Pitching to investors: do's and don’ts

Pitchfest applications are now open – ambitious innovators are being offered the chance to get investment ready, hone their presentation skills and pitch to a panel of investors. 

With that in mind, we’ve highlighted our top do's and don’ts for how to approach investors, both in this blog and in our upcoming webinar: Wooing an angel: The do's and don’ts of pitching to investors – but first: 

What is Pitchfest? 

Pitchfest is a funded offering, supporting innovative and ambitious UK SMEs to get investment ready and develop their investor pitch in order to raise finance.

Successful applicants will receive fully subsidised 1-2-1 training and support from our specialist finance team before pitching to a panel of investors.

If that sounds interesting or if you’re already planning investor outreach, here’s some things to consider:  

Do's and Don’ts

1 – DO – be open, honest and realistic. Promising the world and a revenue curve shaped like a hockey stick has become hackneyed and investors are rightly sceptical. They will drill down deeply into the evidence supporting your assertions about growth, so be prepared! If investors like and trust you and see the potential in your idea, they won’t need over-inflated forecasts predicting unrealistic revenues.

2 – DON’T – argue. A little bit of criticism from investors is often intended as positive feedback. Remember, they may have run businesses in this sector before, for many years, and built a deep understanding of the nuances and intricacies of the industry or market. Their criticism may target things you can’t comprehend yet or have not yet considered.  

3 – DO – focus on their key concerns.  There are four things you need to explain to investors:  

• Your product or service 
• How you make money 
• How the investor makes money 
• Your routes to market and growth

Time in front of investors is precious and it’s common for business owners to get carried away with the first point. But if investors like the general idea, they’ll want to quickly move on to scalability and profitability.

4 – DON’T – stop investor outreach because of one warm lead. Investors know the ‘game’ better than anyone and will expect you to be exploring all potential options.  Just because someone is interested in your business don’t put the rest on hold, it may fall through and you will have lost valuable time.  

Next steps 

For more critical guidance on how to prepare compelling pitches and get funding, join our webinar on Tuesday 2nd March: Wooing an angel: The do's and don’ts of pitching to investors.

In the meantime, Pitchfest registrations are now open. We’re looking for high-growth, innovative SMEs interested in internationalisation and seeking to ultimately raise £500k+ of investment over the next two years.

For more options on raising finance, check out our Finance Hub. It’s there to help you explore, understand and access finance solutions that are right for your business. 

You can also speak to our finance specialists for guidance on what equity, grant, debt and alternative solutions you should be considering.