One minute.

That's it.

One minute — or even shorter — is about all the time you have to convince venture capitalists like myself that your startup and idea are worth hearing more about. No pressure.

Unfortunately, in the non-stop, always-on-the-move investment world, that's about as much time as you get to pique my interest or turn me off. That's the crux of the elevator pitch.

To get your foot in the door, you have 30-60 seconds to show investors why they should even crack it open for you. It sounds brutal, I know — I've been there. But with hundreds of businesses chasing after limited financial resources, it's the best way for us to separate the wheat from the chaff.

Are you looking to hone your communication skills and nail down an elevator pitch that will capture the interest of venture capitalists (VC)? Are you trying to set your startup apart from the competition? Here are some helpful tips to catch our attention and build enough intrigue to make us want to hear the entire pitch.

Related: I Won $100,000 for My Business Pitch — and 3 Simple Strategies Helped Me Do It

Investors and VCs aren't your audience.

Yes, we're listening to you, but you're not trying to sell us your product or service; you're trying to sell us why your audience........

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