My client is a senior executive in a Swiss VC firm that specializes in investing in Swiss Tech start-ups. She was recently charged with conducting a fireside chat with the co-founders of one of their newest start-ups for her firm’s “Demo-Day” event. The start-up is developing cloud-based wet labs for protein engineering.

My client would be sharing the stage with the tech co-founders, asking them questions and moderating a conversation in which they would be describing their technology. They would be speaking to a diverse, non-technical audience of other investors.The goal was to share the tech start-up’s technology and business model in a way that a non-technical audience could understand without losing the scientific integrity of their work.

In our session, she wanted to practice the script she had created. The script included a brief introduction of both the co-founders and the company, the questions she would ask, and (approximate) answers the co-founders would give.

The Challenge

The activity required my client to:

✓ Translate deeply technical subject matter into language that was accessible to the non-technical investors in the room.

✓ Share the spotlight with the co-founders while maintaining a unified, engaging presence.

✓ Avoid overly scripted delivery and respond flexibly in a dynamic conversation.

✓ Establish credibility through use of language and non-verbal cues.

The Coaching Approach

Coaching focused on four key areas:

Focusing the Message

We modified her script to anchor complex concepts in repeatable, accessible language—reinforcing key phrases and replacing acronyms with plain speech.

Building Executive Presence

To project confidence, my client practiced intentional pacing (slowing down), longer pauses, and a varied voice intonation pattern to ensure clarity and keep the audience’s attention. We crafted an introduction that used accessible language that would immediately communicate the startup’s mission to real-world healthcare outcomes.

Fostering Authentic Conversation

Strategies included making intentional eye contact both with the co-founders and the audience, taking simple notes to remember what the co-founders had said, then asking natural follow-up questions and acknowledging the answers the co-founders had given. These tools helped my client balance professionalism with spontaneity and created the space for authentic dialogue.

Co-Founder Coordination

My client realized that in her script she was asking three questions in a row to just one co-founder. We altered her script to alternate questions between the two co-founders and she practiced fluidly interjecting her questions and responses, acknowledging their points to build a cohesive narrative. This approach enhanced everyone’s credibility and projected strong alignment between the start-up and my client’s firm.

The Outcome

My client walked away from this session with:

✓ A clear, well-structured introduction that communicated the complex technology clearly, without oversimplifying.

✓ Tools she can use to speak clearly and confidently, and fluidly acknowledge the input of the other speakers.

✓ Renewed confidence in her ability to moderate a conversation in front of a live audience.

✓ By practicing the skills needed to successfully lead this conversation, my client is now equipped to moderate other fireside chats, a communication format her firm uses frequently.