La Keisha Landrum Pierre: What Does it Take to Pitch an Impact Startup?
What does it take to pitch an impact startup? Host Lee Schneider sits down with La Keisha Landrum Pierre, General Partner and Co-Founder of Emmeline Ventures. She is a venture capital investor who reviews over a thousand pitches a year. In their conversation, they break down exactly what separates the founders who raise capital from those who don’t.
La Keisha explains why clarity, structure, and the classic “tell them what you’ll tell them” approach still hold up, and why a compelling headline matters.
The conversation gets specific about why charisma is never enough by itself to drive a successful pitch, and why founders will be rewarded if they do the work to research the VCs they are pitching.
Key takeaways of the episode include:
La Keisha explains why clarity, structure, and the classic “tell them what you’ll tell them” approach still hold up, and why a compelling headline matters.
The conversation gets specific about why charisma is never enough by itself to drive a successful pitch, and why founders will be rewarded if they do the work to research the VCs they are pitching.
Key takeaways of the episode include:
Storytelling is the #1 skill — VCs need to walk away inspired. If they’re not inspired, you haven’t made an impression.
Structure your pitch in threes — Tell them what you’ll tell them, tell them, then tell them what you told them. Repetition is how ideas stick.
Lead with a headline — Like journalism, you need a clear headline before diving into details.
Charisma helps but isn’t enough — Natural charisma puts you ahead, but without refinement and practice it won’t close the deal. And if you don’t have it, practice to close the gap.
Know your investor type — Impact investors want your personal story deeply woven in. Traditional VCs care more about your expertise, network, and why you’re the right operator.
Do the research — Tailor every pitch to the specific investor. La Keisha is consistently surprised by how many founders clearly haven’t looked up the firm they’re pitching.
You only get one chance — First impressions in VC are rarely recoverable. Preparation isn’t optional.
- (00:00) - Intro to La Keisha Landrum Pierre
- (00:58) - La Keisha Landrum Pierre interview start
- (10:15) - Key Takeaways
- (12:13) - Episode closing
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