Secrets of a Successful Pitch: Recommendations from Birzhan Nurlanuly and Elmira Obri

Birzhan Nurlanuly, Investment Analyst at Astana Hub Ventures
Elmira Obri, Mentor at Unicorn Factory

About Us

Birzhan. I am an investment analyst at the Astana Hub Venture fund. Previously, I worked at BGlobal Ventures. I have also served as a jury member for Astana Hub’s acceleration programs and competitions, and other ecosystem players have invited me to act as an expert.

Elmira. I am an expert in startup acceleration and incubation. I lead and am a partner at Unicorn Factory, a venture studio operating in Central Asia. I have been working in the industry for over 10 years and previously led MOST Ventures, the largest private accelerator.

Recommendations

Birzhan. Clarify what data your claims about the problem are based on: how many studies, interviews, or consultations they rely on. If the topic is medical or closely related to healthcare, it is crucial to understand the level of responsibility toward users who may trust the product and make incorrect decisions.

Detail your traction thoroughly. Investors need to see whether there are pilots, what data your algorithms or models are trained on, and what real-world experience underpins the team and its expertise.

If your solution resembles existing services, chatbots, aggregators, or CRM integrations, clearly explain what exactly sets it apart. Otherwise, it gives the impression that the product can be copied in just a couple of hours of coding.

Do not build your unique value proposition solely on convenience and speed. For end users, other factors are often equally important: reputation, reviews, and personal experience interacting with the brand. Your solution should account for this rather than relying exclusively on interface simplicity.

Do not cling to an idea simply because you believe in it yourself. Sometimes, the problem you identified turns out to be too insignificant in practice or does not exist at all. It is important to be able to assess this objectively.

Elmira. Formulate a clear thesis about what the product does, for whom, and why. If you have limited time for your pitch, use the 5W model by answering the questions “what,” “where,” “when,” “why,” and “who,” or the Walt Disney model, describing the problem you solve, for which audience, and why in that specific way.

Reveal information about the team and target audience from the very beginning of your presentation, not only in response to questions. This is part of the basic problem-solution structure, and investors should understand it from the first slides.

Keep track of timing and see your points through to the end. A rhetorical question or example you start should conclude with a takeaway, not trail off mid-sentence.

Evaluate market size using numbers, not vague statements. Investors need to understand the real scale of opportunities, not intuitive assumptions.

Do not be afraid to experiment and shut down projects if the idea does not resonate with the market. It is better to pivot in time and try something new than to hold on to a non-viable hypothesis. Currently, the focus is on AI-agent-based solutions: in healthcare, early diagnosis; in sales, automation and increasing average check size. Communicate with your audience, partners, and even competitors to understand which direction to move next, as the market and infrastructure are changing so rapidly that the relevance of your solution must be regularly verified.