PREPARATION FOR PITCH COMPETITION

🎤 Session 12: Pitch Practice & Competition Readiness

🔍 Overview

This final session prepares participants for the upcoming pitch competition. Entrepreneurs will practice and refine their 3-minute business pitches, focusing on clarity, confidence, and communication. With feedback from peers and coaches, each participant will walk away with a polished pitch and increased public speaking confidence.

🧠 Learning Objectives

• Structure a 3-Minute Business Pitch: Present your problem, solution, market, model, and impact succinctly.
• Communicate with Confidence: Learn how to manage nerves and deliver with clarity and passion.
• Get and Use Feedback Effectively: Receive structured critiques from peers and mentors to improve delivery.
• Finalize Pitch Deck or Talking Points: Confirm key visual aids and data points to support your pitch.

📝 Pre-Session Assignments

1. Write a Draft of Your 3-Minute Pitch
2. Practice Delivering It Aloud at Least 3 Times (recording yourself if possible)
3. Prepare 1–3 Slides or Visual Aids (optional, depending on format)

📄 Business Plan Focus

Tie together your entire business plan by focusing on how to communicate it clearly:

• Who you are
• What problem you solve
• What your solution is
• Why now / Why you
• What you need (grant funding, support, etc.)
• What impact your business will have

📚 Additional Resources

• How to Write a Killer Elevator Speech
• Getting Behind the Perfect Pitch (if pitching for VC funding)
• How to Explain Your Business Plan Strategy in a Pitch Deck Story

💡 In-Class Activity

• Practice Round: Each participant presents their 3-minute pitch.
• Feedback Circle: Peers and coaches give constructive comments.
• Revision Time: Make final edits and re-pitch if time allows.
• Closing Remarks: Celebrate progress and share reminders about pitch competition day.
• Anonymous Advise for Propel Organizers- Take a moment and let us know how we can improve: https://forms.gle/Gz1a2UxQXLCA3g3p8

GET INSPIRED BY ANOTHER FOUNDER’S STORY!

In this episode of How I Built This, Tony Xu shares how he co-founded DoorDash, transforming a simple idea into a multibillion-dollar food delivery service. Xu discusses the importance of clearly articulating his vision to investors and stakeholders, emphasizing how a well-crafted elevator pitch was crucial in the early stages of fundraising and business development. His journey underscores the significance of concise and compelling communication in securing support and scaling a startup.

LISTEN NOW!