A past PITCH finalist shares the combination that makes for the best pitches.   

By Jessica Schimm (Digital Audience Engagement, Women 2.0)

MD and PhD, Ivana Schnur, came in second place for the People’s Choice Award in our last PITCH Competition with her medtech startup Sense.ly. She tells us why she wanted to apply for PITCH, recaps her favorite parts of the PITCH competition experience below and tells us exactly what kind of pitches do well.

Women 2.0: Why did you decide to apply to PITCH?
Schnur: Since Sense.ly started its fundraising I have pitched to lots of VC’s predominantly men. I wanted to have a female audience to gather additional feedback and perspective.

Women 2.0: How did pitching (so far) as a finalist impact you or your company?
Schnur: Doing a 5 min pitch was challenging but a great experience for meetings in which you have very little time and need to get all your points across. I am sure it contributed to our successful fundraising efforts.

Women 2.0: What was your favorite part of the experience?
Schunr: I had two favorites: 1. meeting all the fabulous women entrepreneurs and their companies was amazing, 2. meeting [PITCH] coach Dave [Kochbeck] was great. He was excellent, dedicated and fun to be around.

Women 2.0: What’s one piece of advice you have for future applicants of finalists?
Schnur: Practice, practice, practice your pitch so your enthusiasm and your personality can come through instead just the facts and figures. The best pitches are the ones that have both.

Thanks Ivana! Startup founders – don’t forget to apply to the 2014 Fall PITCH Competition!

What are the qualities of some of the best pitches you’ve seen?

Photo by Sierra Jewell.