Here’s How to Impress Investors with a Perfect Fundraising Pitch
Hint: investors are never impressed by entrepreneurs who are “crushing it”
When I was first learning to fundraise, I believed I needed to convince investors of two things: 1) that my startup was awesome; and, 2) that I was an exceptional entrepreneur. In my mind, the best way to accomplish those two things was by learning how to give a perfect fundraising pitch.
I read countless articles about how to pitch investors. I spent hours practicing my pitches in front of trusted mentors. I even recorded myself giving my pitch, then I would dissect the videos like a golfer who records his swing then analyzes it for flaws.
Thanks to all this practice, I entered every fundraising pitch prepared to “wow” investors. I had a polished pitch deck. I had a killer demo. I knew exactly what I was going to say and how I was going to say it. I even had perfect “entrepreneur-casual” outfits (i.e. faded jeans, t-shirt, and a blazer). I thought if I looked like an entrepreneur who was “crushing it” and talked like an entrepreneur who was “crushing it,” investors would believe I was “crushing it” and they’d want to invest.
But I was wrong. Even worse, it took me years to figure out how wrong I was because, aside from not raising any…
