Nomadesk Pitches At The European Venture Summit

120 award-winning high tech companies converge on Düsseldorf at the European Venture Summit … Nomadesk is one of them.

Ok, I guess it is pitching season again.  Pitching the story of one’s company, is one of the most important tasks a startup CEO has to perform.  He or she has to be ready and good at it all of the time.  Whether it is a short “elevator pitch” (especially then!) or a more elaborate company pitch (at some VC’s “shoot-out“), hard-earned experience has taught me that you can’t leave anything up to chance. That’s why I take almost every opportunity to hone the Nomadesk pitch – “It’s an illness“, my colleagues at Nomadesk would say.

For instance, I literally practiced the Nomadesk elevator pitch in the PlugAndPlayTechCenter elevator, because delivering a convincing pitch does not come all that naturally.  The pitch takes only 40 sec., just enough to keep somebody entertained while cruising a couple of floors.

Actually, pitching skills don’t come natural to most (startup) CEO’s.  This became apparent during the semi-finals of the European Venture Contest last week in Luxembourg. No offense, but some pitches were not good at all.  So, how can you expect to convince a jury, let alone an investor, when business models remain nebulous and the body-language oozes “insecurity” all over the place? Well you don’t!

So, how do you get better at it?  Here are three things I did:

1. Take a course on developing presentation skills.  Make sure you are video taped and watch this tape a lot.  It is an eery experience but very revealing in terms of body-language, “la Tourette“, etc.
2. When it comes down to developing the elevator or investor pitch, seek professional help.  Not a “shrink”, but someone who has been there before.  I worked with the GuideWire Group on this.  Also, events like the ones by e-unlimited (in Europe) are good to hone the pitch. I’m sure there’s plenty people out-there who can assist.
3. Then simple go out and pitch, pitch, pitch… because practice makes perfect (and less nervous)!

Once you get the hang of it, pitching becomes a sport, in which you constantly seize the level of intrest in the audience.  You look for the “approving” nods (i.e., great) or the bedazzeled faces (i.e., not so great).  So, that’s what happen throughout the pitch I gave in front of the jury during the semi-finals of the European Venture Contest.  It was a pretty challenging environment, being confronted with a 10 person jury and a tough Q&A in the aftermath.

Nomadesk made it and I will be in Düsseldorf on November 30th.  You are very welcome to the Nomadesk pitch.

Here are some press reports about the EEVC Luxembourg:

• http://lequotidien.editpress.lu/l-economie/6337.html
• http://www.lessentiel.lu/news/economie/story/24760634
• http://www.journal.lu/index.php?id=8&tx_m65xml2db_pi1[uid]=7847&cHash=ef1cdd26b4