🧁 Baker’s debrief #2: how to pitch without sounding like a pitch

#bakersdebrief

Today at noon, we rolled out a fresh batch of pitch practice with the EchoHer community. The goal? Help early-stage founders craft decks that open doors—not just explain ideas.

We started with a hands-on breakdown of Pitching 101, covering the rules, rhythms, and rookie mistakes that trip up even the most promising founders.

🥖 Here’s what we kneaded into the mix:

– Your pitch is not your product—it’s a story. And before you're a storyteller, you're a scriptwriter.
– Good decks don't try to impress with volume. They win by being clear, visual, and curiosity-driven.
– You need multiple deck versions (demo day ≠ coffee chat ≠ cold intro). One-size-fits-all decks are a myth.
– Founders often over-explain tech or skip the emotional hook. Don’t. People invest in problems they feel, not just understand.

🍩 We shared a founder’s toolkit you should always have on hand:

1. A sharp one-liner

2. A short blurb for intros

3. An executive summary or one-pager

4. Your pitch deck (in presentation and read-me formats)

🍰 Two brave founders—Sivanesh from Foody.ai and Lucy from Syntropi—pitched live.
They walked us through conversational food agents and video datasets for grounding AI. Both shared early traction and roadmaps—and we unpacked ways to sharpen their storylines, reposition value props, and connect more immediately with target audiences.

✨ Notable takeaways from feedback:
– Start with the problem. Even if it feels “small,” calculate its daily cost or market size impact.
– Your ask matters—don't make the audience guess what you need.
– Don't bury traction or community engagement at the end. Show momentum early.
– Cut the jargon. Even B2B AI tools need clear, grounded storytelling.
– Treat your pitch like marketing: position, differentiate, and make it easy for others to share your story.

🧁 Next out of the oven:
In addition to mentoring, I’m also currently building Ryme, my AI sous chef for pitch practice. She’s still learning and in training, and to help her grow faster, I’m offering a few free 30-minute sessions here and there.

Limited spots are available—but if you’re working on your pitch and open to sharing your story, you’re more than welcome to pick a slot with Bing, the Baker-in-Chief, to get personalized feedback and help Ryme learn faster in the process.

👩‍🍳Book a session with Bing

🔍How Ryme learns

Until next time, keep your story warm and your slides sharp.

Freshly from the oven of the Baker-in-Chief at LeavenLab 🔥