The Pitch
The Pitch
Josh Muccio | Startups & Venture Capital
Where real startup founders pitch to real investors—for real money. Forget everything you think you know about the world of venture capital. Host Josh Muccio takes listeners behind closed-doors and into the room where deals are made. Part of the Vox Media Podcast Network.
#132 The Exit: Selling Shipt for $550 Million
Since the beginning of The Pitch, we’ve told one story: what it’s like to raise money for a startup. But what about the rest of the journey? On our new segment, The Exit, we talk to startup founders who’ve done the impossible, sold their startup for hundreds of millions. How does it feel to finally accomplish the dream? And is that dream all it’s cracked up to be? In our first exit interview, we talk to Bill Smith, a high school dropout from Alabama who started, scaled and sold Shipt for $550 million in three years. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
May 8
45 min
#131 Flock AI: Model Generated Models
What if your favorite online store had models that look like you: your skin tone, your height, your body shape? That question propelled Vita Mallela to start Flock AI. Their AI generated models could help brands eliminate pricey photoshoots. But with AI startups so en vogue, how will the investors know if this AI startup is the one to walk the runway with? Featuring investors Elizabeth Yin, Charles Hudson, Beck Bamberger, Pascal Unger and Mac Conwell. ... Watch the Flock AI pitch on YouTube @thepitchshow To invest with the VCs on the show, join our investor community at thepitch.fund Founders can apply to pitch at our next recording event in San Francisco this June. No intro required, just go to pitch.show/apply Superfans can join The Pitch UNCUT and get early access to unedited versions of all ten pitches on season 11. ... *Disclaimer: 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. No offer to invest is being made to or solicited from the listening audience on today’s show. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
May 1
34 min
#130 FranShares: Invest in Franchises
After spending a decade as a franchise broker, Kenny Rose decided to break out on his own and start FranShares. An alternative investment platform where anyone can invest in franchises. Now you can own a piece of your local fast food joint, a medspa, even a car wash! But will the investors be able to see big tech returns for a company that sounds like small fries? Featuring investors Jillian Manus, Beck Bamberger and Mac Conwell. ... Watch the FranShares pitch on YouTube @thepitchshow To invest with the VCs on the show, join our investor community at thepitch.fund Founders can apply to pitch at our next recording event in San Francisco this June. No intro required, just go to pitch.show/apply Superfans can join The Pitch UNCUT and get early access to unedited versions of all ten pitches on season 11. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Apr 24
42 min
#129 RedDrop: Pitching the Big Vision
Monica Williams wants to revolutionize the period experience for tweens. With $5 million in sales in just two years, she’s on her way. Now she wants to raise venture to scale her bootstrapped company. Will Monica get to pitch the big vision for RedDrop or will investors write her off from the start? Featuring investors Elizabeth Yin, Charles Hudson, Beck Bamberger, Pascal Unger and Mac Conwell. ... Watch the RedDrop pitch on YouTube @thepitchshow To invest with the VCs on the show, join our investor community at thepitch.fund Founders can apply to pitch at our next recording event in San Francisco this June. No intro required, just go to pitch.show/apply Superfans can join The Pitch UNCUT and get early access to unedited versions of all ten pitches on season 11. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Apr 17
42 min
#128 ChurchSpace: Airbnb for Churches
Growing up as a pastor's kid, Emmanuel Brown saw what a financial burden church real estate can be. Churches sit empty 70% of the week even though they have commercial kitchens and professional sound systems and oh so much space for activities! So Emmanuel built ChurchSpace, a church rental marketplace. He has faith in his business – but can he convert investors if they believe congregations are shrinking? Featuring investors Jillian Manus, Beck Bamberger and Mac Conwell. ... Watch the ChurchSpace pitch on YouTube @thepitchshow To invest with the VCs on the show, join our investor community at thepitch.fund Founders can apply to pitch at our next recording event in San Francisco this June. No intro required, just go to pitch.show/apply Superfans can join The Pitch UNCUT and get early access to unedited versions of all ten pitches on season 11. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Apr 10
40 min
#127 Nectir: The Classroom of the Future
