Pitching

Personal, September 2021 - Present

Context

Since starting InfernoGuard in March 2020, I’ve leveraged the use of university pitch competitions to fund my venture. Over time, I’ve become an expert at crafting a narrative and pitching, synthesizing my work and leveraging storytelling to communicate my progress. Pitching has taken me across the country, from Boston to Texas and California, competing against undergraduates, graduates, PhD candidates, MBAs, and more. I received funding from 17 different competitions, winning 400k+ in the process, the most notable winning streak of any student founder in the US. As a result of my success, I was asked to mentor founders at Techstars, the world’s most active pre-seed investor. Here, I’ve mentored 36 companies and counting on pitch techniques for the “Demo Day,” the culmination of a 13 week accelerator program. I hope to continue leveraging my experience pitching in the design realm.

Outcome

Throughout my time pitching, I’ve been fortunate enough to place in many competitions across the country, the most notable of which are included below in chronological order.

Please use the links below to see my work in action!

  • Summer 2021: 3rd place Northwestern Jumpstart pre-accelerator program, only undergraduate team to place. Recap Here

  • Fall 2021: $15k Johns Hopkins Fuel accelerator grand prize. Recap Here

  • Winter 2022: $100k ASU.io Climate Change Grand Prize sponsored by Breakthrough Energy Ventures. Clip Here

  • Spring 2022: $25k TCU Values and Ventures 2nd place prize. Full Pitch Here

  • Spring 2022: $50k Microsoft for Startups prize, only non-professor to receive the award. Recap Here

  • Spring 2022: $160k Northwestern VentureCat Grand Prize. Full Pitch Here

After my sequence of pitches, I transitioned into a mentorship role. My favorite mentorship opportunities are included here:

  • Summer 2022: Anatomy of a Winning Pitch with GhostRanch Communications. Webinar Here

  • Summer 2022: Keynote Speaker at eCYBERMISSION competition. Watch Here

  • 2023 - 2024: Techstars Mentorship. Deck Here

Project Learnings

About myself as a Storyteller:

  • The storyline must stay consistent across all sections of the pitch.

  • Communicate any required “learnings” like I’m a 4th grader.

  • Let your pitch tone reflect your personality as a founder.

  • Take a high volume of advice and feedback, but make decisions yourself.

  • Concrete examples for 1 user will root your vision in a story, allowing investors to see the larger, widespread opportunity as a result.

  • If you’re prepared enough, people will respect you, no matter your age. I competed (and beat) numerous PhD and MBA students, which helped me get over any “imposter syndrome.”

  • Storytelling is my superpower.