We were recently selected to be part of the RBS Prize for Entrepreneurship and Innovation, one of the biggest Brazilian startup competitions. We were very happy to have been picked and won a prize of R$50,000 (US$25,000), mentoring sessions and a trip to Silicon Valley.
We saw loads of great pitches, and we decided to share the slides that helped us to win. Here they are:

Some stuff is not on the deck, because I prefer to talk freely over the slides, but the main points are there. We’d also love to hear your feedback and suggestions for how to improve it!

• Stick to the time. The night before the presentation, while we were rehearsing, it took us 11 minutes and 30 seconds to present. We knew that, at the event, we would have a 10-minute time limit. So, the next morning, we woke up early and rehearsed more, and we even cut some slides in order to be able to present in exactly 10 minutes;
• Understand your market, and get ready for tough questions. We had 10 minutes to answer questions, and the jury used all of it, asking a lot of questions. Most of them we had heard before, and we also took around an hour to brainstorm possible questions before the presentation. For almost every question, we already had a prepared answer and data to back it up. So, if you get the time, focus on a question-and-answer brainstorm. It’s really helpful.
• Network like crazy. Even if we weren’t able to get the prize, being part of the competition was an amazing experience. We had contact with and honest feedback from dozens of investors, and we met many amazing entrepreneurs. The guys from companies such as Wedologos, Ledface and others were very open, and we exchanged a lot of experiences too.
• Get ready for the press. If you get lucky, you’ll receive loads of calls from reporters, and you should have a quick pitch ready for journalists.
• Have fun, try to stay calm. We were very stressed the day before the presentation, and I didn’t sleep when working on the slides two days before the finals. While rehearsing without sleep, my performance was pathetic, and I thought we wouldn’t have a chance. On the day before the event, I had some beers, slept early and woke up early to have a great breakfast and to rehearse. It seemed to work. I was more focused and relaxed, and the presentation to the audience seemed to go smoothly.
• Be confident. Trust in what you say. Deliver what you promise.

Liked the slides? Have any doubts/suggestions? Let us know in the comments!