NT KURIOCITY
Startup founders were trained to present their ideas in one minute at a session of the Goa Startup Accelerator Programme held recently at the Institute Menezes Braganza, Panaji.
The session by founder and director at Ingenious Faces, Apoorv Bamba, focused on how founders communicate their ideas to investors, customers and government bodies.
Bamba pointed out that many founders struggle with how they present their ideas, often over-explaining product features, lacking clarity on their target customer and failing to clearly state their ask. “In many cases, the differentiation is weak, making them sound similar to others in the market. A pitch should focus on clarity and certainty,” he said.
Participants were introduced to a seven-part pitch structure covering the hook, target audience, problem, solution, differentiation, traction and the ask. The session also emphasised adapting pitches based on the audience.
As part of the exercise, founders drafted and presented one-minute elevator pitches.
Founder of Diagopreutic Private Limited, Roshan Naik, said the session helped refine his communication and build connections across domains. “The pitching exercise sharpened my ability to communicate across disciplines and opened up connections in product design, IT and company strategy. These inputs will influence how we position our solution,” he said.
Founder of SMD Power Solutions Private Limited, Vishwesh Bhat, said the format required concise communication. “There was a large audience and a strict one-minute limit, which made it important to get straight to the point,” he said.
A mentor in the programme with over 25 years of experience in marketing, Shane Roy, said conviction plays an important role in pitching. “You need to believe in what you are building. Investors look at how clearly and confidently that comes across,” he said.
The session was conducted as part of the Goa Startup Accelerator, an initiative of the Department of Information Technology, Electronics and Communications (DITE&C).
