How do you keep investors focused on your pitch?

Make it a conversation. Keep it interactive so they stay involved throughout.

Hey Ghulam! Another trick is to research the investors beforehand and tailor your pitch to their specific interests and portfolio. Look at the companies and sectors they've invested in before. In your pitch, draw connections between your startup and their past investments to show how you align with their focus areas. Investors love to see that you've done your homework! Also practice your pitch a ton to keep it clear, concise and engaging. Good luck!

Absolutely! Keeping investors focused is crucial. Embedding demos and videos directly into your pitch deck can help minimize distractions and maintain focus. I’d love to hear how others tackle this challenge!

Get the key points across in a teaser so the investor can quickly assess if there is a high-level fit that warrants the investor to spend more time going through your deck. Soon we're making raisebetter.capital available to founders, through this platform you'll get your detailed startup company page that can be shared with matching investors. Fundraising needs some standards, the whole process is too inefficient unfortunately. Hoping to change that very soon!!

Here is my experience so far, 1. I first called all founders i knew who had raised capital once or more - and told them hey i am starting now - i know nothing - can you help me with dos, don'ts, watch-outs and "if this is happening to you its normal " 2. Recorded the conversations (with permission )- transcribed it 3. put 10 such conversations together and asked AI(Claude in my case to summarise it ) --- thats how i started - still raising when it came to actual pitching ' I floundered - just couldn't manage in 30 minutes to cover everything - had no clue about what they were looking for - but then pushed ahead and met 15 vcs - each meeting i came back - and worked on where i got stuck - meeting 1 - the meeting didnt go beyond slide 2 - let me fix slide 2 - meeting 2 slide 2 sailed but got stuck on slide 3 and so on till 10 slides + appendix and so on till 15 meeting i was able to go through my deck --- So whats the point ? 1. everyone does this for the first time - and figures out by doing 2. you can have all the guidance but you can't drive because you played a video game. to learn to drive you need to drive 3. The smartest thing to do is to ask people who have walked the path before you --- but let me leave some value on the table - here are my notes from all those conversations Objective: Develop a systematic approach to fundraising that increases the odds of success. Dos: - Treat fundraising like a sales process with a funnel - Build a curated list of potential investors - Focus on partners who can make investment decisions - Seek introductions from successful founders Don'ts: - Don't attach yourself to any single VC - Avoid VC-to-VC introductions unless they're investing - Don't disclose too much information about your runway Watchouts: - Be prepared for a long process (3-6 months or more) - First impressions are crucial; partners decide quickly Process/Checklist: - Create a list of 100-200 potential investor partners - Research their portfolios and investment history - Develop a strategy for getting introduced to each - Track progress through your funnel (connection, acknowledgment, meeting, etc.) VC Interaction Nuances: - VCs invest by partner, not by firm. Focus on building relationships with specific partners. - Be prepared for VCs to ask about your visa status or who from your founding team will be based locally. - VCs in the Valley often prefer to invest in companies within a 50-mile radius. 2. Investor Meetings and Communication Objective: Effectively communicate your business vision and potential to investors. Dos: - Focus on your unique market insights - Discuss your go-to-market strategy and customer knowledge - Present clear metrics and goals for the next 18-24 months - Ask about their investment process and typical benchmarks Don'ts: - Don't give conclusive answers about closing dates - Avoid mentioning specific VCs you're talking to unless there's a strategic reason - Don't apologize or show desperation Watchouts: - Your answers may be treated as commitments, especially regarding numbers and names - VCs are trying to build a story about you in their heads Process/Checklist: - Prepare your pitch focusing on market insights, strategy, and growth plans - Practice answering common questions without being too conclusive - Develop a clear narrative about your funding needs and how you'll use the money VC Interaction Nuances: - VCs will ask questions to build a story about you in their heads. Be mindful of your answers. - If talking to analysts or associates, ask which partner you'd be speaking to next if there's interest. - VCs may ask about your fundraising timeline. Avoid giving definitive answers. - Be prepared for questions about how much you're raising and how you'll use the funds. - VCs typically look for 15% ownership when investing. - They'll be interested in your plans for the next 18-24 months and how you'll achieve 3x post-money valuation in that time. ----- Most of the valuable stuff here came from @goodals - if you find this useful - thank him

hey Ghulam, a trick that i've heard of is to: 1. identify founders which the targeted investors work with 2. connect with these founders 3. after a chat, if there are nice vibes, ask to these founders to introduce you to the targeted investors NB: i haven't used personally yet, but it is a trick that make sense for me, indeed i remember it :) have a nice one! Achille