:

1. Set up your physical space

   1. 6 key ways to optimize what your lead sees, hears, or otherwise experiences… for premium subscribers below 👇

2. Set up your virtual space

   1. 5 key things on the tech/admin side you need to prepare… for premium subscribers below 👇

3. Set up your head space

   1. Exactly what to look for and research in your inbox, your funder lead’s LinkedIn profile, and their organization/fund’s website… for premium subscribers below 👇

4. Set (yourself) up for success

   1. You get it by now… isn’t it about time you registered as a premium subscriber?

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Ok… I digress.

And now, without further ado…

Here is our full end-to-end guide to everything you need to do before you click that ZOOM link

Set up your physical space

Here, here, and here, are some good articles… but in general

• Don’t be somewhere busy. It’s best to avoid investor calls from Java House.

• Ensure you’re in a well-lit environment in your home or office

  • Natural light in front of you is best

• Have something fun/personal/scholarly in your background

  • Or make a virtual background with your logo on it; subtle branding can go a long way

• You’re sitting at a table or desk, not lying in bed or slouched on your couch

  • You won’t believe the things we’ve seen

• Wear what makes you feel like a boss

  • A clean shirt, neat hair, maybe even a blazer—whatever boosts your confidence without being over the top; go a level above what your funder’s website suggests in tone

  • Better yet; wear something company branded

  • Remember, you’re making a first impression here!

• Have water/coffee nearby

• Position your camera at eye level

  • Think virtual eye contact

• Your Computer, Keyboard, Mouse, Webcam, Speaker, Mic are all working fine

  • If you haven’t had a virtual call in a couple of days, take a test Meet/ZOOM/Teams call

  • Test your screen sharing too

    • Share the whole screen, please. Just sharing a tab leads to problems (more below)

• You have a good internet connection and a back up (i.e. phone data hotspot).

• You’ve done everything in your power to make sure your call won’t be interrupted

  • No planned deliveries during this timeframe

  • No loud noises around the house/office

  • Your Kids, Pets, Co-Workers, Mother-In-Laws, know not to bug you

Set up your virtual space

Your pitch needs to run as efficiently as possible. Investors value that. You can’t waste time trying to find a certain document on your cluttered desktop or a slide in a previous pitch deck iteration that helps answer their question better than any other slide.

Here are things we’ve found funders typically don’t think about… but can derail a virtual pitch pretty quickly.