The Pitch

Cathy Huang wants to unlock millions of dollars for millions of new internships. But with her round already closed, will there be room for everyone who wants to invest? This is The Pitch for Folio. Featuring investors Jesse Middleton, Mark Phillips, Paige Doherty, and Will Weisman. Watch Cathy pitch her startup on YouTube (@thepitchshow) and Patreon (@ThePitch) Join our private investor community on Substack at thepitch.fund Subscribe to our public email newsletter insider.thepitch.show Register for the Season 13 Finale Watch Party at pitch.show/party *Disclaimer: No offer to invest in Folio is being made to or solicited from the listening audience on today’s show. The information provided on this show is not intended to be investment advice and should not be relied upon as such. The investors on today’s episode are providing their opinions based on their own assessment of the business presented. Those opinions should not be considered professional investment advice. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Mike Burton wants to help every city turn drivers to riders with his smart bike lock. But will his “no checks under $100k” approach leave him backpedalling? This is The Pitch for Lockstop. Featuring investors Jesse Middleton, Mark Phillips, Paige Finn Doherty and Will Weisman. ... Watch Mike pitch his urban mobility startup on YouTube (@thepitchshow) and Patreon (@ThePitch) Join our private investor community on Substack at thepitch.fund Subscribe to our public email newsletter insider.thepitch.show Register for the Season 13 Finale Watch Party at pitch.show/party *Disclaimer: No offer to invest in Lockstop is being made to or solicited from the listening audience on today’s show. The information provided on this show is not intended to be investment advice and should not be relied upon as such. The investors on today’s episode are providing their opinions based on their own assessment of the business presented. Those opinions should not be considered professional investment advice. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A Johns Hopkins ER doctor, a Formula 1 engineer, and an artist walk into The Pitch Room... meet this season's extraordinary founders! We screened 2,000 companies, and 12 made the cut. But with negotiations turned up to 11, will they be ready to face off with the sharpest VCs in the game? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The culmination of fourteen pitches, six months, and over $3.8M invested by VCs and listeners, this is the season 12 finale. *Disclaimer: No offer to invest is being made to or solicited from the listening audience on today’s show. The information provided on this show is not intended to be investment advice and should not be relied upon as such. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

To all the investors and founders listening, join us in Miami this January. Go to thepitchevent.com to learn more and request an invite to The Pitch Miami. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Why does so little venture capital money go to women, Black, and Latinx founders? In this episode, investors Charles Hudson and Elizabeth Yin explain how VC is set up in a way that excludes many founders and businesses, and what their funds are doing to expand access to capital. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Is getting a software patent actually a good idea? For many startups a patent is a shield meant to prevent the competition from stealing their most innovative ideas. But in this episode, investors Sarah Downey and Phil Nadel explain how software patents can be a trap. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Should startups get money from the Paycheck Protection Program? Investor Jillian Manus says that for some startups, the answer should be no. She even convinced one of her startup founders to send over $2 million back. But investor Elizabeth Yin says the problem with the PPP goes deeper than that. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For years, Pierre Laguerre worked as a truck driver. During those years he saw one of the biggest inefficiencies in the industry up-close: getting available drivers matched with trucks ready to get on the road. Barely a year after launch, his business, Fleeting, is growing fast. But he’ll have to convince the investors he has the technical savvy to make the company grow even faster. And he’ll need to tackle another problem: how to adapt to an industry transformed by COVID-19. Today’s...

Investors are giving founders everywhere an ultimatum: just find a way to survive the next few months. This had us concerned about the entrepreneurs who’ve been on this show. Debbie Wei Mullen pitched Copper Cow Coffee to our investors a few years ago, and in this episode Debbie tells the sequence of events that led to a few early, strategic decisions made in 2020 that set up her business to outlast the pandemic. Today's investors are Alexandra Stanton, Sheel Mohnot, Charles Hudson, and Phil...

In the last few weeks, COVID-19 has changed just about every business in the country. Investors everywhere are scrambling to help their startups survive the pandemic. On today’s show, investors Elizabeth Yin and Charles Hudson take calls from listeners. They advise founders on how to pivot to a remote-friendly model, how to survive the losses in the hospitality industry, and how to navigate the new fundraising landscape. If your business is in crisis because of this pandemic, and you could...

Last year, investors woke up to the fact that the biggest ridesharing companies still struggle to make money. But today’s founder, Aparna Srinivasan, thinks she can buck that trend by introducing pets into the equation. But our investors wonder if just being pet friendly is enough to bring in the big bones. And if it is, what’s to stop Uber from offering rides for pets too… putting SpotOn in a tight spot. Today’s investors are Sarah Downey, Michael Hyatt, Jillian Manus, Phil Nadel and...

Founder Ray Li says he can make you a custom suit, out of a quiz. And his company, Sene, is already making a profit. Ray wants to pursue the technology AND build up a cool brand but the investors wonder if Ray would be better off choosing one or the other. Today's investors are Maia Bittner, Elizabeth Yin, Sheel Mohnot, Charles Hudson and David Goldberg. If you'd like to support Sene’s efforts to manufacture surgical masks, head to senestudio.com/pages/masks. Learn more about your ad...

There’s a tried and true playbook in tech: get a ton of users, then figure out how to monetize them. Today’s founder, Ofo Ezeugwu, has plenty of users on his site, but the investors press Ofo about his plans to monetize. And then, complications arise when coronavirus enters the scene. Today’s investors are Sarah Downey, Michael Hyatt, Jillian Manus, Phil Nadel and Charles Hudson. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

One of our most experienced investors gives advice for how a startup can survive in the time of the coronavirus. Jillian Manus says that this is a difficult time, with supply chain disruption and the financial markets uncertain, but there are ways for companies to make it through - and even thrive - when the rest of the economy is on shaky ground. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

One of our most experienced investors gives advice for how a startup can survive in the time of the coronavirus. Jillian Manus says that this is a difficult time, with supply chain disruption and the financial markets uncertain, but there are ways for companies to make it through - and even thrive - when the rest of the economy is on shaky ground. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Tiffany Walling McGarity called in to the show and you, our listeners, voted her on to pitch the investors. But from the moment she stepped in the room, it was clear that this pitch would play out differently from the rest. On this episode, what a pitch sounds like when all you have are a few scratches on the back of the metaphorical napkin. Today's investors are Maia Bittner, Elizabeth Yin, Sheel Mohnot, Charles Hudson and David Goldberg. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit...

In VC, investors want to win big — that’s why they love highly scalable tech companies so much. But today’s founder, Jaclyn Fu, is selling actual things. Her startup, Pepper, makes real bras in a very real factory. There’s no tech except that you can buy her company’s stuff on the internet. So how do you convince investors that the opportunity is massive, when there’s nothing scalable about your startup? Today's investors are Maia Bittner, Elizabeth Yin, Sheel Mohnot and Charles Hudson. Here...

This is how much of a go-getter Bobbie Racette is: when she got laid off, she started a business to help thousands of other people who were out of work. Now, she has so many customers, she can’t keep up. And Michael Hyatt, our most ruthless investor, was like putty in her hands. Today’s investors are Sarah Downey, Michael Hyatt, Phil Nadel and Charles Hudson. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

During our last call-in show, Thor Wood wowed us with his 30-second elevator pitch for SnapShyft, a company that matches workers with open shifts at restaurants. Now Thor will have to convince a much tougher crowd, the investors. Today’s investors are Jillian Manus, Michael Hyatt, Sarah Downey, Phil Nadel and Charles Hudson. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices