Find Your Authenticity

Lead Like a Woman

Donna Griffit is a corporate storyteller and Communication Coach at Stanford University’s Graduate School of Business, where she works with students to improve their communication, executive presence, writing, storytelling, and pitching. For 30 years, Donna has worked with Fortune 500 companies, startups, and investors in 30 countries, helping them create, edit, and deliver powerful presentations. She is also the author of Sticking to My Story: The Alchemy of Storytelling for Startups.

In this episode…

While women entrepreneurs have received significantly more funding in recent years, less than 2% of all VC funding goes toward female founders. How can you amplify women’s voices to ensure they receive fair funding?

According to pitch and storytelling alchemist Donna Griffit, the key to capturing investors’ attention is a compelling pitch. Her four-acts formula is based on universal archetypes startups can leverage to simplify their pitches. It involves identifying the villain as the problem, the solution as the hero, the business plan as the hero’s course of action, and the vision for the future as the happy ending. This creates a well-structured pitch that positions you as an authority figure. Founders should also prepare lists of answers to potential investor questions.

In today’s episode of the Lead Like a Woman Show, Andrea Heuston chats with Donna Griffit about crafting winning startup pitches. Donna shares why she embraces serendipitous moments, how to generate more sales, and the essential elements of corporate storytelling.