Adam Chavez

I’m re-reading “Art of the Start” & thought I’d take some notes — then I thought, “Why not just post them on my blog? Kill 2 birds with 1 stone” So here you go. Enjoy!

Question: How can you tell if an entrepreneur is pitching?
Answer: His lips are moving.

Pitching Tip 1:

In the first minute, answer the question: “What does his organization do?” — Don’t go off on personal tangents at the beginning of a pitch

Two Things to Do Before Pitching to a VC

1. “Set a timer to 1 minute. Give your current pitch until the timer goes off. Ask the audience to write down one sentence that explains what your organization does. Collect the answers and compare them to what you think you said.”
2. “Videotape yourself giving your pitch. If you can watch it without being embarrassed, you’re ready to go.”

Pitching Tip 2:

Observe the 10/20/30 Rule

• 10 slides or less
• 20 minutes (leave 40 minutes for questions/discussion in a 1 hour meeting)
• 30 point font

Pitching Tip #3 - 1 Person Talk & 1 Person Listen & Take Notes

Story on listening:

“I once accompanied a startup’s CEO and COO on a pitch to a venture capitalist. A few days after the pitch, I met with the VC alone. When we began to discuss the Management (with a capital M), all he said was, ‘I noticed that the CEO did a lot of talking, but the COO was sitting there taking notes. The CEO didn’t write down a thing. I think the COO is a quality guy.’

“I don’t remember whether what the venture capitalist had been saying at the original meeting was actually noteworthy, but that’s not the point. The point is that shutting up and taking notes or, God help you, actually listening for ways to improve is a good thing to do in a pitch, where even the smallest actions create a big impression. The visible act of taking notes says

• I think you’re smart
• You’re saying something worth writing down
• I’m willing and anxious to learn
• I’m conscientious

“Taking notes provides these benefits, plus the value of the information that you’re recording. It can’t get much better than this.”
“Also, at the end of the meeting, summarize what you heard and play it back in order to make sure you got the correct information. You can make an even greater impression by also following through, within a day, on all the promises that you made during the pitch — for example, providing additional information.”

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