Kavitta Ghai struggled in school due to autism and ADHD until a positive experience with a college professor transformed her academic journey. Convinced this was the future, she launched a startup to make classrooms more accessible. Now, she just needs a VC to lead her $3 million seed round. Will Kavitta pass the test with the investors in The Pitch Room? Featuring investors Cyan Banister, Charles Hudson, Elizabeth Yin, Mac Conwell and Paige Finn Doherty. ... Watch the Nectir pitch on YouTube @thepitchshow To invest with the VCs on the show, join our investor community at thepitch.fund Founders can apply to pitch at our next recording event in San Francisco this June. No intro required, just go to pitch.show/apply Superfans can join The Pitch UNCUT and get early access to unedited versions of all ten pitches on season 11. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Apr 3
52 min
Season 11: We're Bringing the Heat
The Pitch is back for season 11! Recorded for the first time in front of a live studio audience, we invited the top startup founders and VCs from across the country to join us in Miami. Visionary founders will pitch everything from pants you can pee in, to Airbnb for churches. And it wouldn’t be 2024 if we didn’t throw in some AI and alternative investments! Tune in to season 11 to hear the true story of how venture deals get done. And this season, a LOT of deals get done. Watch FULL episodes on YouTube this season @thepitchshow. Invest with us alongside top VCs via The Pitch Fund. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Mar 20
3 min
#126 Handle: The Uncut Pitch
For our season 10 finale, we’re trying something crazy. We’re giving you a full pitch from start to finish with no editing whatsoever! Founder Chase Robbins presents his snack delivery business, Handle, to investors Paige Doherty, Neal Bloom, Elizabeth Yin, Mark Phillips and Charles Hudson. Will they back this college dropout who promises on-campus deliveries in 15-minutes or less? Or will they steer clear of a space that's seen billions of VC dollars go up in flames? You can also watch the Handle pitch on YouTube. To learn more about Chase's snack delivery startup and the investors featured on this episode, check out the Handle show page. Enjoying the podcast? Use this link to text a friend! Chapters: (0:00) Introduction and season finale announcement by Josh Muccio (1:30) Pitch by Chase Robbins, founder of Handle (3:22) Questions from investors about profitability, customer acquisition, and supplier base (9:43) Chase Robbins' plan for expansion and discussion on potential market size (13:54) Operational challenges, solutions, and current tests in the company (20:26) Discussion on delivery speed, customer retention, and the trust aspect in the business model (23:05) Neil Bloom's question about using delivery bots and future use of drones for delivery (25:20) Elizabeth Yin brings up the issue of student turnover and aging out of the demographic (34:53) Investors give their final thoughts and investment decisions (45:49) After The Pitch: Josh interviews Chase Robbins Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Nov 22, 2023
59 min
#125 Locker: The Future of Online Shopping
Online shopping was supposed to make things easier. But with so many options, it’s also made our shopping experience more fragmented than ever. Kristine Locker set out to fix that with her social shopping app Locker. However, her target demographic is a couple generations behind most VCs. Can Kristine convince investors she has the solution to a problem they don’t experience or will they abandon this startup in the cart? You can also watch the Locker pitch on YouTube. Today’s investors are Beck Bamberger, Al Bsharah, Jillian Manus, and Howie Diamond. To learn more about Kristine's retail tech startup and the investors featured on this episode, check out the Locker show page. Enjoying the podcast? Use this link to text a friend! Chapters: (0:00) Introduction from Josh Muccio and overview of the episode (2:21) Kristine Locker's pitch for Locker (5:47) Discussion on possible B2B opportunities and go-to-market strategy for Locker (9:15) Deep dive into the team behind Locker and their vision for the next five years (12:58) Investor decisions and overall thoughts on the business (15:45) Investors debrief after Kristine leaves the room (18:34) After The Pitch: Kristine Locker shares updates on funding opportunities and challenges (21:45) Discussion on the future of retail and online commerce (24:14) Kristine's plans for Locker moving forward Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Nov 15, 2023
29 min
#124 ECGO: Turning Trash Into Treasure With AI
Ever stood at the recycling bin wondering, “Is this cup really recyclable?'' Enter Nicole Toole, the founder of ECGO, an AI-powered app designed to tackle this confusion. With ECGO, you snap a photo of any item, and the app will tell you how to properly dispose of it. But as mind-blowingly awesome as this is, the investors wonder how much money can you really make from trash when you’re selling to universities.  You can also watch the ECGO pitch on YouTube. Today’s investors are Elizabeth Yin, Erica Wenger, Jillian Manus, Martin Tobias and Charles Hudson. To learn more about Nicole's recycling startup and the investors featured on this episode, check out the ECGO show page. Enjoying the podcast? Use this link to text a friend! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Nov 8, 2023
30 min
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