Tips for startups to succeed when pitching at VDS and other major tech events

The art of pitching has many masters. From Steve Jobs “people who know what they’re talking about don’t need PowerPoint”, to Guy Kawasaki´s “a pitch should have ten slides, last no more than twenty minutes, and contain no font smaller than thirty points”. 

Regardless of what advice you follow, the truth is every pitching time is an opportunity to bring your startup to the next level: “it doesn’t matter how many times you have to pitch your idea, all it takes is one person to say yes” (Mark Cuban).

VDS knows that and it’s one of the reasons behind our VDS Startup Competition, allowing entrepreneurs from all over the world to share their stories with more than 700 funds with assets under management valued at more than €30 billion.

With less than 60 days ahead for a new edition of VDS, we have already announced the top 50 finalists selected from over 800 applications submitted this year from 65 different countries, which will be pitching at VDS.

These companies come from a very diverse background: Fintech/Insurtech, Sustainability/Cleantech, Health/Wellbeing, Enterprise/Business… 16% of the selected startups are in the Pre-seed stage, 42% in the Seed stage, 24% in Series A, 6% in Series B, 2% in Series C, and 10% have not yet received funding.

What seems no longer a trend but a constant is the adoption of Artificial Intelligence: more than half of the finalist startups integrate AI in their solutions.

To all of them, here is our tips recap of do’s and don’ts when pitching at startup competitions!

 

Specific Tips for Pitching at VDS Startup Competition

A tech event with over 12.000 attendees is not a 1 to 1 pitch session. Hence the need to be aware of certain recommendations ahead of your time on stage:

Practice, Practice, Practice. It may seem obvious, but being in front of a large audience and getting up on stage is not something you do every day. There’ll be investors, partners, providers and potential clients in the audience so you may want to focus on telling a story and share your vision to make your pitch as wide as possible. Practice your pitch prior to the event as much as possible, to your relatives, your workmates, etc. 

Scene. Prior to the event, find as much information as possible about the venue, stage distribution… Contact the organization, previous edition finalists and gather feedback about location, acoustic, screen size, format… For sure you’ll receive official instructions from the organizers, but it’s always a plus to contact earlier participants.

Marketing. The good thing about pitching at startup competitions is the massive outreach you can get. There should be a double goal, impress on stage…and create marketing materials for sharing after the event. Have your marketing team shooting pictures, videos, posting on Social Media and monitoring any positive feedback anyone in the audience may tweet.

Networking. You’re in a competition, but other participants aren’t really rivals… Get to know them, specially those at your vertical, tell them what you loved from their pitch, congratulate them on Social Media.

Cafler, winner at Growth category in VDS 2023 is a great example of following this advice. The company recently announced a x10 revenue growth compared to previous year, making us proud for a VDS champion.

 

Key Pitching Advice from Alex Barrera

I have pitched at different startup events such as Slush, South Summit or hackathons like Startup Weekend. While preparing for these, I was lucky to attend a masterclass from Alex Barrera, a well known ‘artisan of unforgettable pitching’. Going through my notes from that session, I found the following advice strongly remarked.

Always start with Why. This advice echoes in my head every time I have to pitch. Many founders focus too much about the benefits of the product, flashy features, market volume… but forget that they should be telling a story, and a good story needs emotional connection. Don’t simply list facts and numbers, but craft a story and relate it to your product. Find a human element so the crowd relates it and explain why it’s important to solve that problem, why now it’s the right time to do so, and why you are the right team to achieve at doing it.

Asked by Techcrunch what entrepreneurs often misunderstand about pitching, Barrera shares -according to his vast experience- that “first-time entrepreneurs think of the infamous ‘elevator pitch’, those with a bit more experience think that pitching is about a set of slides to achieve a certain goal, mostly funding”. But, here is the key that comes after pitching hundreds of times “seasoned managers end up discovering that telling the story of their product or service is not a one-way street” and “having to sell a future vision of where the company is heading invariably affects your conception of the product in the now and what you need to build to achieve it”. Therefore, “the vision impacts the product, because you need consistency between the product and storytelling.

 

Most Common Good Practices for Startup Pitches

At the end of the day, you need to create visuals too and end up with a document that sometimes you’ll defend on stage…but sometimes will be opened without your presence. So there are some basics your pitch should always include.

Problem/Solution. Arguably the most critical slide in your deck. To establish a strong mission, you need to address a real issue, ideally one that impacts a substantial number of individuals or companies. When talking about the solution, highlight the unique aspect you have, the ‘secret sauce’ that sets your product apart rather than detailing all the features you plan to develop.

Market. Investors might initially be skeptical about your solution, but their interest piques when you articulate the market’s potential size. Clearly define the market size, the portion you can currently reach, and the percentage you are confident in securing. Don’t lie.

Business Model. Describe your revenue generation strategy in the simplest terms possible. If you take a cut from transactions, say “we take x% commission on each deal”. If you’re a SaaS, say “we charge a monthly fee from A to B depending on selected plan”. This straightforward approach leaves no room for confusion.

Competition. Identify your competitors to help investors understand existing market solutions and distinguish what makes your product superior. Ensure your assessment is realistic and highlights your unique advantages.

Team. Investors may provide the capital, but it’s the team that drives the company forward. Introduce the individuals who will be managing the investment. Demonstrate that you have a skilled and dedicated team, showcasing any members with experience in major tech firms, prestigious educational backgrounds, or successful startup exits.

The following three may not be necessary during a startup competition pitch, so you can spend more time focusing on the story and the why. However, if your goal is fundraising, you may want to include them:

Investment. Specify the amount of funding you are seeking. If this isn’t your first funding round, consider including a timeline that details previous investments.

Valuation. State the company’s valuation from your perspective. This helps venture capitalists gauge the equity they would acquire with their investment.

Contact. Provide your contact information and possibly a deadline for decisions regarding the current investment round.

 

Above all these tips, don’t forget to have fun, enjoy your time on stage and meet other participants!