🎤 Pitching isn’t just for startups, it’s a skill for life

When you hear the words startup pitch, what comes to mind?

Maybe a fast-talking entrepreneur on a reality TV show trying to win over a panel of investors. Maybe someone trying to “sell” you something. Maybe the idea of standing in front of an audience, heart racing, hoping you don’t forget your lines.

That version of pitching (high-pressure, heavily scripted, full of buzzwords), is not what we’re aiming for here.

In the Secondary Schools Program, we see pitching as something more real. More human. More useful.

So, what is a pitch?

A pitch is just a clear, concise, confident way of sharing your idea, and inviting others to get on board or provide their first impressions.

You might be sharing something you’ve already built, or something you’re still figuring out. You might be asking for feedback, support, funding, or simply the chance to take the next step.

The best pitches don’t sound like sales presentations. They sound like people telling stories about things they care about, backed by examples of real-world thinking, action, and learning.

Why should every student learn to pitch?

We don’t teach pitching just so students can launch startups. (Although some do, and we love cheering them on.)

We teach pitching because it strengthens skills that are useful in every classroom, every career path, and every corner of life:

• Oral assessments: Pitching teaches you to explain complex ideas clearly and persuasively.
• School leadership roles: From SRC speeches to project proposals, the ability to pitch ideas makes a real impact.
• Future careers: Whether you become a doctor, designer, teacher, lawyer, tradie or CEO, you’ll need to communicate your ideas in ways that inspire action.
• Self-belief: Pitching helps students find their voice. It shows them that their ideas have value, and that they have the power to bring those ideas to life.

And of course, it's not just for students... A teacher friend of ours put it best when she said: "Every lesson is a pitch!"

Some pitching myths

If you’re thinking, “Pitching isn’t for me,” you’re not alone, but let’s quickly bust a few myths.

“I’m not confident enough.”
Pitching isn’t about being loud or charismatic. True pitching confidence comes from having done the work, meaning you have the stories to tell and practice, and we build both together.

“My idea’s not ready yet.”
Great! Early-stage pitches are actually one of the best ways to refine an idea. You’ll learn by explaining it, getting feedback, and thinking aloud.

“I’m not starting a business.”
Pitching works just as well for community projects, school initiatives, creative works, and student leadership campaigns. Any time you need to win hearts, minds or support to bring about a change and make it sustainable.

How we approach this

Throughout our programs, students learn to break down a pitch into simple building blocks that we group together in an overarching Why, How, Next scaffold. Our actual early-stage pitch template has been developed over the past decade in a mix of corporate, academic and educational environments and has been proven effective with everyone from Year 5 students to post-doctoral researchers and CEOs! 

It's a thrill watching how quickly students grasp it and easily integrate content that even many adult founders can forget to emphasise (under the pressure of approaching pitching the unnecessarily stressful way mentioned above), including:

• What problem are you tackling?
• Who does it affect? How badly?
• What have you tried so far? What have you learned?
• What’s your next step, and what support do you need?

We don’t focus on memorising speeches. We focus on conveying meaning. Helping students find their own words, speak with purpose, and adapt to the audience in front of them.

That’s why our students often start pitching before they feel ready and keep improving every time they speak.

What We Tell Our Students

• You don’t have to memorise anything: but you do need to practise.
• You don’t have to pitch like anyone else: but you do need to be clear.
• You don’t have to wait for perfection: start talking to people now and improve as you go.

Pitching is a skill we can all get better at, and the only way to do that is by doing it.

Final Thought

Whether you go on to become an entrepreneur, a changemaker, a team player or a quiet powerhouse behind the scenes, the ability to communicate your ideas with clarity and confidence is a superpower.

So don’t think of pitching as something extra. Think of it as something essential, not just for “startup kids,” but for every young person with ideas worth sharing.

And that’s all of you! ✌️