Startup pitches are often brimming with buzzwords: “We’re revolutionizing HCM with Big Data and Machine Learning!” “We have a team of NLP ninjas and Ruby rockstars!” “We’re already at $1mm ARR!” Trying to get people excited about your startup is good, but hype and buzzwords can backfire if they’re misleading. As an engineer turned VC, I see a lot of pitches whose audience is typically business folks, and where technical buzzword usage is liberal and sometimes manipulative.**