I recently attended another one of those events where people pitch ideas and form teams to build a product over a weekend. The concept is that random people from different backgrounds and cultures come together to build something amazing. It sounds really powerful, but the reality can be a bit different.
In this blog post, I want to discuss the main idea behind these startup pitch contests—many exist under various brandings, yet the core idea is the same and typically follows a structure like this:
- Introduction and Explanation
Introduce the idea and central concepts of the event.
- Keynote Speaker
A speaker (often a founder who has “made it”) shares experiences and insights. - Ice-Breaking Sessions
Activities designed to help attendees get comfortable and step out of their comfort zones. - Pitching Begins (after around 2–3 hours)
1. Anyone can pitch, as long as they haven’t started implementing the idea yet.2. They have 60 seconds.3. The usual recommended structure: state your name, the problem you want to solve, how you plan to solve it, and what you need.
- Ideas on Cards/Whiteboard
After pitching, the ideas (with a short description and the pitcher’s name) are placed on cards or a whiteboard. - Sticker Voting
The audience gets a certain number of stickers (for example, 3) and can assign them according to specific rules to whichever startup idea they like.
- Top Ideas Win
The top X (usually 7–10) ideas proceed to the next round. - Forming Teams
The winners now gather teams around their ideas. - Work on the Product
Teams spend some time (e.g. 24 hours) developing the product. - Final Pitch
Each team presents the result. - Prizes
The best final pitch wins a prize.
The number of people pitching can vary greatly, but because each pitch is only 60 seconds, more than 20 pitches can happen very quickly. The outcome usually breaks down into:
- Strong ideas, well-pitched.
- Strong ideas, poorly pitched—especially from technical folks who have complex solutions but struggle to simplify for a general audience.
- Simple ideas, well-pitched.
- Simple ideas, poorly pitched.
I know this is subjective, but in most events I’ve observed, the winning ideas are not necessarily the strongest ones. Often, it’s the idea that is easiest to understand and delivered by someone with strong presence—maybe they make the audience laugh or enjoy that 60-second pitch.
Challenges
Issues with Step 4 (Pitching Begins)
- Articulation Skills
You must convey your idea clearly in the language of the event. Sixty seconds sounds short, but you still need a powerful and convincing message. - Simplifying Complex Ideas
You have to explain in a way everyone can grasp, no matter how technical the idea is. - Self-Confidence and Engagement
Having an entertaining style, telling a personal story, or being confident can grab people’s attention.
There is probably some psychology behind why people vote for certain pitches. The outcome, however, is often (with exceptions) that people with good charisma or entertaining pitches usually get through at least the first round.
Issues with Step 5 (Ideas on Cards/Whiteboard)
- Depending on how pitches are displayed on the boards (for instance, if some cards are placed in less visible areas), the selection can be very inefficient.
- There may be too many ideas to remember (who can recall 20 ideas in detail?).
- The arrangement of the boards might favor some ideas over others.
- The clarity of the handwriting or the level of detail on the boards can make a difference.
Issues with Step 6 (Sticker Voting)
- There is very little nuanced judgment (e.g., around impact, feasibility, clarity). It’s mostly gut feeling.
- People often remember just a few ideas they liked, so they give the remaining stickers randomly.
Issues with Step 8 (Forming Teams)
- Some people fail to form a team even if they got votes, because they cannot convince enough participants to join them afterward.
- Teams might end up missing key skills if people with the same expertise cluster together (e.g., all tech or all business/marketing without technical support).
I understand some would disagree with some of these observations. I want to stress these are my personal opinions and examples of what I think can stop great ideas from becoming reality, rather than just a fun weekend experience. (Though for some attendees, a fun weekend might be the main goal.)
Fast forward to the end of the event: Some teams produce really cool outcomes if they have a strong idea and team. But, unfortunately, some excellent ideas might not progress because of the flaws I mentioned above.
I was curious about a couple of ideas that I thought should have made it to the second round, so I asked AI, and I got something like this for one of them:
I asked not only Claude, but many others, and the result only confirmed my hypothesis: It’s not about great ideas, but perhaps more about building social skills and persuasiveness and, of course, a bit of entertainment.
Wrap-Up
The good news is that most, if not all, participants learn a lot, though not necessarily what they expected to learn. For those who attend mainly to bring their own ideas to life but don’t succeed (for reasons mentioned or otherwise), there may be better ways to pitch or simply start working on the idea themselves and then seek support.