Episodes
June 6, 2018
#38 A Beauty Industry Veteran Goes Rogue
Tina Hedges believes the future of beauty is all-natural, organic products. But the investors aren’t sure what to make of her food-grade products for your face. Today's investors are Nicole Verkindt, Michael Hyatt, Jillian Ma...
May 30, 2018
#37 Can Tech Solve America’s Drug Crisis?
Founder David Sarabia’s experience with drug addiction inspired him to build an app, called inRecovery. It’s meant to help people who are in rehab. But can he get the rehab centers on board? Today's investors are Nicole Verki...
May 23, 2018
#36 When Two Startups Love Each Other Very Much ...
Margot Schmorak says half of all vacation rentals aren’t listed online—and she sees that as a big opportunity for her startup. But things get messy in the pitch room when Margot reveals that Hostfully comes with a little extr...
May 16, 2018
#35 The Proof Is in the Pudding
Max Pouvreau has built gourmet pudding company Petit Pot with his Michelin star background and scrappy customer acquisition. Now he wants VC backing to take it to the next level—and potentially a big acquisition. Today's inve...
May 9, 2018
#34 Can Storytime Become Big Business?
Max Tuchman is on a roll with Caribu, an app that lets parents and kids read together virtually. But can she convince investors that early success will lead to future returns? Today's investors are Nicole Verkindt, Michael Hy...
May 2, 2018
#33 What Is a Startup Actually Worth?
Jared Kugel needs a million dollars to get Tire Agent up and running. But things get tense in the pitch room when investors start questioning the value of his company. Today's investors are Jillian Manus, Daniel Gulati, Phil ...
April 25, 2018
#32 Is Immigration the Next Venture-Scale Business?
The U.S. immigration system is a bureaucratic nightmare. And it’s only getting worse. Founder Xiao Wang has a plan to solve that with his startup, Boundless. Today's investors are Jillian Manus, Daniel Gulati, Phil Nadel, and...
April 18, 2018
#31 Are Vending Machines the Future of Retail?
When you think of cutting edge technology, it’s unlikely vending machines pop to mind. But Dawn Dickson has a plan to change that with her startup, PopCom. Today's investors are Jillian Manus, Daniel Gulati, Phil Nadel, and M...
April 11, 2018
#30 Can This Founder Reclaim Cocktail Hour?
Craft cocktails are all the rage—but they tend come with high price tags and long wait times. Swig + Swallow founder April Wachtel wants to bring the craft experience out of the bar and into your home. Today's investors are J...
April 4, 2018
#29 Could This Be the Next Airbnb?
Can Tye and Courtney Caldwell convince investors that their skills will transfer from the barbershop to the boardroom?
March 28, 2018
#28 Is This Entrepreneur Ready to Take On Facebook?
Facebook is the undisputed king of social networks. But Cesar Kuriyama thinks his app, 1 Second Everyday, could topple the giant. If he’s going to do that, he’ll need some serious cash. Today's investors are Jillian Manus, Da...
Feb. 21, 2018
#27 Qleek Pt. II: What Happened After The Pitch
The surprising story of what happened to one startup after its founders pitched to investors—and thousands of listeners.
Feb. 14, 2018
#26 Dynofit
Maria Schneider wants to take physical therapy out of the clinic and into the home with the help of a small device. But is her technology the answer patients and doctors have been waiting for? Today's investors are Daniel Gul...
Feb. 8, 2018
#25 Rex
When scientist Amado Guloy saw an opportunity to combine farm animals and big data, he traded the laboratory for the boardroom and created Rex Animal Health. But can he convince investors he’s got what it takes to make it in ...
Jan. 31, 2018
#24 unGlue
The apps on our smartphones seem to be engineered for addiction. Alon Shwartz wants to fight this with an app of his own: unGlue. Today's investors are Daniel Gulati, Jillian Manus, Phil Nadel and Charles Hudson.
Jan. 24, 2018
#23 Jiobit
After John Renaldi lost track of his kid on a trip to downtown Chicago, he vowed never to be in that situation again. So he created Jiobit, a tiny geotracker for kids. Can he convince investors that his device stands out amon...
Jan. 17, 2018
#22 Investor FOMO: Lunar Wireless
Hunter Rosenblume is pitching Lunar Wireless, a company he co-founded as an answer to pricey cell phone plans. But getting investors to gamble on a 22-year-old who claims he can take on a decades-old industry is a hard sell. ...
Jan. 10, 2018
#21 Metabrew
Romy Raad and her cofounder have created Metabrew, a healthy beverage they believe could replace your morning coffee. But can they get investors buzzing about this plant-based substitute? Today's investors are Phil Nadel, Jil...
Dec. 20, 2017
#20 Harper Wilde
The founders of Harper Wilde want to take the B.S. out of bra shopping. That means convincing our investors that they’ve found a way to turn it from a major inconvenience into an easy at-home experience. Today's investors are...
Dec. 13, 2017
#19 Ghosted: Sandbox
When Sterling Smith left his job as a software developer to start Sandbox Commerce, he knew he had the skills to build great mobile apps. But in a world where it seems everybody has an app, can he convince investors there’s r...
Dec. 6, 2017
#18 ROWViGOR
Co-founders Kevin Allen and Moses McCall think rowing is the next big trend in fitness. To cash in on their hunch, they need to convince investors they can make waves in a space already crowded with competitors. Today's inves...
Nov. 29, 2017
#17 Investor Spotlight: Jillian Manus
You’re probably familiar with Jillian Manus the investor — but in this episode, we dig in a little deeper to understand how she became the VC force she is today.
Nov. 15, 2017
#16 Qleek
After Ismail Salhi discovered his father’s old record collection gathering dust in the attic, he teamed up with Johanna Hartzheim to create Qleek. Together they hope to marry the nostalgia of vinyl with the convenience of dig...
Nov. 8, 2017
#15 A Veteran Starts a Startup: Shift
When Mike Slagh left the military, he wanted to find a job in tech, but he couldn’t get his foot in the door. And then he found out that he was one of approximately 300,000 service members who every year struggle to make the ...