Pitch, storytelling and presentation

Mastering the Art of Pitching: Presenting Your Business Idea with Impact:

A pitch is the presentation of a business idea to investors, banks, supporters and potential customers. The aim is to make it clear in just a few minutes what exactly you intend to do and why your idea is good. There are various factors that are relevant here. On the one hand, there is the argumentation logic you want to use to convince your target group. Secondly, your demeanour and rhetoric during the presentation and, of course, the presentation of your idea. We will also give you tips on how to make your slides clear and how to direct your audience’s attention. This course is not only suitable for preparing for a pitch, but will also help you with the structure and design of general presentations.

Video 1: Design - Logical structure and argumentation structure

Whether for presentations or pitch decks, a good set of slides is worth its weight in gold. In this section, we show you how to create a logical structure based on the SCS or MECE principle. We will give you a short excursion into the structure of the argumentation and the technical handling of PowerPoint. You will also learn about the most important design elements in the visual hierarchy.

Video 2: Design - Sorting data and building an argumentation structure

Jannik shows you how to sort arguments in order to derive an argumentation structure from them.

Video 3: Design - Technical basics in PowerPoint

Here you will find a short excursus and learn a few tricks in PowerPoint to structure your slides uniformly.

Video 4: Design - Visual hierarchy

In this section, Jannik shows you the most important graphic elements and what influence they have on your design.

Video 5: Rhetoric and appearance

In addition to the content and argumentative structure of your pitch deck, it is important to optimise your rhetoric and appearance. In this video, our speakers explain how to prepare well for a presentation, how to assert yourself argumentatively and which demeanour is appropriate for a pitch or presentation.

Video 6: Pitch - Scientific presenation vs. Sales Pitch with Katharina Boguslawski

In this video, Jannik shows you the different types of pitches and gives you an insight into pitch decks that have already been successful.

Video 7: Storytelling

A pitch always tells a story. In this video, Prof Dr Gordon Müller-Seitz explains how to build exciting stories and what content is crucial for this.

Video 8: Pitch decks and pitch types

There are many different types of pitch, in this video Jannik shows you the differences and gives you an insight into pitch decks that have already been successful.

Video 9: Pitch - The Guy-Kawasaki-Method (10-20-30-Method)

Guy Kawasaki is an internationally active founder and venture capitalist who has developed a formula for creating pitch decks based on the motto „keep it simple and keep it sweet“. He is the founder of the 10-20-30 method, the numbers stand for 10 slides, 20 minutes and font size 30. A slide presentation should not go beyond this framework. He has also defined the most important content for pitch decks. In this video, our speaker Jannik Westram gives you an insight into this method.

Further Information and additional content

Best-Practice

Last November, we attended the Falling Walls Summit hosted by our partners at Young Entrepreneurs in Science. This unique event brought together scientists from around the world to present their groundbreaking ideas in short pitches—ranging from new technologies and innovative business models to visionary research projects. We’ve selected three exciting examples that showcase how science can be transformed into real-world impact. If you’re looking for more inspiration, you can watch all 100 pitches from the day in the official YouTube playlist! 🎥✨

Mark focuses on addressing the communication challenges faced by the deaf and hard of hearing community in Ukraine. His innovation, zvuk.ai, is an AI-powered real-time transcription service with diarization. It transcribes conversations into text while identifying individual speakers, enabling users to participate fully in multi-person discussions. This project aims to empower the community by improving access to essential services and enhancing societal inclusion.

Upasana Jhariya is addressing heavy metal contamination in wastewater, which poses serious risks to ecosystems and human health. Her solution involves using microorganisms to produce biomaterials like jarosite and schwertmannite, which have high surface areas and exceptional adsorption capacities. This approach offers an environmentally friendly and cost-effective method for removing contaminants, ensuring clean and safe water without the need for harmful chemicals.

Ta-Shun Chou is developing Gallium Oxide (GaO) as a more efficient semiconductor material for energy transmission. Unlike silicon, which loses about 65% of generated energy in high-voltage applications, GaO has a five times higher bandgap and 3,000 times lower power loss, enabling reduced substation sizes. It will enhance energy efficiency and promote smarter energy use.

High-Tech Gründerfonds #Foundersclass

What is the High-Tech Gründerfonds (HTGF)?

High-Tech Gründerfonds (HTGF) is Germany’s leading seed investor for early-stage tech and high-tech startups. It offers initial funding of up to €1 million, with potential follow-on investments of up to €3 million.

More than just capital, HTGF provides access to an extensive network of industry partners, experienced co-investors, and startup-savvy experts. Founders benefit from hands-on support, strategic guidance, and real connections to scale their ideas.

HTGF focuses on digital tech, industrial tech, life sciences, and new materials – making it a strong partner for ambitious, science-driven startups ready to make an impact.

What is the High-Tech Gründerfonds #Foundersclass?

The #Foundersclass of High-Tech Gründerfonds (HTGF) is an initiative aimed at connecting founders and encouraging exchange within the startup community. Through regular events and formats, the #Foundersclass offers a platform for founders to share their experiences, learn from each other, and grow together.

This network helps overcome challenges and paves the way to success. Some of these events were recorded on video – we’re sharing them here with you. These videos are produced and published by HTGF on YouTube. We’re simply linking to them here.