How do I craft a 60-second founder-focused pitch as a junior Solidity developer when my repos are small but real?

For which role are you applying?

I am looking for smart contract developer job.

I went through the exact same phase last year. My mistake was thinking the 60-second pitch is about “introducing yourself.” It’s not. Founders are operating in panic mode 80% of the time. They only listen for “can this person remove one problem from my plate this week?”

What finally shifted things for me was treating the pitch like a “here’s why I’m useful right now” message, not a self-bio.

Something like:

“Hey, I’m ___, been building small DeFi tools + two dApps. I’m comfortable with Solidity and have handled everything end-to-end — contract logic, simple frontend, debugging. I’ve been following your project for a bit… especially that liquidity feature you shipped last month. My last build had a similar flow, and I cut failed txs by 30% because the Router logic was too heavy. If you’re experimenting in that area, I’d love to help you move faster.”

It’s not perfect, but founders lean in because you’re showing:

1. You did homework

2. You understand their stage

3. You have “next-day usefulness,” not theoretical skills

After that, they usually ask deeper stuff automatically.
I’ve had founders reply with “Can you look at this repo and send 3 comments?” — that’s basically a door opening.

Your projects ARE enough. You just need to tie them to the founder’s world, not your own.

Where can I learn defi from basics

What helped me wasn’t memorising a fancy pitch, but reducing the pressure. I used to rehearse so hard that the moment a founder asked something slightly different, I’d freeze.

I switched to a simple mental format:

who I am → what I’ve built → how it connects to their roadmap → what I can do this week

When I talked like a normal person instead of a “candidate,” the calls went smoother. I’d say something like:

“Hey, I’m ___, been hacking on small DeFi tools on Polygon. Built two dApps end-to-end, mostly solo. Saw your roadmap around your staking update — funny enough, I did something similar recently and learned a couple of things around contract structure and user flows. Happy to share them if useful.”

No exaggeration, this worked better than any polished pitch. Founders don’t care about perfection. They care about clarity and whether you’re someone who can handle messy startup work.

End with something that shows curiosity, not desperation. Something like:
“By the way, what’s the biggest bottleneck slowing you down right now?”
It turns the conversation into teamwork instead of begging for a job.

For cold outreach, what moved the needle for me was doing tiny bits of “pre-work” before the call. Nothing huge — just checking their GitHub or reading their latest update.

Then in the pitch I’d say:

“I noticed you guys are experimenting with X. I tried something similar in my last project and hit Y issue — not sure if you’re facing the same thing, but I can share how I solved it.”

It’s small, but founders instantly see you as someone who thinks about real problems.

I never start with tech stack anymore. I start with their context. My actual pitch is usually under 40 seconds, and most founders interrupt me halfway with follow-up questions. That’s how you know it’s working.

We’ve had a lot of discussions on AOB about what founders actually listen for in early conversations, and the pattern is surprisingly consistent: clarity, usefulness, and alignment with what their team is struggling with that week. If you want more examples of how candidates frame themselves well, check these discussions — they’re some of the most useful ones inside Cluster G:

• “Feeling lost in blockchain firm as Rust developer” — great for understanding how to simplify your pitch for founders: https://artofblockchain.club/discussion/feeling-lost-in-blockchain-firm-as-rust-developer

• “Got removed from first blockchain job — now scared to apply again” — strong insights on how people rebuild confidence before pitching founders: https://artofblockchain.club/discussion/got-removed-from-my-first-blockchain-job-now-scared-to-ask

• “Looking for a quick resume roast for blockchain dev roles” — lots of real feedback on what hiring teams look for in intros: https://artofblockchain.club/discussion/looking-for-a-quick-resume-roast-for-blockchain-dev-roles

Use these threads to refine not just the 60-second pitch but also your positioning, examples, and founder-facing communication. Feel free to update your pitch here — the community will help you fine-tune it.