By: Kate Sarmiento
If you’ve ever tried to raise capital without a clear pitch, it’s like entering a high-stakes strategy game without knowing how it’s played… the veterans will notice right away, and you’ll burn through your chances fast.
At RAISE Summit 2025, the conversations didn’t just skim over buzzwords like “AI-driven” or “market disruption.” Instead, founders, investors, and innovators dug into the unpolished truths of what it really takes to get funding, scale your brand, and stay sane while doing it.
Bryce North and Marley Peters from Don’t Be A Little Pitch (DBALP) were in the room, soaking in the sharpest insights. Here’s what stood out, and why it matters if you’re looking to land funding this year.
1. The Power of a Sharp Pitch
Investors aren’t mind readers. If a pitch is buried under jargon or takes 15 minutes to explain, it’s already losing ground.
A clear, confident delivery that immediately answers “Why now? Why you? Why this?” is non-negotiable. It’s not about showing off every detail of the business model, it’s about clarity that makes people lean in.
According to a Harvard Business Review study, pitches with concise, focused problem statements increased investor interest by over 30% compared to those overloaded with technical detail (Source: Harvard Business Review, 2021).
Takeaway: Strip the pitch down to its essentials. Make it impossible for someone to walk away without remembering the core hook.
2. Storytelling Wins Rooms
Data may prove a business is worth backing, but stories are what make people actually want to back it.
Throughout the summit, discussion panels stressed the importance of tying metrics to real-life impact. When data is presented as part of a narrative, highlighting challenges overcome, milestones reached, and value delivered, it resonates on a deeper level.
Research supports this: stories can increase information retention by up to 65% compared to data alone (Source: Stanford University, 2014). That’s the difference between a pitch being forgotten and a pitch that stays top of mind.
Takeaway: Make metrics human. Instead of saying “We grew 200% last quarter,” show the people and problems behind that growth.
3. Founder Mentality Matters More Than You Think
A recurring theme throughout the summit was that success isn’t determined solely by what you’re building; it’s shaped by who’s behind the wheel. Startup leadership comes with a unique pressure cooker: long hours, high uncertainty, and the constant “always-on” grind.
Research shows how widespread this mental toll really is. In one study, 72% of founders said running a startup impacted their mental health, reflecting stress, burnout, anxiety, or other mental health challenges (Source: Pivot, 2025).
Resilience, self-awareness, and the ability to set boundaries came up again and again, not as “nice-to-have” traits, but as survival tools that keep leaders effective over the long haul.
Takeaway: Coaching, therapy, peer groups, and setting firm boundaries aren’t distractions from building your business; they’re essential maintenance that helps you stay in the game long enough to win.
From Insight to Action: Making Your Pitch Unforgettable
At Don’t Be A Little Pitch, we’ve seen how applying these principles can transform a pitch from background noise into a conversation starter that drives results. Clarity sharpens the message. Storytelling creates connection. A strong founder mindset builds trust and signals staying power.
We approach PR and pitch strategy as more than media exposure; it’s about helping you build momentum that leads to funding, partnerships, and long-term growth. We don’t chase vanity metrics. We focus on creating movement. When your pitch has precision, emotional pull, and a leader ready for the long game, it doesn’t just get attention; it attracts the right kind of attention.
If you’re ready to replace polite rejections with meaningful investor conversations, now’s the time to refine your approach. That means cutting the fluff and locking in your “Why now, why you, why this” so it lands in under a minute. It means turning raw data into stories that stick with decision-makers. It means building the mindset and strategies that keep you strong through the ups and downs.
Whether you’re pre-seed or prepping for Series B, the spotlight is yours to own. Visit dontbealittlepitch.com and let’s make your next pitch the one they remember.
