How to pitch: building a relationship, not just a deck

Many pitches sell a vision to the market at large, not a valuable product (shares) to a specific person (investor) who will own a part of the company. When you want a private investor on board, you are selling them something concrete. They need to understand what it is, why it matters for them, and how they can help it grow.

A good pitch is short and precise. It signals expertise without drowning people in detail. The aim is not to answer every question on the spot, the aim is to spark the right questions and open the door to a real conversation. Strong pitches create momentum because they shape how the relationship begins.

What investors actually buy

Investors do not buy potential in the abstract. They buy a product, a position and a growth path. In practical terms, that means three things:

1. Product clarity

   Explain what you sell in one or two sentences. Strip out internal jargon. If your investor cannot repeat it in their own words, you have work to do. Clarity builds trust. It shows you understand the customer and the job your product does for them.

2. Value from their perspective

   Translate your value into an investor’s language. Show how this product creates durable cash flows, improves unit economics, or grows defensible assets. Make the link between the product you are building and the value that compounds on the cap table.

3. A plan they can join

   Investors want to see the next milestones and how capital turns into progress. Outline what you will build, by when and how this reduces risk. Invite them into a step-by-step plan instead of a wish list.

The interaction is the pitch

A pitch is not a monologue, it is the first cycle of a working relationship. Ask a smart question or two about their portfolio and where they add the most value. You are not convincing someone to hand over money, you are selling them valuable assets and establishing the tone for how you will make decisions together.

Start with a strong one-pager or a brief deck sharing expertise only to the extent that it raises more specific questions and ideas of collaboration. Prepare yourself for a few relevant conversations instead of just one monologue.

• The product

  Who is the customer, what problem are you solving, what is the proof so far. Keep it specific. Evidence beats enthusiasm.

• The economics
  How the model works, what drives margin and retention, where capital goes in the next 12 to 18 months. Keep it simple. A single page with assumptions is better than a complex spreadsheet that nobody can parse live.

• The relationship
  What kind of investor you are looking for, how you like to work, what good collaboration looks like. Say it out loud. You are selling a way of working as much as a product.

The IKEA effect, applied to fundraising

People value what they help build. That is the IKEA effect in plain language: When you make space for an investor to shape the journey and details, you gain more than capital. You gain a partner who is emotionally and intellectually invested.

This starts in the pitch. Offer one or two meaningful questions connected to their area of expertise. For example, present two equally credible go-to-market routes and explain why you favour one today. Invite feedback. The point is not to be indecisive. The point is to let the investor see how decisions are made and to give them a reason to lean in.

Show enough expertise, hold back just enough detail

Expertise builds confidence. Oversharing blunts curiosity. Aim for the balance.

• Share the mental model behind your strategy, not every slide from the data room.

• Share the one or two metrics that actually move the system, not a dashboard of everything that can be measured.

• Share the risks you already know and how you are addressing them. Naming risks raises your credibility.

Leave room for follow-ups. If the first meeting answers every question, you may not get a second.

Structure that works

They might not want to see a perfect jewel without development potential - rather an uncut diamond that can become the most valuable asset in their portfolio. Here is a simple structure that keeps the pitch tight and the dialogue alive.

1. One sentence on the company
   Who you serve and the job you do for them.

2. Problem and proof
   The pain, the evidence that it is real, and how customers solve it today.

3. Product
   What you sell, how it works, what is unique and defensible.

4. Market opportunity
   The path to customers, why this path suits your context, what you have learned.

5. Team & expertise
   Why you, why now. Point to lived expertise, not generic bios.

6. Growth path
   The step-by-step plan towards the value you’re presenting

7. Business projections
   The most relevant data and projection on how you monetise your business

8. The ask
   Amount, instrument, timing, and the type of investor fit you are seeking

9. Appendix for detailed questions: Investment plan

   A detailed structure of how you plan to use the raised funds to increase the value of your business with them

Abraca’s example of a comprehensive pitch deck sent after the initial pitch.

Close with one question that invites them into the work. For example, ask where they see the riskiest link in your plan and how they would approach it. The right investors will engage. That is the start of partnership.

Signals that tell your story better than adjectives

You do not need big adjectives to prove momentum. You need a handful of honest signals.

• A short list of live customers, with one sentence on what they bought and why.

• A cohort view that shows retention and payback in simple terms.

• Learning loops that run quickly: build, test, measure, decide.

• A clear path from this round’s capital to a risk that disappears.

These signals show that you build value on purpose. That is what investors look for.

Common pitfalls and how to avoid them

• Too long
  If your pitch cannot be delivered in ten minutes, it will not land. Tighten the story, move detail to the data room.

• Too vague
  Replace abstractions with examples. Replace adjectives with numbers. Replace aspirations with milestones.

• Too transactional
  Money is not the only goal. If you ignore the fit with the person across the table, you will pay for it later.

Where to begin

Start by rewriting your one-sentence company description until a non-expert can repeat it back. Align the founding team on the next three milestones and the single metric that matters most for each. Draft a one-page use of proceeds that ties every euro to a risk retired. Then practise the delivery until it sounds like you, not a script.

Great pitches do not close a round on the spot. They open a relationship that composes value over time. When you sell a product with clear value, invite participation, and show the path forward, you gain more than funding. You gain a partner who helps you build.