Securing €1 million in funding is no small feat, especially in the highly competitive world of startup financing. Our team recently reached this milestone through the EXIST Research Transfer program, supported by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action.
After a rigorous application process, we received an invitation to Berlin to pitch before an expert jury. This was not just any pitch—it was our first serious presentation before a high-profile panel, and we knew that every detail would count.
To ensure we delivered our best performance, our team prepared intensively. Every aspect of the presentation was meticulously planned:
This thorough preparation gave us confidence. We felt ready and capable of handling whatever came our way.
November 21, 2023, was the big day. We entered the presentation room in Berlin feeling calm. We had prepared diligently and were confident in our approach. But, as is often the case, the unexpected happened.
Just one minute into our presentation, we realized that the slides were not displaying correctly. While the presentation had worked flawlessly on our own device, a technical glitch prevented it from loading on the main screen. For a moment, we held our breath.
Then, the jury chairman spoke up with reassuring words:
"We need to fix this immediately. I had the chance to review these slides in preparation, and they are too good not to share with the rest of the jury."
This brief moment of humor and understanding from the jury chairman helped ease the tension. Once the technical issue was resolved, we regained our momentum and delivered our pitch exactly as planned.
From that moment on, the presentation went flawlessly. Our timing was precise, and every point hit the mark. We answered every question clearly and confidently, relying on the extensive preparation we had done.
As we left the room, we felt an overwhelming sense of confidence. We knew that we had done everything possible to communicate our vision and the potential of our project. If the funding didn’t come through, it certainly wouldn’t be due to a lack of effort on our part.
That same evening, we received the call we had been hoping for: Our application was successful. The €1 million from the EXIST Research Transfer program was ours, and we could now bring our project to life.
