If the thought of public speaking gives you sweaty hands and wobbly legs, you’re not alone. Stage fright is not an uncommon thing amongst many entrepreneurs, primarily entrepreneurs in Korea. Whether in front of a crowd or only a handful of business partners – strong presentation and persuasion skills are the keys to a perfect pitch. However, many cannot convey their message due to nervousness and panic. Podium Star by PowerPT is a pitch competition that helps Korean startups master their pitches. They have been running these monthly events since 2019. Even with the coronavirus pandemic shutting down offline events in Seoul since 2020, Podium Stars can hold many virtual editions so that startups in Korea do not have to leave their home or office for pitch events.
Unlike most pitch events in Korea, the innovation team at Podium Star spends weeks scouting and coaching startups to perfect their pitches. Then their studio team professionally designs their decks and records founder videos before the startups are put in front of investors, accelerators, and others interested in learning more about these Korean startups. In addition, they hold entertaining and engaging startup pitch events such as a startup pitch tournament.
For 2022, they partnered with KOTRA to hold a Metaverse pitch competition.
To convince your counterpart, your pitch needs strong storytelling. A great story makes it easier for your audience to follow your presentation. PowerPT who is also the host of the pitch competition, provides a pitch workshop for participating startups. The presentation company offers consulting on how to create compelling messaging and storytelling. Startups also receive mentorship about how to attract investors and customers alike.
Every startup needs to be able to describe what their startup does in one sentence. This might should easy, but it is one of the most challenging exercises entrepreneurs have to do early on. A one-liner does not need to summarize your whole business. It should be used as a teaser that makes the audience want to learn more. One-liners need to contain 1-2 attention-grabbing keywords or phrases that make the audience want to learn more about your startup.
Podium Star will help startups in Korea, especially Korean entrepreneurs, gain the confidence they need to pitch on stage. The pitch needs to keep your audience hooked, so it is very important that the speaker has confidence and charisma. Therefore the flow of your story is key. There should be no long descriptions and backstories. If you can’t sell your pitch to an audience that came to hear pitches, how on earth will you be able to sell your business idea to the general public?
As with every other skill, practice is the key! Getting comfortable with the stage and audience will improve your pitch and help you overcome nervousness. At the monthly Podium Star pitch competition, startups can practice their presentation in front of an audience and judge. Many entrepreneurs said it took only 4-5 live pitches to become comfortable.
Every Podium Star event comes with a new set of judges from different backgrounds. Startups receive feedback from different industry experts after their presentations. Feedback is useful for improving your pitch and helps you prepare for questions that future investors might come up with. In addition, startups will be able to network and connect with some industry leaders.
Many upcoming Podium Star events are taking place online. They tend to have different verticals for each event. For example, their offline event at WeWork Yeouido was a Fintech Special and featured startups from the Fintech industry. It was hosted by PowerPT, WeWork Labs, and Seoul Global Startup Center.
Their latest online virtual event was Podium Star Remote Solutions. It will feature six startups pitching their remote solutions to VCs across Asia. The focus on remote solutions is due to the global pandemic, which has forced many people to work from home.
Past international judges include Trevor Owens, the Founder of Lean Startup Machine, and Jeff Amerine, the Managing Director at Cadron Capital Partners. Therefore PowerPT provides a platform for entrepreneurs in Korea to meet new people from all around the world.
Past judges for Podium Stars have included C-level and managing partners from Techstars, Kakao Ventures, Grab Ventures, VISA Korea, P&G Korea, Yanolja (Korean Unicorn), and Nivea’s NX Accelerator.
PowerPT not only hosts Podium Star but also offers services for startups in Korea. They have over a decade of experience and know-how in the presentation consulting space and provide total solutions. They work with startups on their planning, design, and presentation to help their customers succeed. Some of their services include:
PowerPT has partnered with dozens of organizations in Korea, including the Seoul government. They also partner with global organizations such as the World Innovations Forum in Switzerland and KOTRA.
Follow PowerPT on social media and never miss an upcoming event!
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