Watch: What makes a great pitch?

Ben Armstrong, Managing Partner, Archangel
Engaging the audience and actually telling them something that they didn’t know. I think you want to have the reaction of the person who’s receiving the pitch to sort of lean in and be interested and want to spend more time with you, understanding your point of view and what you just said.

Kate Coffey, Investment Manager, AirTree
There are many things that go into a great pitch. I think structure is key. So starting with problem, solution, traction, and why you’re the right team to solve this problem generally makes a lot of sense to me.

Thea Ngo, Investment Analyst, Archangel Ventures
A great pitch is clarity. If you can explain succinctly what is the problem you’re solving, what solution do you have to solve it and early milestones very quickly within the first few minutes, that’s what gets investors attention.

Noel Paul, Director, Investments, Breakthrough Victoria
The greatest pitches always explain why the customer or the eventual decision maker of the purchase cares about the product or service that you’re offering. So a very strong understanding about what goes inside the mind of those who are making those decisions.

Paul Naphtali, Cofounder & Managing Partner, Rampersand
Something memorable. You know, if you think about VC investors are typically looking at, you know, sometimes hundreds of decks in a week. Something that stands out, something that shows that you really understand the problem that you’re solving, what they’re actually looking to achieve, how you’re going to reach them, and at the end of the day, what kind of business you’re trying to build. So, how you sequence those things to achieve a material business, and recognising that this is a difficult journey, but that you’re up for the fight and you’re the right people to solve that problem.

Rachel Yang, Partner, Giant Leap
A great pitch is really one that has a solid narrative where the investor can understand really what problem you’re solving, the solution that you’ve created that’s unique, the market opportunity, who you are as a team, and the traction that you’ve been able to achieve. Even if it’s super early, really being able to nail those points and have that clarity of vision is really what makes a great pitch.