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How to successfully pitch to brand teams for startup founders

1 Week

·

Cohort-based Course

How to win business deals with large brands.

Hosted by

Ken Valledy

Former ABInBev Brand Director, 15+ years Brand Marketing experience, Author.

Course overview

Learn how to secure business deals with large brands.

Are you struggling to land that all important brand deal? Is all of the work that you are putting into your pitch deck yielding no results? Do your peers seem to always be luckier than you? Are you questioning whether your offering really does make a difference?


This course offers a focussed, back to basics structured approach, based on in-depth first hand experience, from both sides of the pitching table.


After completing this course, you will look forward to the next pitch, with the knowledge that you have all of the necessary tools to win that lucrative piece of business.

Who is this course for

01

Early stage founders who are still building their product, but will soon be looking to pitch to a Brand team.

02

Startup founders who have been invited to pitch to a Brand team for the first time

03

Startup founders who have pitched to many Brand teams, but have struggled to win the business.

Key topics: What you’ll get out of this course

How to understand your audience - the Brand Manager

Learn how to get into the mind of a Brand Manager. What does their average day look like? What daily challenges and needs to they have? How do they view startup technology? What are they expecting from a pitch? All essential learnings to help shape your perfect pitch.

How to research ahead of the pitch

Learn how to get inside the brand you are pitching to. What should you research about a brand in advance? Should you research the person you are pitching to and why identifying the correct brand logo is so important.

How to deliver the perfect pitch

Learn how to master the two halves of the pitch session; the Pitch itself and the Q&A. Includes key insights on what you should and shouldn't include in your pitch deck and how to control the all important Q&A session, including how to address the difficult questions (eg.Pricing)

How to follow up post the pitch.

Learn the importance of adding 'value' in your follow-up communications and key tips on how to keep the communication lines open with the Brand Manager, with an aim to reaching a decision and closing the deal.

How to build a successful long term partnership

Learn how to manage the brand relationship through the first pitch and beyond. How to ensure that your pitch leads to additional work and that you become a 'business as usual' supplier for the future.

Meet your instructor

Ken Valledy

Ken Valledy

Co-founder: Progressive Acceleration

Ken has sat at both sides of the Pitching table. An Ex Brand Director at ABInBev, Ken is now the co-founder at Progressive Acceleration, where he helps to connect large Corporate clients (P&G, GSK, DFS, Mercedes) with cutting edge startup technologies. Ken is also the co-author of the best selling book 'The Startup Lexicon'.

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Course syllabus

01

Module 1: Understanding your audience and key areas to research ahead of the pitch itself.

In this first module, we will:

(a) uncover the role of the Brand Manager , what their daily challenges are, how they view Innovation and their perceptions of startups - in essence, how they tick.

(b) identify how and what you should research ahead of the pitch day itself. We will also uncover some research pitfalls to avoid.

02

Module 2: Creating and delivering the perfect pitch

In this module we will identify how to create a effective pitch deck and how to manage the Q&A session, including how to tackle those difficult questions (ie. pricing). We will also discuss how you should look to close the meeting.

03

Module 3: Following up post the pitch

In this module, we will:

(a) identify how to follow up after the pitch to ensure that you keep the communication lines open with the Brand Mgr, with an aim to reaching a decision & closing the deal.

(b) identify techniques on how to build a long term relationship with the Brand team, leading to you becoming a future ' business as usual' supplier.

Course schedule

3 x 90min sessions
  • Thursday 18th May 2023 (90 mins)

    4-5.30pm GMT/11-12.30pm EST/8-9.30AM PST

    How to understand your audience and how to research ahead of the pitch.

  • Monday 22nd May 2023 (90 mins)

    4-5.30pm GMT/11-12.30pm EST/8-9.30AM PST

    How to create and deliver the perfect pitch.

  • Wednesday 24th May 2023 (90 mins)

    4-5.30pm GMT/11-12.30pm EST/8-9.30AM PST

    How to follow up post the pitch and how to build a successful long term partnership.

Learning is better with cohorts

Learning is better with cohorts

Active hands-on learning

This course builds on live workshops and hands-on projects

Interactive and project-based

You’ll be interacting with other learners through breakout rooms and project teams

Learn with a cohort of peers

Join a community of like-minded people who want to learn and grow alongside you

Frequently Asked Questions

What happens if I can’t make a live session?
I work full-time, what is the expected time commitment?
Can I expense this course with my employer?
What’s the refund policy?
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How to successfully pitch to brand teams for startup founders