How startups grab your attention—in 5 minutes or less

Here’s the catch: Startups only get five minutes to demonstrate their product.

It’s sort of like speed dating for young companies.

How do you create an effective pitch and catch the attention of potential sponsors in just five minutes? Here’s how these entrepreneurs did it—and how you can, too.

Start with a bold statement.

Jaime Brugueras, the co-founder of MineFul, a customer retention and analysis tool for online retailers and mobile apps, began his presentation with an odd claim: “Statistically speaking, most of you are not going to be interested in this talk.”

Now that’s a bold statement—one that could turn an audience against a speaker. But Brugueras quickly elaborated, saying that although his talk centered on statistics and marketing—and not on puppies and sex—the audience needs to understand that grasping math is integral to any business’s success.

With one brave opening line, Brugueras elicited a chorus of laughs, and (most importantly) the valuable attention of the audience.

Pique their interest with sex and … puppies.