You’ve validated a real problem, mapped the competitive landscape, and sized the opportunity. Now it’s time to bring it all together in a compelling presentation that demonstrates you’ve discovered a “Validated Opportunity” worth pursuing—whether as a for-profit business or nonprofit venture.

Understanding the Format of the Interview

Your Innovation Pathway application pitch follows a basic, structured format:

  • Up to 10 minutes for your presentation
  • Up to 15 minutes for Q&A with the review panel

Remember: The panel isn’t evaluating a perfect business plan. They’re assessing whether you’ve done thoughtful work to validate an opportunity and whether you’re ready to start the innovation journey.

Your 10-Slide Framework

While you don’t need to follow this exactly, here’s a proven structure that covers all the acceptance criteria for getting into the Walk stage.

Slide 1: Your Innovative Insight

How you arrived at this opportunity and why you care

Start with your personal connection to the problem. This gives us context and evidence of your motivation to see this through.

Example opening: “As a work-study student in the dining hall, I watched hundreds of students throw away perfectly good food every day while others couldn’t afford meal plans. After talking with 50 students about food insecurity on campus, I realized this isn’t just waste—it’s a solvable coordination problem.”

Slide 2: Problem Statement

The clear, specific problem you’ve identified

Use the framework from Step 1: “People who [X] want to [Y] but [Z] because [W], which makes them feel [emotions/outcomes].”

Make it concrete and relatable. The panel should immediately understand both who has this problem and why it matters.

Slide 3: Evidence of Demand

Proof that you’ve talked to real people

This is where your customer discovery work comes in. Share:

  • How many people you interviewed
  • Key quotes that demonstrate the pain
  • Patterns you discovered across conversations
  • Evidence that people currently invest time/money trying to solve this

Strong example: “I interviewed 15 students who had experienced food insecurity. All 15 described feeling ‘invisible’ and ‘ashamed’ when they couldn’t afford meals. Three had already created informal food-sharing systems in their dorms.”

Slide 4: Current Landscape

How people solve this today and why it’s not working

Present your competitive analysis from Step 2:

  • Existing direct solutions and their limitations
  • Indirect competitors and workarounds
  • Why current options leave people frustrated

This shows you understand the context you’re entering and aren’t naively assuming no one has tried to solve this before.

Slide 5: Opportunity Size

Why this problem is worth solving at scale

Share your market sizing work from Step 3:

  • Who experiences this problem (be specific about your target group)
  • How often it occurs
  • Your estimated size of the opportunity
  • Brief methodology for how you calculated these numbers

Whether you’re building a business or nonprofit, demonstrate that the need is significant enough to justify the effort.

Slide 6: Why Now

What makes this the right time to address this problem

Consider factors like:

  • Behavioral changes (post-pandemic shifts, generational preferences)
  • Technology enablers (new tools, platforms, capabilities)
  • Social awareness (growing concern about related issues)
  • Regulatory changes (new policies that create opportunities)

Slide 7: Your Approach (Optional)

If you have solution ideas, share them—but remember they’re not required

The Innovation Pathway accepts you based on validated opportunity, not solution quality. If you do have early solution concepts:

  • Keep them simple and focused
  • Acknowledge they’re hypotheses to be tested
  • Show how they address the specific pain points you discovered

Slide 8: Next Steps

What you plan to learn and validate next

Show your thinking about how you’d approach Stage 1 (Walk) if accepted:

  • Key assumptions you need to test
  • Types of experiments you’d run
  • Skills you’d want to develop
  • People you’d want to learn from

Slide 9: Why You

What makes you the right person or team to pursue this

Connect your background, skills, or experiences to this opportunity. If you have a team, make sure we understand their connection to the problem and what they’ll bring to the table:

  • Personal insight that led you here
  • Relevant skills or knowledge
  • Access to the affected community
  • Passion for seeing this through

Slide 10: The Ask

Clear request for acceptance into Innovation Pathway

End with a confident, specific request: “I’m asking for acceptance into the Innovation Pathway Stage 1 to systematically explore solutions to [problem] for [target group]. I have validated significant demand for better approaches, and I’m ready to start building.”

Preparing for Q&A

The 15-minute Q&A is where your deep understanding really shows. Prepare for these common question areas:

About Your Research

  • “How did you find people to interview?”
  • “What surprised you most in your conversations?”
  • “How do you know people weren’t just being polite?”
  • “What would change your mind about this opportunity?”

About the Market

  • “Who else is working on this problem?”
  • “How did you arrive at your market size numbers?”
  • “What’s your biggest assumption about opportunity size?”

About You & Your Team

  • “Why are you the right person/people for this?”
  • “What don’t you know that worries you most?”
  • “How would you handle [specific challenge related to your problem]?”

About Next Steps

  • “What’s the first thing you’d do if accepted?”
  • “How will you know if you’re on the right track?”
  • “What could kill this opportunity?”

The Right Mindset

Confidence Without Arrogance

You’ve done solid research—own it. But stay humble about what you don’t know and eager to learn more.

Evidence-Based Thinking

Every claim should trace back to something concrete: a conversation, a data point, an observation. Avoid statements like “I think people would…” and instead say “Based on my interviews, people told me…”

Intellectual Honesty

When you don’t know something, say so. The panel respects “I don’t know that yet, but here’s how I’d find out” more than confident guessing.

Mission Clarity

Whether you’re pursuing a for-profit or nonprofit approach, be clear about your intended impact and why this model makes sense for the problem you’ve identified. Remember, you don’t need to know this yet to be accepted into the program.

Common Questions

“What if I get nervous during the presentation?” Practice your opening and closing until they’re automatic. The middle can be more conversational if you know your material well.

“What if they ask something I don’t know?” That’s expected and fine. Acknowledge the gap, explain how you’d learn more, and move on. Don’t try to fake knowledge you don’t have.

“How detailed should my slides be?” Keep slides simple and visual. You’re the presentation, not your slides. Use them to support your narrative, not replace it.

“What if my opportunity seems small compared to tech startups?” Focus on the significance to the people affected, not just the market size. Meaningful problems are worth solving regardless of scale.

Your Preparation Checklist

Two weeks before:

  • Complete your slide deck
  • Practice your presentation timing
  • Prepare answers to likely Q&A questions

One week before:

  • Do a full run-through with friends or advisors
  • Refine based on their feedback and questions
  • Prepare specific examples and stories

Day of:

  • Review your key evidence and quotes
  • Practice your opening one more time
  • Bring backup materials (but don’t plan to use them)

Learning Resources

Want to sharpen your presentation and communication skills? Check out these resources from the Innovate@BU library in our space:

  • “Pitch Perfect” by Bill McGowan – Comprehensive guide to effective communication in high-stakes situations
  • “First Pitch” by Debi Kleiman – Specifically focused on startup pitching and winning over investors and mentors
  • “Collywobbles” by Moshe Cohen – Helpful for managing nerves during important presentations and negotiations

What Success Looks Like

You’ll know you’re ready when:

  • You can tell your story without slides
  • You’re excited (not just nervous) to share what you’ve learned
  • You can defend every number and claim with specific evidence
  • You’re genuinely curious about the panel’s questions and feedback

Remember: The Innovation Pathway team wants to say yes to well-prepared applicants who’ve done the work to validate meaningful opportunities. Your job is to clearly demonstrate that you’re one of those people.