What do pitch judges and investors like to see in the opening of your pitch?

On pitch day, many pitch teams have three simple wishes.

1. Wouldn't it be great to grab everyone's attention - immediately?

2. Wouldn't it be great to start confidently and strongly?

3. Wouldn't it be great to cover all the most important points in the first 30 - 40 seconds?

Well, you don't need to just wish for these to happen, you can easily make these wishes come true! During a pitch you have so little time. So you must be careful about which topics you choose to speak about in your opening.

Summarise to catch attention: first impressions do count and people will rarely change their minds after that first impression. So, you have to make the right impression and clearly explain why you deserve the judges' or investor's attention.

5 questions that pitch judges / investors want you to answer:

1. Do you have a great business idea?

2. Are you tough enough and smart enough?

3. Are you the right person or have the right team to lead that business?

4. Have you anticipated potential problems and know how to solve them?

5. Do you have a great plan to find many customers?

If you are new to pitching or would like to try a more disciplined approach, try following a template. This will help you summarise the main points to catch your audience's attention and in the most efficient manner. There's no time to waste!

5 questions to answer and create a fantastic opening

1. Who is your target market?

2. What problems do you solve?

3. What is your business solution?

4. What are the results?

5. What is the impact?

When the stakes are high, prepare thoroughly!