Do you like to take your time to really explain the problem thoroughly?
And do you like to state ALL the problems you are solving?
Trust me - after 17 years in this business - you are not alone!
I see it all the time—founders getting trapped in a negative spiral without even realizing it.
It s...
The Lesson: Celebration is Not a Luxury—It's a Necessity
The other day, a startup I know closed a really big funding round. It was a moment that should have been filled with excitement and recognition. But when people from their cohort walked past their office, they saw the team just sitting...
Let’s get straight to it: You don’t have to raise money to build a successful startup.
We’ve been flooded with stories of billion-dollar startups that scaled overnight thanks to VC money. The reality? Most startups don’t need outside capital.
Some of the most successful companies—Mailchimp, Te...
What if your sustainability focus could become your strongest revenue driver, not just a cost center?
When I started out as a pitch coach - sustainability startups were still seen as charity cases. There was no way anyone would even consider making money off making the environment better - t...
It's high season for startup events. Your calendar is probably filling up with pitch competitions, investor meetups, and industry conferences - each one holding the potential for that game-changing connection or perfect investor match.
While these events can be incredibly energizing, my 17 y...
A few months ago, at a major event, something extraordinary happened. A former student approached me, asking if he could give me a big hug.
His eyes were bright with excitement – a clear contrast to the nervous, shivering person I'd coached months earlier. During our first two sessions, he ...
A few months ago ago, I found myself in a familiar position that I just love – coaching another batch of promising startups in a global accelerator program.
After guiding more than 1,100 startups, of which several hundreds through various accelerators and incubators worldwide, - as you can ...
Imagine this:
After months of cold emails, LinkedIn messages, and tapping into every network you could find, you finally land that investor meeting.
Your heart races as you walk into their office. You've practiced your pitch endlessly. Your slides are polished, your numbers are solid, and yo...
Have you ever felt your heart racing just before stepping up to give a presentation?
You're not alone - over 70% of Americans fear public speaking more than death itself, as revealed by a study conducted by the National Institutes of Mental Health.
And I was one of them.
I can still remember...
Everyone's obsessed with metrics these days.
Customer Acquisition Cost. Lifetime Value. Churn Rate. Revenue Per User.
Just look at the startup landscape:
Founders frantically raising more capital to cover churn
Teams building features nobody asked for
Decks full of metrics that investors...
Hey there,Have you ever walked out of an investor meeting feeling like you just wasted precious hours of your startup journey?
Well - you are definitely not alone.
The other day, I was at an investment panel when one of the seasoned investors dropped a truth that hit home.
She pointed out...
"I do my best pitches spontaneously!"
Every time I hear this statement from founders, I get really upset!
Not only is it disrespectful to your audience to show up unprepared, but it's also a dangerous myth that sets founders up for failure.
The Reality Check
When I test these "spontaneous" p...
