At a recent CleanStart Perspective event, Gabriel Sigala—CFO and co-founder of Splash—offered a candid, insightful look at what it really takes to become a winning startup storyteller. Fresh off Splash’s impressive winning the Energy and Sustainability Prize at the 2025 UC Davis Big Bang! Business Competition, Sigala shared the lessons he and his team learned about pitching—not just to investors, but to real people.

While Splash’s smart water management solutions are clever, Sigala made it clear: technology isn’t what wins hearts. “People don’t connect with tech specs,” he explained. “They connect with emotion.”

Here are some key pieces of advice from the discussion:

1. Start with the ‘Why’ — Emotion > Information

Too often, founders open with product features. Sigala urged startups to lead instead with the problem they’re solving and why it matters. “People need to feel something first before they care how it works,” he said. Gabriel emphasized that emotional storytelling beats technical depth when pitching to general audiences. Splash shifted from talking about software and sensors to sharing the real-world impact.

2. Leave People Wanting More — Build an Appendix

Gabriel said he deliberately would leave out technical or detailed information expecting the audience to ask questions about it. If his presentation succeeded in building an emotional connection with the audience, they would want to ask more. “It’s hard to show everything you want to do in those 10 slides. So if you can be prepared to have appendix slides and structure your pitch to have those questions asked, it’s really helpful.”

3. Listen, Iterate, and Repeat

Every pitch competition—big or small—was a chance to listen. “You learn what sticks by seeing what people remember,” Sigala said. After each event, the team would fine-tune their message based on audience reactions, learning to let go of language that didn’t land. Sigala also warned against overpolishing. “A little vulnerability helps. People want to support founders who are real and passionate—not perfect.”

4. Make the Audience the Hero

Rather than making the company the star, Sigala recommended framing the pitch so that the audience feels like they’re part of the solution. Investors and customers want to feel that their support matters. In their pitches they created a “mascot” that helped audiences connect with the problem even if they didn’t personally experience it.

5. Bring Something Tangible

People love seeing something real. Find a way to bring them a physical representation of what you are doing. To show audiences the advances Splash was making Garbiel shared “I brought the actual 1940s testing kit..I bought one off ebay. I pass it around. I was like, ‘this is the same thing we use today; I brought the box. I did a live demo.”

These principles helped Splash stand out in competitions across the region, culminating in their Big Bang! win. But Gabriel is quick to point out that the real growth came not from awards—but from the process of refining their pitch through hundreds of conversations with customers, judges, and mentors.

For startup founders wondering how to improve their pitch, the message is clear: focus on connection. Get feedback early. Don’t fall in love with your deck. And always, always remember who you’re talking to.

🚀 Want to hear all of Gabriel’s insights firsthand?
👉 Watch the full discussion on CleanStart’s YouTube channel.

And learn more about Splash’s mission at splashsmartech.com.

Pictured Above: Gabriel Singala, CFO of Splash Technologies