Investors do not decide on logic alone, so founders should pitch to the reptilian brain, which Iskender calls Pinky the crocodile, not only to the logical neocortex. Too many numbers and technical detail can repel investors within seconds. Six stimuli trigger the reptilian brain: emotions, self-centered, visual, contrast, tangible, and beginning and end.
Meet Pinky, my crocodile:
Pinky should be the main focus of your fundraising pitches.
Let me explain…
As much as we’d like to think that all the decisions investors make are based on logic –
It’s simply not true.
Even the most experienced and the most senior founders make the mistake of speaking to the neocortex side of our brains. Talking t00 m4ny numb3r5, being too technical, too logical, and sharing huge amounts of data and statistics.
While it’s important to share the numbers and make logical sense of why your case is a good investment case, it’s even more important to speak to Pinky, aka the reptilian side of our brains.
To write a great pitch story – you must understand the difference between the neocortex and our reptilian brain.
Conscious and unconscious.
Logical and emotional.
By focusing on the reptilian brain – you can make investors like and trust you in the first few minutes of your interaction without them even thinking about it.
In the same way, you can repel investors within seconds by being too much focused on logic, facts, and complicated concepts.
Here are 6 stimuli that trigger the reptilian brain and that founders should leverage in their pitches:
Emotions.
Self-centered.
Visual.
Contrast.
Tangible.
Beginning and End.
Frequently asked questions
Do investors make decisions based on logic?
Not only. As much as we’d like to think investors decide on logic, it is simply not true. A pitch also has to speak to the emotional, unconscious side of the brain.
What mistake do experienced founders make when pitching?
They speak mainly to the neocortex: too many numbers, too technical, too logical, with huge amounts of data and statistics.
Which stimuli trigger the reptilian brain in a pitch?
Six stimuli: emotions, self-centered, visual, contrast, tangible, and beginning and end.
What happens when a pitch focuses on the reptilian brain?
Founders can make investors like and trust them in the first few minutes without the investors even thinking about it.
