“I was born in a deaf family. My parents are deaf. My brother is deaf.” This was the beginning of Thibault Duchemin’s original investor for his company Ava, a real-time labeling product.
Thanks to his engaging story, Thibault managed to raise $1.6 million for the first time to pursue his original target market. How to text app Ava grows, the company continues to raise $14.7 million in startup. And A-Series capital to add professional text solutions right into any meeting or classroom in addition to its native AI product.
Thibault understands the cohesiveness between the narrator and his investor audience.
When they listen to a story, the audience expects a pattern. Think of the experience of watching a movie. They want to know who the main character is, his motives, and what gets in his way. When a story is confused, and these elements are not clear, the audience can be disappointed.
Some filmmakers deliberately deviate when creating stories. Jane Campion, The Oscar-nominated The Power of the Dog is the latest example of a film challenging audiences with a very subtle plot point that many audiences miss. Some critics praised this approach. But many viewers found it very annoying that they had to work so hard to tell the story.
Innovators like Thibault are not interested in taking the risk of disappointing their audience.
Instead, Thibault tells investors what they want to know, starting with who will use the product. The first target customer should be the main character in the story. What challenges does the protagonist face, and what specific problems are you trying to solve?
In story language, viewers will want to understand the protagonist’s intentions and what obstacles stand in their way. Once you lay that foundation, your audience will crave the win. The product or service you’re building, and the benefits that come with it.
If you have the setup right, the audience will be thrilled and eager to hear how you created a happy ending for your clients. Then, when you clearly describe the product, illustrate how it addresses a specific consumer problem. And explain how your customer is better off than the current solution, you apply the narrator’s compact.