Your idea pitch is one of the most important part of Startup Weekend. But how do you do it well? What should you prepare to say? How can you sell that killer idea to the crowd?
60 seconds to sell yourself and your idea to a crowd full of people is not a whole lot of time, so take a look at our tips below to ensure you make the most of the time. Your pitch should be concise and should motivate people to want to work on your concept. 60 seconds is somewhere around 370 words if you talk quickly. So, how do you prepare in advance to set yourself up for success?
Before the actual weekend
Before presenting your idea at Startup Weekend, do some initial research. Think about the problem you are trying to solve, your value proposition, your potential revenue models, and competitors in the marketplace. This is also a good time to find out whether your idea already exists and if it does, the new or unique spin you want to add to it. Remember, there's more to go-to-market than the Apple app store, an app in and of itself is not a business, and saying "I hate X" is not a valid value proposition.Get feedback on your idea. Start talking to people about your idea. Get their feedback on your concept and start thinking through the points and questions they raise.
Developing the pitch
Since you have only 60 seconds, try a presentation structure like the following:
- Introduction: 10 seconds
- Problem: 20 seconds
- Vision: 20 seconds
- Requirements: 20 seconds
Here are some things you may want to consider including in your pitch.
- Introduce yourself and your background
- Provide a title of your idea
- Who is your target market , and what specific concerns do they have?
- What is the problem you want to solve?
- What is your vision, and what are the benefits for your customers?
- How do you expect to make money on your idea?
- What makes your solution different from others out there?
- What does your proposed solution look like? What kind of people are you looking for over the weekend? Are there any skills that your team is missing?
Use simple and clear language
Try to pitch your idea to at least 3 people who love you enough to give you feedback but will also share their honest opinions about your idea.
This will give you valuable feedback about whether your idea makes sense, and will also get you thinking about aspects of your idea that you may have missed. This should also help you determine the main points you should convey in your pitch. Try pitching your idea to your target audience as well, to see their initial reactions to it.
The pitch itself
Breathe, relax, and just enjoy the experience. If you follow the tips above and are truly passionate about your idea, you will have a really compelling pitch that stands a good chance of attracting the team you'll be looking for. Remember, presenting elevator pitches is an art in and of itself, and practice makes perfect!
For more tips on presenting a compelling elevator pitch, check out some slides from Startup Live here .
This post was written by Natalia.
