Decoding emotions: Analyzing entrepreneur and investor sentiment in pitch competitions

Pitching a business idea to potential investors can be an intense and high-pressure challenge for entrepreneurs since they seek funding to turn their visions into reality. In recent years, this stressful task has sparked growing interest in terms of the emotional toll it takes on entrepreneurs, especially in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

But while much of the focus has been on understanding how these emotional challenges affect the well-being of entrepreneurs, less attention has been paid to the broader dynamics at play. Given the high stakes of entrepreneurship and the key role that interactions with potential investors plays, we clearly need to take a deeper look at the emotional exchange, whether positive or negative, between entrepreneurs and funders to understand the decision-making process. 

To explore this complex relationship, Professor Wadid Lamine has been awarded a Social Sciences

and Humanities Research Council Insight Development Grant for a groundbreaking research project entitled “Unlocking the Emotional Dynamics of Entrepreneurial Pitching: A Sentiment Analysis Approach.” 

This research offers a comprehensive approach to sentiment analysis by capturing all four key emotional cues—facial expressions, body language, voice tone and spoken words—in real time to provide a detailed understanding of what these signals communicate to an audience.

The methodology behind this project is equally innovative: it leverages cutting-edge technologies, including artificial intelligence and machine learning. With these tools, Lamine will analyze footage from a popular TV show that involves entrepreneurial pitching. He will use advanced algorithms to dissect the emotional dynamics between entrepreneurs and investors, as well as their reactions and interactions during the pitch process.

The findings from this project will be valuable for entrepreneurs: it will offer actionable insights that can help them refine their pitching strategies and improve their chances of securing funding. By understanding how their emotions and behaviour affect investor decisions, entrepreneurs can enhance their own emotional intelligence and boost their performance in pitch competitions. Similarly, investors will also benefit from the study by gaining a clearer insight into how the entrepreneur’s emotional cues and actions during pitches impact their investment choices, ultimately leading to more informed decision-making.