Presenting a Project
At a university entrepreneurship competition in Monterrey, a panel of judges hears twenty projects in one afternoon. In the first few minutes of each one, they have already decided whether they want to know more. An excellent project that is poorly told can lose to a more modest one that is well presented. How do you tell a project's story so that the judges want a second meeting? Communicating well is part of the project.
The elevator pitch and the structure of a presentation
A project presentation, short or long, almost always follows the same blocks in the same order: problem → solution → market → business model → team and ask.
What each block should say, in one sentence:
| Block | What it contains |
|---|---|
| Problem | Who has it, what happens to them, and how much it costs them (in time, money, or hassle). |
| Solution | What you offer and why it solves that problem better than what already exists. |
| Market | How many potential customers there are and how much they might spend. |
| Business model | How you make money: what you charge, to whom, and what your costs are. |
| Team | Who they are and why they are the right people to do it. |
| Ask | What you need, what you will use it for, and what you will achieve with it. |
Why does the problem come first? Because nobody values a solution unless they first understand what problem it solves. The problem is what makes the listener think, "that happens to me too."
Explain what an elevator pitch is, how long it usually lasts, who it is aimed at and what its actual objective is, which is not to 'make a sale' right then and there.
Explain what an elevator pitch is, how long it usually lasts, who it is aimed at and what its actual objective is, which is not to 'make a sale' right then and there.
List the essential elements of a project presentation (problem, solution, market, business model, team, and ask) and explain in one sentence what each should contain.
List the essential elements of a project presentation (problem, solution, market, business model, team, and ask) and explain in one sentence what each should contain.
The figure shows the structure of a project presentation in five connected blocks. Identify the missing block, marked with '?', and indicate what information it should…
The figure shows the structure of a project presentation in five connected blocks. Identify the missing block, marked with '?', and indicate what information it should contain.
An entrepreneur begins their pitch by spending five minutes explaining the product's technology, without stating what problem it solves or for whom. Restructure their…
An entrepreneur begins their pitch by spending five minutes explaining the product's technology, without stating what problem it solves or for whom. Restructure their presentation by indicating the correct order of the blocks and explain why the problem should come first.
Storytelling: telling a story, not reading a list
Storytelling applies a narrative structure to the presentation, the same one used in a short story or a movie.
Adapting the message to the audience
The same project is not presented the same way to everyone. An urban composting project pitched to investors highlights the financial return and the size of the market. Pitched to the city government, it highlights the public benefit and the cost to the city.
Storytelling applies narrative structures to presentations. Explain how you would use the structure 'initial situation → conflict → resolution' to present a ski…
Storytelling applies narrative structures to presentations. Explain how you would use the structure 'initial situation → conflict → resolution' to present a ski equipment rental company, and why it is more engaging than a list of features.
The same project, a peer-tutoring app, is presented to a group of investors and to a parent-teacher association. Indicate what emphasis you would change in each case…
The same project, a peer-tutoring app, is presented to a group of investors and to a parent-teacher association. Indicate what emphasis you would change in each case (profitability and market versus safety and educational benefit) and why tailoring the message is not manipulation.
Slides: one idea per screen
Analyze the following real transcript of the closing of a pitch before an investor panel: “...and well, as you can see on this slide where we've put all the Excel…
Analyze the following real transcript of the closing of a pitch before an investor panel:
“...and well, as you can see on this slide where we've put all the Excel spreadsheets with the 25 business indicators, the global pet market moves billions of pesos. Our team is super hardworking and we are passionate about animals. We are open to any type of collaboration or money you want to contribute so we can see how we move forward.”
- a) Identify the three serious strategic mistakes the team makes in this closing and explain their impact on the investor's perception of financial risk.
- b) Completely rewrite this closing (maximum 70 words) to transform that vague farewell into a professional, quantitative call to action linked to a measurable operational milestone.
The close: a specific ask
The numbers that build confidence: traction
A project that has already tested something with real customers is more convincing than an idea. These proofs are called traction. The most commonly used are:
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Active users or customers who already pay.
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Margin per unit: price − unit cost.
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Retention: what percentage of customers are still there the following month.
The startup 'SaludOffice' provides daily healthy subscription-based menus to employees in a technology park. After a 3-month pilot, they have 45 active users, charge…
The startup 'SaludOffice' provides daily healthy subscription-based menus to employees in a technology park. After a 3-month pilot, they have 45 active users, charge 7.50 pesos per menu with a unit production and delivery cost of 4,20, pesos and have a monthly retention rate of 88 %, but they need 30,000 pesos to purchase an insulated vehicle and expand into two nearby business parks.
- a) Draft the outline script for a 60-second pitch structured in five parts (quantitative hook, B2B problem, validated solution, traction metrics, and call to action with valuation and a specific milestone).
- b) Justify why, in this specific case, retention and unit margin metrics are more crucial to convince an investor than a detailed description of the ingredients or recipes.
Back to the beginning: the judges decide quickly because they are looking for three things. They want to understand the problem, believe that the team can solve it, and know what is being asked of them. A clear pitch, with a story, without overload, and with a specific ask, answers all three.
Niches and scenarios: sharpening the message
Before presenting, you have to decide who you are speaking to and how certain what you are promising is. Two ideas help: the niche and scenarios.
Why is a niche a good idea? Competing head-on with giant companies usually goes badly, because they have more money and more customers. In a niche, your message is clearer and the investor sees where you can win.
Scenarios are possible versions of the future. In a pitch, you present at least three: pessimistic, base, and optimistic. That way you show that you thought about the risks and not just the best case.
Two circular economy projects are competing for the last spot in a business accelerator program: Project A (Narrative/emotional approach): Presents an impactful personal…
Two circular economy projects are competing for the last spot in a business accelerator program:
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Project A (Narrative/emotional approach): Presents an impactful personal story about local textile waste, shows a very attractive physical prototype, and builds a strong emotional connection with the audience, but provides no data on unit cost, scalability, or monetization model.
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Project B (Analytical/traction approach): Presents rigorous metrics (CAC of 8,50, pesos LTV of 34,00, pesos 400 pre-sale customers, and a gross margin of 65 %), but the presenter merely reads text-heavy slides, without eye contact or a clear explanation of the customer's real problem.
- a) If you were the program's admissions director, which project would you select and which one would you discard? Justify your decision by evaluating which of the two shortcomings is easier to address during the acceleration process.
- b) Design a three-point improvement proposal for the selected project, indicating what immediate changes it should apply to its pitch before presenting to real investors.