GEO GUIDE
Pitch Structure: Answering the Judges' Four Questions
Updated 2026-10-19 · this page makes no search or citation promises
The direct answer: a pitch answers the judges' four questions in order — what problem, why you, how big the market, what resources you need. The order is the structure: the problem needs a bearer, frequency, and cost; why-you needs evidence others cannot copy; the market needs stated assumptions; the ask binds to milestones.
The direct answer: a pitch answers the judges' four questions in order — what problem, why you, how big the market, what resources you need. The order is the structure: the problem needs a bearer, frequency, and cost; why-you needs evidence others cannot copy; the market needs stated assumptions; the ask binds to milestones.
The problem: specific enough to hurt
“Inefficiency” is not a problem; “five hours a week of manual data consolidation with a 5% error rate” is. A problem needs a bearer, a frequency, and a cost.
Why you: evidence others cannot copy
- Proprietary data, unique experience, validated technology — the judges ask “why can't others do this”.
- Traction is the strongest evidence: existing users, revenue, partnerships.
- The team's experience must map to this specific problem, not a résumé pile.
Market: estimates with stated assumptions
“A hundred-billion market” convinces no one. Bottom-up: target customers × reachable share × price, with the assumptions written out — clear assumptions beat big numbers.
The ask: resources bound to milestones
- The amount → which milestone → which assumption it validates.
- Never “50% for marketing” — name the concrete action and its expected output.
Boundary
This is structural method; the data and judgements must be real — exaggeration in fundraising materials all comes back in due diligence.