How Female Founders Can Pitch in Silicon Valley

Your pitch is not a TED Talk. Pitch Deck Disasters, Part 6: Wasting your first 15 seconds Let me guess how your pitch starts: “Hi, we’re [startup name] and we’re building [startup idea] to solve [big problem].” Then you talk about the problem for the next full minute. Here’s the truth: no one is listening to your problem if you haven’t already made us care about your solution. I probably already read your company name on the slide. I’ve seen your tagline. Now what I need is for you to hook me—and fast. Some days I hear 10 to 20 pitches back-to-back. If you don’t get my attention in the first 15 seconds, I’m already mentally closing the tab. So no, don’t start with “the problem” even if it makes sense chronologically speaking. Start with the most impressive, surprising, or memorable thing you’ve got. “Two Nobel Prize winners just joined as advisors after seeing our prototype” “We sold out 1 million bottles within 24 hours of launch—without spending a dollar on ads” Or even better: give me a visual hook! Let’s say you’re building a high-end fashion brand where the clothing is made entirely from recycled garbage bags. Walk onstage with your cofounder. Wear a raw, crumpled garbage bag and say: “I’m wearing a garbage bag” Then your cofounder, wearing one of your pieces—say, a gown that looks like it belongs on a runway—says: “I’m wearing a garbage bag too.” Now I’m paying attention. Now I want to hear more. Now you can follow up with whatever you want—your name, product, market, margins, roadmap… But none of that matters unless you earn my attention first. 👉 Follow Justine Juillard if you want to be the founder everyone talks about after demo day. PS: if you’re a female founder reading this, I built this series for you. Only 2% of venture funding goes to all-female founding teams. Investors will come up with a hundred reasons to say no. Don’t let your pitch or deck be one of them!

Women founders pitch their businesses, ask for funding, and get a no. And then it ends there. Nobody tells them why. That's why we built the Enthuse Foundation the way we did. We at least wanted the no to come with a reason, and someone willing to sit across the table and help fix it.. Nobody sits down with a founder afterward and tells them, you were one slide away from a completely different conversation. Every brand in our community is CPG, 51% women-owned, and under $1 million in revenue.  We chose that stage intentionally because we know that's where founders get lost. They might still be using their Gmail account, they might be working a second job.  They might not even know they’re missing that one slide that’s keeping everything from moving forward. I do feedback sessions after our pitch nights, and I see this pattern constantly. Women founders who have real traction and real product-market fit. They walk into the room and spend their entire pitch on the story of how they built the brand in their kitchen. And the investor sitting across from them is waiting to hear one thing: how am I going to make money from your product? I told one founder she needed to stop talking like a founder and start talking like a CEO. She asked me what that meant. I said, you're showing people who you are. You need to be showing people what the return looks like. She re-built her deck around that and it changed how the room responded to her. The mentorship layer matters as much as the exposure. We bring our founders into Diageo's headquarters through a marketplace activation with the Spirited Network, their ERG for women. Eight women-led CPG brands showcased this year. Then Diageo employees in finance, legal, brand marketing, and operations sign up for speed mentoring rounds with these founders. The exchange goes both directions. A head of legal counsel once joined a session thinking she had nothing to offer a CPG startup. Within minutes, she was identifying unprotected IP in a founder's product formulation that the founder had never even considered. Her ingredients could have been her intellectual property, and she didn't know. That founder didn't walk into the room asking about IP protection. She didn't know what to ask. And that's the gap we keep trying to close. The women in our community have the product and the work ethic. What they often need is someone across the table who can see what they can't, because they're too close to it, and who cares enough to say it out loud. #CommunitarianCEO

