There are millions of guides, littered all over social media, proclaiming to be the perfect way to aim a pitch at an investor. Which one to chose?

For years, I used a model given to me by a seasoned investor, who told me that this is the way he always likes to receive proposals. And it never ceases to amaze me how often I am criticised, usually by entrepreneurs who are just starting out, that I am on the wrong track.

Similarly, I often recall the story of a Californian inventor, who was so nervous on entering the room of sharks that he forgot all his lines. In desperation, he threw the prototype on the table. Without prompting, the money guys started talking to each other about what could be done with the object. Ten minutes later, our hero walked out with guarantees worth millions.

So, what’s in a presentation? The answer still remains……everything. But you need to think things through fully and in depth, well beforehand.

Yochi Slonim is a seasoned entrepreneur. For over 25 years he has raised tens of millions of dollars for a range of software and internet companies in Israel. He is currently involved with Anima Biotech and Nextnine, a cyber security company.

Yesterday, I was honoured to moderate his latest talk at the Jerusalem Business Networking Forum, JBNF. Entitled “the start up maze runner“, Yochi explained how finding that illusive pot of investment gold was like working towards the centre of a maze. Each ring presents its own set of traps and disaster points.

Yochi identified four such layers: positioning, the market, the product and the team. Nothing new in that, but it was his insights that made the difference.

The keys points were:

• Whatever you do, make sure you differentiate (position) yourselves away from the crowd, and in a manner that can be readily understood.
• Validate your market. Just because you think it solves a real problem, you have to prove it.
• The product must not only be “doable”, it must answer a defined market need and also demonstrate uniqueness.
• The team must have appropriate skills and must have the determination to take the project through rough times, as well as the highs.

All exceedingly obvious? Maybe. Yet, how many of us actually apply these rules?

About six years ago, Yochi founded Leadspace, which supports B2B companies to find buyers on the internet. He raised over US$30m. Today Leadspace has over 100 ‘tier 1’ customers. If there is one set of lectures worth listening to on YouTube, I guess they belong to Yochi.