If You Want to Win Pitch Competitions, Avoid These 10 Common Mistakes
Pitch competitions aren’t the same as pitching investors, and that’s why great fundraisers often loose pitch competitions.
Most of the advice about giving great startup pitches is for pitching investors. But investor pitches aren’t the only kinds of pitches entrepreneurs give. I was recently reminded of this when a former student asked for my help as he prepared for an upcoming pitch competition.
Pitch competitions have some similarities with investor pitches, but they’re definitely not identical. Most obviously, investor pitches are usually in small conference rooms or offices with only two or three people. Pitch competitions take place in large rooms or auditoriums with dozens or sometimes even hundreds of people.
Back when I was a founder, my favorite part about participating in pitch contests was that they gave me an opportunity to watch other entrepreneurs present their startups. I’d always make sure to sit in the audience for as many of the other pitches as possible and take careful mental notes on what worked well and what didn’t.
Based on my observations, most entrepreneurs implicitly recognize they need to do something different in pitch competitions compared…