Last week, I had the privilege of leading a session for the Amazon Web Services (AWS) Women in Tech Mentorship Program on: 👉 "Pitching Better: How Female Founders (and VCs) Can Overcome Fundraising Bias." The energy and engagement from participants across Europe and even Kenya were truly inspiring! ⚡ For over two decades now, I've been on a mission to level the playing field in tech and venture capital. As a long standing mentor with She Loves Tech, a diverse founder and the former VC and Startup Ecosystem lead at AWS, I've worked with unicorns and VCs across the globe - often finding myself the only woman in the room. But that's exactly why this work matters. Key takeaways for founders and investors: 1️⃣ The $7.35 Million Question: Reframe prevention questions into promotion opportunities. Practice turning "How will you survive in this market?" into "How will you become the market leader?" 2️⃣ The 40-Bit Blind Spot: Our brains process only 40 out of 11 million bits of information. Challenge your assumptions. VCs: Implement standardized question sets for all pitches. 3️⃣ The RIP Method: Reclaim, Inform, Promote. Founders: Use this technique to transform challenging questions into opportunities to showcase your vision. 4️⃣ Cultural Intelligence: Tailor your pitch to cultural nuances. What works in Silicon Valley might not in Singapore. Investors: Recognize and value diverse communication styles. 5️⃣ Data-Driven Decisions: Use market benchmarks and traction data. Founders: Prepare a "data sheet" highlighting key metrics. Investors: Look beyond pattern recognition. 𝗔𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗦𝘁𝗲𝗽𝘀: 👉 👉 Founders: Practice the RIP method with a mentor. I've seen it transform pitches. 👉 👉 Investors: Audit your last 10 investments. Do you see patterns of unconscious bias? 👉 👉 Everyone: Seek out diverse perspectives. Join organizations like She Loves Tech, Women in AI or attend events focused on underrepresented founders! It's not just about gender!! My journey from living as a minority in Southeast Asia for 15 years to mentoring founders across 15 global accelerators has shown me the immense value of diversity in innovation. It's not just about fairness; it's about unlocking untapped potential. The stark reality is that male-led startups still raise 5x more than female-led ones. But armed with these insights and techniques, we can change that narrative. To all the underrepresented founders out there: Your unique perspective is your superpower. Don't let biased questions derail your vision. To my fellow investors: Diversity isn't just a buzzword—it's a competitive advantage. Challenge your biases, ask better questions, and you might just find your next unicorn where you least expect it. What's your experience with fundraising bias? Share your stories or questions below. #WomenInTech #VCFunding #DiversityInStartups #OvercomingBias #HumanDueDiligence

I've been lying to you. Well not exactly lying. Perhaps hypocritical is more like it. No, that's not it either. I haven't been a good role model. I haven't been modeling the behaviors needed for women to succeed. Everyday I urge women to be more explicit in their personal narrative, their founder story. I urge them to boast about their accomplishments, their expertise, their unique gifts. It's been well researched that men are much better at boasting about their accomplishments. One study showed that men overrepresented their performer by 30% while women underrepresented their performance though both groups had the same performance. Women are caught in that likability bind. To brag is to cross gender norms, and decrease likability. Men are more likable when they brag. The opposite is true for us. And really, I wouldn't care at all except for the fact that our ability to boast impacts what we get paid, promotions, and... The success of our businesses. Female founders, you need to explicitly tell your founder story. Whether it is in a conversation, in a pitch deck, or your website. —What is your background? —Your expertise? —Your mission? —The experiences which led you to where you are now? —What problem are you solving for and why does it matter to you? If you are trying to get funding, this is especially important. You will be asked different questions than male founders. Scrutinized more closely. Considered more of a risk. Everything you do needs to be exceptional. If you have a male co-founder, your chances much higher. If you can tie your mission to a societal mission, your chances are higher. Even if you don't need funding, you STILL need to promote yourself! People buy from people. Partners partner with people. Your background and vision is everything. So imma going to model this right now! My brag: — I have 25 + years experience growing early-stage companies. —I am an expert in marketing, sales, and strategy. —I have a scaled a company from 100K to 40M. —In 2021 I pitched and won $6M in seed funding. —I have mentored dozens of people over my career helping them uplevel, removing mindset blocks, and giving them the confidence to chase big goals. —My unique gifts are identifying market opportunities, messaging, and positioning. —I am technical af. —But very people-centric. —I see people's unique gifts, as well as their self-limiting beliefs. —My emphathy is off the charts. My mission: After a lifetime of watching women being undercompensated, underpromoted, and underrecognized, and experiencing some terrible harassment myself, I am now laser focussed on helping female founders + women-led busineeses be successful, grow faster, and create a life in which they can thrive. My vision: When women thrive, society thrives. When more women thrive, we can create greater impact on our world, our planet, and a safer, better future for children, grandchildren and generations to come. Now.... Who is ready to boast too?

