Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What is IPitch?
IPitch is a social site for the Australian startup, investment and entrepreneurial community to communicate and seek out new opportunities. Although the site acts as a social network that collects an index of all of the nation's startups and investors and allows them to connect, IPitch is also a unique conversational tool that makes updates between startups and their investors easier and more efficient.
How do I create a company profile?
IPitch is built more around the identity of companies than of individual staff that comprise them. Company profiles allow you to follow all the actions of a company. To create a company profile you must first be an IPitch member. When you verify your IPitch member account via the link sent to your email, you will immediately be taken to the dashboard. If you are a returning member, login and click the dashboard link in the navigation at the top of the page. The box labeled "My Company Profiles" will display all the companies you are currently attached to, and you can create a new one by hitting the "Add/Edit" button. You will be prompted to choose whether you are a startup or an investor. Although you may not be part of an investment business or group, IPitch lumps solo angel investors and high net worth individuals as their own investment company. Remember, answering the questions as specifically as possible and adding a logo to you profile will help attract more attention.
How do I update my company profile and startup details?
Inside your company profile, click the "Update Profile" button inside the "Manage Profile" box.
What is a "pitch"?
A startup always has its big pitch: here's my business, this is the problem we solve, this is why we're better than the competition. But there are lots of little pitches a business will make every day, such as releasing a new product, or announcing a speaking engagement or a big success. Think of a pitch as a press release, these bits of notable news will show up on the front of the site and will be where prospective investors and media look first to find out who is doing new and exciting things.
And pitching isn't just for startups. Investors can pitch too! Whether you're doing outreach and PR for your investment company or announcing a new investment, participation in events, etc. So what are you doing still reading? Get pitching!
How do I make a pitch?
Individual IPitch members cannot make a pitch, but companies can. Make a pitch with your company's latest big news by going to your dashboard, selecting the company you want to pitch for and then clicking on the "Make A Public Pitch" link.
What is "following"?
Much like Twitter or Facebook, IPitch allows you to follow updates from the companies that interest you. Unlike Twitter and Facebook, you don't use the updates to say what you had for breakfast. The default is set to allow everyone who desires to follow your company, but you can control this by going to the "Privacy Settings" button on the left side of your company profile.
How do I follow a company
You can follow a company by going to their company profile and hitting the "Follow This Company" button on the left side of the profile.
What does "Share an Update" do inside your company profile?
This is a quick an easy way for you to share messages between members & followers of your company. These messages will not appear in the IPitch feed, they will only appear under your profile, as well as in your dashboard and the dashboards of your followers.
What is the difference between an update that goes to "Everyone" and one for "Insiders Only"?
This is an important aspect of IPitch that allows you to keep some information just for the founders and investors of your company. Most of the really important information about your business that investors want to know can't necessarily be tweeted out or put in a facebook update because it's sensitive and may involve finances or contracts. When you make an "Insiders Only" update is goes ONLY to your INVESTORS or to those who are ADMIN members of the company. An insider only update is indicated by a 'lock' icon next to the update.
An update that goes to "Everyone" is information about the everyday operations of your business or small news that might interest prospective investors or fellow peers. This could be everything from a new hire to a small business development. These updates go to anyone who is following you. Eventually IPitch will add the ability to integrate your Twitter or Facebook updates into this feed.
How do I add a video?
Inside your company profile, click the "Upload Video" button along the right side. At this time IPitch only accepts links to Youtube videos, but this means you can link any video that your company has uploaded to Youtube or any video anyone else has uploaded of your company to Youtube. Copy and paste the URL of the Youtube video into the bottom field and the title for the video in the top field. You can add as many videos as you like. You do not necessarily have to have shot the video, but you or members of your business should be featured.
How do I manage my videos
Inside your company profile, click the "Upload Video" button along the right side, then click the "Manage Videos" tab. In this area you can delete videos or choose which video you want to appear as the featured video on your profile.
How do I connect an investor's account to my startup?
Inside your company profile, click the "Investors" button under "Company Tools" on the left side. On this page you will find instructions to add your investor. Browse to your investor's IPitch company profile (if you don't know their profile URL or not sure if they are using IPitch, you can try finding them in the investors directory). Once you find your investor, click on the "Add This Investor" button on the left of their company profile. You will be asked to specify which startup company (if you have more than one) the investor is for and write a request message. Your investors will also able to add your startup company to their own IPitch Investment Portfolio.
How do I join a company?
Joining a company is only for people who are part of that company, such as staff or founders. You will need to have the "Admin" or "Creator" of the company account add you.
