What I Learned From My Very First Global Pitching Competition
As a startup founder, pitching your startup idea is one of the most vital things you need to do in order for you to either get funding or partnership. And last June 20, 2019, I got my first chance to pitch Jungle. The only difference is that my first pitch as a startup founder was on a global stage at the 2019 Techsauce Global Pitching Championships as one of the top 10 startup finalists. The number of attendees? 20,000 people from different parts of the globe.
The experience was so great because of the perks that came with it. We got free round-trip flight tickets, free 5-day hotel accommodation, free startup booth, free masterclass, and a chance to win 1,000,000 Baht.
But the most important thing that made the whole experience valuable to me are the lessons that I learned from it.
Be receptive to feedback.
To kick-off the Techsauce Global Summit 2019, all of the top 10 startup finalists went through a startup masterclass. Part of the masterclass was the pitch deck check and open pitching sessions.
During the pitch deck check session, I received tons of suggestions on how I can improve my pitch deck based on the story that I am trying to tell the audience. The session lasted for five minutes.
After my pitch deck was checked, it was time for me to do an open pitch in front of the VCs Techsauce invited for the masterclass and mentorship sessions. As expected, my startup idea received tons of questions, advice, suggestions, and opinions.
Instead of getting offended or becoming defensive of my idea and pitch, I tried to keep an open mind. I saw on the VCs’ faces the passion and care they had about my idea and my pitch.
I skipped the scheduled VIP welcome party after the masterclass and I went straight to my hotel so I could work on my pitch and my deck based on the advice and suggestions I received from the VCs. It made a huge difference during the actual pitch day.
Prepare and visualize.
A day before the actual pitch day, the Techsauce team ran a final rehearsal. They briefed us with the things that we need to do and remember before, during, and after our pitch. They also allowed us to go up the stage, run our decks for the last time, and then feel how is it like to be on that huge stage.
The preparation and visualization allowed all the finalists to be confident and to know what it feels like to be up on the stage, holding the clicker, with an attached lapel mic on our cheeks.
Own the stage.
The early part of my three-minute pitch was awful! I was so nervous. But after seeing the audiences’ faces — smiling and nodding back at me — I’ve started to enjoy it and my confidence came back. Although there are obvious things that need to be improved on my pitch, I can confidently say that I enjoyed most parts of it.
Whether you are pitching your idea or building your startup in general, remember these three things: be receptive to feedback, prepare and visualize, and own the stage. After all, you’ll receive a lot of valuable and unhelpful feedback in every stage of your journey as a startup founder, you’ll need to always be prepared to tackle your day-to-day tasks, activities, and decisions, you’ll need to visualize the future of your startup, and you’ll need to own the stage because no one else will do it for you.
