Startup Pitch Project: Pitch to Investors

Q: How can I support English learners during the pitch?

Give English learners a sentence frame for each cell, such as "Our customers are ___. We know they want it because ___." Let them rehearse with a partner and add speech bubbles or captions to each cell as on-screen notes. During questions, allow one teammate to help answer, and post the four common investor questions ahead of time so students can prepare replies.

Pitch to Investors - Entrepreneurship Example

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Lesson Plan Overview

Template and Class Instructions

Lesson Plan Overview

The investor pitch is the capstone of this guide. Teams stand in front of a panel of "investors" (classmates, teachers, parents, or local business owners) and ask for money to grow their business, just like real startup founders do. Unlike the elevator pitch, the investor pitch must answer the hard questions: how many customers are there, how will you make money, and what will you do with the investment?

The storyboard becomes the team's slide deck. Students present it from the storyboard's slideshow view, so no separate presentation software is needed. Everything they built in earlier activities feeds in: the problem, the persona, the test results, the costs and price, and the go-to-market plan.

Before You Begin

Prerequisites: at least Spot a Real Problem, Elevator Pitch, and Costs, Price & Profit. Older students should also complete Test Your Assumptions.
Time needed: two classes to build and rehearse; one class for the panel (3 minutes to pitch, 3 minutes of questions per team).
The panel: give each investor play money (for example, $10,000 each) to invest in any team. Investors must explain their decision in one sentence.
Assessment: clarity of the problem, evidence of demand, realistic numbers, a specific ask, and how well the team answers questions.

The Six Cells

CELL	WHAT STUDENTS SHOW	EXAMPLE: TAGBACK
1. Hook	One surprising fact or question.	"Our school threw away two bins of hoodies last June. That's about $2,000 of clothes."
2. Problem	Who has the problem and why it matters.	Students lose things every week; parents pay to replace them.
3. Solution	The product in action.	An iron-on QR tag: scan it and the owner gets a private message.
4. Customers and Proof	Who will buy and the evidence.	31 parents pre-ordered the $10 family pack in one week.
5. Money	Price, cost, profit, and break-even.	Cost $3.50 per pack, price $10, profit $6.50; we break even after 20 packs.
6. The Ask	How much money, what it buys, what the investor gets.	"We're asking for $500 for 10% of TagBack to buy a label printer and supply 3 more schools."

Questions Investors Ask

Who else is solving this problem, and why will customers choose you?
What happens if a big company copies you?
How will you find your next 100 customers?
What is the biggest risk, and how will you handle it?

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Template and Class Instructions

(These instructions are completely customizable. After clicking "Copy Activity", update the instructions on the Edit Tab of the assignment.)

Student Instructions

With your team, create a six-cell investor pitch and present it to the panel.

Click "Use This Template" from the assignment.
Cell 1: open with a hook: a surprising fact or question.
Cell 2: explain the problem and who has it.
Cell 3: show your product solving the problem.
Cell 4: show who your customers are and your proof that they want it.
Cell 5: show your price, costs, profit, and when you break even.
Cell 6: make your ask: how much money, what it will pay for, and what the investor gets.
Present your storyboard in slideshow mode in 3 minutes, then answer the investors' questions.

Pitch to Investors - Entrepreneurship Template

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Lesson Plan Reference

Grade Level 6-12

Difficulty Level 3 (Developing to Mastery)

Type of Assignment Individual or Group

Type of Activity: Diagram a Process

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Lesson Plan Overview

Before You Begin

Prerequisites: at least Spot a Real Problem, Elevator Pitch, and Costs, Price & Profit. Older students should also complete Test Your Assumptions.
Time needed: two classes to build and rehearse; one class for the panel (3 minutes to pitch, 3 minutes of questions per team).
The panel: give each investor play money (for example, $10,000 each) to invest in any team. Investors must explain their decision in one sentence.
Assessment: clarity of the problem, evidence of demand, realistic numbers, a specific ask, and how well the team answers questions.