How do you add and manage the people who are members of your company?
All the members of a company can be connected to the company profile, from CEO to intern. The creators and admin of the company profile can add other members of the company by clicking on the "manage users" button under "manage profile" under the left side of the company profile. Click the "Add New Users Tab" and enter the information of the new company member. In order to become part of your company, members MUST BE ADDED BY AN ADMIN
Although anyone within a company can be added, only those who have admin privileges will have power over the profile. There are three levels of power within a company profile: "Creator", "Admin" and "General Member." It is important to remember when determining this access level that anyone with the "Admin" distinction can control the company profile and will receive the insider updates, so "Admin" is usually reserved for founders, owners or high-level people in the company.
How do I delete my company profile?
Only the "Creator" of a company may delete a company profile. To delete a company profile go to your dashboard and click the "My Companies" (or the "Add/Edit" link in the upper right of the "My Company Profiles" box). On this page you will either see a 'delete' or 'remove' option. You can only delete company profiles which you have created. Deleting a company profile is irreversible and all members of that company will also be removed from the profile. On the other hand, removing a company profile will only remove yourself from that company, it will not delete it.
What is news?
News is effectively a blog about the Australian startup and investment community. This is the destination for news about the latest investment deals that have been made, press coverage of the startup industry, upcoming events and major developments. You can submit articles to this section by contacting the blog editor at info@ipitch.com.au
What are articles?
The articles are timeless information pieces aimed at helping startups or investors. In the articles section you will find tips from Australian experts in marketing, law, website development and more as well as columns from some of the nation's business experts, tips on meeting investors and help on applying for funding. If you would like to become one of our experts or have an article you would like to suggest, please contact our editor at info@ipitch.com.au
How do I know people won't steal my startup idea on IPitch?
At the end of the day, you don't. Anything you put online anywhere, from Twitter to your own website, exposes your idea and business to the world. That's why we recommend that you don't put any private or proprietary information into your public company profile. Also, for a startup, it's important to remember that a good idea is a beginning but investors are also looking for what kind of team you have to support that idea so fleshing out your profile with the structure around your business is just as important as the core idea itself. You can rely on "Insider Updates" being private among "Admins" and "Investors" but unless you choose differently in your privacy settings, your profiles, pitches and "Everyone" updates are open to all of the IPitch audience. You can view IPitch's privacy policy here.
As a startup, how can I use IPitch?
- Find new investors and become searchable to investors
Simply signing up your company on IPitch lets investors know you are seeking investment. As IPitch grows, you will be able to search through a database of investors and contact those who might be a good match for your startup. - Market your company
Use your company profile to collect all the important public information about your company from press clippings to public appearances and then use the vanity name URL which uses your company name to send to media, prospective investors and more. Also, use the pitch feed as a way to spruik your startup's latest news from hiring to trips abroad. - Stay in touch with your current investors
Rather than emailing, calling or messaging your investor all the time, use IPitch as a platform to communicate. Once an investor is connected with your company, they can easily see all the updates you make in their dashboard and can see the "Insider Updates" that you publish about private business. - Keep abreast of the startup and investment community
By following the Pitch Feed, News and Articles on IPitch you can get information on what's happening in the Australian startup community and see who is making the latest deals.
As an investor, how can I use IPitch?
- Find new investment opportunities
Use the "Find Startups" button at the top of the site to start your browsing. From there you can even refine your search by stage the business is at, what industry they are in or where they are located. - Track your whole portfolio of investments in one place
Rather than having emails, calls and messages coming in, use IPitch to see the movements of all your startup investments in one place. Have your startups sign up, then simply login in to your dashboard and see their updates to you, and to everyone else, in the "My Companies" feed of the "Recent Company Activity" box. Don't forget, when you become the investor of a startup through IPitch, the startup can send you "Inside Updates" which are private messages only between the startup "Admins" and you. - See what startups are active
Get leads on who are the best investments in the "Pitch Feed" where startups announce their latest news from new product releases to press coverage.
Investors Guide to IPitch video coming soon...
As media, how can I use IPitch?
- Look through the Pitch Feed to find story leads
Companies will be putting all their big movements into the Pitch Feed. Media can turn to this section to see who is releasing new products, being covered in the press or receiving investment. - Use a startups profile as a source of information for articles
Media can use a startup's IPitch page as a place to find out what stage they are at, what industry they are in, some of the staff behind the company and more. - Use IPitch to search for sources for stories
With a specific advanced search feature, you can find businesses by industry, region and more.
