Return of The Pitch
Host Josh Muccio picks up the mic once again... with some personal news. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Jul 27, 2022•4 min
The Pitch
Where startup founders raise millions and listeners can invest.
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.
Episodes
#100 When Investors Take the Hot Seat
This week, we've got a show like no other. Instead of startup founders asking for money to grow their business, we hear investors Jake Chapman and Howie Diamond pitch their new venture capital fund. And they learn right away that things on the other side of the table are a lot harder. Today's potential LPs are Jillian Manus, Daniel Gulati and Charles Hudson. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Dec 09, 2020•33 min•Season 8Ep. 9
#99 The Friends & Family Gap
In VC, before you pitch investors, you’re expected to get some initial cash from friends and family. Getting this money is a critical first step for a new startup. But what if your friends and family aren’t wealthy? Two founders tell us what that experience is like, and how it’s shaped the way VC investors view their companies. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Nov 04, 2020•31 min•Season 8Ep. 8
#98 Hello! You’ve Reached The Pitch Helpline
We're now in a business climate transformed by Covid. And founders need help figuring out how to impress investors, find new customers, and connect with potential cofounders in this uncertain time. We wanted to help out. So we got investors Elizabeth Yin from Hustle Fund and Hunter Walk from Homebrew to hop on The Pitch hotline to take your calls. The Callers: Rebecca Colett, Calyxeum Graham Hawley, TRID Shwetha Maddur, Catalyst Bryan McGehee, GATR Coolers Jeff Walsh, Illuminent Learn more about...
Oct 14, 2020•36 min•Season 8Ep. 7
#97 Secret Sauce or Snake Oil?
Today's founder had everything going for him: a huge market, loads of experience, and $70k in monthly revenue. But then, everything went wrong. Christopher Hussain's startup, RealKey, is supposed to make the complicated mortgage lending process simpler, but his pitch left our investors scratching their heads. Today's investors are Sarah Downey, Michael Hyatt, Jillian Manus, Phil Nadel and Charles Hudson. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Sep 30, 2020•28 min•Season 8Ep. 6
#96 A Test of Time
It was three years ago, when Claire Coder went in front of our investors to pitch Aunt Flow. At the time, her startup was a very risky bet. But now, in 2020, Claire’s business has stood the test of time. We find out just how far a business can go in three years. Today's investors are Jillian Manus, Phil Nadel, James Altucher and Daniel Gulati. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Sep 16, 2020•35 min•Season 8Ep. 5
#95 You Asked. Investors Answered. Now What?
In the spring, founders desperate for ideas about how to keep their companies afloat called in to get advice from our investors. Several months later, the economy is still far from recovering, so we called the founders back to see if the investors’ advice was working. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Aug 26, 2020•34 min•Season 8Ep. 4
#94 The Breaking Point
When gyms closed at the start of the pandemic, Kevin Allen’s at-home fitness app, Row Vigor, went gangbusters. But there was a problem -- a few lines of code were preventing Kevin from cashing in. The investors present at Kevin's original pitch were Phil Nadel, Jillian Manus, Daniel Gulati and Charles Hudson. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Aug 05, 2020•35 min•Season 8Ep. 3
#93 David vs. Godzilla
When Alon Shwartz started his parental control app, UnGlue, he thought Apple would be an ally. But then Apple decided to make their own competing product and Alon was forced to go toe-to-toe with the biggest tech company in the world. The investors present at Alon's original pitch were Phil Nadel, Jillian Manus, Daniel Gulati and Charles Hudson. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Jul 15, 2020•32 min•Season 8Ep. 2
#92 Who Did the PPP Actually Save?
We talk to three startup founders who got money from the Paycheck Protection Program and try to find out, what did the PPP money actually do? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Jul 01, 2020•25 min•Season 8Ep. 1
#91 “If We Don’t Get the Money by Friday …”
In 2018, founder Cody Candee raised $150,000 on our show. He went on to raise over a million dollars in funding that led to extraordinary growth for his startup, Bounce. But then Cody found out the hard way that to keep growing fast you have to become the boss. The investors present at Cody's original pitch were Phil Nadel, Jillian Manus, Nicole Verkindt, Michael Hyatt and Charles Hudson. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Jun 10, 2020•28 min•Season 7Ep. 13
#90 How Startups Can Succeed in a Pandemic 2
COVID-19 has pushed many founders to attempt risky pivots with their business. Other founders are hoarding cash. And many of them are seeing VC money dry up. On today’s show, investors Sarah Downey and Phil Nadel advise four worried founders on how to keep their businesses afloat. The callers: Shannon Malkin Daniels, Encaptiv Krystin Hargrove, CoTripper Dan Brown, Up-Rite Storage Rack Chris Murphy, Brewella's Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
May 13, 2020•32 min•Season 7Ep. 12
#89 A Big Bet on an Ex-Trucker
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 a...
May 06, 2020•31 min•Season 7Ep. 11
How I Saved My Startup
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 Nade...
Apr 22, 2020•40 min
#88 How Startups Can Succeed in a Pandemic
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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Apr 15, 2020•32 min•Season 7Ep. 10
#87 Uber for Pets
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 Charles Hu...
