Getting Better at Pitching: 4 important advice from Social Entrepreneur student Anastasia Pjatakova
Pitching is a crucial skill for any entrepreneur, but for social entrepreneurs, it’s even more critical. Unlike traditional businesses, social enterprises must convince investors not just of their financial viability but also of their impact.
Anastasia Pjatakova, founder of Unsume and a student of the Social Entrepreneurship Master’s Programme (SEMA) at Tallinn University, shares her trusted tips and tricks on how to deliver a compelling pitch that helps secure funding.
Understanding the Structure of a Pitch
Anastasia explains that while there are many different approaches, one of the most effective methods is using a pitch deck. “One of the main tools is creating a pitch deck. You don’t necessarily click through the slides, but preparing the pitch deck is very helpful because you learn the main things that the other party is actually interested in.”
A well-structured pitch deck helps entrepreneurs refine their message, ensuring that their audience understands the problem, solution, market opportunity, and potential impact of their business.
Engaging Your Audience: The Importance of Storytelling
A common mistake among entrepreneurs is diving straight into what their business does. However, as Anastasia says, it’s crucial to first make the audience care about the problem you’re solving.
“You first need to engage them in understanding why they do need it [your solution]. You outline the problem, show the information and statistics, for example that 92 million tons of waste are created in the European Union from clothing and textiles every single year. And that’s the same amount that would fill this amount of... territory or something, trying to quantify the problem for a person and create any sort of emotional connection to it.”
By presenting a real-world problem with tangible statistics, entrepreneurs can make a stronger emotional connection with their audience. Once the audience understands the problem, they’ll be more receptive to hearing about the solution.
Tailoring Your Pitch to Your Audience
One size does not fit all when it comes to pitching. The way you present your idea should depend on who you are speaking to:
“If I’m doing FFF pitches, which is a category of funding that you’re doing sometimes, for friends, family and fools, essentially anyone who would be actually ready to back you up in the beginning stages, then I don’t necessarily focus on ‘the market opportunity of 45 million euros’. Instead I mostly focus on describing the problem and letting them understand that I can handle it.”
But when pitching to investors, the emphasis shifts towards numbers, market size, and future projections:
“But versus talking to investors, of course, it will be a lot more numbers based, a lot more statistics based and maybe projections of where you can get to.”
A Real-Life Lesson in Investor Research
Pitching isn’t just about presenting a great idea; it’s also about choosing the right audience. Anastasia recalls a humorous yet insightful experience from a recent startup event:
“I walk around the room, everyone is busy, I’m researching them, Googling them on LinkedIn, because the main thing that you want to do is to not waste anybody’s time or not even waste your time when the investor is not investing into the category of business that you are. For me, I am green tech, so I wouldn’t talk to anybody who deals with deep tech or medical devices and so on. It would just be us wasting each other’s time.”
Despite her careful research, Anastasia had an unexpected surprise:
“I found one investor who would be applicable to me. I stand in line for him. I sat, I started talking to him, and I realised that this is the only person in the room who has my competitors in his portfolio.”
Though she had to cut the conversation short, It's been an important lesson: investor research is key. Knowing who you’re pitching to can prevent wasted time and protect sensitive business information.
Anastasia’s journey with Unsume shows that pitching is an evolving skill that improves with experience. Whether you’re seeking early supporters or major investors, understanding your audience, telling a great story, and presenting strong data are all essential elements of a successful pitch.
For social entrepreneurs looking to refine their skills, programmes like SEMA provide invaluable support, offering academic education, a collaborative community, and hands-on experience to help bring impactful business ideas to life: https://sema.ee/
If you’re inspired by Anastasia’s journey, check out Unsume and follow her entrepreneurial path at @unsume.eu on Instagram.