Secrets of a Successful Pitch: Recommendations from Indira Uzbekova and Nayla Shodorova

As part of the recent online pitch in the Telegram channel The Tech, experts from Accelerate Prosperity and SIT Foundation provided recommendations on financial forecasting, market prospects, and pitch deck structure.

Indira Uzbekova, Regional Fund Manager, Accelerate Prosperity

To convince investors of the viability of your business model, it is important to present financial forecasts and planned growth rates. Show your ambitions for market expansion. Investors need to clearly see your vision for the next five years — what strategic goals you are setting and how you plan to achieve them.

To make the pitch deck more effective, it is important to reduce the amount of text, focusing on key points. The pitch should be clear and concise — fewer technical details, more focus on the main idea and product value. Since the audience is not technical, it is important to avoid complex terminology, leaving technical explanations for questions. The presentation should be easy to perceive, with visual accents and clearly highlighted main messages.

Focus on the market, opportunities, and business model, clearly stating how and how much you plan to earn. If an investor is interested, they will conduct a detailed technical analysis themselves, so there is no need to overload the pitch deck with unnecessary details. It is important to convey strategic value, show growth prospects, and convince them that the project deserves attention.

Do not be afraid to pitch and receive feedback — recommendations help improve the presentation and business model. The best startups told their pitch to 1000 investors before closing their first funding round, and each new conversation made their pitch stronger. The more experience in negotiations, the higher the chance of attracting investment. Be confident in your product and learn to adapt the presentation to the audience.

Nailya Shodorova, Program Director, SIT Foundation

It is important to clearly show what financial benefits your product provides, as this is one of the main factors for businesses. It is important to avoid verbosity and immediately reveal the economic benefit, profitability, and key aspects of the business model.

It is also recommended to consider the competitive analysis in detail, define the target market, current market position, and plans for further expansion. Investors want to see a clear strategy, understanding of competitors, and technical capabilities, including server infrastructure.

At the moment, the market is saturated, and it is difficult to choose a successful startup, even with funding and competence. The founder's experience plays a big role — it is important to understand what exits they have had, even if unsuccessful, because this shows that they know how to learn from mistakes. Traction is also important: what results already exist, who uses the product, how the business is developing. Investors look at real progress and the ability to adapt to changes.