7 The art of pitching to institutional investors
- Will you be in tune with the VC pitch meeting vibe to maximize your chance of success?
- Do you have a great VC pitch deck? Suggestions on how to structure it.
- Surviving VC shark tank drama. Are you ready for nasty curveballs?
Different types of investors require different types of pitches. In anecdote 6, “Angels—your bridge financing solution,” I discussed how to pitch to individual angels, who, even if they are part of a group with organized meetings, ultimately invest about $25,000 per person. In this anecdote, I’ll cover pitching to institutional investors, which means Venture Capitalists; highly organized, fund-based angel groups; private equity firms; and corporate or strategic investors.
Definition
Institutional investor is a legally organized partnership or corporation whose sole business activity is investing to make a profit consistent with their corporate structure (for shareholders, limited partners, or parent company). These are the investors you will get to once you have market traction, have proven Product-Market Fit, or later when you are ready to scale the company.