Assess fundability and funding options
Understand investment readiness, available sources of capital and their trade-offs. Help founders choose an appropriate funding path.
The real challenge
The program ends, but the startups must keep going.
A good demo day or graduation pitch is a milestone. What matters afterwards is whether founders can actually secure funding, win enough customers, and move fast enough to reach sustainability or secure the next round before running out of money. The Pitching Masterclass - the industry standard since 2013 - helps early-stage startup founders understand what makes their startup a credible investment proposition, identify gaps in their cases, and prepare for the conversations that put it to the test. Create better outcomes by enabling more fundable startups with improved prospects of surviving beyond the program.
A demo day also puts the program itself on stage before sponsors, partners, and other stakeholders. If the pitches are bland, unconvincing or even bad, promising ideas look underprepared - and the value of your program can be harder for them to see. Helping startup founders present a credible and fundable case in a great pitch gives justice to their progress and gives stakeholders a clearer picture of what your program helps them achieve.
For universities and colleges serious about entrepreneurship education, the Masterclass connects what students learn with the investment decisions their startups will face. Participants build a plausible case from their own business, support it with evidence and understand why investors ask the questions they do. Created by founders for founders, the course brings practical fundraising experience into the curriculum; live workshops add expert feedback and repeated improvement of participants’ real pitches. Over the years, we have also specialised in helping teams from technical and research universities become investment-ready, turning complex research and technology into credible business and investment propositions.
Practical skills. Real situations.
Understand the business.
Practise making the case.
Understand investors and fundraising
Learn what investors look for, how early financing rounds work, when to raise, and how to find and contact investors.
Master the three connected pitches
Develop the high-concept pitch, elevator pitch and pitch deck. Understand how each opens the door to the next conversation.
Build a plausible pitch deck
Structure the case from team and customer problem through solution, market, competition and milestones to the funding ask. Learn what to include—and leave out.
Support the story with evidence
Use startup metrics and KPIs to substantiate the case. Learn from examples, performance advice and resources founders can revisit.
Practise and improve with expert feedback
The live workshop adds hands-on presentation practice and coaching on participants’ own pitches.
SOME ALUMNI STATS:
+3.000 Startups+200.000.000 € Raised+1.000.000.000 € Exits
Experience that gets invited back
Built by founders for founders, improved and updated through years of working with startups and the programs supporting them.
Repeat bookings say more than a one-off workshop. Customers like Bertelsmann University and Digital Hub Aachen have booked the Masterclass repeatedly for over ten years. The RWTH Aachen and the University of Cologne’s Gateway ESC are also repeat customers of note.
“…together we have achieved an impressive 87% survival rate of our incubated startups…”
Head of Incubation · Live workshop on-site at digitalHUB Aachen
“The Masterclass was essential to being accepted to Wearable World. I can't recommend it highly enough!”
Founder · Pitching Masterclass alumnus, live on-site workshop
“A special thanks to Vidar Andersen for your [pitch] training and for sharing your extensive expertise and years of experience with us. Your clear analysis and practical insights made the training a real enrichment!”
Founder · Live workshop on-site at Gateway ESC
“The Pitching Masterclass taught me how to present my metrics and look smart to investors. Saved us from making mistakes!”
Pitching Masterclass alumnus, live workshop on-site
“I was at YCombinator and this is 100% in-line with what they taught me there!”
Serial Founder · YC2016 · Pitching Masterclass alumnus, live workshop remote
“[…] thank you for supporting the teams. Your insights and feedback as coach are essential for our program!”
Head of Bertelsmann University (SVP), live workshop off-site
“It was fantastic! Thank you!”
University of Cologne · live workshop on-site
“It was magnificent! We're doing this again!”
Technology & Innovation Manager · live workshop on-site
The available formats
For individual founders, cohorts, or the whole program or institution?
Individual
Pitching Masterclass - Video Course
Previously unavailable to startups not part of a program hosting our live workshop. Now with affordable (less than your pair of fancy sneakers) and immediate access to the theoretical part of the Pitching Masterclass as a Video Course with over 2 hours of videos and extra - constantly updated - content!
See our live workshop options for providing individual feedback and coaching. If you are a part of a startup support program - send them this way to discuss bringing our live workshop to you (before you purchase)!
€199*
*Includes 19% German VAT
Individual video-course licence.
Watch it nowFor your participants
Learning on demand as a subscription
Bulk subscription access for your founders or participants. Make learning available across your program or institution - hosted by our platform or yours. The video course is available in our self-service e-learning platform or as a white-label solution to integrate in your existing learning platforms.
Let's discuss your needs.
Inquire about subscriptionsHands-on
A full day of workshop - together!
A live workshop at your premises, off-site, or remotely. 20% theory, 80% hands-on action.
Start with investment readiness, funding options, and what investors need to see. Then connect the high-concept pitch, elevator pitch, and pitch deck, and build a plausible story around each team’s real startup.
