Final Call: Watch Lightning Round VI Live 🚀
VC Unfiltered by Pegasus Angel Accelerator invites you to spectate our next pitch competition!
Lightning Round VI will be held over Zoom on November 13th (5:30 PM - 7:30 PM PST)!
We’ll kick off with an exclusive investor panel featuring industry leaders, followed by five exciting startups pitching live.
Seats are limited—reserve your spot now and be part of the action!
In the early days, your story is your marketing. You don’t have brand trust, case studies, or a sales team. What you have is a story—and if you do it right, that story will do the heavy lifting to attract your first users.
But here’s the mistake most startups make:
They focus their story on themselves (“Our technology is cutting-edge!”) instead of the customer (“Here’s how your life gets better.”)
The story must be user-centric, pain-driven, and solution-focused.
How to Build a Story That Sticks
A strong early-stage story answers three questions in one breath:
What is the painful problem you’re solving?
→ Make the pain feel urgent and personal.
→ Use the customer’s own words—not jargon.
Why is your solution uniquely better or urgent right now?
→ Show why today’s options suck or why the problem is getting worse.
→ Paint a before/after picture.
What emotional payoff will users get by adopting your product?
→ It’s not about features. It’s about pride, relief, confidence, success, and freedom.
Tactical Framework: The “Problem–Agitate–Solve–Vision” Story Formula
Part 1: Define the Pain (Problem)
What is the urgent, specific pain your customer is feeling?
Use their words. Be specific and relatable.
What’s broken right now?
How does this pain show up in daily life or work?
What’s the emotional cost (stress, time, money, etc.)?
“Today, [your ICP] struggles with…”
Part 2: Agitate the Pain
Make them feel the problem more deeply.
Add emotion. Use frustration, fear, wasted time, and missed opportunity.
“That means they deal with…”
Part 3: Introduce Your Product as the Solution
Now, position your product as the obvious answer.
Make it clear, benefit-driven, and fast to grasp.
What do you replace or simplify?
What happens immediately when they start using it?
“That’s why we built [product]—a [what it is] that helps you…”
Part 4: Paint the Vision
What’s the better future your customer can expect?
Tap into positive emotion—relief, control, freedom, growth.
“So instead of [old pain], you get…”
Final Assembly (Plug-and-Play Format)
Combine your story into a simple, clear pitch or landing page message:
“Today, [your customer] struggles with [pain]. That means they’re stuck dealing with [agitate].
That’s why we built [your product]—a [solution] that helps you [benefit].
So instead of [old frustration], you finally get [new emotional outcome].”
Real Examples of Early-Stage Stories Done Right
Robinhood: “Investing should be for everyone, not just the rich.”
Emotional trigger: fairness and inclusion.
Superhuman: “The fastest email experience ever made.”
Clear, measurable improvement.
Notion: “One workspace. Every team.”
Simplicity + unification = better work.
Clubhouse: “Drop-in audio conversations with interesting people.”
Curiosity + exclusivity + connection.
Tips for Crafting Your Pre-Launch Narrative
Use real words, not buzzwords.
“Built for founders who hate CRM busywork.” > “Optimized customer relationship management solution.”
Anchor to a feeling, not just a function.
Productivity, control, pride, connection, freedom—emotions convert.
Test messaging on real people before you publish it.
If they say, “Wait, tell me more,” you’re close. If they say “Cool” and change the subject, you’re not there yet.
Speak like a human.
Imagine explaining your startup at a coffee shop to a friend, not pitching at Demo Day.
Bonus: Story Hooks You Can Steal and Adapt
“Tired of [painful process]? There’s a better way.”
“You’re busy building your dream—[product] helps you get there faster.”
“What if [current pain point] just… wasn’t a thing anymore?”
“Because [your audience] deserves better than [current broken solution].”
Minor tweaks, significant emotional shifts.
Bottom Line: Your Story Is Your First Traction Channel
Before anyone tries your product, shares your link, or joins your waitlist, they buy into your story.
Make it short.
Make it visceral.
Make it about them, not you.
If you win the story, you’ll win the first users and the right to scale.
Learn More
Visit us at pegasusangelaccelerator.com
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