Academic Conference Speech
Pitch Deck
Investment Memo
Pitch Coaching
Sales Training
Viral videos on TV
Pitch deck: BeeCream
Client: BeeCream, OTC Cream - New Jersey
Challenge: Revamp pitch deck for honey-fueled over-the-counter skin cream for diabetics to secure the funding required to manfacture product and go-to-market at scale
Approach
Established stakes: diabetics with untreated skin issues could risk amputation
Connected founder to solution by identifying inciting event: amputating limb of a 19-year athlete because existing treatments failed
Restructured existing deck into a cohesive, concise narrative that clearly communicated the necessity of the product
Outcome
Founders secured $3M in funding
J&J joined as a strategic partner
Investment Memo: SynVita
Client: SynVita, synthetic biology manufacturer - California
Challenge: Redraft a dense, technical memo about the commercial application of synthetic biology into a digestible memo that communicated technical details through a compelling narrative to help secure next round of funding
Approach
Learn about synthetic biology and client’s breakthrough approach in detail
Demystified science through accessible language and connecting to what investors are already familiar with
Explained underlying science and client’s competive position through narrative
Built one sentence and one paragraph descriptions of entire enterprise in addition to re-writing entire memo
Outcome
Memo secured 12 more investor meetings than previous memo
SynVita successfully raised $25 million
Pitch coaching: Ruby CRM
Client: Aliasgar Murtaza, Founder, Ruby CRM - Dubai
Challenge: Prepare a compelling pitch for a competitive startup event in Dubai, translating a technical CRM product into a story that would resonate with a non-technical investor audience
Approach
Coached founder on narrative structure, opening with a hook and applying loglines
Reframed the product around the customer problem rather than the features
Rehearsed delivery to build confidence and clarity under pressure
Outcome
Founder walked into the event with a clear, confident narrative
Ruby CRM finished 2nd out of 12 startup pitches at Founder Event
Client Testimonial
“Story Knight have a knack for storytelling which allows them to create irresistible curiosity in their work.
We had the pleasure of working with them on our presentation and I'm very happy with the output we could generate.”
Aliasgar Murtaza, Founder, Ruby CRM
Challenge: AI democratizing access to knowledge, resulting in reps overwhelming clients with product information, resulting in slower deal velocity and weak deal conversion
Approach
Coached reps in simplifying complexity and making messages stick
Taught how to use loglines and comps to convey value in under 30 seconds
Explained how to confidently adapt messaging in real time to ensure it lands with audience
Outcome
68% drop in time taken to deliver a compelling hook
90% recall accuracy
Client Testimonial
Sales Training
“Story Knight’s RED framework has been critical to my success as I coach my team. I highly recommend Story Knight to help you build critical storytelling skills.”
- Harold Mann, Senior Sales Manaager
Keynote address for EY Partner in Dubai
Client:Partner at EY’s Tax Practice - Dubai
Challenge: Draft a keynote address that would position the partner as authoritative and as an expert for the opening remarks at EY’s flagship tax conference in the UAE, attended by ~320 people, including senior figures from sovereign wealth funds like Mubadala, IBD, real estate developers (e.g. Emaar) and banks (e.g. ADCB).
Approach
Interviewed the partner to understand the context of the speech, what they wanted the audience to take away/remember and capture the partner’s voice
In partnership with the client established the narrative arc of the speech
Leveraged transcripts from previous keynotes to understand the type of speech that is typically given at such EY conferences
Outcome
Compelling speech that positioned tax not as a cost but as a strategic enabler that has fuelled economic growth in Middle East
Speech asked to be repeated across several other EY events
Speech at an academic conference
Client:Panelist at academic conference on capitalism - Chicago
Challenge: Draft the opening remarks for a Wendell Potter, a public figure serving on a panel questioning the role of capitalism in affording the U.S. strong economic growth but lower life expectancy than the European Union, at a conference covered by the press.
The panel was moderated by David Dayen, with panelists comprising of leading doctors, and executives.
Approach
Interviewed the client to understand the context of the speech, what they wanted the audience to remember and capture voice accurate
Expanded the parameters of debate from just policy to policy + culture to make the case that hearts and minds need to be changed to move U.S. towards universal healthcare
Reviewed footage of previous Stigler Center conferences to understand the type of discourse at this particular academic conference in more detail
Outcome
5 min speech that framed culture as the chief culprit for lagging U.S. life expectancy triggered significant discussion at event
Speech attracted media coverage
Client Testimonial
“Working with Ali-Asghar completely changed how I approached the opening of the UAE Tax Summit. He helped me turn a technically dense topic into a clear, engaging and compelling story with impact.
We worked together to strike the right balance between a speech that felt genuinely personal whilst remaining professional and impactful.
I would absolutely recommend him to any leader preparing for high-stakes communications such as pitches or conferences.”
- Sana Azam, EY Tax Practice Leader
Client Testimonial
"Remarks were well received. Can’t thank enough"
- Wendell Potter, Healthcare advocate
Original videos for GZero Media
Broadcast on PBS, went viral on YouTube/Facebook
Client: GZero Media (a Eurasia Group company) - New York City
Challenge: Create engaging, cutting political commentary that explains the stakes and context of Trump-Modi meeting while cutting through the noise of the news cycle and and reaches audiences who tune out traditional analysis
Approach
Collaborated with Puppet Regime production team to write original song "Aaja Aaja (The Strongman Song)"
Used Bollywood musical conventions to comment on context, stakes and positioning of the India-U.S. relationship
Blended entertainment with political insight to make complex geopolitics accessible
Outcome
Broadcast on PBS in the U.S., attracted over 2 million views online (Twitter, Facebook, YouTube)
Generated coverage on Al Jazeera
Successfully translated political analysis into shareable entertainment
Client Testimonial
"Super clever writing…went viral…fun to work with"
- Alex Kliment, Director, Puppet Regime
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