I explore this question in my short, partly visual emails, crafted through my lens as a pitch designer in deep-tech. Join me for insights on effective communication, marketing, design, psychology, and the philosophy of value.
"Should I pitch differently to different audiences?" and more...
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A few good questions came up this week in my practice and in response to a previous newsletter: Q: Should I pitch the same way to a top tier VC as to a 'friendly' investor? A: Trying to pitch differently to different audiences stretches you thin. 'Managing versions' in your head makes you self-conscious and less present in the moment. A good rule of thumb: aim to be the same person outside and inside any meeting room. The real question is: WHO IS that person? What do they want? What is their vision for the startup? That's the prep work you truly need to do. Q: I have an unexpected investor meeting with zero time to prepare. How should I present? A: Trust your intuition. Think about it—only a tiny fraction of your decisions are conscious and rational. Almost all are handled by intuition. It’s an automation process you should utilize, not override, particularly when you have to act quickly. "There are undeniable examples where our intuitions deceive us, but that’s because most of the time they do such a very good job. I can show you an optical illusion so good you won’t believe it, but I’ve never heard anyone say, 'From now on, I’ll live my life with my eyes closed.’” Your intuition is already doing the heavy lifting—let it. Q: If not on my solution, what should I focus on in the pitch? A: Try this exercise: Imagine you're a VC investor. You've just finished a meeting with a founder working on Antigen-Drug Conjugates to combat autoimmune diseases (true story). You walk away thinking, "“That was a great meeting! There’s real potential here.” You share your thoughts with a colleague They ask: Why? What made you think that? Is it because you deeply understand the problem of immunosuppression and agree that Antigen-Drug Conjugates are the perfect solution to heal patients and generate substantial returns? Probably not. You don't have the expertise to make that judgment. So, What's your answer? Whatever it is - focus on that. Yours, |
What makes people see value in a thing?
I explore this question in my short, partly visual emails, crafted through my lens as a pitch designer in deep-tech. Join me for insights on effective communication, marketing, design, psychology, and the philosophy of value.
Most deep-tech pitches are weak due to confusion about the relationship between facts and narrative.At best, people aren’t sure what a narrative is. At worst, they think facts and narrative are opposites — that narrative is something you use when your facts are lacking. A simple scenarioImagine you meet someone and they treat you kindly. You note it as a fact. You might conclude: “This person is a good person.” Then later, that same person treats you poorly. Another fact. Now you have two...
No one knows what investors are looking for Not even the investors themselves.If they did, the whole process would look very different. Investors would just ask for the specific information, compare the answers, and make decisions quickly. But the investment process in deep-tech is long, iterative, and deeply human.That’s not to say investors aren’t qualified. Seasoned investors absolutely know how to invest to achieve the outcomes they desire - but they can’t give you a formula.Knowing how...
Deep-tech startups are building transformative technologies and care deeply about what they do - yet their ideas often get trapped behind layers of complex communication. A long vacation gave me time to dig into the root causes - and how we can do better. Here are a few short, easy reads from that reflection. The belief before logic manifesto What belief keeps deep-tech professionals from communicating effectively? Read more How clinging to logic is costing you A false belief is draining your...