Rune Kirt is CEO, Design Architect, and Co-founder of KIRT x THOMSEN, where he helps startups and tech-focused organisations communicate complex innovations with clarity and impact.
At CHARGE Europe 2025, Rune led a hands-on workshop titled “Visual Storytelling: How to Communicate Technical Innovation to Investors.” Through practical examples and real-world cases, he showed how tools like 3D animation, infographics, and pitch decks can turn technical detail into a compelling narrative bridging the gap between technical expertise and investor understanding, helping founders get their message across without losing nuance.
We sat down with him to find out more..
1. Many companies struggle to communicate technical innovations clearly to investors. What are the most common mistakes you see, and how can visual storytelling help bridge that gap?
Many companies struggle to communicate technical innovations clearly to investors, often because they overwhelm with technical details without creating a cohesive narrative. They forget to translate complexity into understandable value.
Visual storytelling through tools like 3D animation and infographics can bridge this gap by transforming dry data and engineering into an engaging and digestible narrative that highlights an innovation’s potential without losing nuance.
2. How do you decide which technical details to include in a pitch and which to simplify or leave out, without compromising credibility?
The key is to focus on the details that directly support the innovation’s value creation and differentiation, while simplifying or omitting information that isn’t crucial for investors’ understanding of the business potential.
Visual tools help illustrate the most complex aspects, so investors can grasp the core without getting lost in technical jargon maintaining both clarity and credibility. After all, “a picture tells more than a thousand words” in fact, research shows that the brain processes images 60,000 times faster than text.
3. Your workshop highlighted tools like 3D animation, infographics, and pitch decks. Can you share an example of a time when one of these tools transformed how an innovation was perceived?
One example is Hyme Energy, a startup that used 3D animation to visualise its innovative energy storage technology using molten salt.
Where previous presentations with text and static images failed to capture investor interest, the animation offered a dynamic demonstration of the technology’s unique properties and applications resulting in greater understanding and investment interest, even at a conceptual stage.
4. For tech-focused organisations, aligning the narrative with investor expectations can be tricky. What strategies do you recommend to make complex technology compelling and understandable?
For tech-focused organisations, it’s crucial to connect the technology to a clear market problem and show how it creates real value. I recommend:
- Focus on “Why”: Explain the problem and why your innovation solves it before diving into “how.”
- Use analogies and metaphors: Make complex concepts relatable through familiar comparisons.
- Show, don’t tell: Use visuals to demonstrate the technology’s benefits rather than only describing them.
- Tailor the message: Adapt the narrative to each investor’s knowledge level and interests.
- Highlight impact and potential :Put the innovation into real-world use case contexts to show its scalability and evolution.
5. Looking ahead, how do you see visual communication evolving in tech fundraising, and what should startups be doing now to prepare?
I see visual communication becoming even more integrated and sophisticated in fundraising through interactive presentations, animation videos, and AI-generated visual aids that make complex concepts more immersive.
I would say start ups should:
- Invest in professional visual production: Quality visuals signal innovation and credibility.
- Develop a strong visual identity: Ensure all visuals reflect the brand’s values consistently.
- Experiment with new formats : Explore emerging technologies and hybrid storytelling formats.
- Prioritise clarity and impact: No matter the tool, communication should make complexity clear and memorable.