On 15 June I attended, as part of AABAN, the "Empezar a Emprender" forum on automating your business with AI, held at the Universidad Pablo de Olavide (CADE UPO) in Seville. A morning from 10:00 to 13:00 surrounded by young people taking their first steps into the world of entrepreneurship.
The first thing I want to highlight is how positive it is that initiatives like this take place inside the university. It is the best possible setting for young people to have their first contact with business and entrepreneurship, and to learn from one another. While I am still not entirely sure about the real scope of the initiative, the value of bringing business into the classroom seems beyond doubt.
The format was simple and demanding at the same time: each start-up had 8 minutes to deliver its elevator pitch, and the winning project received AI advisory support for its business as a prize.
There was a bit of everything, and that's normal
As expected, some pitches were better and some worse in terms of delivery. They are young, and in many of them you could sense the nerves — completely understandable and no reflection on their merit. But beyond the staging, I saw a common pattern repeated across almost all of them: they were missing the important part.
The keys to a good elevator pitch
When you have so little time, you can't tell the whole story: you have to tell what's essential. These are, in my opinion, the points that can't be missing from a pitch.
1. What you offer, said clearly. This is the main thing. If in the first few seconds your listener doesn't understand what you do and what problem you solve, the rest doesn't matter. Explain your value proposition simply, without detours or unnecessary jargon.
2. How you differ from your competition. Almost no one invents a category from scratch. What matters is not just what you do, but why yours is different from or better than what already exists. If you don't say it, the investor will ask.
3. Your stage of maturity. Is it an idea, a prototype, do you already have customers, are you generating revenue? Your level of maturity completely changes how the project reads. Be honest about where you stand: transparency builds trust.
4. What's left to do. Show the road ahead. Demonstrating that you know your next steps signals that you have a plan and your feet on the ground.
5. Are you raising? How much? If you're in front of investors, this question can't be left hanging. Say whether you're seeking funding, how much, and what you'll use it for. Being specific about the figure and its use is a sign of seriousness.
What they did have covered
Of course, the business model and how you sell it are fundamental, and most of them had that part well worked out. The challenge, then, was not so much the "what I sell" as knowing how to communicate, in just a few minutes, everything that truly matters for someone to decide to back your project.
In summary
Initiatives like this are worthwhile just for giving young people the chance to step onto a stage and present their idea. And if I had to keep a single piece of advice for anyone preparing an elevator pitch, it would be this: in so little time, prioritise what's essential. Explain clearly what you offer and how you differ, be clear about your maturity and your roadmap, and if you're raising, say it with numbers. Everything else is built on top of that.