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Entrepreneurship & Startups vocabulary · Pitching

Elevator pitch

Meaning in entrepreneurship & startups, with examples

/ˈelɪveɪtər pɪtʃ/nounCore term

In entrepreneurship & startups, elevator pitch means: A very short, clear description of your business that you can say in about thirty to sixty seconds, the time of a short elevator ride.

In Turkish: asansör konuşması, kısa tanıtım konuşması

How it is used

Used at networking events and conferences, in emails and at the start of meetings. You prepare, practise, give or refine an elevator pitch. A good one says what you do, for whom, which problem you solve and why you are different.

Example sentences

  1. Give me your elevator pitch: what does your company actually do?

  2. I practised my elevator pitch so many times that I could say it in my sleep.

Common collocations

  • give an elevator pitch
  • 30-second elevator pitch
  • practise your elevator pitch
  • refine your pitch
  • pitchTo present your business idea or product to investors, customers or partners in a short, convincing way so that they agree to support or buy it.
  • pitch deckA short slide presentation, often 10 to 20 slides, that explains a startup's problem, solution, market, team, numbers and funding needs to investors.
  • value propositionA short, clear statement of the main benefit a product gives its customers and why they should choose it over other options.
  • demo dayAn event at the end of an accelerator programme where each startup pitches on stage to an audience of investors, journalists and partners.

This word in other fields

The same English word can have a different meaning in another field:

More terms: Pitching

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