How to pitch like a l337 h4z0r

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How to pitch like a l337 h4z0r

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pitch-like-a-hacker

How to do awesome pitches at hackathons

On Github mimming / pitch-like-a-hacker

How to pitch like a l337 h4z0r

Created by Jenny Tong / @mimmingcodes

The pitch timeline

  • Right now
  • While building
  • An hour before
  • The pitch itself
  • After

Remember why you're here

To learn.

Broken? Incomplete? On fire?

Demo anyway.

The pitch timeline

  • Right now
  • While building
  • An hour before
  • The pitch itself
  • After

Script before code

Group name The problem you solved A one sentence description of your solution Demo the stuff that works, dance around the pictures Buzz words, starting with the best prizes Your group name... again Stay on stage until someone makes you leave

Use source control

  • Commit often
  • Things are going to break
  • Prepare to roll back 5 minutes before your demo

Always be ready to ship

  • Start with mocks and pictures
  • Fill in the holes with working stuff
  • You never know when your best coder will get sick

The pitch timeline

  • Right now
  • While building
  • An hour before
  • The pitch itself
  • After

Stop adding features

  • You're already out of time
  • Stuff is broken? Roll back
  • Stuff is still broken? Comment it out

Practice your pitch

  • Select 1 or 2 people to do the pitch.
  • Refine your script
  • If demos are 5 minutes, plan for 4 minutes
  • Practice 10 more times

The pitch timeline

  • Right now
  • While building
  • An hour before
  • The pitch itself
  • After

Common pitfalls

  • Don't introduce your team members: it wastes a minute
  • Talk slower.
  • You don't need to use all of your time
  • Talk slower. Count to three between each section

Risk Management

  • Wireless what?
  • Minimize A/V complexity
  • Go first: you get extra time for A/V set up
  • Have a backup screencast

Engage your audience

  • Make your demo as tactile and physical as possible.
  • Tell a story if you can. Weave a narrative.
  • Can it be audience interactive? If so, plant team members.

Pretend Pitch

Judges have questions

  • What features will you add next?
  • How is this different than such and such startup you haven't heard of?
  • Did you use my API? If so, how?

The pitch timeline

  • Right now
  • While building
  • An hour before
  • The pitch itself
  • After

Get a libation. Take a deep breath.

Before you leave

  • Take screenshots for posterity (and your portfolio).
  • Open source your code.

THE END

Created by Jenny Tong / @mimmingcodes