Guy Kawasaki's partner at Garage Ventures, Bill Reichert, has some great tips on strengthening your company's pitch.
Reichert thinks that most companies fail to execute on a solid pitch because they focus on teaching rather than selling. When speaking with potential investors or strategic partners, "Your job is to excite, not to educate."
According to Reichert, a successful pitch must accomplish three things:
* Provide a good, clear, easy-to-repeat story—the story of an exciting new startup.
* Fit with other investments the individual venture capitalist has made and the investments the firm is chartered to make.
* Beat out the other investments the firm is currently considering.