Less is more I looked at over 200 decks in the last 2 weeks after writing about the female funding gap. Most decks are too long and lack clarity. I recommend a 10-page teaser deck to start with. You only have 2-3 minutes to get an investor interested! This is how I scan a deck (and other investors do the same): Market ↳ Problem you solve (in one sentence!) ↳ Competition (defensibility) ↳ Market size (SOM >100M) ↳ Funding activity in the space Founder ↳ Bio (LinkedIn) ↳ Relevant experience (why you?) ↳ Previous exit ↳ Ability to raise funds ↳ Co-founder (complementary) Traction ↳ Growth signals ↳ Capital efficiency Ask ↳ Realistic terms ↳ Other investors (lead investor?) ↳ Use of funds (get from y to x MRR) Build your teaser deck around these 4 pillars. Everything else can come later when you pitch. And some more recommendations: Be prepared and ready to send your deck immediately and answer questions quickly - this is how you are perceived to deal with customers! Dare to ask and follow up. Use direct language. If you get rejected, reframe and move on. (It's not necessarily you, you haven't found the right investor yet). Happy fundraising 💰 ____________________________ Sharing my experiences as an entrepreneur and investor. Investing in early stage B2B SaaS startups. Looking to support female founders. Happy to connect 👋

My client added one slide to her pitch deck that got her way more investment. The “Why Now” slide You’ve nailed your problem, solution, and business model, but investors are still hesitant. For women founders, convincing investors can be even more challenging. What’s missing? It’s all about timing. Without explaining why your startup needs to exist right now, investors might question your market timing. The "Why Now" slide is essential because it explains why your business needs to be built and launched at this very moment. For women founders, it’s even more crucial to show investors that now is the perfect time for our solution. Pack your "Why Now" slide with data. Use solid facts to show that current market conditions are ready for your solution. You can place the "Why Now" slide after introducing your solution or just before it. For example, you could structure your deck as:  Problem > Why Now > Solution,  or Solution > Why Now > Business Model. Let’s take an example, you’re launching a wireless charger. If wireless charging tech is just becoming mainstream and smartphone adoption rates are skyrocketing, that’s your “Why Now.” Make sure your pitch deck has a compelling "Why Now" slide to convince investors that your timing is perfect. Follow me for more tips on creating killer pitch decks and navigating your startup journey. _____________________ 👋🏻 Hi there, welcome! ✨ I'm Sarah. I help women founders develop winning business models, gain market traction, and secure funding through my FundHER accelerator program. As a woman founder, follow me here on LinkedIn for insights and support to help you launch, grow, and fund your startup.

Talk is cheap —  and so is funding for female-led startups. With female founders still receiving less than 2% of VC funding, it’s time for some honest conversation about what’s really happening in these rooms — and more importantly, how to flip the script. Your pitch isn't just about numbers – it's your story. Make it impossible to ignore. While male founders often sell the dream, we need to sell the reality. So let's use that to our advantage. Document everything: your wins, your metrics, your market insights. Build an undeniable case. Know your worth (then add tax). The market might be tight, but that doesn't mean you should undersell your vision. Network differently. Yes, the traditional VC world can feel like an old boys' club. But there's a growing ecosystem of female-led funds and angel groups actively looking to back women founders. Find them. Connect with them. Support them. Here's what's working right now: • Focus on revenue and unit economics – investors are scrutinizing these more than ever • Build relationships before you need funding – warm intros still win • Consider alternative funding sources like revenue-based financing or strategic partnerships • Join female founder communities like Good For Her with Julia Austin or Female Founders Fund with Anu Duggal  – the insights and connections are invaluable The path might be steeper for us, but that's never stopped us from climbing. What strategies are working for you in this market? Let’s swap notes. 👇 #FemaleFounder #VentureCapital #VC #FounderAdvice 

