Amar Inamdar, Managing Director, KawiSafi Ventures 

The elements of a successful pitch.

For us, first and foremost, it'll be, what have you done? What was last year like and what was two years ago like?

That's where I spend all of my time when I'm having this conversation because it's incredibly easy to say, "This is what we'll be like next year."

It's very, very difficult to talk about, justify, help understand, “What did we do last year? What did we learn from that?”

Execution and your track record on execution is number one about making a pitch: "This is what we've done."

Number two about making a pitch is, "This is who we are. This is why our experience as individuals and as a team gives us that compelling story that we can do it and we can see through the downsides, the dark sides, and the cold days that are going to come."

Help us with that, and tell us that story with real clarity.

And third, help us recognize that you have a deeper understanding of your customer than we do. That you are actually the folks that have been out there. You get on your motorbike, you get in your car, whatever it is; you're beating the street all the time and you're getting out and spending face time in market.

That's incredibly compelling. So get that to happen.

Then the last piece, curiously - and this might come as a little bit of a surprise to you - is to show us that when we ask questions, you have ready access to those questions.

It doesn't mean to say we're going to say, "Look, you have to know everything.” Every time I think of a question, you've got the perfect answer - of course not.

Be willing to say, "I'll get back to you on that.” 

But then get back to me on it. Make it quick and make it really clear that actually that wasn't a super hard ask, “We have a lot of that information and we're putting it all together.”

I think about the human pitch almost more than anything else and the ability to have made contact, walk through the door, not just be in sales mode, but be in human mode and have those conversations about market, about what you're trying to achieve, about who you are as a person, and why you're doing the thing that you're doing.

Those are the things that, to me, are more important than the pitch in itself.

Key takeaways 

• Showcase your ability to execute by sharing traction, accomplishments, and lessons learned

• Highlight your team’s experience and how it enables you to navigate challenges confidently 

• Show a deep understanding of your customer and their needs

• Demonstrate readiness to answer investor questions and address concerns promptly

• Finally, be human!