The Art Of The Pitch

Asking for money for your business is always time-consuming, often fruitless, and inevitably stressful. But there are ways to make the process more productive and maybe even a little bit enjoyable— beginning with how, and to whom, you make your pitch. To start, “keep it short,” advises Barry Schuler, the former America Online CEO and chairman turned high-profile venture capitalist at DFJ. He’s one of several top investors Inc. recently asked to share their pitching advice for entrepreneurs—based on their experiences vetting thousands of founder pitches, managing billions of dollars, and backing companies including Tesla, Uber, and Twitter. So while there’s no one right way to make the money ask, you can get ahead of the game by consulting these investors’ secrets for making successful pitches.

- Kimberly Weisul

The Early Fintech Funder

Amy Nauiokas is founder and CEO of Anthemis, where she invests in early-stage tech companies in media and financial services. Her portfolio includes Betterment and Simple.

Don’t be afraid to talk about what keeps you up at night or share your weaknesses. Failing to acknowledge the skills you lack as a founder is the greater weakness.

Ask real questions about the type of relationship investors expect to have with their portfolio companies.

The Biotech Backer

Josh Makower is a general partner on the health care team of venture giant New Enterprise Associates, which raised $3.3 billion for its most recent fund. Makower, who holds an MD, also co-founded Stanford’s biodesign innovation program.

If your pitch isn’t going well, it’s totally appropriate to say, “Are you with me? Does this make sense to you?” Then you have an opportunity to address whatever the concern is. Spend the time and get to the bottom of it. The worst thing you can do is press on.

If you are on slide one and everyone nods, and there are other bullet points on that slide, move on. Otherwise, if they’ve already nodded and you’re still talking about that same thing, they’re going to be checking their email.

The Socially Conscious Tech Funder

Jenny Abramson is the founder and managing director of Rethink Impact, a venture fund focused on gender-diverse teams, technology, and social impact. Her portfolio companies include Guild, EverFi, and Werk.

Every leader tells us about their own background, but you should also talk about your team. That shows us you’re humble and have respect for the other people involved.