New Pitch Practice Training & Contest
Bring your business plan’s elevator pitch and learn how to gain an edge with investors.
Half-Day Workshops in San Francisco/Monterey Bay Area
Essential skills for presenting a winning proposal to prospective investors
Purpose: The main objective of this program is to ensure you communicate the value of your business plan and investment opportunity to prospective investors.
Who is it for? Open to anyone with passion and drive to innovate and make a difference. This includes seasoned impact entrepreneurs. or anyone that wishes to hone their skills.
Stage of business development: Any. Could be just a spark of an idea or a fully baked business plan.
Even if you have just a seed-stage 
idea (no business plan at all), or you have raised capital numerous time before, you will discover some of the secrets to winning support for your business from the right partners.
The workshop allows time to hone and improve an existing plan’s pitch, or you can take advantage of well-established “Lean Startup” strategies, use rapid prototyping techniques, or Agile/Scrum-related acceleration opportunities to prepare a basic plan. Raise early-stage funding or form a base of capital to expand an existing business.
Experienced entrepreneurs will also brush up their presentation skills for effective communication with any stakeholder, with an emphasis on building rapport and relationship with potential equity partners.
Dates: Contact us for a date and location near you
Related article: Sooner or later, anyone growing a business will need or want to raise money to finance expansion. This can be maker/breaker for any enterprise or project. ( more )
Participants can select from either category:
- Waste-to-Value (can participate in I3F “Trash Talk” Conference, Fall or Winter 2020 – pending COVID19 updates)
- Social and/or Environmental Impact Enterprise
- Any other industry
Program Description: Pitch Practice & Training – essential skills for presenting to investors
Part 1, noon-4:30 or 5PM:
Methodology: Program combines Lean Startup and Design Thinking techniques with presentation skills and investor relations best practices based on hard-won experience.
Structure: Begins with an “Open Space” marketplace – participants bring topics, and this process helps them organize into teams of 2-5. Team presentations are the best way of honing your own skills. Feel free to bring you own team to amplify the benefits through developing a deeper, shared understanding of how to get optimal results.
Agenda:
1. Introductions
2. Prepare Presentations – rapid prototyping technique
3. Practice telling the story of your venture (dry run)
4. Handling questions from investors (keeping in mind why they are asking in the first place)
5. Initial Feedback & Coaching
6. More preparation and coaching time
7. Give Presentations (video tape feedback, time permitting)
8. Evaluations – discover both your strengths and future improvement opportunities
9. Reflection and Conclusion – what you liked or learned
Part 2, Evening Program: 7-9:00PM Panel Discussion & Contest (industry focus varies by location)
Agenda:
10. Pitch Contest to “live” panel of investors, gate-keepers and advisors
11. Quick tips
12. Awards or & Prizes for top pitches
Facilitators & Organizers:
Daniel Robin (renewablesinvestors.com/team) & Armando Alcaraz (armandoalcaraz.com/about.html) are experienced group facilitators with diverse groups and serve as consultants to US and international businesses of all stages.
Daniel Robin is former adjunct professor of management and strategy at MIIS (Middlebury Institute at Monterey), is an impact investor, international finance practitioner, and workshop facilitator with more than two decades of experience. Daniel is co-founder of Renewable Energy Investor Forum and has taught presentation, coaching and communication skills, advised countless entrepreneurs, and moderated and chaired more than a dozen conferences and events in the US and internationally.
Certified by Moody’s Analytics in Emerging Markets Credit, Mr. Robin has received numerous speaking awards and held contests through the Sustainable Quality Awards, Commercial Sustainability Network and Toastmasters International.
Armando Alcaraz, is a management consultant and trainer with background in Cultural Anthropology and extensive work experience as a Social Worker and Interpersonal Communication Workshop Leader. His calm demeanor, grasp of workplace culture, understanding of people’s feelings and motivations, and focus on defined objectives, enables him to walk alongside you as a partner to rapidly attain transformational results.
Being raised in Mexico, Armando speaks both fluent English and Spanish. He draws from the wisdom and practical application of philosophies and processes such as Chinese 5 Elements, Non Violent Communication, mindfulness, and self inquiry when working with individuals and small teams; and AI, World Cafe, Open Space Technology and Future Search when engaging in large group dynamics.