VC Pitch Tip #10

by Healy Jones

Wow! I've made it to 10 tips in my series on simple tips that may sort-of help the entrepreneur pitching their business idea to venture capitalists. Here is tip number ten:

VC Pitch Tip #10 - Technology venture capitalists love demos

Like birds and small children drawn to shiny objects, IT venture capitalists love demos of new products and services. Provided, of course, that the demo works! Clearly this won't work for some startups...... in particular, the animal-waste-to-biofuel entrepreneurs don't have to bring their digestors to the VC's office. But, if you can even bring in an example of your solid state storage device for the VCs to pass back and forth, it will make your pitch more memorable.

There is definitely something about seeing a new web app work that gets me excited. I'm pretty sure most VCs have a similar feeling the first time they see something new. You should take advantage of this when seeking capital. 

Your demo isn't going to get you capital if your startup isn't viable or if you can't articulate the business plan. But showing the potential investors that your product works and letting them imagine how the user solve their problem with your solution. Again, sorry for the lame tip. I'm just trying to give the entrepreneur any possible edge they can get when pitching their business to VCs.