Playbook / Lessons / Money: pitch, investor email
StartupsLead the pitch with a story, not numbers
Wilson says a picture or vision lights up his imagination in a way numbers do not, and he urges entrepreneurs to focus on narrative in the initial meeting. Numbers are easy to challenge, while a well-told story is harder to attack. If the investor bites, there will be a chance to go over the numbers later.
“It's harder to poke holes in a story, particularly if it is told well.”— Fred Wilson, Narratives Over Numbers, Apr 2010
Do this
Rewrite the first two minutes of your pitch as a short story about the shift you are betting on, and keep the detailed numbers for the follow-up.