Short excerpt from a Jason M. Lemkin talk offering practical advice for startup founders pitching to VCs: be flexible during pitches, accommodate non-linear conversations, and comply immediately with VC requests (e.g., run a demo up front) rather than insisting on your planned order.
Sometimes it is to hear themselves talk, but sometimes it's that they just met with a startup that was kind of different. Maybe not competitive, not in the same space, but roughly different, and something stuck in their head from that meeting and they want to hear what you think about it. Even if they want to jump around the deck, jump around the conversation, even the conversation is not linear in the way you like. Even if your pitch is interrupted, do it. If a VC wants to see a demo up front, do the demo front. Don't make her or him wait. Do.