Participants work on their own pitch decks and performances, present, receive honest individual feedback, and improve in iterations. Practise answering difficult investor questions and leave with a clearer pitch, practical templates, and concrete next steps for fundraising or demo day.
Let's discuss your needs.
Inquire about a workshopOptional extras are also available, like one-to-one follow-up sessions, group follow-up or refreshing sessions, additional video-course access to reinforce learning after a live workshop, and more. Let's discuss what works best for your needs.
Make it fit
Every program is different - every founder faces the same investment reality
For accelerator and incubator managers, startup support organisations, entrepreneurship centres, lecturers and the people responsible for learning at universities and colleges. Support your goal of graduating more fundable startups with stronger survival prospects. Give founders a framework they can keep using independently: through video learning, a full-day workshop on their real pitch decks and pitch performances, or both. We can fit the learning around your program and the funding and customer conversations ahead.
Pricing depends on the number of participants, remote or on-premise delivery, and optional add-ons desired. GO / public education discounts available.
Who’s teaching?
A founder, pitch coach and co-founder of Rheinland Pitch.
I’m Vidar Andersen. My experience includes 30 years of pitching for money and attention, pitching my own startups to famous investors, winning corporate contracts and public-sector tenders, and teaching over 3,000 startups how to pitch. I know from first-hand experience what it is like to pitch in front of top international investors and I am known for giving honest, no-nonsense feedback to founders based on the reality of the investment landscape and market situation of today.
My own pitches have won awards internationally, and my educational work on pitching has been featured and recognised internationally by leading business publications.
I created the original Pitching Masterclass in early 2013 as a co-founder of Rheinland Pitch, Germany’s largest startup pitch event. The event is still going strong. Since then, the Masterclass has earned repeat bookings from Digital Hub Aachen, RWTH Aachen, the University of Cologne’s Gateway ESC and corporate customers including Bertelsmann.
More about meOnline learning, your way
Learning on demand
Our self-service online course helps founders build convincing investment pitches at their own pace - with or without our live workshops.
Individual founders can get access instantly without having to be part of a program, or you can give every team or participant in your program or institution access to our video course. Build a shared foundation before a workshop and help the learning stick afterwards: participants can revisit the lessons, refresh what they learned and apply it as their startup and fundraising plans develop. Our learning as a service subscription prices are based on user numbers and capped at reasonable levels (GO discounts available). You can also integrate our course into your own learning platform with our white-label option (pricing on request).
Get answers
Questions we often get
What does the Pitching Masterclass Video Course contain?
Over two hours of video lessons cover funding options, what investors look for, finding and contacting investors, the three connected pitch formats, and building your pitch deck. The course also includes startup metrics and KPIs, pitch-performance guidance, downloadable slides, examples, and additional resources. See the course preview and full index of contents.
Which startup stages is the Pitching Masterclass suited for?
From idea-stage through early-stage startups, and potentially up to Series A. The methods help founders build a credible investment case and prepare for funding conversations, with the focus adapted to their stage and fundraising needs.
Is this only preparation for a demo day?
The Pitching Masterclass provides professional quality assurance for your demo day, but the skills the participants have developed through it extend well beyond a stage performance. They will learn how to prepare their real pitch to real investors and how to lead their actual funding round to success.
How can we retain learning after the workshop?
Give participants video-course access after the workshop so they can revisit the methods, refresh their knowledge and apply what they learned as their startup and fundraising plans develop. The course provides a shared reference they can return to before new investor meetings and other important conversations. You can also use it before the workshop to build a common foundation. Subscriptions are available with or without a live workshop. Let’s talk about what works best for your program.
Why include follow-up sessions?
As teams develop their business, new evidence, questions and bottlenecks emerge. Individual coaching or group sessions help participants work those changes into their pitch, practise answers and prepare for an important event or meeting. They also give your program a way to support implementation after the workshop.
Is this viable for publicly funded programs too?
Yes. We have many happy GO, NGO, and public-private program customers already. Let's discuss the number of participants, delivery and learning support that fit your program. We offer governmental organisations special discounts because access to the Pitching Masterclass should also be available for public institutions.
What about using AI? Does the Pitching Masterclass cover this?
Yes. The Pitching Masterclass covers how to use AI—and how NOT to use it—in depth, with up-to-date guidance for preparing your pitch. Learn where AI can help, where its limitations matter, and how to avoid relying on generic output, invented facts, or claims you cannot defend. The content is regularly updated as AI tools and capabilities develop.
We are based in another country. Does it make sense for us to book your workshop?
Yes. We are based in Germany and serve customers worldwide. We can deliver a live workshop at your premises, at an off-site venue, or remotely via Microsoft Teams, Zoom, or another agreed platform. We’ll discuss your location, time zone, participants, and preferred format to find a practical arrangement. The online video course is also available for learning on demand, with or without a live workshop.
Let’s find the right fit
Tell us what you need.
Your goals, audience, the number of teams or participants, your preferred format, and any important dates are a useful start. No need to send a perfect brief up front - we can work it out together.
Inquire now