I signed up for a pitch competition through a venture association in Los Angeles.  This is something way out of my comfort zone, but they offered free coaching and I knew my pitch needed help.  For the last month, I’ve been working with a wonderful coach.  We met in person a few times and did weekly Skype calls to work on my pitch.  Her input was invaluable.

The semi-finals were today and only 5 people were going to be selected to be in the finals.  I didn’t make it.  Was I bummed?  Yes.  Was I relieved?  Yes.  I know that I have a really good pitch and I know that I delivered it well.  Why wasn’t I chosen for the finals?  I’m not sure.  I’ve requested some feedback from the coaches who did the voting in this round.  What I’ve been told so far is that the main reason is that I have a retail business and the type of investors invited are more tech oriented.  Not sure what to make of that.  Kind of makes me mad because it’s a pitch competition, not a what kind of business are you pitching competition.

Oh well!  It was still a great experience.  I now have a great pitch and accompanying slideshow, as well as a great coach who may still introduce me to potential investors.  All I can do is try and give it my best and I know that I did just that.

Slideshow Intro