Master the 60-Second Investor Pitch

The one-minute pitch formula that makes investors actually care.

by Chris Tottman, The Founders Corner
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Table of Contents

1. Why Shorter Is Smarter (Especially Early On)
2. The One-Minute Pitch Framework
3. The 6-Part Formula
   • The Opener
   • The Market
   • The Competition
   • The Traction
   • The Ask
4. Pitching Beyond Investors
5. Common Pitfalls (and How to Avoid Them)
6. A Story from the Trenches
7. Final Thought: Know It Cold

I’ve lost count of how many pitch decks I’ve read over the years. Hundreds, maybe thousands. But I’ll tell you this: the ones that stick, the ones that grab you by the collar and make you pay attention, almost always have one thing in common.
They’re short. 

Not short on substance—short on fluff. No jargon. No meandering intros. No 30-slide marathons trying to prove they’ve reinvented the wheel.
Just clear, confident storytelling that makes you sit up straight.
That’s why I love this visual so much: The One-Minute Pitch. It forces you to do the hard work up front. To get brutal with your messaging. To strip it all back until there’s nowhere left to hide. And that, for a founder, is gold dust.
Because here’s the truth: If you can’t explain your business in a minute, you probably don’t understand it well enough yet.

Why Shorter is Smarter (Especially Early On)
We’ve all been there. You’re at an event. You’ve got five minutes with someone who could change your life. An angel, a VC, a potential partner. They say, “So, what do you do?”
And you freeze.
Or worse—you waffle.
You start describing your product features instead of your customer problem. You name-drop TAM figures without context. You jump to your ask before they even know why they should care.
It’s painful. But it’s avoidable.
The earlier your stage, the simpler your pitch needs to be. That’s not a handicap—it’s a feature. In the early days, your edge is clarity. Clarity about who you’re helping, what pain you’re solving, and why you’re the one to do it.
And that’s exactly what the One-Minute Pitch gives you.

Let’s Break It Down: The 6-Part Formula
This cheat sheet from the Founder Institute isn’t just a nice visual—it’s a weapon. Use it. Fill it in. Rework it. Tape it to your desk.
Let’s go line by line.
1. The Opener
“My company [NAME] is developing [OFFERING] to help [AUDIENCE] solve [PROBLEM] with [SECRET SAUCE].”
This is your positioning, compressed.
You need to communicate what you do, who it’s for, and why you’re different—all in one sentence. Don’t be clever. Be clear.
Example:
My company, GreenGrid, is developing a carbon analytics dashboard to help mid-size manufacturers reduce emissions with AI-powered tracking and compliance tools.
See? We know who it’s for (mid-size manufacturers), what it does (carbon analytics dashboard), and why it’s special (AI-powered compliance).
2. The Market
“We compete in the growing [MARKET] market, which last year was a [VALUE] value market.”
This line adds weight. You’re placing your startup in a macro context.
Be specific. Use credible data. Show you’ve done the homework.
Example:
We compete in the growing sustainability analytics market, which last year was a $2.5B market and growing 18% YoY.
3. The Competition
“We are similar to [COMPETITOR 1] and [COMPETITOR 2] but we [DIFFERENTIATOR].”
This isn’t about slating the competition—it’s about showing you understand them and have a plan to beat them.
Pick relevant comps. Be honest about overlaps. Then draw your line in the sand.
Example:
We are similar to Watershed and Normative but we specialise in manufacturers with under 500 employees and offer integrations with legacy ERPs.

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