The Feedback Loop

2 startup founders pitch, 2 venture investors give them unfiltered feedback on their concept and storytelling – live, candid, and unfiltered! In Episode 058, two ambitious entrepreneurs tackle dramatically different domains: AI-enabled, synthetic market research and a female healthtech startup targeting PMS and PMDD.

It's time for Episode 058 of The Feedback Loop!

Guest Investor

Mirit Lugassi is an investor at Laconia Capital, where she leads pre-seed and seed investments in B2B software companies. She cut her teeth in finance and fintech operations, including scaling a venture-backed AI/ML fintech startup (DueDil) and serving as VP of Customer Operations at an edtech company (Batelle). She then led investment strategy at SeedImpact, orchestrating deals between mission-driven angels and founders, and helped build 51 Unicorns, an investment club focused on female retail investors.

Follow Mirit on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/miritlugassi

Follow Sherveen on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sherveenm

Follow Sherveen on X: https://www.x.com/sherveen

What you'll learn in this episode:

Skepticism around subjective topics like supplements or AI “hallucination” is normal – address it head-on. Preemptive clarity about data reliability, clinical rigor, or how your tech differs from the “AI slop” out there builds investor trust and proves you can handle big-stage scrutiny.

If you’re a biotech scientist or an AI data guru, show how your domain mastery and personal motivation uniquely qualify you to tackle this problem. Founders often hide their best credentials — if you have them, don’t hide them! It’s the first hook investors latch onto before caring about your product mechanics.

Complex Problems = Quick Education – If your solution is advanced or domain-specific (e.g., microbiome-based supplements, digital twins), lay out the basics early so investors grasp the scale and urgency of your mission. Give them enough early context to be dangerous.

In a short window, you need to educate investors on the essentials of your domain – then tease the bigger opportunity. Show enough surprising data or traction so they want to do more diligence. Clarity on the “what” and “why” ensures they’ll invite a second, deeper conversation.

AI or biotech “moats” aren’t just about patents or LLM stack. Your go-to-market approach – channels, partnerships, early adopters – often decides who wins. Build a compelling plan to reach customers and feed back proprietary insights (e.g., user data, clinically verifiable outcomes) that strengthen your position.

Want to Pitch Your Startup Live?

Apply now at afterfeedback.com and join our growing community of founders and investors.

Thank you to these intrepid founders for stepping into the spotlight. The Feedback Loop is here to help refine your pitch, sharpen your go-to-market, and share battle-tested investor perspectives. Make sure to subscribe for more real-time, no-nonsense feedback on how to pitch your startup.

In a Job Search?

It’s more competitive than ever. Explore our newest channel for 2025’s ultra-competitive talent landscape: https://youtu.be/dlbfZJmY8t8

Disclaimer: This content is for educational purposes only and does not constitute investment advice. Always do your own research before making any investment decision.

If you’re exploring market research disruptions, AI data platforms, women’s health, or gut microbiome breakthroughs, you’ll find tons of insight here. Like, comment, and share with a friend in the trenches – because feedback is a gift!

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AI for RFP Automation? Local language models for SaaS? Corporate sustainability and B Corp certification? We’ve got all that — and more...

Welcome to Episode 052 of The Feedback Loop — where early-stage founders get direct, no-nonsense feedback from real venture investors! In this episode, two founders step into the hot seat to pitch their big ideas: one is building local language models to automate RFPs for SaaS companies, and the other is helping businesses streamline their corporate sustainability journey (including B Corp certification). Complex businesses in unsexy markets – so how do you tell that story!?

Each founder has just one minute to pitch, followed by candid Q&A with host Sherveen Mashayekhi (Founder & CEO of Free Agency & angel investor) and guest investor Jesse Middleton (General Partner at Flybridge, investing in the early stage). Watch as they dissect everything from market sizing to go-to-market strategy, revealing the power of great storytelling in a pitch.

Along the way, you’ll hear:

Why domain focus and on-prem/local models can be vital when confidentiality and compliance matter.

The art of pitching sustainability: how to avoid alienating investors and instead emphasize bottom-line benefits, brand advantages, and ecosystem impact.

