On 1st December our STARTER program teams and other young entrepreneurs gathered at IdeaLab to perfect their pitching skills. For that reason, we invited Gleb Maltsev - the founder of Stoneful communications agency, co-founder of Fundwise and award-winning pitching trainer. He came to Tartu straight from Slush and well, left us amazed!

Gleb's energetic, electrifying and inspiring style created an awesome atmosphere! He instantly created a rapport and engaged the audience perfectly, asking lots of questions making everyone to share their ideas freely. During the training he did not only share captivating stories and practical tips on pitching but also let everyone share their stories (and names!), asked a lot of „why?“ questions, and made the participants think deep.

Couple of STARTER teams had a chance to practice their pitch in front of everyone, getting instant feedback and valuable tips from Gleb. So it was especially useful for those teams who are going to pitch  on Kaleidoskoop on Wednesday!  "Gleb didn't really say what we had to do. Instead, he asked the right questions, guiding us to think ourselves," says Kaspar who also gave a pitch in front of everyone and got some feedback.

Gleb also shared some practical tips and tricks on pitching. Here are some of them!

• Start and finish your pitch telling your name and the name of your business or project. Say it out clearly and slowly. As the good pitch tells a story, the beginning and the ending of the pitch should be connected. 
  
• Add an emotional value to your story - so that it will touch people who hear it.
• Do not just learn your pitch by heart  – it is important to stay yourself and hold a conversation with your audience. Show that you're really into your idea and ready for a long-.term commitment!
• Say clearly what you need: what kind of help, the size of funding ect.
• Know who your audience is and what touches them - design your pitch according to that.
• Take time for preparation - event the simplest presentation needs at least 40 hours preparation time!

Gleb explained that when it comes to pitching, the most common mistake is staying too superficial and self-centered, also the fear of being vulnerable. A good pitcher should step ahead of personal ambitions and make clear that he is really willing to do something significant. He also shared some tips and tricks on how to find potential partners. The first and the easiest is remembering each other's names and stories - that kind of care leaves a good impression both on personal and professional level!

For further tips, see also:

• Presentation "Fundamentals of writing a pitch" by Gleb Maltsev
• Gleb Maltsev on Twitter

Maarja Kordemets
Els Maria Metsmaa