Danielle Storey’s tips on getting your pitch ready for your audience.

Another year, albeit a crazy covid19-affected year has flown by. Once again, I had the pleasure of judging some of Australia’s top innovation founders in the quest to win the Australian final of the Eureka International Innovation & Entrepreneurship Competition (2020).

This time last year, 20 judges excitedly gathered at one of Melbourne’s premier venues and chose who we’d take to Jinan, China for the final – the China-Jinan International High-Level Talents Innovation and Entrepreneurship Competition 2019.

Last Saturday, in this Covidian year, Eureka Technology Innovation and Investment gathered its judges for an online competition. The final, to be hosted in Jinan will also be online.

Whilst a change in delivery was necessary, what the judges looked for didn’t change. They still sought to reward articulate, practiced presentations that articulated a point of difference, progress, an ability to solve a real problem and, at the same time, evidence that the Venture and its founders can meet the needs of the competition organiser.

That final point, meeting the needs of the competition organiser, is one that many pitching founders miss. Founders often caught in the us-ness of their offering they forget that a competition organiser wants to understand the potential ROI for their investment in the Venture (ie the prize).

Eastern Innovation runs a fabulous pitching competition called 6for6, where, every six months, founders pitch for six months free space in EI’s fabulous centre, surrounded by like-minded founders and the professional service providers and mentors that support them.

A couple of 6for6 pitch events ago one founding team were awarded a prize, which they declined, as they completely missed that they were pitching for space (accommodation) and associated benefits.

It was a stark reminder to us all that pitching must address a number of critical goals, and that one of those critical goals needs to include the needs of the people (organisation) we are pitching to – it’s the old WIIFM (what’s in it for me?) adage. It’s sales 101.

So, if you are pitching anywhere this year, remember to research your competition organiser or client. Find out what is important to them and make sure you pitch that too.

Eastern Innovation’s 6for6 pitch night is Thursday 20th August 2020 apply to pitch here. Apply for the online audience here .

Eureka Technology Innovation and Investment hosted the 3rd Eureka International Innovation & Entrepreneurship Competition (2020 Eureka IIEC) on 25th July. Shortlisted teams of 2020 Eureka IIEC had the opportunity to enter the international competition with teams from USA, Europe and Asia to compete for additional prize (up to $10,000) and gain access to business networks, partnerships and funding support. The winner of the competition will be able access designated government funds (up to $1 million, conditions apply) and business facilitation services.