Guidelines for pitching to professional investors
The biggest complaint I hear from investors is that technical entrepreneurs often talk way too long, and neglect to cover the most relevant points, or they get sidetracked by a technical glitch due to poor preparation.
If you start by pitching your extended life story, that's the wrong point. Equally bad is an extended pitch on your new disruptive technology. Investors are more interested in your solution and your business rather than your technology. Here are some guidelines on the right approach and the right points to hit:
Match your material to the time allotted: If you have 10 minutes, this means no more than 10 slides. Then, set your pace to cover all the material. I've seen several presentations that never moved past the first slide before running out of time. An obvious effort to keep talking after the time limit won't save your day with investors.
Remember you are pitching to investors, not customers: Some entrepreneurs seem to think...
