Assignment: The Art of Pitching – Communication with Impact
Objective
This assignment helps startup founders develop a persuasive pitch for their business. You will apply the Perfect Pitch methodology to refine your message, create compelling slides, and improve your delivery.
Instructions
- Answer each section in bullet points or short paragraphs (2–5 sentences each).
- Keep responses concise and focused on your startup.
- Apply persuasive storytelling techniques to make your pitch more impactful.
Assignment Questions
1. Defining Your Pitch Goals
(a) What is the purpose of your pitch?
👉 Example: Seeking investment, attracting customers, securing partnerships, hiring talent.
(b) Who is your target audience?
👉 Example: Angel investors, venture capitalists, customers, strategic partners.
(c) What is the one key message you want them to remember?
👉 Example: “We are revolutionising last-mile delivery with an AI-driven logistics platform.”
2. Structuring Your Pitch (Using the PerfectPitch Framework)
(a) What is your startup’s elevator pitch (in 2–3 sentences)?
👉 Example: “Our platform connects rural farmers to urban markets using blockchain-powered logistics, increasing their income by 40% while ensuring fresh produce delivery.”
(b) What problem are you solving? Why does it matter?
👉 Clearly define the pain point and why it is urgent.
(c) What is your unique solution?
👉 Explain how your product/service addresses the problem in a novel way.
(d) What is your business model? How do you make money?
👉 Describe your revenue streams (subscriptions, commissions, direct sales, etc.).
(e) What is your traction or proof of concept?
👉 List key milestones (users acquired, partnerships, revenue generated, successful pilots).(f) What do you need from your audience? (Your "ask")
👉 Example: Seeking $100,000 to scale operations and acquire 10,000 new users.
3. Designing Your Pitch Deck
(a) What are the key slides in your pitch deck? (List 5–7 must-have slides)
👉 Example:
- Problem Statement
- Solution
- Market Opportunity
- Business Model
- Traction & Milestones
- Team
- Call to Action (The Ask)
(b) How will you make your slides visually engaging?
👉 Example: Using minimal text, compelling images, storytelling, charts instead of tables.
(c) What common mistakes will you avoid?
👉 Example: Too much text, unreadable fonts, lack of a clear message.
4. Mastering Delivery & Persuasion
(a) How will you make your pitch persuasive rather than just informative?
👉 Example: Using storytelling, emotional appeal, data-driven insights, social proof.
(b) What is your plan to practice and refine your pitch?
👉 Example: Recording yourself, getting feedback from mentors, pitching in mock sessions.
(c) How will you handle tough questions from investors or partners?
👉 Example: Anticipating FAQs, preparing concise and confident responses.
5. Reflection & Next Steps
(a) What is one strength of your current pitch?
👉 Example: Strong storytelling, compelling market opportunity, clear problem statement.
(b) What is one area you need to improve?
👉 Example: More concise slides, stronger financial projections, clearer call to action.
(c) What is your next action step to improve your pitch?
👉 Example: Refining slides, practicing delivery, gathering more traction data.
Submission: Not required
Keep answer short and to the point
Due Date: None
