The Pitch
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.
101
#45 Whatever Happened to Virtual Reality?
It can be tough to get investors excited about VR, which has attracted tons of hype—without much payoff. Can entrepreneur Sophia Dominguez convince investors that VR’s time has finally come?
34 min
102
#44 Is This Sports App the Next OpenTable?
Finnish entrepreneur Topias Soininen says his startup will revolutionize the way people book tennis courts. But first, the investors have to figure out exactly what it is he’s pitching.
30 min
103
#43 Get This Party Startup in Here
Entrepreneur Julie Roth Novack says her party planning platform is exactly what event professionals have been missing. And it all hinges on a secret ingredient—something Julie calls "marketing gold".
24 min
104
#42 How Much Do You Trust Your Barista?
Cody Candee believes his company, Bounce, is the key to freeing us from the stuff we lug around all day. But can he convince investors that his temporary storage solution isn’t a liability disaster waiting to happen?
32 min
105
#41 Can This Startup Help Retailers Take on Ama...
Chelsie Lee wants to help online retailers keep up with Amazon's fast shipping options, but it might not be easy with the retail Goliath breathing down her neck.
34 min
106
#40 Three Startups Enter. Only One Will Leave.
At The Pitch’s first-ever live show, three startups face off. But can the investors agree on which company should take home the prize?
48 min
107
#39 This Pitch is Damn Near Perfect
Stefan Loble wows the room with his near perfect pitch for Bluffworks, a company that makes travel-business attire. But is his compelling story enough to get investors to sign on?
41 min
108
#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.
27 min
109
#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?
28 min
110
#36 When Two Startups Love Each Other Very Much...
Things get messy in the pitch room when Margot reveals that her company comes with a little extra baggage.
30 min
111
#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.
29 min
112
#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?
28 min
113
#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.
24 min
114
#32 Is Immigration the Next Venture-Scale Busin...
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.
28 min
115
#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.
31 min
116
#30 Can This Founder Reclaim Cocktail Hour?
April Wachtel wants to bring the craft cocktail experience out of the bar and into your home.
26 min
117
#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?
36 min
118
#28 Is This Entrepreneur Ready to Take On Faceb...
Cesar Kuriyama thinks his app, 1 Second Everyday, could topple social media giant Facebook.
30 min
119
#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.
23 min
120
#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?
30 min
121
#25 Rex
What happens when a scientist takes on the world of business?
31 min
122
#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.
28 min
123
#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.
31 min
124
#22 Investor FOMO: Lunar Wireless
Hunter Rosenblume pitches 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.
35 min
125
#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?
30 min