The Agile Samurai

Create an Elevator Pitch

Quick! The venture capitalist (VC) you have been trying to get in front of for the last three months just walked into the elevator, and you have thirty seconds to pitch the idea for your new fledgling start-up. Success means fuel for your venture. Failure means more Kraft dinner.

That’s the idea behind the elevator pitch—a way of communicating the essence of your idea in a very short period of time. Elevator pitches aren’t just for aspiring entrepreneurs, though. They are also great for concisely defining new software projects.

A good elevator pitch will do a number of things for your project.

1. It brings clarity. ...