- July 10, 2025
- Category: Guides
By Viivek Mehata, Portfolio Manager at Yellow Capital
As a Portfolio Manager at Yellow Capital, I’ve sat through hundreds of startup pitches – some brilliant, others forgettable. More often than not, it’s not the product that wins us over. It’s the pitch.
A great pitch doesn’t just inform – it excites, convinces, and makes us believe this is a team worth backing. Here’s how to build one, with real examples to show you what works.
- Hook From The First Slide
Start strong. Open with a sharp one-liner or a relatable story that frames the problem. We should feel the pain point immediately.
Example: “Every time you tap ‘buy’ on a crypto token, you’re losing money – and you don’t even know it”. This opener immediately sparks curiosity and introduces a real pain point.
- Frame the Problem with Precision
Explain the core issue you’re solving. Keep it specific, real, and data-backed. Avoid vague statements like “X industry is broken”.
Example: “70% of NFT projects fail to retain users after 30 days. The problem isn’t hype – it’s onboarding friction and poor UX.” Now we understand the scale and root of the issue.
- Make the Solution Crystal Clear
What’s your unique insight? Why does your product matter now, and what makes it different?
Example: “We’ve built a wallet-free NFT checkout experience that integrates directly with e-commerce platforms, cutting the onboarding time from 20 clicks to 2.”
- Prove There’s a Big Market
TAM/SAM/SOM – use credible metrics. We’re not here for guesses – we want conviction based on research.
Example: The global digital collectibles market is projected to hit $100B by 2028. We’re targeting the $8B niche of gaming-related NFTs first, then expanding.”
- Show, Don’t Just Tell
Show us how it works. A short demo or flowcharts beats a wall of text. Help us visualize the experience.
Example: A 30-second screen recording of a user buying an NFT with just an email login. No MetaMask. No seed phrase. No confusion. We immediately get it.
- Explain How You’ll Make Money
How do you make money? Is it scalable? What are the margins?
Example: “We charge a 2% transaction fee, with optional premium features for power users. Our unit economics hit profitability at just 15K monthly active users.”
- Break Down Your GTM Plan
Distribution is where most startups struggle. We want to see focus, not fluff — who are your early adopters, and how are you reaching them?
Example: “We’re partnering with indie game studios to integrate our SDK, giving us direct access to 500K players. Our waitlist already has 3,000 devs.”
- Understand the Competitive Landscape
Be honest. List the players and clearly explain your edge. Saying “we have no competitors” signals a lack of research.
Example: “Unlike Magic Eden or OpenSea, we’re focused 100% on mobile-first commerce integrations, not marketplaces. That’s our wedge.”
- Prove You’re the Team to Back
Why are you the right people to build this? Highlight relevant experience, grit, and complementarity.
Example: “Our CTO built high-frequency trading infra at Jump. Our CEO scaled two B2C apps to 1M+ users. We’ve shipped hard things, fast.”
- Share Real Traction
Show us progress: users, revenue, waitlists, or even early feedback. Anything that proves momentum.
Example: “In 3 months, we’ve onboarded 12K users, processed $180K in GMV, and signed 2 pilot deals with Web3 gaming platforms.”
- Be Clear on What You’re Raising & Why
Be clear and realistic. How much are you raising, what’s the valuation, and how will the funds be used?
Example: “We’re raising $2.5M at a $10M post-money valuation. 60% will go to engineering, 25% to GTM, and 15% to compliance and legal.”
- Paint the Bigger Picture
End with the big picture. Where is this going, and why is it worth betting on?
Example: “We’re starting with NFTs, but our long-term vision is frictionless, walletless access to every digital asset class. Think Stripe for Web3.”
According to some stats, you have a 6-second window to grasp the attention of any investor/viewer. With such a small span to hook an investor on your pitch, it has to be more than numbers and graphics, but more about the founder’s conviction to solve a real utility problem with a vision to scale it to the masses.
A pitch is more than just a deck – it’s your first chance to show that you see something others don’t. That you’ve thought deeply, moved quickly, and have a plan to win.
More than fancy startup slang or hype-driven metrics, make the VCs believe there’s no better team for this opportunity than yours.
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