If you've got to sell someone on something, 10 minutes can be an extremely long time or an extremely short one. In my opinion, you've actually got 30 seconds to a minute to try and sell an idea, and then 9 minutes to allow someone to confirm their first opinion.John Cook, VC reporter for the Seattle PI, was recently one of five judges at the "MIT Venture Labs Startup Demo, where six Seattle area companies were given 10 minutes to pitch their ideas."His feedback and notes on the presentations are here. Great reading for entrepreneurs looking for funding, anyone trying to sell something (with a nod to Lloyd Dobler) and PR folks who make their living trying to sell ideas.