How many times are you asked, “what do you do?”

Have you ever been at a sales meeting, trade show or networking event and scrambled to get across the value of your business, but feared your audience doesn’t understand?

Do you wish that when you talk about your business, your audience is captivated and wants to learn more?

Or you’d like to see a greater number of conversions from your sales and marketing funnel?

You want to confidently convey the value of what you do to those that are listening, in the digital or physical world, without feeling too salesy and with a greater chance of a conversion.

You want your prospect to understand why they should buy from you and not the alternative. 

Learn how to confidently communicate your value, your uniqueness, in a way that is memorable, effective and natural.

The Challenge

We have worked with a great number of innovative businesses. Businesses that are pioneering developments in technology, engineering or advanced manufacturing. They are forward thinkers who sometimes get lost in the detail of their product or service. The features. It is so easy to do. It takes someone on the outside to see the true value of what they provide. 

It may be that there is comfort in the terminology that is used or knowledge bias where we assume the audience understands what we are talking about because we think it’s so obvious. It could be that we are systems people rather than wordsmiths or we need someone that can ‘humanise’ what it is we do. 

The challenge is being able to articulate succinctly what we do in a way that everyone can understand.

How the 25eight program can help

25eight’s Pitch Training Program helps you to effectively, naturally and succinctly communicate why your business is great and why someone should engage you. It gets to the heart of the value you provide moving away from the product or service, its features or awards to being truly human-centred, so much so that regardless of their background, anyone will understand what you do. You will be able to tailor your pitch for every situation and timeframe. And the more people from your business that joins that program, the more confident everyone is in getting the message out there. 

In eight weeks, after completing the program, not only will you have a pitch deck that can be used as the core of your messaging and a pitch video that has built your confidence to deliver that message and a true understanding of your unique value to the world, you’ll have frameworks that can be used again and again to refine and perfect as well as a network of like-minded businesses and a safe place to practice.

  • Structure

    Following 25eight’s methodology, you will have a structure to develop your value proposition and effectively tell your story. As you move through the process, our human-centred approach will change your pitch from being capability-focused to solution-focused so that your audience becomes active listeners.

  • Industry experts

    With well over 20,000 hours of mentoring between them, Chief mentors Phil Ore and Sam Hurley have helped thousands of businesses identify or refine their unique value propositions. With access to industry experts during the program, you receive meaningful feedback targeted to your situation.

  • Clear outcomes

    Walk away with a ready-to-use pitch video for your business. After completing the program, you will also have a refined strategy, clear unique value proposition (UVP), pitch deck and increased confidence to communicate your value effectively and naturally. You’ll easily tailor your pitch for any situation and format.

The Pitch Training Program

Complete six weeks of blended learning before receiving 1:1 guidance to refine your pitch before the final pitch event in the eighth week. The program involves:

  • Weekly micro-lessons  (3-5 min videos)
  • 6 x virtual 1-hour workshop sessions
  • A private community to ask questions and get feedback
  • A learning platform with all resources, recorded content and learning material with lifetime access
  • Pitch Deck template
  • Recording of a 5-minute pitch video at the final event
  • 1:1 mentoring from Chief Mentors Phil Ore & Sam Hurley in the final two weeks
  • The final pitch event with industry judges, where you will pitch to experts and receive feedback
  • A prize for the best pitch at the final pitch event - a 1-on-1 business diagnostic and planning session with 25eight
  • Brand awareness for your business as we share your final pitch video via 25eight channels


We limit the number of organisations in each cohort so that we can give you the attention you need. As an added bonus, we've found close-knit cohorts help nurture successful relationships and partnerships between participants, however, the price is per organisation and there is no limit to the number of people per organisation.

Key benefits of the program

  • Pitch structure

    Use frameworks developed by 25eight and influenced by startup methodology to develop the structure to effectively tell your story. This customer-centred structure changes your pitch from being capability-focused to solution-focused and makes your business memorable.

  • Get noticed

    Build more awareness for your business by pitching it in front of other businesses in a safe environment. The pitch video you submit at the end of the program not only helps you perfect your pitch, it helps get your business noticed, and is ready to use right away.