The Six Cells

CELL	WHAT STUDENTS SHOW	EXAMPLE: TAGBACK
1. Hook	One surprising fact or question.	"Our school threw away two bins of hoodies last June. That's about $2,000 of clothes."
2. Problem	Who has the problem and why it matters.	Students lose things every week; parents pay to replace them.
3. Solution	The product in action.	An iron-on QR tag: scan it and the owner gets a private message.
4. Customers and Proof	Who will buy and the evidence.	31 parents pre-ordered the $10 family pack in one week.
5. Money	Price, cost, profit, and break-even.	Cost $3.50 per pack, price $10, profit $6.50; we break even after 20 packs.
6. The Ask	How much money, what it buys, what the investor gets.	"We're asking for $500 for 10% of TagBack to buy a label printer and supply 3 more schools."

Questions Investors Ask

Who else is solving this problem, and why will customers choose you?
What happens if a big company copies you?
How will you find your next 100 customers?
What is the biggest risk, and how will you handle it?

Copy Activity

Template and Class Instructions

(These instructions are completely customizable. After clicking "Copy Activity", update the instructions on the Edit Tab of the assignment.)

Student Instructions

With your team, create a six-cell investor pitch and present it to the panel.

Click "Use This Template" from the assignment.
Cell 1: open with a hook: a surprising fact or question.
Cell 2: explain the problem and who has it.
Cell 3: show your product solving the problem.
Cell 4: show who your customers are and your proof that they want it.
Cell 5: show your price, costs, profit, and when you break even.
Cell 6: make your ask: how much money, what it will pay for, and what the investor gets.
Present your storyboard in slideshow mode in 3 minutes, then answer the investors' questions.

More options

Copy This Storyboard

Lesson Plan Reference

Grade Level 6-12

Difficulty Level 3 (Developing to Mastery)

Type of Assignment Individual or Group

Type of Activity: Diagram a Process

Copy Activity

How to Run an Investor Pitch Panel with Storyboard That

Assign the investor pitch template

Create an assignment from the six-cell Pitch to Investors template. Turn on collaboration if each team will build one shared storyboard.

Have teams build the six cells

Teams fill the hook, problem, solution, customers and proof, money, and ask cells, pulling numbers from earlier activities such as TagBack's $10 price and 20-pack break-even.

Review drafts before the panel

Open each storyboard from your teacher dashboard and leave feedback on the Money and Ask cells, where numbers most often fail to match.

Rehearse in slideshow mode

Teams practice presenting the storyboard as a slideshow in 3 minutes, with one speaker per cell or one lead presenter.

Hold the investor panel

Give each investor $10,000 in play money. After 3 minutes of pitch and 3 of questions, investors place their money and explain the choice in one sentence.

Frequently Asked Questions about the Investor Pitch Activity

How should I grade the investor pitch?

Score each of the six cells from 0 to 2 points (12 total), then add up to 4 points for the question round. A 2 in the Money cell means the numbers are real and connected, as in Jordan's TagBack pitch: $3.50 cost, $10 price, $6.50 profit, break-even at 20 packs. A 0 means numbers are missing or invented.

How much class time does the pitch panel take?

Plan two classes for building and rehearsing and one for the panel. Each team gets 3 minutes to pitch and 3 minutes of questions, so a class of eight teams needs about 50 minutes including changeovers. Have teams load their storyboard in slideshow mode before their turn so Jordan's TagBack team, or any other, can start the moment they stand up.

How do I adapt the pitch for grades 6-8 and 9-12?

Middle schoolers can pitch with the price, cost, and profit from Costs, Price, and Profit and make a simple ask, such as "$500 to buy a label printer." High schoolers should add equity, as in TagBack's ask of $500 for 10%, and explain what that values the company at ($5,000). They should also cite results from Test Your Assumptions as proof.

How can I support English learners during the pitch?

Give English learners a sentence frame for each cell, such as "Our customers are ___. We know they want it because ___." Let them rehearse with a partner and add speech bubbles or captions to each cell as on-screen notes. During questions, allow one teammate to help answer, and post the four common investor questions ahead of time so students can prepare replies.

What extension or discussion works after the panel?

Tally how the play money was invested and discuss why some teams raised more. Ask: did investors reward the best idea or the best evidence? Then have each team answer the question they handled worst, in writing. For TagBack, that might be "What happens if a big company copies you?" Students revise one cell and explain how the change makes the pitch stronger.