D.A.R.C.E.E.R. Prompt Formula

Picture this: It’s Wednesday afternoon, you’re on your balcony with a latte ☕, and you suddenly remember—next week you’re demoing your final CAIO project in a virtual room packed with investors, executives, decision‑makers, and World AI Council members. You need a killer 60‑second elevator pitch, stat. You could spend hours tweaking your script—or you could let AI handle the heavy lifting…if you know how to talk to it!

That’s where D.A.R.C.E.E.R. comes in. It’s a seven‑step prompt formula that turns vague, “wing it” queries into crystal‑clear instructions. No more guessing games, no more “Well…kinda, sorta” answers. Instead, you get board‑room–ready insights on the first go.

The D.A.R.C.E.E.R. Prompt Formula 

Each letter layers in a piece of what makes a prompt bulletproof:

• D – Direct: Tell the AI exactly what to do.

• A – Audience: Name who’s listening.

• R – Role: Give the AI a hat—expert persona, please.

• C – Context: Feed it data, constraints, examples.

• E – Explore: Ask for clarifications and a mini‑plan.

• E – Expectations: Set format, tone, length, even stakes.

• R – Refine: Build in a polish pass—bold metrics, cut fluff.

Easy to remember, tougher to master? Not with a little practice.

Example: How to Build your Killer 60-sec Elevator Pitch with the D.A.R.C.E.E.R. Prompt Formula 

Let’s walk through the D.A.R.C.E.E.R. formula —step by step—building a single prompt for that investor pitch you’re perfecting.

1️⃣ D – Direct

Aim: No fluff. Use commanding verbs.

Prompt v1:

Your task is to draft an elevator pitch.  

Why it matters: “Draft an elevator pitch” beats “Could you maybe help with…” by a mile. Think of it as giving the AI a marching order.

2️⃣ A – Audience

Aim: Pin down who’s listening.

Prompt v2:

Your task is to draft an elevator pitch **for a room of tech‑focused investors**.

Why it matters: Tone, jargon level, examples—all change when you tell the model who’s on the other side of the table.

3️⃣ R – Role

Aim: Slip the AI into expert mode.

Prompt v3:

Act as a startup founder with three successful exits.  
Your task is to draft an elevator pitch for a room of tech‑focused investors.  

Why it matters: Now the AI thinks like someone who’s been there, done that—and talks the talk.

4️⃣ C – Context

Aim: Blanket the model in details.

Prompt v4:

Act as a startup founder with three successful exits.  
Your task is to draft an elevator pitch for a room of tech‑focused investors.

**Product Details:**  
- **Name:** SwiftPay  
- **What it does:** Real‑time, cross‑border payments for SMEs  
- **Traction:** $2 M ARR, 20% MoM growth  

**Format:**  
- 45–60 second spoken pitch  
- Max three sentences  

Why it matters: Without context, you get generic fluff. With it, you get spin‑free, tailored content.

5️⃣ E – Explore

Aim: Let the AI clear up any mysteries before starting.

Prompt v5:

…[Prompt v4 above]…

**Before you begin:**  
1. What else do you need to know about SwiftPay?  
2. Outline your pitch structure in 2–3 bullet points.  

Why it matters: Ever had to go back and say, “Oh, I forgot to mention…”? This nips that in the bud.

6️⃣ E – Expectations

Aim: Lock in style, length, tone, even penalties.

Prompt v6:

…[Prompt v5 above]…

**Expected Output:**  
- A 60‑second spoken pitch (text only)  
- Energetic, confident tone  
- Must mention product name, problem, solution, traction, and ask  
- I’ll penalize any version missing the “ask.”  

Why it matters: You decide how it shows up—no surprises, no “Uh, can you do it again?”

7️⃣ R – Refine

Aim: Add a final polish step.

Prompt v7:

…[Prompt v6 above]…

**Refinement Step:**  
Once drafted, please:  
1. Tighten it to under 130 words  
2. Bold the key metric (**$2 M ARR**)  
3. Swap jargon for plain English  
4. Verify all figures are accurate  

Why it matters: You’re not just getting a first draft—you’re getting the final cut.

Your final Prompt version

Act as a startup founder with three successful exits.  
Your task is to draft an elevator pitch for a room of tech‑focused investors.

**Product Details:**  
- Name: SwiftPay  
- What it does: Real‑time, cross‑border payments for SMEs  
- Traction: $2 M ARR, 20% monthly growth

**Format:**  
- 45–60 second spoken pitch  
- Maximum three sentences

**Before you begin:**  
1. What else do you need to know about SwiftPay?  
2. Outline your pitch structure in 2–3 bullet points.

**Expected Output:**  
- A 60‑second spoken pitch (text only)  
- Energetic, confident tone  
- Must mention product name, problem, solution, traction, and ask  
- I’ll penalize any version missing the “ask.”

**Refinement Step:**  
Once drafted, please:  
1. Tighten to under 130 words  
2. Bold the key metric (**$2 M ARR**)  
3. Swap jargon for plain English  
4. Verify all figures are accurate  

Wrapping Up

We would like to thank Eng. Martin Cortes for his invaluable contribution to the development of the D.A.R.C.E.E.R. formula during the Chief AI Officer Program March 2025 cohort. With this formula, executives from all sectors can simply apply these seven steps in ChatGPT, or any other LLM, to produce a polished, investor‑ready pitch with ease.

-Sam,

About the Authors

Sam Obeidat:  AI Strategy Expert, Technology Product Lead, Investor, and a Venture Builder.

Sam Obeidat is an internationally recognized AI strategy expert, technology product leader, investor and venture builder who’s launched 12+ AI solutions across education, fintech, government and healthcare. He’s coached over 15,000 leaders and developed 40+ AI strategies for governments and top organizations worldwide. He now leads World AI X Ventures, an AI venture studio driving transformative initiatives and projects across Canada, MENA and the EU, and hosts the CAIO Program—preparing an exclusive network of decision‑makers, leaders and partners to build a gold standard for AI that empowers organizations to systematically transform in this disruptive era.
Connect with Sam Obeidat on LinkedIn or by email at [email protected] 

Martin Cortes is a seasoned IT/ICT manager with over a decade of experience leading international, multidisciplinary teams to deliver complex programs on time and on budget. He’s known for forging strong relationships and turning proposals into reality by applying rigorous project and process management (PMI, ITIL V2/V3, SOA, CSI), robust governance and risk frameworks (COBIT 4.0, ISO 9000/20000), and continuous improvement. With a sharp focus on business outcomes, continuity, asset management and quality audits, Martin combines strategic vision with hands‑on execution to ensure technology initiatives drive measurable value. He recently graduated from the CAIO Program (March 2025 cohort) at World AI University and is now contributing to the CAIO movement to set the gold standard as a member of the World AI Council..

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