Deliver the hook, the numbers, and the ask — then handle investor Q&A, out loud.
A pitch in Spanish follows the same spine as in English — hook, problem, solution, traction, ask — but three details give non-natives away. Percentages are two words: veinticinco por ciento, never one. The differentiation verb is reflexive: lo que nos diferencia es que construimos la tecnología desde cero — not nosotros diferenciamos. And for the raise, estamos levantando dos millones de dólares works, though estamos cerrando una ronda sounds more formal in an investor's conference room. When the tough question comes, concede and redirect: entiendo la preocupación sobre regulación, y déjeme explicarle cómo lo estamos blindando.
Below: the phrases that carry a pitch from hook to ask, the traps that make founders sound translated — and a way to rehearse the whole meeting out loud before the real one is on the calendar.
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Regional Spanish
Textbooks teach one word. Locals use several — pick your region's and stay consistent.
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The part no phrase list can do
Isabella
Your conversation teacher for this pack
In the Pitch Deck pack, the final lesson is a first-round meeting — and Isabella is the investor: managing partner at a regional fintech fund, sharp, listens more than she talks, writes one word per slide on a yellow notepad and circles the most important one. Tuesday, 9 AM, two analysts taking notes. You deliver the full six-minute pitch — hook, problem, solution, traction, ask — then she asks the tough ones: competition, regulation, your team. Out loud, in usted. She decides whether there's a second meeting:
Blank mid-sentence and nothing bad happens — she waits. That's the practice, without unnecessary judgement.
Quick answers
Open with a concrete number or scenario, not a vague dream: cada año, cuarenta millones de latinoamericanos se quedan fuera del sistema financiero formal, or imagínense por un momento que abrir una cuenta bancaria tardara solo treinta segundos. Then frame the journey: hoy, en los próximos seis minutos, quiero que vean esta industria con otros ojos.
Estamos levantando dos millones de dólares is standard startup Spanish; estamos cerrando una ronda sounds more formal. Colloquially, money itself changes by country: la lana in Mexico, la guita in Argentina, la plata across much of the region — but keep the slang out of the boardroom.
Concede, then redirect: entiendo la preocupación… y déjeme explicarle. Honesty scores points: prefiero ser transparente: todavía no hemos resuelto ese punto, pero tenemos un plan claro. Missing a figure? si no tengo el dato exacto a mano, con gusto se lo envío después de la reunión.
Say por ciento as two separate words: venimos creciendo veinticinco por ciento mes a mes. Stack precise traction claims the same way: la retención a noventa días está por encima del ochenta por ciento, el costo de adquisición cayó un sesenta por ciento.
The verb is reflexive: lo que nos diferencia es que… or nos diferenciamos porque… — never nosotros diferenciamos. And vary your opinion verbs in Q&A: instead of repeating pienso que, reach for considero que, diría que, a mi juicio.