Video · ~30 min

How To Perfectly Pitch Your Seed Stage Startup

Michael Seibel, Y Combinator · YouTube (Y Combinator) Free Beginner

Seibel has advised thousands of founders and shows how to pitch simply at the seed stage, where 'why you' carries the most weight. Watch it to hear how a crisp founder story fits a two minute pitch. A good practical companion to the reading.

  • At seed stage the founder is most of the bet.
  • Keep the pitch simple so your conviction comes through.
  • Explain why you clearly, because investors will not guess.

The question it answers

  1. I keep hearing 'why you' matters to investors. What are they actually looking for when they ask it?

Read with it

  1. The definitive essay on where good ideas come from: notice problems you personally have, don't force it. Use it as the lens for... paulgraham.com Essay · ~20 min read How to Get Startup Ideas Paul Graham
  2. A modern, tactical fundraising and pitch playbook aggregating advice from top operators and investors. Strong on how to build... Lenny's Newsletter Article · 25 min read A Playbook for Fundraising (and building your pitch) Lenny Rachitsky
  3. First Round Review turns storytelling from a buzzword into concrete pitch structure, drawing on a former Pixar CTO's approach.... First Round Review Article · 20 min read Take Your Fundraising Pitch from Mediocre to Memorable with Storytelling First Round Review
  4. A YC partner who has read thousands of applications tells you plainly what separates the founders who get in from the ones who... YC Startup Library Essay · Long-form essay / talk How to Apply and Succeed at Y Combinator Dalton Caldwell
  5. Video · ~35 min How to Pitch Your Startup Kevin Hale
  6. This piece takes the exact stance the question is testing: fit is earned, not handed to you on day one. Its line, you earn fit... StartUp to Scale Up Article Founder-Market Fit: What It Is and How to Prove You Have It James Sinclair
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