Startup Open Mic • Gurgaon • Jun 18
This event is part of a strategic partnership between IILM University and Beyond Next Ventures India.
Translating technology into compelling business narratives is one of the hardest challenges for technical founders.
AI helps with the deck or website, but pitching and narrating are more human. It's possible to become better at it with practice.
Startup Open Mic is a storytelling workout room designed specifically for early-stage founders or researchers to strip away dense jargon and test their commercial messaging in a safe, low-stakes environment.
How It Works:
The Pitch: 6 early-stage technical founders or researchers will deliver a pre-prepared 8-minute pitch about their work. To force a reliance on powerful analogies and narrative arcs rather than dense charts, slides are strictly capped at a maximum of 3 (preferably zero).
The Ask: Every pitch must end with highly specific "Asks" (e.g., "I need an intro to a bioprocess scaling partner," or "I need a better way to explain X").
The "Pay-It-Forward": Immediately following the pitch, our Guest Anchors (expert founders, buyers, or investors) and the audience offer rapid-fire "Gives"— such as narrative tweaks, positioning advice, or direct resource introductions.
Silent Feedback: During the brief transition between pitchers, the audience can instantly log anonymous, rapid-fire constructive feedback via a quick QR code scan.
Who Should Attend:
Pitchers: Early-stage founders, researchers, and academic innovators who want to build their storytelling muscle before taking it to the market.
Audience: Founders, investors, researchers, GTM experts, and operators. Whether you are pitching or in the audience, come ready to actively support and strengthen the startup ecosystem.
Got questions? Reach out at: [email protected]