Please forward this to ONE friend today and tell them to subscribe here.In part 2 of Mina’s entrepreneurship playbook, we’re talking pitches.
Calgary has got a lot of opportunities for you to pitch. We’ve got Startup TNT, Platform Calgary, Startup Grind Calgary, and more. But the pitch itself isn’t what gets you funded.
Mina breaks down what actually moves the needle: finding investors who understand your problem, knowing when to walk away from the ones who don’t, and building relationships that take far longer than Silicon Valley would have you believe.
Mina and I chat about:
Non-dilutive vs. dilutive funding and when each makes sense
The 10-second pitch framework that cuts through the noise
How to quantify market size when your TAM isn’t obvious
The biggest pitching mistake newcomers make repeatedly
Dozie’s Notes
A few things that stuck with me as I listened through our conversation:
Find investors who already understand your problem. Perfecting your pitch is great. But so is finding VCs and angel investors who are familiar with the pain point you’re solving. If they don’t get it, take the quick no and move on. Canadian politeness can sometimes masks a soft rejection.
Building relationships are a big part of getting funded. Those coffee meets and lunches aren’t transactional. Newcomers often underestimate how much time building these relationships take.
Make sure you have a direct line of sight to revenues. Before you take a loan, before you pitch for dilutive funding, you need to see clearly where the money will come from. If that line of sight isn’t there yet, grants might be the better path while you figure it out.
Official Links
✅ Connect with Mina Demian on LinkedIn
✅ Check out Grants-Ease AI
One Ask
If you found this conversation helpful, please forward or share it to one immigrant entrepreneur out there.