How a killer story is often more memorable than a direct answer to every single investor question.

Why politics or controversial statements can derail a pitch—and how to frame compelling narratives that persuade both believers and skeptics.

As always, The Feedback Loop is hosted by Sherveen Mashayekhi, a repeat founder, angel investor, and LP in multiple venture capital funds. He’s on a mission to help people reach the height of their ambition. In this case, that means helping sharpen startup pitches so founders can raise money, hire world-class teams, and sell their product with confidence.

Our guest investor for this episode is Jesse Middleton, General Partner at Flybridge (an early-stage VC firm with investments in MongoDB, Firebase, Codecademy, Bowery, and many more). He is also an Investment Partner at Next Wave NYC and The Community Fund, was a founding team member at WeWork, and led the technology group at LivePerson. He’s also served as a key advisor to companies like fitmob, inDinero, and Squire.

Follow Sherveen on X: https://www.x.com/sherveen

Follow Sherveen on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sherveenm

Follow Jesse on X: https://x.com/srcasm

In a job search? Check out our newest channel for next-level advice in 2025’s ultra-competitive talent marketplace:

https://youtu.be/dlbfZJmY8t8

Interested in pitching live or attending The Feedback Loop in person? Visit afterfeedback.com to learn more.

Thank you to these visionary founders for stepping onto the stage. The Feedback Loop exists to help founders refine their story and take their next leap. Your pitch is the first step on the journey to success — be sure to subscribe for more no-nonsense feedback on how to pitch your startup.

Note: This content is for educational purposes only and does not constitute investment advice. Always do your own research before making any investment decisions.

Share Your Favorite Pitch

Which founder made you lean in? Who changed your mind the most? Let us know in the comments, and offer your own feedback—after all, feedback is a gift!

If you’re in venture capital, AI/ML, SaaS, sustainability tech, or building the next wave of B2B products, stick around: we’re all about the early stages of raising pre-seed, seed, or Series A. Subscribe, and share this with a friend who’s on their own startup journey!

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On the latest episode, 4 startups pitch their vision of the future. This is the second half of a particular session of The Feedback Loop.

Because the thing that can hold even the best founders back from reaching their ambition? Their pitch. Whether a startup founder is raising money, recruiting a team, or selling their product, it's the pitch at the start of any given conversation that starts them on a journey to success.

As always, hosted by Sherveen Mashayekhi, Founder & CEO of Free Agency. Follow him on X at @Sherveen. Find our guest host, Mat Kaliski of FirstGen & Acronym Venture Capital, on Twitter at @matkaliski.

More on Virginie:

​​​Mat Kaliski is a Principal at Acronym Venture Capital, an early stage fund focused on late seed and early Series A rounds across B2B SaaS and omni-channel consumer companies. He’s also the founder of FirstGen, an organization dedicated to supporting immigrant and first generation founders by helping them raise their first $1M in funding and get to $1M in revenue through the 4Cs: Capabilities, Capital, Customers, and Community. Mat was also the co-founder of Founders Friday.

To attend The Feedback Loop in-person or apply to pitch as a founder, head to afterfeedback.com.

Thank you to all of the brave founders who participated in this episode. The Feedback Loop is dedicated to creating an engine of support for startup founders attempting to change the way the earth spins. We're on your side.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It's time for Episode 034 of The Feedback Loop! And this one gets intense.

We go from talking about a fintech platform focused on retail loyalty programs to predictive AI for medical billing to the concept of investing in high-value influencers... all the way to a debate about whether our phones listen to us or 2020 had puppeteers behind it.

Timestamps:

00:00 - Welcome and intros

01:55 - Rewards and local loyalty (Huzza World)

15:50 - Predictive AI for medical billing

31:23 - Invest in Justin before he became Bieber (Creator Stock X)

39:02 - Uh oh! (Creator Stock X, continued)

47:48 - Takeaways, favorites, and bye!

You just have to watch it to believe it.

As always, hosted by Sherveen Mashayekhi, Founder & CEO of Free Agency. ​Today's guest investor is Lainy Painter Singh, Partner at Craft Ventures.

The Feedback Loop is all about getting ambitious founders on stage to pitch and get unfiltered feedback from experienced, honest investors.

