How to ace your pitch deck: Meet SiGMA Dubai Pitch winner, Mohammed Kilany

Do you want to boost your probability of hitting the jackpot in Toronto’s Startup Pitch? In this interview, SiGMA Dubai Pitch Winner, Mohammed Kilany who took the trophy home from Dubai, chews over a strong business pitch deck

Ten finalists went up on stage in Dubai to deliver their products and initiatives in a bid to take home a price like no other. One deserving winning startup idea received a prize package including free office space, public relations services, digital marketing services, and much-needed training solutions to help them succeed. This startup was Fanera.

Fanera is the first, cutting-edge social network app for football fans. Described as the next TikTok for fans of football from all around the world, Fanera is designed as an F-2-F (fan to fan) app where football lovers sharing the same interest can interact with and express themselves.

As soon as the timer on stage was close to hitting the 3-minute mark, Kilany wrapped up his pitch deck with the words “and that is why you should choose Fanera!” A few minutes later he was announced as the first pitch winner for SiGMA Asia taking home up to $500,000 in equity investment. So, what’s the secret to delivering an impressive pitch deck?

Thank you for preparing and organising this amazing event. The preparation for it was worth every minute and effort of my time. It’s a really a priceless experience, and I would encourage anyone to apply for SiGMA in Toronto.”

How does it feel to be crowned the first-ever Startup Pitch winner for SiGMA Asia in Dubai?

Right now I am feeling amazing. It’s such a great opportunity to be able to meet different people and present your ideas on stage. As other outstanding companies competing, I think I did very well and was fortunate enough to be selected as the winner.

What sort of preparation did you go through to deliver such a well-trained pitch?

The secret to delivering a well-prepared pitch deck is training. I’m not exaggerating when I tell you that I have rehearsed this pitch more than a hundred times in the last five days.

In order to present a great image about your company, you need to love what you do, believe in your product, and be able to convey this in the right way taking into consideration that you have just three minutes.

Timing is key. Try to highlight every aspect of your business but keep it short so your presentation would be nicely delivered.

Where do you see Fanera in 10 years’ time?

My plans for Fanera are compared with any other giant social networking apps such as Facebook and Instagram, the only difference is the client base. Hopefully, we’re aiming to become an IPO company. I think we are, running after a huge market with huge potential, which is that of football fans.

Half of the world’s population, our friends, family, and most definitely some you know is a football fanatic just like me might wonder why there is no social network connecting this society together. This is what Fanera is doing. We have the right technology for the right market and our ambition to be a global company, with a great mission.

Can you give some advice to our Startups who are thinking of applying for the next Startup Pitch which will be taking place in Toronto?

Do not fall in love with your idea, fall in love with your execution. The product will go through a lot of changes, it is the vision that stays and this is what people will invest in. Our ambition is to be a global company with a great mission.

What are you planning on doing with the fund?

This fund will help us close the launch of new features that we have planned such as those around gamification and the world of the NFTs.

We are also looking at expanding in the GCC. It’s a $4 billion industry and in the future where we’re planning to build partnerships with big companies and social networks.

For his final comments, Mohammed Kilany stated “thank you for preparing and organizing this amazing event. The preparation for it was worth every minute and effort of my time. It’s a really a priceless experience, and I would encourage anyone to apply for SiGMA in Toronto.”

About SiGMA Americas:

Following a successful operational expansion to the Americas, the first edition of SiGMA Pitch Americas 2022 is set to kick start the growth of today’s entrepreneurs to the moon. Over 100 startups will be selected to showcase their products and initiatives throughout the event. Each startup will have a booth at SiGMA surrounded by top investors and mentors. However, only the judge’s top ten will make it to the Pitch during the final leg of the Summit. The competition is fierce, but the prizes are well worth the risk! Apply now!