Founders with big visions often build everything at once — media, tech, storytelling, social impact, SaaS, and community. The ambition is impressive, but the pitch can get lost in the noise.
In this second edition of Into the Boardroom (AMA) with Shannon Kalayanamitr — venture partner, operator, and Shark Tank Thailand investor — we spotlight a standout question submitted by the NIA community:
“How do we get a new concept mixing social media, TV travel docu-series, SaaS, and CSR in front of the right decision makers to secure funding or sponsorship if we don’t ‘fit the box’?” — A Journey Through The 77
Shannon’s takeaway is direct: You’re pitching formats, not a business. Until you define your category, investors and sponsors can’t figure out what you are — or why they should pay attention. Here’s how she breaks it down.
Highlights
- 1. Stop Pitching Formats — Start Defining the Problem You Solve
- 2. Make the Money Obvious
- 3. Strip It Down to a Real MVP
- 4. Give Investors a Category They Can Fund
- 5. Don’t Claim ‘No Competitors’ — Clarify Why You’re Better
- 6. Come With Proof, Not Poetry
- 7. Focus on Year One, Not the 5-Year Story
- Final Thoughts: Build the Box Before You Break It
1. Stop Pitching Formats — Start Defining the Problem You Solve
A mashup of mechanisms — “social media + docu-series + SaaS + CSR” — is not a value proposition. It’s a feature list.
Investors don’t fund feature lists. They fund solutions.
The real starting point is one sharp question: What problem are you solving, and for whom?
Examples Shannon offers:
- If it’s a B2B travel or destination platform, are you helping cities, brands, or tour operators attract higher-value tourists while proving ESG impact?
- If it’s a media and storytelling engine, are you selling branded content or insights back to sponsors?
If you can’t describe your business in one line — “We help X do Y” — decision-makers won’t know which budget you belong to. And if they can’t place you, they can’t fund you.
2. Make the Money Obvious
Different categories imply different revenue models:
- Travel SaaS → subscription and transactional fees
- Media & storytelling → branded content, advertising, data
- Hybrid models → content as top-of-funnel for the real product
If everything is blended together, investors can’t track the difference between:
- Core product
- Revenue generator
- Distribution channel
Shannon’s guidance: “Make it easy for investors to understand where the money is at.”
3. Strip It Down to a Real MVP
Shannon is clear: “You don’t need to launch SaaS + TV docu-series + social + CSR all at once.”
Vision is great. Traction is better.
Your job is to identify:
- The minimum viable product that solves a real pain
- What someone will actually pay for today
- What proves your solution works
Media, storytelling, and CSR layers come later — as differentiation and distribution engines, not as your identity.
4. Give Investors a Category They Can Fund
Despite the desire to be “unique,” fundability comes from clarity, not complexity.
Shannon explains: “If you want money, you do need a box.”
A strong category statement might look like: “We’re a travel SaaS with a built-in media engine that helps sponsors reach underserved cities in Indonesia and tie it directly to measurable CSR outcomes.”
It works because it clearly tells investors:
- What you are
- Who you serve
- How do you link to their KPIs
- Why your model matters
Once the category is clear, hybrid elements amplify the business instead of confusing it.
5. Don’t Claim ‘No Competitors’ — Clarify Why You’re Better
“We combine X, Y, Z” is not a competitive edge. It’s just a description.
What investors want to know is:
- Why is your solution better than existing alternatives
- Why your timing makes sense
- How is your method more efficient, scalable, or defensible
If the pain point and improvement aren’t obvious, the pitch won’t land.
6. Come With Proof, Not Poetry
To get in front of decision-makers, you need evidence — not vision decks.
Shannon recommends arriving with:
- A one-liner problem and solution
- A clear buyer — who pays, from which budget, and why now
- A simple roadmap — MVP → next features → long-term vision
- Early traction, such as revenue, pilots, strong engagement, CSR outcomes, or anchor partners
Investors fund what’s already working — even in small form.
7. Focus on Year One, Not the 5-Year Story
Hybrid visions might be exciting, but they don’t matter if year one fails.
Shannon emphasizes: “You need to prove your MVP and that it makes money before moving forward.”
Decision-makers want realism, not range.
Final Thoughts: Build the Box Before You Break It
Ambitious, multi-format concepts can absolutely win — but only when the business beneath them is sharp, simple, and fundable. Vision doesn’t get you in the room; clarity does.
Shannon’s message is unmistakable: Define the problem. Own your category. Prove your MVP. Everything else — the docu-series, social media, CSR storytelling — is the amplifier, not the architecture.
Founders often believe they’re “too unique to fit a box.” But the fastest way to get funded is to build the box first — and then show how your hybrid approach makes that box more powerful, more scalable, and more defensible.
When decision-makers finally understand what you are, who you serve, and why it matters right now, the path to sponsorships, pilots, and investment opens dramatically.
Have your own question for Shannon? DM us on LinkedIn or email editor@newinasia.com. And if you’re serious about scaling, visit www.TeamCXO.com to start building your growth strategy today. Stay tuned for the next edition of Into the Boardroom (AMA), where we tackle more real founder questions — and go deeper.
Highlights
- 1. Stop Pitching Formats — Start Defining the Problem You Solve
- 2. Make the Money Obvious
- 3. Strip It Down to a Real MVP
- 4. Give Investors a Category They Can Fund
- 5. Don’t Claim ‘No Competitors’ — Clarify Why You’re Better
- 6. Come With Proof, Not Poetry
- 7. Focus on Year One, Not the 5-Year Story
- Final Thoughts: Build the Box Before You Break It
Read the Chinese article here.
