How To Avoid Making A Bad Pitch – WSJ

• http://blogs.wsj.com/venturecapital/2009/04/09/how-to-avoid-making-a-bad-pitch/

All venture capitalists have probably experienced a bad pitch from an entrepreneur. But a couple years ago, the team at Canaan Partners heard a real sleeper. No, we mean, a real sleeper.

The chief executive and vice president of sales for a start-up company visited Canaan’s Menlo Park, Calif., office. Just as the CEO was hitting his stride, really driving home the reason Canaan should invest in his company, a deep, nasally sound vibrated across the conference table. The VP of sales was taking a snooze.

It probably goes without saying, the company failed to attract funding from Canaan. Falling asleep in the middle of a pitch is a rare and extreme example of what not do when speaking to venture capitalists, but there are plenty of common mistakes that can be avoided.

• http://blogs.wsj.com/venturecapital/2009/04/09/how-to-avoid-making-a-bad-pitch/