The group pitch I gave last week flopped because I skipped the elevator pitch

I spent 10 minutes talking about our product features but the investor asked 'so what do you actually do?' after I finished. Has anyone else struggled with keeping your pitch short enough for Austin investors?

3 comments

3 Comments

avery_jackson2d ago

The real issue is that in Austin everyone wants the tl;dr version of everything. It's like people here have zero attention span unless you hook them in 10 seconds flat. I notice the same thing at happy hours and networking events where people just walk away mid sentence if you don't grab them fast enough. Your product could be the next big thing but if you can't explain it like you're telling a friend about a new food truck then you're sunk in this city. Investors here especially act like their time is worth more than yours so you gotta respect that from the jump.

michaeltorres1d ago

Hold up, is that really about Austin specifically or just how people are everywhere now? I moved here from a smaller Texas town and it's the same thing there too. People check out fast if you can't get to the point quick. Maybe Austin's just louder about it cause there's more going on.

jakejones2d ago

@avery_jackson nailed it about the attention span thing, but there's another angle nobody talks about. The real problem is that skipping the elevator pitch makes you look like you don't actually understand your own business well enough to explain it simply. Investors in Austin would rather hear a rough 30 second version that shows you know your stuff than a 10 minute deep dive that leaves them guessing.