  • Adapt for your market

    Understand the nuances and differences you need to adopt to help your pitch resonate with various customers in your industry. Get tips on refining your pitch based on specific target audiences and circumstances.

  • Value

    Of the hundreds of businesses that have completed our pitch training program, many with extensive experience pitching their business, many have indicated how valuable the program has been for them to refine in the modern market.

  • Messaging

    Pinpoint the differentiators that set your business apart from everyone else on the market. Develop your unique value proposition (UVP) and purpose to make it easy for your prospects to choose you over the competition.

  • Community

    Many participants have reported a sense of community within their cohort. They have connected with like-minded businesses and shared experiences and advice to help each other do better business.

What people are saying

Cohort 3 participant

“As a 20-year old company, we tend to approach our messaging and marketing in the same way that we have done for years. This program gave us a fresh perspective on how to communicate the value of what we do and boy, what a difference that made.”

Cohort 5 participant

“I used to get lost talking about all of the features of our product and never felt ready to talk to investors! This program not only has given us guidelines on the pitch structure and deck - I am way more confident to deliver it and angle it from a customer’s point of view.”

Cohort 7 participant

“Not only have we developed a much better pitch and value proposition, we’ve also gained a clearer view on our business goals and vision. I know where we sit in the market and what we need to do. I can’t wait to action a more strategic approach to customer acquisition!”

  • 500+

    Businesses on the Pitch Training Program in the last 5 years

  • 83%

    Completion rate of businesses through the Program

  • 100%

    Confidence built from participants who completed the Program

The Program Details

Our next program kicks off on Tuesday, April 26th, with 6 x weekly sessions held every Tuesday from 12pm-1pm AEST.

  • Week 1: Vision -  Set the vision and goals for your business (April 26th)
  • Week 2: Market Position - Identify your closest competitors, analyse your SWOT and evaluate your market position (May 3rd)
  • Week 3: Target Customers - Identify and understand your customers and determine your priority targets (May 10th)
  • Week 4: Brand - Determine your brand’s personality and evaluate your touchpoints (May 17th)
  • Week 5: Pitch Perfection - Build your unique value proposition (UVP) and finish building your pitch deck (May 24th)
  • Week 6: Your Pitch - Consolidate your learnings and prepare for the pitching event (May 31st)
  • Week 7: Mentoring - Book your 1:1 mentor session to really perfect your pitch for the pitching event (June 6 - 10th)
  • Week 8: Pitch Event - Pitch your business in front of industry experts and receive feedback on your performance. A prize will be awarded for the best pitch on the day. (June 14th, 12pm-1:30pm)

To get the most value from the program, we recommend you spend 2-3 hours of your time per week, including the 1-hour weekly session, however, it is designed for people with busy schedules and you can complete the program in less. We do feel that you get out what you put in.

If you miss a weekly session, you can catch up on the recorded content in our easy-to-use learning platform at any time.

The number of businesses per cohort is limited so that we can give each business the time and attention you need. However, multiple people from any given business are encouraged - in fact, we recommend multiple participants take part to ensure the best outcomes and value for money for your business.

Enrolments are now open - join now by clicking the button below. Early-bird discounts end on March 31st 2022.

Join the next cohort

Enrolments are now open for businesses committed to articulating the value of their business and who can complete 2-3 hours per week over eight weeks

Meet your instructors

Co-CEO, 25eight

Sam Hurley

With several digital transformations under her belt in her 20+ years of industry experience, Sam likes to sit at the intersection of business, creativity and technology. Her Master of Teaching is the icing on the cake as she drives high standards and best practice to ensure what is learned is adopted and impactful. Sam has a Masters in Teaching, so she knows how to make education that's engaging and will stick! A former lead instructor for Digital Marketing at General Assembly and creator of The Startup Marketing Program, Sam loves to help and educate startups and small businesses to get better results faster.