3 years ago, I watched a brilliant female founder walk into an investor meeting with bulletproof financials and a revolutionary idea but she got rejected. The male founder after her got the term sheet. She got "let's keep in touch." That moment changed how I advise female entrepreneurs forever. Male founders get funded on potential. Female founders have to prove traction, revenue, team stability, AND that they won't "quit to focus on family." The fix isn't just better pitches. It's rewiring how we present female founders to match investor psychology. Here's what actually works: 1. Stop trying to be "one of the boys" in pitch rooms. Women spend months toning down their voice and mimicking male communication styles. Wrong move! Your feminine leadership - emotional intelligence, collaborative approach, risk assessment, these aren't weaknesses to hide. They're your competitive advantages. 2. Build your cap table strategically. Seek out female angel investors, diversity-focused VCs, and family offices with women decision-makers. With $11.4 billion in unmet credit demand for women-led businesses, alternative funding is your lifeline. Your life mantra should be: Don't change yourself to fit their boxes. Build your own table, invite the right people, and make them realize they need YOU more than you need them. The system is rigged, but we're rewriting it. P.S. Struggling to get investors’ attention? We’ll guide you step by step! Fill this form to get a free 1:1 funding consultation from our experts. 👉🏻 https://lnkd.in/gHXzFfdU #femalefounders #entrepreneurship #leadership

"Stop asking for money." "Ask: do they deserve a seat on your cap table?" This reframe changed everything for me. At Microsoft's Women Founders event last week, a partner at a VC said something I have been thinking about ever since. Most female founders walk into a pitch thinking: I am asking for money. The founders who succeed walk in asking one question: do I want them to be part of what I'm building? The difference is not semantic. It changes your posture, your energy, and the language you use under pressure. I have caught myself doing it. Softening a claim. Adding "I think" where I mean "we have." Meanwhile another founder in the room is stating "we will hit £10M ARR" — full stop. We are up against that. And awareness is the first step to changing it. 1/ The investor is not doing you a favour 👉 You are offering them access to a return 👉 The asymmetry needs to live in your head before it will land in the room 2/ Conviction is not arrogance 👉 It is the language of someone who has done the work 👉 Pivot's architecture is deterministic. The outputs are auditable. I do not hedge on that. 3/ The softening is learned, not innate 👉 Notice it. Remove it. One sentence at a time. The founders who raise are not always the ones with the best product. They are the ones who believe it without apology. 🤔 What is the one thing you have said in a pitch that you immediately wished you had stated differently? I would love to hear it. ♻️ Repost to your network And follow me Nimrita Dadlani for posts on deterministic AI, legal evidence infrastructure, and what it takes to build a defensible architecture in a regulated industry.

Want to get funded? A lot may be in the way we answer questions during a pitch. “Women can partly close the funding gap by giving promotion-focused answers to prevention-focused questions”. This is Sciences Po's key takeaway from a study aptly titled: We ask men to win and women to lose: Closing the gender gap in startup funding by Dana Kanze, Laura Huang, Mark A. Conley and E. Higgins. This study has been game-changing because from it, we gained actionable insights. What are actionable insights? They are insights based on data analysis which provide specific recommendations for taking tangible actions, which in turn will lead to results. In this specific case, it was found that men were consistently asked more ‘promotion’ questions (highlighting upside and potential gains), while women were asked more ‘prevention’ questions (highlighting potential losses and risk mitigation). Those who addressed promotion questions raised at least 5 times more. From this insight, here are some recommendations on how to modify the way we pitch to improve our chances of successfully raising: 👉 Be prepared to defend against criticisms because female founders and our presentations are subject to more challenges and pushback compared to our male counterparts. 🚀Bring them back to potential gains. 👉Anticipate the negative and prevention questions by addressing them in a slide, which you could include in the Annex, or doing so orally. Then 🚀bring them back to potential gains. 👉If prevention questions are happening during your presentation, consider it a sign to refocus the conversation. Emphasize the positive and 🚀 bring them back to potential gains. 👉Always arm yourself with objective data and 🚀 bring them back to potential gains. This last one is important: bringing them back to potential gains and emphasizing the positive is only effective if it is backed by objective data. And while things are slowly starting to change, as the Boston Consulting Group (BCG) writes: "In the short term, the reality is that women entrepreneurs must work within the flawed system even as they lobby to improve it." So if you, like me, are raising, let’s leverage everything to our advantage. There are many studies, articles and experts with decades of experience and data. Let’s transform this information into actionable insights to change our fundraising strategy and succeed. Let’s get funded! Links to two summaries of the study in the comments: one concise summary from Sciences Po and an article from the study's authors in the Harvard Business Review, however there are many more. If you would like some examples of how to answer prevention questions with promotion answers tell me in the comments. What was your pitching experience like? #fundraising #femalefounders #pitching - Follow me, I write about being an entrepreneur in France, scaling up @Monthlee parenting while founding a startup, and the gender gap. Always be raising, investors, DM if interested.