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The Pitch Blog
Startup insights, pitch breakdowns, and lessons learned from hundreds of real investor pitches.
How to Get Started as an Angel Investor
This post is written in partnership with Hustle Fund's Angel Squad. In 2010, two angel investors named Mike Walsh and Oren Michaels invested $5k each into th…
Leverage Your Retirement Plan: Investing in Startups with a Self…
So, you've been saving diligently for your golden years, making sure your nest egg is comfortably tucked away. But then, the entrepreneurial bug bites, and you find…
The Art of Explaining “How it Works” in Your Pitch Deck
This is part seven of "The Ultimate Pitch Deck Guide for Startups," a fundraising guide made in partnership with DECKO, a leading pitch deck development company tha…
The Solution Slide: Winning Hearts, Minds, and Wallets
This is part six of "The Ultimate Pitch Deck Guide for Startups," a fundraising guide made in partnership with DECKO, a leading pitch deck development company that&…
The Ultimate Guide to Creating Your Pre-Seed Pitch Deck
Building a startup is a thrilling adventure: you've got the passion, the ideas, and are geared up to make your mark on the world. The challenge? Lighting that same …
Traction: An Investor's Lens into Your Startup's Performance
This is part eight of "The Ultimate Pitch Deck Guide for Startups," a fundraising guide made in partnership with DECKO, a leading pitch deck development c…
11 Best Business Podcasts in 2026 (Ranked & Reviewed)
The 11 best business podcasts in 2026, ranked by consistency, reach, and relevance. From startup fundraising (The Pitch) to 4-hour deep dives (Acquired), here are the shows worth your time.
When The Perfect Pitch Goes Sideways
When Anastasia Trofimova walked into The Pitch Room she had everything going for her... Anastasia had the VCs wrapped around her finger. Three offers, from three…
From Video Game Addict to $1M Revenue: How 1,000+ Experiments Gr…
Remember cramming for exams in college? Highlighting textbooks until your fingers turned yellow, flipping through endless flashcards, and still feeling like none of…
This Startup Built an 'Easy Button' for Restaurant Chaos
Restaurants today juggle dozens of tech systems and the average employee barely sticks around for two months. Can AI-driven text support simplify the chaos and scal…
The Psychology of Money: What Most Fintech Apps Miss
When Kelsey Willock walked into The Pitch Room, she opened with a stat that most of us can relate to: 👉 88% of Americans feel anxious about money. So… basi…
Would you subscribe to your shoes? Avelo Running is betting you …
It sounds crazy at first, but the wearables market is exploding. Runners are already spending significantly on wearables and 44% of Americans own fitness-tracking …
Breaking the Manufacturing Mold: How KAV Sports Turned the Tradi…
"You're leaving Guidewire to make what?" That's what everyone asked Whitman Kwok when he announced his next move after the Guidewire IPO in 2012. And honestly? I …
From Italian Barbershop to Madison Avenue: How Barberino’s is Bu…
Ellis Island, 1910… A young Italian steps off the boat and makes his way to Boston, where he becomes THE go-to barber for the Italian American community. Th…
The $1.2B Blind Spot: How One Startup is Revolutionizing Interns…
Here's a stark reality: only 20% of college students are able to land an internship. For Cathy Huang, that statistic hits close to home. She went from public housi…
Walking Away from $1M in ARR: Inside Folio's Gutsy Pivot from St…
Picture this: your startup just hit $1M in annual recurring revenue. The champagne's on ice. Your team's celebrating. Your metrics are up and to the right. What do …
When a Founder Turns Down VC Money: The $50K Rejection That Shoc…
"Jesse, I absolutely hate to say this, especially on YouTube, but we've left the 50k checks on the table. So we don't allow any investments under 100k." With the…
Military Discipline Meets Startup Hustle: The Lockstop Story
Mike Burton's path from Marine intelligence officer to hardware startup founder isn't your typical Silicon Valley story. His venture, Lockstop, brings military-grad…
The $1B Bike Theft Problem: Building a City-Scale Solution
Every year, 2 million bikes are stolen in America - and those are just the ones reported to police. On the latest episode of The Pitch Show, Marine Mike Burton pitc…
How a Former Marine Is Turning Bike Racks Into Data Goldmines
As a Marine intelligence officer, Mike was trained to identify vulnerabilities. Now he’s using those skills to solve a problem affecting 2 million Americans e…
Beyond Silicon Valley: A New Map of Startup Opportunities
Last week we all stopped doomscrolling for a few moments to watch the season 12 finale of The Pitch 🎉 and found out what what it's really like to raise money for yo…
From Food Poisoning to $8M Raised: Unconventional Paths to Start…
When Capella Kerst pitched geCKo Materials to a panel of prominent VCs, she was fighting food poisoning. Yet she nailed it - delivering a compelling story about rev…
The Modern Startup Paradox: The Human Touch vs Pure SaaS
The season 12 finale of The Pitch dropped this week 🎉 Fans are loving the episode on YouTube but there's a lot we can glean by digging deeper into each founder's st…
The Unspoken Rules of Startup Fundraising in 2025
Today we published the long-awaited season 12 finale of The Pitch 🎉 The episode documented the realities of fundraising as told by 14 startup founders who successfu…
What Are the Best Shows for Entrepreneurs?
