{"id":2130122,"date":"2026-09-03T17:09:06","date_gmt":"2026-09-03T14:09:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=2130122"},"modified":"2026-09-03T17:09:06","modified_gmt":"2026-09-03T14:09:06","slug":"mistakes-that-make-investors-nervous-according-to-a-phd-in-pitching","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=2130122","title":{"rendered":"Mistakes That Make Investors Nervous, According to a PhD in Pitching"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>[analyse_image type=&#8221;featured&#8221; src=&#8221;https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/BMs3e9-pitch-featuredpic.png?resize=1200,675&#8243;]<\/p>\n<div class=\"entry-content wp-block-post-content is-layout-constrained wp-block-post-content-is-layout-constrained\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-tc23-podcast-player\">\n\t\n\t<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">There is no such thing as the perfect pitch. But you can get close by implementing a few research-backed methods to your delivery, deck, and message.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In this episode of\u2060 <u>Build Mode<\/u>\u2060, host Isabelle Johannesen sits down with \u2060<u>Dr. Eike Gerhardt,<\/u>\u2060 who has aPhD in pitching and spent nearly a decade studying the science of startup pitching before starting \u2060<u>Autopoiesis Sciences<\/u>\u2060. And he\u2019s joined by \u2060<u>Demetri Maxim<\/u>\u2060, co-founder and CEO of \u2060<u>Nephrogen<\/u>\u2060, who came in\u2060<u> second at TechCrunch Startup Battlefield<\/u>\u2060 2025.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Together, they break down Maxim\u2019s actual \u2060<u>Startup Battlefield<\/u>\u2060 pitch to unpack what worked, what could be improved, and what research tells us about how investors respond to founders Gerhardt explains why credibility signals matter, how technical founders can simplify without oversimplifying, and why Q&amp;A should be treated as a second pitch. Maxim shares how he learned to explain complex biotech to generalist investors, how redesigning his deck changed his confidence onstage, and what he would do differently today.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">They also explore how body language and authenticity affect a pitch, how investor questions can reveal bias, and how founders can use AI to prepare for difficult Q&amp;A.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>They get into:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li class=\"wp-block-list-item\">What Maximgot right and in his Startup Battlefield pitch<\/li>\n<li class=\"wp-block-list-item\">How to explain complicated technology without oversimplifying it<\/li>\n<li class=\"wp-block-list-item\">The credibility signals investors look for in a pitch<\/li>\n<li class=\"wp-block-list-item\">Why some technical language can actually make founders more credible<\/li>\n<li class=\"wp-block-list-item\">How to decide what belongs in your pitch versus the Q&amp;A<\/li>\n<li class=\"wp-block-list-item\">Why technical details can sometimes make your startup sound riskier<\/li>\n<li class=\"wp-block-list-item\">How body language and authenticity influence investors<\/li>\n<li class=\"wp-block-list-item\">Why Q&amp;A should be treated as a second pitch<\/li>\n<li class=\"wp-block-list-item\">What research reveals about bias in investor questions<\/li>\n<li class=\"wp-block-list-item\">How to use AI to rehearse difficult investor Q&amp;A<\/li>\n<li class=\"wp-block-list-item\">Why there is no single \u201cperfect\u201d startup pitch<\/li>\n<li class=\"wp-block-list-item\">The biggest pitching mistakes technical founders make<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Here are the studies mentioned in the episode:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li class=\"wp-block-list-item\"><strong>Kanze, D., Huang, L., Conley, M. A., &amp; Higgins, E. T. (2018).<\/strong> \u201cWe Ask Men to Win and Women Not to Lose: Closing the Gender Gap in Startup Funding.\u201d <em>Academy of Management Journal <\/em>\u2060<u>https:\/\/doi.org\/10.5465\/amj.2016.1215<\/u>\u2060<\/li>\n<li class=\"wp-block-list-item\"><strong>Figge, P., Graf-Vlachy, L., K\u00f6nig, A., Demann, F., &amp; Diessner, M. (2025).