The first query investors asked me in my first months of pitching was: “Where are you from?”
My accent gave me away every time.
After the failed 2020 revolution in Belarus, I moved my company, Vocal imageto Estonia. I got here to Estonia with no English, no network and no understanding of the Western startup world. I spent months learning the language, practicing every day to improve my pronunciation and confidence.
Even knowing very basic English, I immediately began quitting. I met an angel who decided to invest after just one leap. Just six months after moving, we closed our first round of $250,000.
In today’s market where early-stage capital is shrinking, the ability to communicate is as vital as the product. Forty-four percent of unicorn founders in the U.S. are immigrants, and many of them began as outsiders. You may not “look like the right person,” but that does not have to stop you from raising money. It actually didn’t stop me.
There are three lessons from this experience that I consider are extremely helpful for any founder looking to differentiate themselves.
Position yourself as a problem solver, not a capital raiser
Investors meet with a whole bunch of founders every 12 months. Most of them open up about how much they collect, not why they exist. When I began to see myself as someone obsessed with solving a real communication problem relatively than someone asking for capital, every part modified.
People invest in clarity and conviction. Instead of limiting ourselves to talking about market size or monetization, I illustrated the problem: how speech anxiety, accent and vocal tension limit the self-confidence of individuals around the world. When your story is rooted in a true mission, your accent, location or background stops being a liability and becomes a part of the evidence.
Use body language to express confidence
The way you act speaks louder than your words. Investors read it immediately. For example, if you lean back when challenged, it would appear defensive. So when I answer questions, I lean forward barely, smile and nod. It signals that I’m engaged and listening, relatively than trying to protect myself.
Self-confidence also manifests itself in stillness. When you know your material, you do not need to gesticulate excessively. Remember that the goal is not execution, but connection. Smile first, listen fastidiously and never interrupt. These small actions build a sense of trust long before you begin talking about numbers.
The research we relied on to develop our products shows that lower-pitched voices are perceived as 40% more confident and trustworthy. Founders don’t have to fake it, but they’ll practice it the same way they’ll practice their pitch.
Use bidding competitions as leverage
When I used to be working on my communication skills, pitching competitions became my springboard. They didn’t guarantee investment, but they gained momentum. And in the first three years we won six: TechChill, Latitude 59StartupFair, AWS AI Challenge, European AI Startup Program by Meta, Face Hugging AND ScaleWay. These events brought us $700,000 and connections that led directly to our seed round.
In addition to financing, visibility is of great value. By entering these competitions you gain feedback, credibility and stage time. All of this accelerates learning and helps make your story resonate across languages, markets and personalities.
Unless you sound like an insider, raising capital requires transparency, control and presence. Investors may notice your accent in the first five seconds, but if you master those five minutes, they’ll remember your idea, not where you got here from.
Founders are obsessed with anxiety trying to reach investors, but anxiety kills sales. You’ve already heard the advice from a startup mentor: practice your pitch, find your individual mentors, and get feedback on your ideas.
In my experience, ideas and passion are the most vital, but it is your polished soft skills that allow you to show that keenness to everyone.