Mastering Investor Conversations: Preetha Ram Shares What VCs Really Want to Hear

Mastering Investor Conversations: Preetha Ram Shares What VCs Really Want to Hear

What happens when women founders get the chance to hear directly from someone who sits on the other side of the investor table?

During the latest TiE Women Program – TiE Silicon Valley masterclass, “Mastering Investor Conversations,” founders had an open and candid conversation with Preetha Ram, Managing Partner at Pier 70 Ventures and a TiE Silicon Valley Board Members and Charter Member.

With years of experience as an entrepreneur, operator, academic leader, venture partner, and investor, Preetha gave founders something particularly valuable: a look inside the conversations that often happen in a VC’s head—but aren’t necessarily said out loud.

Start With the Right Investors

One of Preetha’s first messages was simple: do your homework before pitching.

Not every investor is the right investor for every startup. Founders should research a VC’s investment strategy, including:

As Preetha emphasized, pitching an investor whose investment thesis doesn’t align with your company can be a waste of both the founder’s and investor’s time.

The research doesn’t stop at the fund. Founders should also speak with portfolio companies and learn what it is actually like to work with that investor.

Warm Introductions Still Matter

Networking was another major theme of the discussion.

Preetha encouraged founders to actively participate in their startup ecosystems, attend events, meet investors, and build relationships before they need to raise money.

But when the opportunity to meet an investor comes, founders need to be ready with a clear, concise introduction.

Instead of launching into a long explanation, Preetha recommended having a one- or two-line introduction that quickly communicates:

Who you are + what problem you solve + where your company is today.

The goal is to create enough interest for a follow-up conversation—not to deliver the entire pitch in the first interaction.

Your Pitch Starts Before the Pitch

One of the most powerful takeaways from the session was that the pitch begins the moment you meet the investor.

Your introduction, confidence, body language, eye contact, posture, and ability to read the room all contribute to the investor’s first impression.

Preetha encouraged founders to be confident and bold, while also recognizing the difference between being persistent and being pushy. Reading the investor’s signals and knowing when to continue the conversation—or gracefully move on—is an important part of building professional relationships.

The Three Cs: Commerce, Clarity & Conciseness

Preetha shared her framework for thinking about an effective pitch through three key ideas: Commerce, Clarity, and Conciseness.

1. Commerce: How Will You Make Money?

A great mission and an important problem are not enough when you’re raising venture capital.

Founders need to clearly communicate their business model and path to revenue.

Preetha encouraged founders to make sure investors understand how the company will generate money and how the business can become a large, scalable opportunity.

The impact may be compelling, but investors also need to understand the economics behind the opportunity.

2. Clarity: Make It Easy to Understand

The goal isn’t to show investors everything you know.

It’s to make sure they understand what matters.

Preetha encouraged founders to simplify their slides, reduce unnecessary words, avoid jargon, and clearly guide investors through the story:

This is the problem.
This is our solution.
This is how we make money.
This is the opportunity.

She also encouraged founders to test their pitch with someone outside their industry. If someone unfamiliar with the startup can understand the story, the pitch is likely becoming clearer.

And when it comes to numbers, don’t make investors hunt for the important ones. Highlight the metrics that matter most.

3. Conciseness: Less Can Be More

Preetha challenged founders to think about their first investor pitch as a focused story rather than an exhaustive presentation.

Her recommendation? Aim for approximately 10 slides for an early pitch.

The detailed information can live in the appendix and be brought forward when investors ask for it.

The objective is to keep the narrative flowing, maintain attention, and leave investors wanting to know more.

Know Your Numbers

One message came through loud and clear: Founders need to know their numbers.

If you’re the CEO, investors expect you to understand the financial health of your company.

Questions about runway, burn rate, revenue, projections, and other key metrics shouldn’t require the founder to turn to someone else for the answer.

Preetha also encouraged founders to think beyond their current numbers and communicate the scale of their vision.

A startup may be at the pre-seed stage today, but investors need to see the path toward a much larger opportunity.

Don’t Be Afraid to Ask

Another important lesson was the importance of having a clear ask.

Rather than saying, “We’re looking for support,” founders should clearly communicate what they are raising, the terms or valuation when appropriate, how much has already been committed, and what they are looking for from the investor.

A strong ask gives investors something concrete to respond to.

As Preetha put it, if you don’t ask, you don’t get.

Preparing for Bias

The session also addressed an important reality for women founders: investor conversations can sometimes involve different types of questions and assumptions.

Preetha encouraged founders to anticipate challenging or risk-focused questions and prepare thoughtful responses in advance.

Rather than becoming defensive, founders can reframe difficult questions into opportunities to demonstrate preparedness, resilience, and growth potential.

Know the risks. Know the data. Know your response.

And then answer with confidence.

The Investor Relationship Is a Long-Term Relationship

Perhaps one of the most important messages from the session was that raising money isn’t simply about getting a check. It’s about choosing a long-term partner.

A relationship with a VC can last for years, and that investor may eventually sit on the company’s board and play an important role in strategic decisions.

That’s why founders should do their own due diligence.

Talk to portfolio companies. Understand the investor’s style. Think about how they communicate, how they make decisions, and whether your personalities and working styles are compatible.

Preetha offered a candid reminder: you should be prepared to walk away from an investor who isn’t the right fit.

The right capital from the wrong partner can create problems that last much longer than the fundraising process.

Practice Makes a Difference

Finally, Preetha emphasized something that is easy to overlook: practice.

Writing the pitch down, refining the language, practicing the delivery, and recording yourself can dramatically improve the quality of the presentation.

She encouraged founders to watch themselves pitch, pay attention to distracting mannerisms, improve their camera positioning for virtual meetings, and make sure nothing distracts investors from the story.

The goal isn’t to memorize every word. It’s to know the story well enough that the right words, numbers, and messages come naturally.

A Conversation Every Founder Should Have

The masterclass gave TiE Women founders an unusually candid look at what happens on the other side of the investor conversation.

From researching the right investors and building warm introductions to crafting a clear pitch, knowing the numbers, handling bias, making a strong ask, and choosing the right long-term partner, Preetha’s advice went beyond simply “how to pitch.”

It was about how to approach investors with clarity, confidence, preparation, and purpose.

A huge thank you to Preetha Ram for sharing her experience so openly and giving our women founders a behind-the-scenes perspective on investor conversations.

The TiE Women Program continues to equip women entrepreneurs with the knowledge, mentorship, and connections they need to build, scale, and confidently take their companies to the next level.