<\/strong> \u201cShades of Grey or Black and White? How Entrepreneurs\u2019 Use of Cognitively Complex Language Affects Investor Funding.\u201d <em>Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice<\/em>\u2060 <u>https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1177\/10422587251347042<\/u>\u2060<\/li>\n<li class=\"wp-block-list-item\"><strong>Clarke, J. S., Cornelissen, J. P., &amp; Healey, M. P. (2019).<\/strong> \u201cActions Speak Louder than Words: How Figurative Language and Gesturing in Entrepreneurial Pitches Influences Investment Judgments.\u201d <em>Academy of Management Journal<\/em> \u2060<u>https:\/\/doi.org\/10.5465\/amj.2016.1008<\/u>\u2060<\/li>\n<li class=\"wp-block-list-item\"><strong>Jiang, L., Yin, D., &amp; Liu, D. (2019).<\/strong> \u201cCan Joy Buy You Money? The Impact of the Strength, Duration, and Phases of an Entrepreneur\u2019s Peak Displayed Joy on Funding Performance.\u201d <em>Academy of Management Journal.<\/em>\u2060 <u>https:\/\/doi.org\/10.5465\/amj.2017.1423<\/u>\u2060<\/li>\n<li class=\"wp-block-list-item\"><strong>Chen, X.-P., Yao, X., &amp; Kotha, S. (2009).<\/strong> \u201cEntrepreneur Passion and Preparedness in Business Plan Presentations: A Persuasion Analysis of Venture Capitalists\u2019 Funding Decisions.\u201d <em>Academy of Management Journal<\/em>\u2060 <u>https:\/\/doi.org\/10.5465\/amj.2009.36462018<\/u>\u2060<\/li>\n<li class=\"wp-block-list-item\"><strong>Zhu, L. Y., Young, M. J., &amp; Bauman, C. W. (2024).<\/strong> \u201cLinking Anxiety to Passion: Emotion Regulation and Entrepreneurs\u2019 Pitch Performance.\u201d <em>Journal of Business Venturing <\/em>https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1016\/j.jbusvent.2024.106421<strong>Allison, T. H., Davis, B. C., Webb, J. W., &amp; Short, J. C. (2017).<\/strong> \u201cPersuasion in Crowdfunding: An Elaboration Likelihood Model of Crowdfunding Performance.\u201d <em>Journal of Business Venturing <\/em>https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1016\/j.jbusvent.2017.09.002<strong>Clark, C. (2008).<\/strong> \u201cThe Impact of Entrepreneurs\u2019 Oral \u2018Pitch\u2019 Presentation Skills on Business Angels\u2019 Initial Screening Investment Decisions.\u201d <em>Venture Capital<\/em>\u2060 <u>https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1080\/13691060802151945<\/u>\u2060<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Subscribe to Build Mode on<\/em>\u2060<em>Apple Podcasts<\/em>\u2060<em>,<\/em>\u2060<em>Spotify<\/em>\u2060<em>, or<\/em>\u2060<em>wherever you like to listen<\/em>\u2060<em>. And watch the full videos on<\/em>\u2060<em>YouTube<\/em>\u2060<em>. New episodes of <\/em>\u2060<em>Build Mode<\/em>\u2060<em>drop every Thursday.<\/em><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Hosted by Isabelle Johannesen. Produced and edited by Maggie Nye. Audience development led by Morgan Little. Special thanks to the Foundry and Cheddar video teams.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>[analyse_source url=&#8221;https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/podcast\/mistakes-that-make-investors-nervous-according-to-a-phd-in-pitching\/&#8221;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>[analyse_image type=&#8221;featured&#8221; src=&#8221;https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/BMs3e9-pitch-featuredpic.png?resize=1200,675&#8243;] There is no such thing as the perfect pitch. But you can get close by implementing a few research-backed methods to your delivery, deck, and message. In this episode of\u2060 Build Mode\u2060, host Isabelle Johannesen sits down with \u2060Dr. Eike Gerhardt,\u2060 who has aPhD in pitching and spent nearly a decade studying [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[226,62],"class_list":["post-2130122","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-politics","tag-crawlmanager","tag-techcrunch-com"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2130122","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2130122"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2130122\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2130122"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2130122"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2130122"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}