5 Tips For Pitching VCs for The Very First TIme

Summary

Veteran founder Jason Lemkin offers practical advice for first‑time founders pitching VCs: rehearse with experienced founders, craft a compelling opener that highlights your top growth metrics, be candid about weaknesses without leading with them, and deliver a strong product demo. He emphasizes listening to investor feedback, practicing to avoid nerves, and recognizing that fundraising often requires many meetings — sometimes 100+ — or that you may not be ready yet. Following these tactics can materially improve founders’ odds of securing term sheets by aligning pitches with what VCs actually prioritize: signs of hypergrowth, credibility, and execution readiness.