How Venture Capitalists Really Assess a Pitch: The surprising behaviors that can make a difference

esearch conducted on venture capitalist pitch meetings revealed four key findings. First, passion is overrated: a commonly held convention is the more enthusiastic individuals are in communicating their ideas, the greater their chances. However, entrepreneurs and VCs were found to prefer a calm demeanor. Second, trust is more valued than competence, as competence can be either hired or trained. Third, most investors seek not only returns but an opportunity to mentor, so presenters should be receptive to feedback. Fourth, gender stereotypes influence investor decisions: presenters who display traits that are stereotypically male (e.g. assertiveness) are more likely to succeed at pitching than those who display stereotypically female ones (e.g. expressiveness).