Apr 01, 2020•36 min•Season 7Ep. 9
#86 If the Suit Fits, Invest.
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, David Goldberg, Sheel Mohnot and Charles Hudson. If you'd like to support Sene’s efforts to manufacture surgical masks, head to senestudio.com/pages/masks. Learn more about your ad choices. Vi...
Mar 25, 2020•33 min•Season 7Ep. 8
#85 Will Coronavirus Kill This Deal?
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 podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Mar 11, 2020•37 min•Season 7Ep. 7
#84 The Napkin Pitch
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, David Goldberg, Sheel Mohnot and Charles Hudson. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.c...
Mar 04, 2020•34 min•Season 7Ep. 6
#83 Can Small Bras Be a Big Market?
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 is ...
Feb 19, 2020•32 min•Season 7Ep. 5
#82 A Deal Too Perfect to Pass Up
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, Charles Hudson and Phil Nadel. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Feb 12, 2020•33 min•Season 7Ep. 4
#81 Jillian to the Rescue
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, Charles Hudson, Phil Nadel, Michael Hyatt and Sarah Downey. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Jan 29, 2020•30 min•Season 7Ep. 3
#80 Can This App Silence The Trolls?
Ben Trenda thinks he can stop the trolls on Twitter and other social spaces. He’s building Goodtalk, where famous people can have public one-on-one conversations without interruption. But if you strip away the bad, will you also lose the things that people really like about social? And if you don’t have enough people, your social network is worth nothing. Today's investors are Soraya Darabi, Sarah Downey, Michael Hyatt, Charles Hudson and Phil Nadel. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podca...
Jan 22, 2020•30 min•Season 7Ep. 2
#79 The Anti-JUUL
“Move fast and break things” is a mantra for a lot of startup founders — but what if the federal government is slowing you down? That’s the situation that Josh Israel is in with his startup, Hava Health. Josh needs to wait for FDA approval before he can even think about making money on his new smoking cessation vape, a process that could take three years or more. But Josh has a plan to extinguish investor’s fears. Today's investors are Nimi Katragadda, Al Doan, Sheel Mohnot and Charles Hudson. L...
Jan 08, 2020•31 min•Season 7Ep. 1
#78 Got Goals? Grab a Cru
Tiffany Dufu has spent her career uplifting women and girls. Now, she’s turning a lifetime’s worth of expertise into a venture-backed business. Her startup, The Cru, is dedicated to helping women achieve their goals by connecting them to a network of other women. And while there’s no question that Tiffany has the right experience to pursue this mission, the question is whether the business can generate the returns investors are looking for. Today's investors are Jenny Fielding, Elizabeth Yin, Da...
Nov 13, 2019•33 min•Season 6Ep. 11
#77 Sell Online or Go Door to Door
Kate Flynn has a plan to make her healthy snack bites stand out: skip the grocery stores, and find potential customers when and where they need a snack. It’s a strategy that’s outside of the investors’ wheelhouse, but if she can get them to try something new, they might be in for a treat. Today's investors are Nimi Katragadda, Al Doan, Sheel Mohnot and Charles Hudson. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Nov 06, 2019•31 min•Season 6Ep. 10
#76 Pitchline Bonanza
Back in September, we invited listeners to call in and give us their best elevator pitch for their startup. And the response was off the hook! In this episode we play our favorite calls — and choose one lucky winner to come pitch our investors. But there’s more ... we need your help to pick one more founder for the pitch room. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Oct 30, 2019•40 min•Season 6Ep. 9
#75 “I Want Bro Money Too”
The 2.4 trillion dollar fashion industry is due for a makeover, according to Andrea Madho. She says her company, Lab141, will be the biggest change to the way clothes are made in over a century. But it’s a moonshot and she knows it, now the investors know it too and will have to decide whether or not they think Andrea can get it done. Today's investors are Soraya Darabi, Sarah Downey, Michael Hyatt, Charles Hudson and Phil Nadel. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoic...
Oct 09, 2019•36 min•Season 6Ep. 8
#74 Stop Killing Your Plants
Ryan Lee says he has a better way to buy plants, on his website, Rooted. To conquer the market, Ryan has a big, audacious plan, and this is his very first time pitching it to VCs. Find out if he can convince the investors that money really does grow on trees. Today's investors are Nimi Katragadda, Al Doan, Sheel Mohnot and Charles Hudson. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Oct 02, 2019•32 min•Season 6Ep. 7
#73 Enough Sales Calls Already!
For businesses, the process of buying software is brutal. Founder Andrew Hoagland launched his company to make it a breeze. In fact, he says that his startup Vetd has made it so easy that he can’t keep up with the demand he’s created … without the $2m he’s here to raise. Luckily for him, the investors get the problem. But he’ll have to convince them that his solution is the right one. Today's investors are Jillian Manus, Charles Hudson, Phil Nadel, Michael Hyatt and Sarah Downey. Learn more abou...
Sep 25, 2019•29 min•Season 6Ep. 6