Episode Summary If you have to pitch the same product to two totally different audiences, should you use one deck or two? In this episode of Pick My Brain, Alan Jones is joined by Michelle Chen, founder of Mental Jam, a startup turning real lived experiences of depression and anxiety into cozy, story-driven mobile games. Michelle is preparing to pitch in two worlds at once: to investors who care about venture-scale growth, and to game publishers who care about commercial upside and licensing rights. Alan breaks down why one pitch is rarely enough, and introduces a simple framework: three decks for each audience. A teaser deck to spark curiosity, a pitch deck to support your live story, and a leave-behind deck packed with detail for later review. They also get tactical about what makes a pitch land: fewer words on slides, stronger emotional delivery in the first 10 to 15 seconds, and building trust by keeping the audience focused on the founder, not the deck. Michelle also shares the real nerves behind pitching, including stage anxiety and how it impacts performance. Alan offers a mindset shift that helps founders separate their personal fear from the “role” they’re playing on stage, plus practical tips for pitching on video calls. They finish with concrete improvements: shorten the character section, add a clear team slide, and capture customer reactions on video to show emotional impact, not just quotes. If you’re pitching a product with multiple buyers, fundraising while still building, or struggling with confidence on stage, this episode is a masterclass in making your pitch clearer, shorter, and more human Time Stamps 02:10 – Michelle’s origin story: from PhD research to startup 04:10 – Why Catalyzer mattered for a migrant founder 05:20 – Two audiences: investors vs game publishers 06:05 – Should you build two pitches? Alan’s answer: yes, tailor 08:05 – The 6 deck framework: teaser, pitch, leave-behind for each audience 13:05 – Ideal slide counts: teaser 3 to 5, pitch 10 to 15, leave-behind as needed 14:00 – Why founders accidentally read slides and lose the room 15:00 – Video call tip: pin the person, not your slides 16:15 – Michelle’s pitch: Mental Jam and Boba Rista 23:15 – Alan’s feedback: scripting, emotion, and the first 10 seconds 26:00 – Handling stage anxiety while pitching 29:20 – Cut words per slide: aim for fewer than 10 words 31:10 – Too many characters: use one or two for investors 31:40 – Add a team slide and show real customer feedback 33:00 – Use video testimonials for emotional proof Resources Mentioned 🎮 Mental Jam – https://hellomentaljam.com 🎙 Ask Alan a Question – https://speakpipe.com/pickmybrain 🎧 More from Alan Jones – https://www.startupfoundercoach.com Sponsors:Pick My Brain is supported by our wonderful sponsors:Galah Cyber offers the Foundations of Application Security course: a practical, hands-on AppSec course built for engineers who actually ship code. Two days of real-world lessons you can apply immediately. Learn more at galahcyber.com.au/learn. The Day One NetworkPick My Brain is part of Day One, the podcast network dedicated to founders, operators & investors.To learn more, join our newsletter to be notified of new and upcoming shows. The only content we create is content that will help Australian founders.
