Do you know how to pitch?

You have a creative, innovative idea that will change an industry and help many people. Great! Now how do you convince a stranger to invest in your idea?

It is likely that at some point, you will have to “pitch” your idea to investors. The standard meaning of “pitch” is to throw something, like a ball. When you pitch an idea, you are throwing the idea to investors and you hope they will catch it, like it, and fund it. Part of the DLI Innovation Challenge is a pitch event, where a panel of Tanzanian experts review and judge the ideas of our finalists. Finalists are given 5-7 minutes to summarize their idea and convince the judges of its value. This is not a lot of time, so they must keep their presentation focused and engaging. We have some tips to help the finalists prepare their presentations, and we want to share them with you.

A “pitch deck” is a brief presentation, used to provide your audience with a summary of your idea and business plan. You may use a pitch deck during face-to-face or online meetings with potential investors, customers, or partners. Most of our finalists use a slide deck to support their pitch. Here, we share several tips on how to create an engaging, visually interesting slide deck.

DLIIC Pitch Presentation Tips

Many people fear public speaking, but if you cannot present your ideas confidently, you will have a hard time convincing someone to invest in you. Here, we share a few tips to help you feel and act confident when you pitch your ideas.

DLIIC Public Speaking Tips