Because the thing that can hold even the best founders back from reaching their ambition? Their pitch. Whether a startup founder is raising money, recruiting a team, or selling their product, it's the pitch at the start of any given conversation that starts them on a journey to success.

For those founders on stage and in the audience, it's an answer to the essential query: how to pitch your startup.

More on our guest investor for the episode:

Lainy Painter Singh is a Partner at Craft Ventures, an early stage venture fund with a focus on B2B SaaS startups — where she's invested in companies like ClickUp, Instawork, and Trusted Health. She was previously an investor at Battery Ventures, spent time in biz ops at Gainsight, and started her career at Goldman Sachs (on their tech investment team). She is also an active member of All Raise, the nonprofit on a mission to make tech more accessible, equitable, and diverse.

Follow Sherveen: https://x.com/Sherveen

Follow Lainy: https://x.com/lainypainter

To attend The Feedback Loop in-person or apply to pitch as a founder, head to afterfeedback.com.

Thank you to all of the brave founders who participated in this episode. The Feedback Loop is dedicated to creating an engine of support for startup founders attempting to change the way the earth spins. We're on your side.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What happens when you build a startup targeted at... yourself? On today's episode of The Feedback Loop, two founders built their business to fix issues in their own industry.

First, a longtime NYC nanny reimagines the family-caregiver dynamic – building a platform that prioritizes both sides for better, more personal childcare matches. Then, a sports-tech entrepreneur unveils a mobile-first booking and socials & replay system for sports clubs, drawing on his team's experience building a ping pong platform (yes, really) and building apps like Equinox and Nike+ Running.

Each founder has just a minute to pitch, followed by candid feedback from our resident investors. If you’re wrestling with marketplace strategy or bridging digital and physical experiences, you’ll see how to translate insider insights into a pitch that hooks investors, solves real pain, and drives adoption.

Time for Episode 065 of The Feedback Loop!

The investor feedback comes from our host, Sherveen Mashayekhi, founder and CEO of venture-backed Free Agency. He's also an angel investor and an LP in multiple venture funds. Each week, he's joined by a rotating seat featuring a guest venture investor, and this week, that's...

Guest Investor: Lauren Reeves

​Lauren Reeves is an Investor at MGV, an early stage SaaS fund based in SF and NYC. She also leads the team's east coast startup ecosystem initiatives. She brings a unique technical background to the judges' table — having previously been a software engineer building in AI, ML, and at notable companies like BlackRock, Postmates, and Alto Pharmacy.

Follow Lauren on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lauren-a-reeves

Follow Sherveen on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sherveenm

Follow Sherveen on X (Twitter): https://www.x.com/sherveen

What we learn on this episode...

Childcare Hiring: Traditional job boards and agencies haven’t caught up to modern families—or the caregivers who do the real work. Hear how a founder spent 12 years as a nanny in NYC, building a new, more personal approach to matching.

Sports Venue Modernization: Bookings, replays, in-venue experiences: replacing labor costs with software can transform margins and user delight. But how do you convince legacy clubs and fitness centers to “modernize”?

Real Pitch Advice for Marketplaces: Whether targeting busy parents, club owners, or any unsexy vertical, see how clarity about who pays, why they pay, and how you’re different can make or break a venture.

Want to Pitch Your Startup Live?

Apply now at afterfeedback.com and join our growing community of founders and investors.

In a Job Search?

Explore our newest channel for 2025’s ultra-competitive talent landscape:

https://youtu.be/dlbfZJmY8t8

Thank you to these intrepid founders for stepping into the spotlight. The Feedback Loop is here to help refine your pitch, sharpen your go-to-market, and share battle-tested investor perspectives. Make sure to subscribe for more real-time, no-nonsense feedback on how to pitch your startup.

Disclaimer: This content is for educational purposes only and does not constitute investment advice. Always do your own research before making any investment decision.

Amina Sako, founder of Karama: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amina-sako-a12782141

Ben Borton, co-founder of PodPlay Technologies: https://www.linkedin.com/in/borton

Drop a comment – feedback is the lifeblood of builders everywhere!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.