This research focuses on understanding the effects of storytelling on the funding success of social entrepreneurial ventures. Drawing from linguistic theories, we argue that the structure of a story (in an entrepreneurial pitch) aids in creating an integrated mental representation of the venture for potential investors. This results in convincing investors to commit their funds to social ventures. In this study, we also examine the boundary conditions (i.e. venture development stage and pitch duration) that shape this relationship. We analyzed 206 social entrepreneurial pitches, to test the hypothesized relationships. Our findings demonstrate that the structure of a social entrepreneurial pitch is significantly positively associated with the valuation of the venture. We also found that the venture development stage moderates this relationship whereas the pitch duration shows no significant moderation effect. This study extends the existing literature on storytelling in entrepreneurship by highlighting how entrepreneurial pitches facilitate funding success and the boundary conditions of this relationship. We also contribute back to the field of linguistics by extending the application of linguistic theories into the new context of entrepreneurship.