How to improve your pitch and attract investment: advice from investors

Gani Kasymov, Investment Partner at EA Ventures, Kazakhstan, @kagankz

— Deep understanding of the product. It is important to have a clear and detailed vision of the product. Investors need to understand exactly how your solution works, how it is structured, and what your ideal customer profile looks like. Include case studies and use cases so that investors can see the real value of your product. Key points should be presented in a substantive and informative manner.

— Competitor research. Founders should thoroughly conduct competitor research and transparently present the results in their pitch deck. This allows investors to see how your product stands out from others and helps better understand the startup's potential.

— Development stages and exit strategy. Investors appreciate having a clear plan for the startup's development. Specify key milestones and goals for the coming years, as well as describe the exit strategy. This shows that you understand where your business is heading and what your long-term plans are.

Valeriy Grishin, Head of Development at DevKit Acceleration, Kyrgyzstan, @grishin.traction

— Market and plan details. Specify how many entrepreneurs you plan to reach in the coming years and how many of them will pay for your product. This allows investors to assess the growth potential and profitability of the startup.

— Use cases and real examples. Start the presentation by describing possible use cases for your product. Show the real problem it solves and its value to the customer. This helps investors see the specific advantages of your solution.

— Economics and testing. Show the results of your product testing, even if they are small experiments with paid advertising. This demonstrates that you have already started validating your business model and understand unit economics.

Davron Parmonov, Partner at Alloqa Ventures, Uzbekistan

— Proof of viability. This confirms that your idea has been tested in practice and there are real users ready to pay for the product.

— Investment strategy. When presenting an investment proposal, it is important to clearly define the strategy for using the funds. Specify how the investments will be allocated and what results you plan to achieve. It is also necessary to correctly value your product and not give away too large a share of the company at the initial stage.

— Valuation and economic justification. Determine basic expense metrics and try to bring the product valuation to a significant amount before raising large investments. This will make your startup more attractive to investors and allow you to retain greater control over the company.