During my 11 years as a pitch coach, there is still one moment that makes my stomach drop.
It happens every time a founder delivers a great pitch, builds momentum, raises the energy -
and then confidently says:
“Our only competitor is…”
Or even worse:
“We don’t have any competition.”
In that exact second, I feel the shift.
Every time, the same internal “oh no…” as the credibility cracks.
Because that single sentence - that tiny moment - carries a massive consequence.
It doesn’t make the founder look strong.
It makes them look inexperienced.
Investors don’t hear confidence.
They hear blindness.
They hear naivety.
They hear a founder who hasn’t done the work.
A tiny moment with massive consequences.
The Problem Most Founders Don’t See
The belief that “no competition = strength” is one of the most common and most damaging misunderstandings in early-stage pitching.
I’ve heard every version:
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“No one is doing what we’re doing.”
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“We’re the first to solve this.”
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“There are no direct competitors.”
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“Nothing like this exists.”
And every time, the pattern is the same:
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The founder feels proud.
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The investors feel concerned.
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The pitch instantly loses trust.
I’ve seen founders insist:
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“This market is empty.”
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“This is completely new.”
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“There’s literally no one else.”
But here’s the truth most founders don’t realize:
You always have competition — always, always.
Most founders miss this because they think “competition” only means a company offering the exact same solution.
But competition is also:
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The workaround
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The spreadsheet
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The manual process
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The old system
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The habits people already have
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And the biggest competitor of all: the status quo
People Can Choose Not To Change.
They can stay exactly where they are because:
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It’s too expensive to switch
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It takes too much time
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It feels too complicated
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It’s not a big enough pain
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They don’t trust new solutions yet
Status quo is a competitor - and often the hardest one to beat.
And when investors hear claims like “we have no competitors,” they don’t think:
“Wow, what a unique opportunity.”
They think:
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You haven’t researched the market
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You don’t understand customer behavior
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You’re underestimating the problem
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You’re blind to alternatives
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You’re inexperienced
And here’s another uncomfortable truth:
If you truly are alone with no competitors whatsoever, investors start pulling back.
Because then the fear kicks in:
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Why has nobody done this?
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Why has nobody succeeded before?
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Is there even a market?
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Is this solving a real problem… or just an imagined one?
And the third thing that happens?
You come across as naive.
Not in a harsh way - but in a “you don’t understand your industry yet” way.
This is exactly when investors start to mentally check out.
Because every market has competition.
If not direct - then indirect.
If not indirect - then alternatives.
If not alternatives - then the status quo.
Competition Isn’t A Threat.
Competition Is Proof.
The strongest founders I’ve coached don’t fear competition -
after working together, they start to see competitors as validation.
They understand it’s their chance to show:
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They map the real landscape
(instead of pretending it’s empty) -
They show what customers do today
(“manual workflows,” “spreadsheets,” “workarounds,” “fragmented tools”) -
They highlight where existing solutions fall short
(instead of claiming they’re “the only ones”) -
They position themselves clearly
(instead of claiming an early monopoly) -
They use competitors as evidence of market demand
(“This problem is big enough that multiple players are tackling it.”)
Why does this work?
Because when you recognize the real competitive landscape - including the status quo - you instantly become more credible.
No fantasy.
No blindness.
No illusion.
The moment you show you understand the competitive landscape, you become someone investors can trust.
What Consistently Wins
Across thousands of pitches, here’s what consistently wins:
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Acknowledging all forms of competition
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Showing current customer behavior
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Positioning within a landscape
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Explaining why others haven’t succeeded
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Differentiating with clarity
This is the moment when a pitch evolves from “hopeful” to “investable.”
The Bottom Line
Pretending you have no competition weakens your pitch.
Understanding your competition - including the status quo - strengthens it.
Because competition isn’t the problem.
Naivety is.
And the founders who win?
They’re the ones who can say:
Here’s the landscape.
Here’s what exists.
Here’s why it’s not enough.
And here’s exactly where we stand.
Strong founders don’t avoid competition.
They leverage it.
That’s all for today.
If you found this helpful, feel free to share it.
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Next week, I’ll show you exactly how to weave competition into your pitch - what to include, what to eliminate, and what to leave for the Q&A so you come across as sharp, experienced, and investor-ready.