What Pitch Slam Winners Know About Earning Conviction

TL;DR: What Pitch Slam Winners Know About Conviction

September’s Angel Club Pitch Slam was a pressure cooker where founders proved that conviction = clarity + courage. A powerhouse panel of judges- including Angel Gambino, Anthony Rose, and leading investors - surfaced three traits that set winners apart:

🔥 Lead with earned insight – Share the personal, hard-won perspective only you can bring. Contextualize the big world and why it needs your solution.

📊 Make the narrative testable – Show one clear milestone or metric you can move. Keep decks simple (problem, solution, stage, raise, team) and adapt your story with confidence.

💪 Master confidence without overreach – Blend vision with humility. Address weaknesses head-on, show resilience, and keep investors wanting more.

🏆 Winners stood out by combining authenticity, adaptability, and focus. Big congrats to Emily Robinson (Wellyst), Nate Rose (Lymbic AI), Emma Meeham (KinetikIQ), Amber Trevedi (LifeSpark Labs), Marie Eric (Tastee Tape), Hall Wang (Congensus), Jordan Smith (MyModel Inc.), Senthooran Ramachandran (Payset), Thoryn Stephens (BrainONE), Raul Dominguez (Evolve Energy), and Elie Massabki (Skilled2Hire). 

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A pitch at Pitch Slam isn’t just a presentation; it’s a live-wire performance with all eyes - and stopwatches - on the founder. Judges and peers score in real time, and the pressure is legendary. As Angel Gambino, serial entrepreneur, angel investor, investment banker and Pitch Slam maestro, set the tone: “Founders don’t just pitch - they perform under pressure.”

September’s event delivered a masterclass in what conviction really looks like. The wisdom from our distinguished panel: Angel Gambino, AJ Noronha, Wei Sun, Shelley Alger, Sebnem Tugce Pala, David Baird, Derrek Grunfelder-McCrank, Bill Sautter, Doug Griffin, Ellie Daw, and Anthony Rose, CEO of SeedLegals - surfaced three themes that separate the memorable from the mediocre. When the best in the business offer their truths on founder performance, you’d be wise to listen up.

Let’s break down these winning strategies - laced with real quotes from the judges - and see how you can channel their insights into your next high-stakes pitch.

1. Lead with Earned Insight

Forget the product slides. Investors at Pitch Slam tune in when a founder reveals the personal, the exclusive, the hard-won. As Sebnem Tugce Pala reminded founders: “Founders should be really careful with their secret sauce… What is your value there? Sometimes you cannot easily see that - be concise, to the point, and simple.” Angel Gambino doubled down on this, urging founders to set up their pitch with the story only they can tell: “If you can contextualize the big world that you’re about to walk us into, and clearly articulate what’s wrong with it, then we’re queued up mentally to understand the journey you’re about to take us on.”

This isn’t about reciting your resume - it’s about surfacing that singular, lived perspective or untapped data point that makes you the right person at the right time. That’s what stops judges scrolling and makes investors lean in.

2. Make the Narrative Testable

Vision is sexy, but nothing earns investor belief like a clear, testable milestone. Doug Griffin nailed this with advice to all founders: “Most investors will require you to send a deck in advance. The goal is to get them on a call. For this intro deck, just include the basics - problem, solution, stage, how much you’re raising, why you’re the best team. Don't clutter it with too much detail.”

Wei Sun noticed that specificity and focus were what made certain founders stand out: “Try to quantify or make clearer why your solution is better than the status quo. As much as you can, make the solution really tactical too… just try to really make it real for us so we can understand.”

The strongest pitch isn’t a list of KPIs - it’s a single, concrete metric you can move in the next quarter. Prove you know your one growth lever, and you don’t just inspire; you set the hook for the next conversation.

Derrek Grunfelder-McCrank underscored this need for adaptable, focused storytelling: “In a pitch competition, flexibility is key. Have multiple versions of your pitch ready, but don’t get hung up on the exact slides or wording. You know your story—you know why the problem matters, why your solution is the right one, and why you want to win. If the format shifts, trust yourself to adapt and just tell that story.”

3. Master Confidence Without Overreach

Confidence is crucial - but pitch too hard, and it curdles into defensiveness. The best founders at Pitch Slam showed a magnetic blend of vision and humility. AJ Noronha observed: “It was a really good presentation. I’d be curious to see the MVP, how it works in practice… I definitely see a big need, and with the data that’s collected but also redacted… that was a really neat angle.”

Shelley Alger sharpened the point: “Not to be formulaic, but when you start a pitch, contextualize the world… When you give a stat, be really thoughtful about what questions that great stat will evoke? How have you sustained that win? For example.”

David Baird reminded everyone of the real outcome at stake: “The greatest achievements have come from those who refused to give up… Be clear about what makes your solution different, and keep within the time - discipline matters.”

Anthony, CEO of SeedLegals and a perennial Pitch Slam judge, called for direct honesty over empty bravado: “You need to address the Achilles heel head-on in the presentation… Investors are always thinking: what’s the most difficult thing you need to prove to me? Can you build it? Can you get traction? Will anyone want it? Is the market big?”

Doug Griffin highlighted how trimming the fat builds trust: “Reduce the words significantly, keep it very simple… The goal is to get them wanting to learn more.”

Hats off to our winners!

Congratulations to the winners of the Pitch Slam event! The judges agreed these founders stood out for delivering the strongest pitches and showcasing the most compelling ideas

Emily Robinson (Wellyst)

Nate Rose (Lymbic AI)

Emma Meeham (KinetikIQ)

Amber Trevedi (LifeSpark Labs)

Marie Eric (Tastee Tape)

Hall Wang (Congensus)

Jordan Smith (MyModel Inc.)

Senthooran Ramachandran (Payset)

Thoryn Stephens (BrainONE)

Raul Dominguez (Evolve Energy)

Elie Massabki (Skilled2Hire)

Sharpen Your Craft

Pitch Slam is where fundraising mettle is tested and craft is honed on a live stage. Every judge, from Angel to Anthony, drove home that winning conviction in the room demands more than a checklist - it’s courage, clarity, adaptability, and above all, authenticity.

If you’re ready to turn your story into a magnet for belief, it starts at Pitch Slam.

👉Register for the next Pitch Slam here

👉Pitch our syndicate here.

👉Get help with fundraising and investor outreach with Ready to Raise here.

👉Learn more about Angel Club Membership here.