How do I practice a startup pitch?
Run the talk on an eight-minute clock with a skeptical Q&A. SpeakNow scores problem, traction, differentiation, and the ask. Replace the starter sheet with a pitch-night rubric if you have one.
Events / Startup pitch
EVENT TEMPLATE
Practice for Startup pitch
Investors weight the problem, who pays, proof, and the ask. SpeakNow times that sequence and pushes on competition, unit economics, and why now.
SpeakNow is not a fundraising advisor. Scores are practice guidance, not investment advice.
Get your first session for free. No card.
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01
One sentence problem
Who has it, how they pay today, why that is broken. Then the product.
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02
Traction with a unit
Users, revenue, or weekly growth. Downloads without retention are decoration.
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03
Answer competition
Name the alternative. We have no competitors reads as you have not looked.
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04
Make the ask specific
How much, for what milestone, in what time.
HOW IT IS SCORED
What the panel is listening for
Starter weights for this format. Paste the real sheet if you have it.
Problem and customer25
Urgent, specific, paid for today.
Traction25
A unit, a window, a direction.
Differentiation25
Why you, versus the named alternative.
Ask and time25
A number and a use, inside the clock.
BEFORE YOU STAND UP
What to do in the next sitting
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Skip the origin story
Unless it is the unfair advantage. Most origin stories are delay.
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TAM last
A huge market with no customer is a slide, not a company.
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Rehearse the hard no
Why would someone not switch. Answer it yourself.
QUESTIONS
About Startup pitch practice
Is SpeakNow a startup accelerator?
No. SpeakNow is independent practice. It is not affiliated with Y Combinator or any pitch night.
SpeakNow is not a fundraising advisor. Scores are practice guidance, not investment advice. AI feedback is practice guidance, not an official grade.
OTHER ROOMS
Nearby formats
speaknow
The Startup pitch panel is already sitting down.
Get your first session for free. No card.