/ About this event
Neuro-Hacking the Complex Narrative
VCs fund fewer than 1 in 100 founders who pitch them. When they pass, it's usually not the technology — it's that the founder didn't communicate effectively, or make a meaningful connection with the investor.
(If you'd like to get your pitch in shape before tech week, grab a spot in our October 4 workshop: https://partiful.com/e/BQ4JylqYntNuMs6sxdW4?c=VSEbf7jE)
If nobody ever handed you the unwritten rules of US investor culture, this clinic is for you — doubly so if you're pitching in a second language.
Jennifer Pawlitschek coaches deep-tech and biotech founders from all over the world on how to translate their complex ideas so that investors immediately understand — and buy in. What's clear: the best technology in the room doesn't win. The founder the investor can actually connect with wins.
When you're an outsider to investor culture, that distance is even greater — not because your science is weak, but because you're carrying a translation load your non-technical peers are not.
The goal isn't to "dumb things down." It's to make sure you present so that everyone in the room leans forward and wants more.
This is a 90-minute, neuroscience-based clinic, capped small so everyone gets real, personal feedback.
This is for you if you've heard some version of:
— "You're early and unproven. Why should I trust what you're telling me?"
— "Why can't I just use an off-the-shelf model?" or "Couldn't I build this myself?"
— "How are you actually going to bring this to market?"
Those objections aren't really about your tech. They're about trust — and trust is built, or lost, in how you show up.
In this clinic:
Pre-Clinic Deck Review
Send your slides ahead of time, and Jennifer will personally mark where dense science is losing the investor's brain — before the session even starts.
Your First 60 Seconds
Rebuild your opening minute so it turns complex science into commercial stakes and earns attention immediately.
Presence and Authority
A pitch is a performance. With an MFA in theatre and two decades coaching the neuroscience of how people read authority and trust, Jennifer helps you align your words, voice, and body — so you project conviction even when your nerves are screaming.
Q&A Under Fire
The frameworks to meet hard technical, clinical, and regulatory questions with calm authority instead of getting rattled.
What founders say:
"Do it! It's the non-content stuff that matters and sets you apart." — Eduardo Betancourt, Fortia
"A great, different, self-aware approach to pitching." — Imbar Meidani, Improov University
"A pitch is a performance!" — health-tech founder
Hear from a founder who took the clinic: https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7477375368555847681/
Two ways to join
The Clinic — $95 early-bird / $125 regular. Small-group coaching. Register below; your spot is held the moment you pay.
After you register, you'll get the Zoom link and a link to upload your deck for your pre-clinic review. Please upload by Thursday, October 1st.
Private 1-on-1 Pitch Intensive — $400. Want dedicated eyes on your deck and delivery? Book a private 60-minute deep-dive here.
Are you in biotech or deep tech? We have a clinic just for you: https://partiful.com/e/Xbh6TF47PIjqa3ygdb0s?c=EHKz8JbC
This event is a part of #SFTechWeek—a week of events hosted by VCs and startups to bring together the tech ecosystem. Learn more at www.tech-week.com.
