English phrases every founder must use when pitching

By Denys Krasnikov, head of PR at F1V

VCs receive dozens of pitches each day. I've read some of them, and as an editor, I can't help but notice that many founders use bleak wording in their emails. Skippable. But it's easy to fix.

What every founder needs is a list of English words and phrases that have never been used before. I offer them my cheat sheet — a phrase and my explanation why it’s good.

I hope this letter finds you well. It's a timeless classic. It would be a bummer, though, if the receiver is unwell when this letter finds them. No way to predict this, so we take a risk.

A unique product. There's no better word than “unique.” I love it. My mom says it to me all the time, so I’m attached to it.

An innovative solution. “Solution” is a fancy word, and we like it for that. We don’t say that we develop a messenger, we say: “We’re building a communication solution.” And people start to take us seriously.

To bridge the gap. It shows that the sender is bringing people together, not dividing them. Wise.

To transform / disrupt / democratize / reshape the industry. Everyone wants to know what exactly is going to happen to the industry after the company takes off. Is it going to be disrupted, democratized, or reshaped? We pick our “fighter.”

A dedicated talented team of young professionals and industry veterans. Dedicated, young, and experienced — all at the same time. It would be a shame not to boast about it.

To empower users. "Empowering" is an empowering word. Period.

In our rapidly changing world. The readers must know that the world is rapidly changing. This phrase helps those who don't know it yet.

Significant traction. These two words intrigue me. Mysterious but also promising. "Significant" always seems significant.

Gaining momentum. There are no numbers, charts, or infographics that can be more specific than the word “momentum.” Powerful!

A pioneering tech project. Everybody is building a pioneering tech project these days. We make sure everybody knows that we do, too.

All right, all right, I'm fooling around. In reality, these phrases repel investors. When they see “an innovative solution” for the 10th time per day, they want to take a nap.

There’s a cool email template created by F1V partner Elena Mazhuha that will help you pitch your company the right way.

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