5 tips on pitching to 30 investors at TIA BLR 2016

Finding the right investor for your startup can feel a lot like approaching an attractive person at a party. It’s noisy, you’re not the only one trying to talk to them, and you have limited time to impress.

What does a startup have to do to get an investor hooked? Read on for five fundamental tips to help you turn your pitch into a compelling one – and an opportunity to practice it in real life:

1. Do your homework!

We can’t emphasize this enough: time is a scarce resource – both yours and the investor’s. Determine which investor is the most appropriate to pitch to by reviewing their current portfolio, fields of interest, and investment size. Doing this bit of homework will show in your conversation with the investor.

2. Weave it into a story

Chances are, you aren’t the first pitch these investors have heard. Instead of regurgitating numbers and facts, appeal to their human nature by telling a story. Share an account of how you transformed a user’s life. Tell how your startup spun out of a day-to-day difficulty you experienced. Everyone loves a good story – just make sure you stay laser-focused and get the main point of your business across.

3. Show your passion

Practice goes without saying. In stressful situations, the hours spent rehearsing can help to put your mouth on auto-pilot even if your brain freezes momentarily. But don’t let a well-rehearsed pitch strip you of your enthusiasm!

Instead of memorising whole scripts to rattle off – or worse still, holding one in your hand – know your stuff like the back of your hand. And don’t be afraid to let your passion for your startup show. After all, if you aren’t sold on your own idea, don’t expect the person across the table to buy it.

4. Get a devil’s advocate

Find someone who’s never heard your startup idea before to play devil’s advocate. Someone to ask you all the tough questions – or even the easy ones. This will help shape your pitch and bring clarity to it. After working on it for so long, you may be prone to some blind spots that an objective third-party can help point out.

5. Be honest

It’s okay to not have all the answers. In fact, Rufus Griscom sold his startup to Disney for US$40 million not by having the details perfectly in place – but by admitting its flaws. Instead of saying the first thing that comes to mind or arguing your way through an investor’s scepticism, be honest if you don’t have an answer and ask to follow up after you’ve had time to think through it.

If you’re looking for an opportunity to apply a reworked elevator pitch on your startup, we have just the opportunity for you. At Tech in Asia’s upcoming Bangalore conference, over 30 investors will be taking a seat for our much-loved Startup-Investor Speed Dating event to hear from startups.

We’ve borrowed the concept of a traditional speed dating event – but instead of finding you a romantic partner, we connect you with investors who are on the lookout for potential investments.

As a conference attendee, you’ll get the golden opportunity to get local and international investors acquainted with your startup idea and team, as well as receive candid feedback firsthand.

The first step to getting ready for this important date begins with getting your passes to attend Tech in Asia Bangalore 2016. Buy yours before tomorrow, May 27, and save a sweet 15 percent off all passes using the code tiablr15!

Passes for Indian citizens begin at US$99 before discount.

Excited to find out more on how this works? Head on over to our FAQ page – or ping the team at bangalore@tiaconference.com if you can’t find the answer to your burning question.