Co-CEO, 25eight

Phil Ore

If 10,000 hours is the benchmark for excellence, Phil reigns supreme as a mentor. His extensive experience leading brands is married with his ability to identify opportunities for small business and give them the ‘gold nuggets’ they need to get traction and grow. His ‘serendipity hacking’ is the magic sauce for 25eight - rather than relying on chance, Phil combines action and luck to create serendipitous connections. Phil helps others build a purpose-driven plan to reach their goals faster and more efficiently. Most of all, Phil enjoys helping humanise the value of businesses so that you can stand out from the crowd.

Why did we create this program?

25eight was born from a need to serve small to medium sized businesses with knowledge and capability building programs that didn’t take a lot of time. The Pitch Training Program, formerly delivered under the Marketing Entourage brand which merged with 25eight in 2021, was developed to provide a low-cost way of helping startups. Having now adapted the program and created specific industry-focused programs with organisations such as Austrade, Australian Defence Export Office and City of Melbourne, the 25eight Pitch Training Program is the only one of its kind in Australia.  

In six years, this highly impactful program has helped hundreds of businesses develop a structured and memorable pitch and gain the confidence to deliver it to different audiences in various situations. The program has been designed for those with busy schedules (it’s accelerated learning) as we know it’s hard to complete any training whilst working in the business. We want a solution that helps create impact without too much impact on your time. With a Net Promoter Score of 76 (yes, it’s world-class) and an 83% completion rate, we know that you will get huge value from this program. If you are not satisfied after 30 days, we will give you your money back!

Frequently Asked Questions

  • When does the program start?

    Our next Pitch Training Program kicks off on Tuesday 26th April.

  • How does it work?

    Once you have enrolled, you will gain access to ‘25eight.academy’ - our learning platform. The program will be available on your dashboard - this is where all the program content will be available. Each week new content will be released with new videos and activities to work through. There will also be a live workshop session to attend each week (that will be recorded). During the workshop we will talk through the content of the week and you will get targeted feedback on what you have worked on. Once the weekly workshop sessions have concluded, you will have the opportunity to book a 1:1 mentor session to refine your pitch deck and prepare for the pitching event. The program wraps up with the pitching event where a panel of industry judges will hear your pitch and provide feedback. If you’ve completed the work, you will walk away with a pitch deck, ready-to-use pitch video and a refined UVP you can start using with your identified target markets straight away.

  • What happens if I miss a live workshop session?

    All the live sessions are recorded and housed in the 25eight.academy platform. We endeavour to get the recordings up as quickly as we can so you still have time to work through your 'pitch homework' before the next week's session.

  • How much time should I schedule each week?

    We recommend putting aside 2-3 hours each week to work through the program (that’s only 3 lunch breaks!). That includes the one hour weekly workshop session. And, if you have other people from your business working on it, you can split the work and it shouldn't take as long. Some of you may wish to spend more time, whilst others may not need as much. The more you put in, the more you get out in the end we say!

  • Is the program delivered in-person or online?

    The entire program is delivered online - including the pitching event at the end.

  • What can I expect at the pitching event?

    The pitching event will involve each person pitching for 5 minutes in front of a panel of industry experts via Zoom. After your pitch, you will receive feedback from the judges on your pitch. Once all the pitches have been heard, the judges will meet to decide on the best pitch. The winner will be announced after the event.

  • What is the prize for the best pitch?

    At the end of the pitching event, the judges will select the best pitch to receive a prize: a 1-on-1 business diagnostic and planning session with Phil or Sam. We will talk through all areas of your business and help you develop a strategic plan for the next 12 months.

  • How much does the program cost?

    The program costs AUD $2,445.00 per business. You may enrol as many colleagues through the program as you wish. We have payment plans available (if required) and early-bird discounts are available for future programs later this year (please check program availability).

  • How long do I have access to the content?

    Once you have a profile on 25eight.academy, you have lifetime access to the program you are enrolled in. This means you can reference the live session recordings and access the resources as many times as you wish after the program has concluded.

  • Is there a refund policy?

    We've never had anyone take us up on this, but we do offer your money back within the first 30-days if you are not satisfied with the content. Please email us directly at hello@25eight.co.

  • Do I need any prior business knowledge?

    No, this program is accessible to anyone and everyone, regardless of your business stage or pitch experience.