How this founder worked his way to $150,000 investment for his dream gaming business

How do you land a $150,000 investment on Entrepreneur Elevator Pitch? Practice, lots and lots of practice.

Jared McCluskey

When Jared McCluskey and Alec Tremaine, founders of game creation platform The Mirror, got their chance in the elevator, they didn't take it lightly . “We practiced our 60-second pitch more than 100 times with video calls and recording ourselves,” McCluskey told Entrepreneur. “We knew we had a chance to open the doors. "

The boardroom doors not only opened, but the duo secured funding from tech investor Swan Sit, who was impressed with The Mirror's capabilities for game creators. "The Mirror is designed for all skill levels and similar to how Figma introduced multiplayer into design, The Mirror brings real-time collaboration to game development," says McCluskey.

Watch the Mirror's winning pitch

We caught up with McCluskey to ask him to come up with some strategies and tactics anyone can use on the show or in any meeting.

Congratulations on your success on the show. Why do you think investors voted to open doors for you?

I think they opened the doors because we covered the key points of problem, solution, market, differentiation, team, traction and financials concisely and clearly within the allotted 60 seconds.

Related: The Surprise Move That Resulted in a $100,000 Investment

How did the negotiations go? Would you do things differently?

The show team does a great job of getting these slots to really be on a no-redos timer. So you have to plan and practice under pressure. Pop culture loves the myth of inherent talent, "overnight success" and winning without trying. When Howard Hughes set the world record for circumnavigating the globe in 91 hours, he said: "There is one thing about this flight that I would like everyone to know: it was in no case a waterfall. plan and it worked because it was carefully planned." Ben Horowitz calls them "balls of lead." You won't regret doing rehearsals.

What do you plan to do with your investment?

We will continue to hire the best engineers to create a real-time game development platform that will delight indie game developers and 3D creators. I am grateful for the support of the Godot community and we aim to continue to give back by sponsoring code contributions.

I am grateful to Swan Sit for supporting us. We went to the fair not only looking for investment, but also for a long-term partner and I think it will be a great collaboration. Its presence in the Web3 community and our focus on using Web3 technology to create opportunities for people to learn new skills with free market incentives is a perfect fit.

What did it mean to you personally to walk through the doors and walk away with a victory?

Some of them still don't look real. Less than a year ago, I sent a good friend (and now an investor, Maria Derchi) a 30-page draft on this blind spot that no company is tackling. I called Alec and Micah Petersen and said, “Do you think I'm crazy? The pieces lined up almost too with what I thought I'd been building for over 15 years since my Second Life business.

The best way to define the future is to build it. Every day when you wake up and look in the mirror, you have to make choices; those choices shape the day, and those days cumulatively become the future. The future is in the mirror.

Related: Would You Say No to a $2 Million Investment Offer?

What advice would you give to anyone considering applying for a future episode?

Hit the key points investors are looking for. As a technical founder, it's easy to...