Monday, February 17, 2020, Skandalaris Center Investor In-Residence and Principal at Cultivation Capital, Elise Miller Hoffman, led a Pitch Practice workshop to help WashU students develop their pitches for Olin’s Big IdeaBounce.

As a mentor for the Hatchery course, Elise Miller Hoffman guides student-led ventures through the pitching process.

Attendees arrived ready to hear tips and tricks to help them prepare for everything from elevator pitches to class presentations. Using her experience in venture capital, Elise shared the following techniques that will work for any presentation, including the 2-minute video elevator pitches for the campus-wide Olin's Big IdeaBounce pitch contest.

Key Components of a Great Pitch

The first step in any idea presentation is crafting a cohesive and informative pitch. Most successful pitches feature:

• The Benefit – The reason the customer might want what you’re selling.

• The Differentiator – The reason the customer might want to buy it from you.

• The Ask – Where you ask for meeting a customer if they are interested.

(Source: https://www.inc.com/geoffrey-james/how-to-give-a-flawless-elevator-pitch.html)

Exert confidence & Passion

Once you’ve built a great pitch, the next step is to make you and your idea stand out from the competition.

• Be memorable – Differentiate yourself, tell a story.
• Demonstrate Passion – Show us how much you love your idea.
• Make the Judges Care – Help the audience get into the heart/ mind of your customer. What is the pain point?
• Fake It til You Make It – Prove why you are the best person in the world to lead this venture.

With this information, you now have the tools you need to give your perfect pitch.

The Pitch Practice workshop is just one of many events led by the Skandalaris Center In-Residence professionals this semester. Visit the In-Residence program page to connect with them and find other events: https://skandalaris.wustl.edu/in-residence/.