Cayenne Consulting

Investor Presentation Survival Guide

We’ve worked with a lot of businesses that are hoping to acquire investors. Throughout our experiences, we’ve learned that presenting to investors is usually quite daunting. While seeking funding and presenting are likely always going to be a challenging prospect for anyone, the expectations are something we can manage. If you know what to expect, you can prepare more effectively and have a more realistic view of the process of acquiring investors. Knowing what you’re in for in advance can help you stick it out when the journey gets long.

Know What to Expect by Learning from Real-World Experiences

We’ve put together some of the more common experiences and outcomes you should know about in advance before seeking investors, whether you are presenting at investor conferences, in a boardroom setting, or in a one-on-one situation across a desk.

Nothing will totally prepare you, but what we’re sharing below is based on real-world and first-hand knowledge, not that gained from bloggers or business books. We’ve actually sought funding and helped others prepare to present to investors.

Preparedness Produces Luck

“Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity” is a famous quote for a reason. When you have the opportunity to present to potential investors, your preparedness makes or breaks you. The more prepared you are, the more confident you will be. The amount of nervousness that you feel will be in direct proportion to how well you know your material; the more you know it, the less you’ll contend with nerves. The more collected you are, the more you’ll be able to answer questions outside of your presentation slides, which will help build trust and confidence in you with your audience. The more they trust you, the more likely you’ll get “lucky” and get an investor.

How to Improve Your Presentation Skills

Presenting with confidence will require you to practice far more than you might initially think. Begin on your own until you’ve got your presentation nailed down. When you’re working on your own, take this opportunity to film yourself and play it back so you can see what quirks or nervous behaviors you need to iron out of your talk; this will also aid in decreasing your nerves. Next, you’ll want to present to groups of people that you trust, like friends and family. Try to present to an “easy” group of people first. Lastly, get together at least one group of people who you know will challenge your every word. Be sure to record and playback your group sessions to gain more confidence.

Presenting to investors is a process. During the process, you will, like anything else worth having, experience wins and setbacks. But the odds are in your favor that you will get better at presenting your business over time, and you’ll likely evolve and improve your venture as you get feedback. But first, to survive, remember the expectations and outcomes we’ve shared here so you can get to the finish line.

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