Entrepreneurial Goldmine

In part two of this series, we provided the DFJ Mercury Presentation Guide to help you organize your pitch.   Now we’ll discuss the most important component of a successful pitch – Deliver the So What!  As Guy Kawaski  says in The Art of the Start  , ”get off to a fast start” in your presentation…your audience wants to know “What does his organization do?”.   “This information is the anchor,  foundation, or beachhead that your audience needs for the pitch to go well”.   After getting off to a fast start with the opening, your strategy for delivering the so-what to keep them engaged is critical.  As indicated in part two of this series, the DFJ Mercury team listens to thousands of pitches and as they discern the so what during a pitch, they want to know that you have technical expertise about your space and have a product that can drive a disruptive performance increase or dramatic cost decrease.  How do you communicate this to them? 

While the DFJ team provide a superb outline of what your slide by slide deck should look like,  I really like the evaluation criteria within the guide.  Most VC’s are evaluating your presentation based on the following criteria (as outlined on slide 3 of the Presentation Guide):

1. Overall concept and business model
2. Technology and proof that it works
3. Product/service, its benefits and what problem it solves 
4. Market size, characteristics, participants and dynamics
5. Need and demand in the marketplace for your product/service 
6. Target customers and proof they will buy the product/service
7. Plan for making customers aware of and able to buy product 
8. Competition and how you intend to stay ahead of them 
9. Management team and their qualifications for success 
10. Projected financial results of the Company 
11. Capital required and its intended uses 
12. Potential exit strategy (liquidity event) for investors

Key Points: Management team, large and growing market, and competitive advantage are the three key decision points.

By using the aforementioned steps as your so-what litmus test to the content within each slide, you’ll be better positioned to land the deal/investment/recruit that’s needed to achieve your goal.

 Enjoy!