{"id":44828,"date":"2023-10-20T15:38:59","date_gmt":"2023-10-20T15:38:59","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/startupsmart.test\/2023\/10\/20\/australian-in-global-pitching-final-asked-most-oddball-question-ever-heard-from-a-judge-startupsmart\/"},"modified":"2023-10-20T15:38:59","modified_gmt":"2023-10-20T15:38:59","slug":"australian-in-global-pitching-final-asked-most-oddball-question-ever-heard-from-a-judge-startupsmart","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.startupsmart.com.au\/uncategorized\/australian-in-global-pitching-final-asked-most-oddball-question-ever-heard-from-a-judge-startupsmart\/","title":{"rendered":"Australian in global pitching final asked \u201cmost oddball question ever heard from a judge\u201d – StartupSmart"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"<\/div>\n

The first question Slidefish founder Neil Smith received after pitching at a recent global pitching event was one of the oddest the organiser\u2019s chief executive, Adeo Ressi, had heard.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Smith told StartupSmart<\/i> he was asked, after a 10-minute pitch that passed as a blur: \u201cWhat happens if Dropbox offers to buy your company for $75 million tomorrow?\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

He says that while he wasn\u2019t expecting the question, many document and presentation sharing start-ups such as his have been bought by Dropbox and more established companies in the past year or so.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cMy answer was we\u2019re still building out and there is a lot we want to do. We\u2019d consider it, but I\u2019m in no rush to sell personally,\u201d Smith says. \u201cThe discussion became that we\u2019d only reach 50 to 75 million before we\u2019d sell out, as though that\u2019s a really bad thing.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Smith was one of six finalists selected from the graduates of start-up accelerator programs run in 26 countries by the Founder Institute to pitch in the US. Smith was the only Australian in the final round<\/a>.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cI was as nervous as all hell leading up to the moment when I actually stepped on stage and then it was a blur for 10 minutes until I got off again. Then I got the most odd ball question Ressi says they\u2019ve ever heard from a judge,\u201d Smith says.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Smith says he has no plans to sell the company tomorrow or any time soon, as he\u2019s looking forward to developing it.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s the most likely outcome for us that someone would buy us but I\u2019m really in no rush to sell. It\u2019s such a large and growing market and space that it\u2019s kind of exciting to be in,\u201d Smith says.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Slidefish, a presentation sharing and feedback application, can work with over 110 file formats. Smith says this versatility is the start-up\u2019s key strength.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s become our differentiator. It\u2019s definitely put us in a different position to a lot of the others. We offer that many purely because that\u2019s what customers said they wanted and needed,\u201d he says, adding that his focus for the next six months will be on customer acquisition.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cThe possible investors want us to get customers, to see numbers and engagement,\u201d Smith says. \u201cBecause we can suck in over 100 file formats, people are interested in what we\u2019re doing. I had one investor approach me who wanted me to talk to one of the companies he advises because we\u2019re similar, but they\u2019re technologically nowhere near us.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Smith met with a range of venture capital investors during his trip, and will be continuing conversations in the coming months.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The Founder Institute has published a video of Smith\u2019s pitch here.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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