Pitch Clock: free game to learn how to structure a startup pitch

What is Pitch Clock?

A startup has thirty seconds in front of an investor. Its pitch is cut into blocks: tap them in the order that wins a yes, Hook, Problem, Solution, Proof, Money, Ask. Pitches grow, the labels disappear and red-flag blocks sneak in.

Pitch Clock is a free pitching game. Each round, a made-up startup (a pet-sitting app, balcony solar panels, tool lockers) has thirty seconds in front of an investor, and its pitch is cut into blocks. Tap them in the order that tells a convincing story: Hook, Problem, Solution, Proof, Money, Ask.

The first pitches have four labelled slots. Then proof and the business model join in, the labels disappear, and trap blocks sneak into the pile: "we have no competitors", "1% of the world", "trust us". Leave them out. After each pitch the investor answers, and the game explains the part you misplaced.

At a glance

Category

Skillz

Difficulty

Medium

Play time

2–4 min

Price

Free, in your browser, sign-up optional

How to play

Learn the order

Hook, Problem, Solution, Proof, Money, Ask: the story investors expect.

Tap to place

Tap the blocks (or press 1 to 7) to fill the slots in order. Tap a placed block to take it back.

Beat the clock

30 seconds per pitch. Pitches grow from 4 to 6 parts, then the labels vanish and a trap block joins the pile.

Score

20 points per block in place; a perfect pitch adds 50 plus 5 per second left. A pitch that isn't perfect costs one of 3 lives.

Scoring

Each block in the right slot scores 20 points. A perfect pitch adds 50, plus 5 for every second left on the 30-second clock.

A pitch that isn't perfect costs one of 3 lives. Eight pitches grow from 4 to 6 parts, lose their labels, then hide a trap block.

What it trains

Pitch structure

Hook, problem, solution, proof, money, ask.

Spotting red flags

No competitors, huge promises, pressure to decide.

Thinking under time pressure

Recognising each part of a story in one sentence.

Strategy and tips

Find the hook

It's the line that makes you look up: a picture, a story or a surprising number.

Pain before fix

The problem always comes before the solution: the investor has to feel it first.

Numbers are proof

Users, sales, repeat buyers: anything that already happened goes after the solution.

The ask closes

An amount and what it pays for. It's always the last block.

Spot the red flags

No competitors, huge promises, pressure to decide today: none of them belong in a pitch.

Why play Pitch Clock?

Whether it's a startup, a project at work or an idea for your team, a pitch works when it tells one story in an order people can follow. Pitch Clock drills that structure under time pressure until you recognise each part of a pitch in a single sentence.

Frequently asked questions