Presentation Thinking™ #125. Mac Conwell on perfecting your personal story and pitch
Jun 21, 2024
In this engaging discussion, McKeever “Mac” Conwell II, founder of RareBreed Ventures and an accomplished early-stage investor, shares his journey from coding to venture capital. He reveals his unique Twitter-driven approach to raising a $10M fund and emphasizes the importance of storytelling in pitching. Mac introduces a structured 10-minute pitch format and suggests practicing with improv to enhance delivery. He also shares insights on what VCs look for in founders, the significance of traction over presentation, and valuable advice for handling rejection.
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Unconventional Path To VC
- McKeever “Mac” Conwell II left college for a top-secret internship, worked at Northrop Grumman, then co-founded startups and later ran Maryland's early-stage investment arm.
- He raised a $10M fund and credits much of the fundraising momentum to building an audience and meetings via Twitter.
Fill Your Calendar Via Helpful Content
- Use Twitter to educate your community and DM new investors with a short intro plus a calendar link to book meetings.
- Focus tweets on value for founders and investors, not self-promotion, to generate inbound conversations.
Master The Ten-Minute Story Pitch
- Craft a 6–10 minute, three-part story: your bio, what you do, and a founder story that creates feeling and hooks listeners.
- Start meetings by asking about the other person, then tell your story and gauge their reactions to decide next steps.