The opportunity to learn from other people's experiences is extremely important, regardless of your field. As an aspiring entrepreneur, understanding the nuances of…
Appendix Assemble! The Unsung Hero of Your Pitch Deck and How to…
This is part 14 of "The Ultimate Pitch Deck Guide for Startups," a fundraising guide made in partnership with DECKO, a leading pitch deck development company that&r…
The Art of the Ask: Crafting a Compelling Pitch Deck Closer
This is part 14 of "The Ultimate Pitch Deck Guide for Startups," a fundraising guide made in partnership with DECKO, a leading pitch deck development company that&r…
Shows (Un)Like Shark Tank
Let's face it - there's a certain thrill to watching Shark Tank. Who doesn't love seeing entrepreneurs squirm as they pitch their ideas facing the sharks' relentles…
18 Marketing Ideas for Startups on a Tight Budget
For many (perhaps most) startups, marketing is one of the most challenging necessities for growing and scaling a successful business. Not only are the founders &nda…
Crafting Credibility: 9 Best Practices for Your Team Slide
This is part 13 of "The Ultimate Pitch Deck Guide for Startups," a fundraising guide made in partnership with DECKO, a leading pitch deck development company that&r…
Navigating Numbers: How to Visualize Projections in Your Pitch D…
This is part 12 of "The Ultimate Pitch Deck Guide for Startups," a fundraising guide made in partnership with DECKO, a leading pitch deck development comp…
The Pitch Podcast: Why It's Time to Ditch Shark Tank for Good
Imagine a place where entrepreneurs can pitch their ideas without being overwhelmed by reality TV drama, where genuine support and authentic interactions take cente…
Crafting Confidence: The Crucial Role of the Competition Section…
This is part 11 of "The Ultimate Pitch Deck Guide for Startups," a fundraising guide made in partnership with DECKO, a leading pitch deck development comp…
Show Me (How You Make) The Money: Conveying Your Revenue Model …
This is part ten of "The Ultimate Pitch Deck Guide for Startups," a fundraising guide made in partnership with DECKO, a leading pitch deck development com…
Your Go-To-Guide to Go-To-Market Slides
This is part nine of "The Ultimate Pitch Deck Guide for Startups," a fundraising guide made in partnership with DECKO, a leading pitch deck development co…
Beyond TAM, SAM, and SOM: Captivating Investors with Your Market…
This is part five of "The Ultimate Pitch Deck Guide for Startups," a fundraising guide made in partnership with DECKO, a leading pitch deck development company that…
The Problem Slide: How to Make Your Problem Statement Stick
This is part four of "The Ultimate Pitch Deck Guide for Startups," a fundraising guide made in partnership with DECKO, a leading pitch deck development company that…
VC Vernacular: The Vocabulary You’ll Need To Fundraise
This is part three of "The Ultimate Pitch Deck Guide for Startups," a fundraising guide made in partnership with DECKO, a leading pitch deck development company tha…
The Three Key Decks Every Founder Needs (With Examples)
This is part two of "The Ultimate Pitch Deck Guide for Startups," a fundraising guide made in partnership with DECKO, a leading pitch deck development company that&…
The Different Investors You’ll Meet and How to Tailor Your Pitch…
This is part one of "The Ultimate Pitch Deck Guide for Startups," a fundraising guide made in partnership with DECKO, a leading pitch deck development company that&…
How to manually add an RSS feed to your podcast app on desktop, …
You should be able to find The Pitch easily by searching in your podcast player of choice. But occasionally you may need to add a podcast RSS feed to your favorite …
Rejected From YC? These 5 YC Alternatives Let You Pitch to Many …
Who says a 'no' from YC is the end of the road? We’ve put together five fantastic alternatives to Y Combinator that might just be the perfect launchpad for your startup.
How Real Is Shark Tank?
Shark Tank has become a household name since its premiere in 2009. But how real is Shark Tank? And does it accurately represent the world of startup investments?
One Podcast, Three Acquisitions
Part 2 of The Pitch Origin Story. The story of how The Pitch was acquired by Gimlet Media, then Spotify, and finally bought back by Josh and Lisa.
The Pitch Origin Story Part 1, How It All Began
You might be surprised to hear Josh Muccio, host of The Pitch podcast, has a co-founder... and it's his wife. Hi! I’m Lisa Muccio and I’m the co-founde…