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.
The master watchmaker
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18th century Switzerland: A customer comes into a master watchmaker's shop asking to clean a watch he had bought.
As the watchmaker takes the fabulous watch apart, the customer notices an engraving on the back side of one of the balance wheels
"Why did you put something there that no one will ever see?" the costumer asks.
The watchmaker turns around and says, "God can see it."
How did that last line make you feel? What do you think about the quality of the watchmaker's work? The value of his creation? For me, the takeaway isn't about good mechanics or faith - it's about the master's choice of words. His reply wasn't 'fact based' or even 'rational' yet it packed the strongest punch. Here's the thing 'Communication' is not the same thing as 'explanation'. It's about cutting through the complexity, in whatever way that does it best - even if it means that logic has to take the back seat. * The story was told by designer Richard Seymour in his 2011 TED talk 'How beauty feels' - well worth the watch. |
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.
Here's a thought experiment. You are a VC. About to start yet another meeting with a startup that reached out. It’s your third today - your seventh this week. After a couple of minutes of small talk, one of the founders connects their laptop and hits “Present.” You lean back in your chair, ready to listen. Now pause. What do you hope happens next? What could the founder say or do that will make you go: "Yes! This is the one. Not the team from the previous meeting. Not one of the other 22 I've...
If you’re scientifically minded, shouldn’t you question the entire premise of pitching? The idea that you are supposed to TALK people into investing in you. It’s not obvious to me that humans work that way. Don’t get me wrong, language is useful. It made us what we are as a species. But it’s also just noises you make with your mouth. It costs nothing and our subconscious knows it. Look at nature: A female wont "invest" in a mate unless he can present an impressive peacock tail or large set of...
If pitching feels like hard work, you’re probably trying to make investors agree with your solution. That’s not the optimal way to frame your pitch. Though we often ignore that fact - investors don’t evaluate your solution in isolation; they see many startups. That means that subconsciously, they’re constantly making comparisons. Here’s the thing Being selected is not the same as being agreed with. So, you need to rethink your framing: Imagine that, for the investor, each startup meeting is...