2 Startup Founders Pitch + Get Unfiltered VC Feedback
02/11/25 • 33 min
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!
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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!
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Previous Episode
2 Startup Founders Have 1 Minute to Pitch (Live Feedback!)
Welcome back to the ultimate startup stage — where ambitious founders pitch their bold visions and receive unfiltered, transformative feedback from real venture investors. In Episode 051 of The Feedback Loop, we dive into two radically technical yet incredibly compelling pitches that push the boundaries of what’s possible in AI-driven engineering and SaaS innovation.
Each founder has just one minute to capture our attention before facing a barrage of insightful questions from host Sherveen Mashayekhi and guest investor Jesse Middleton. Their rapid-fire feedback not only refines these pitches but also unearths the subtle art of balancing technical depth with clear, compelling storytelling.
Be sure to comment on which pitch resonated with you the most and share your own feedback — after all, feedback is the catalyst for growth!
Follow Sherveen Mashayekhi:
• X: https://www.x.com/sherveen
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sherveenm
Follow Guest Investor Jesse Middleton:
• X: https://x.com/srcasm
In this episode, we cover how to:
Master technical storytelling: Learn how to simplify complex engineering narratives without sacrificing depth.
Bridge the gap between legacy and innovation: See how AI can enhance traditional systems engineering and drastically cut down development timelines.
Transform SaaS deployments: Discover the benefits of compiling infrastructure-as-code into versatile, on-prem solutions that keep sensitive data secure.
Balance detail with clarity: Witness how founders navigate investor questions to keep their pitch focused and compelling.
Understand market timing: From regulatory mandates to evolving enterprise needs, see how identifying the right entry point can make or break a pitch.
Ready to pitch live or attend The Feedback Loop? Visit afterfeedback.com to join our community of startup builders and investors.
Thank you to these brave founders for stepping into the spotlight. Remember: your pitch is the first step on the journey to success. Tune in, take notes, and transform your startup story!
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.
Startup founders – get inside the mind of top investors as they break down the next wave of AI tools, reimagine eldercare solutions, and push early-stage pitching to new heights. You’ve got one minute to grab their attention and a few more to prove you belong on the cap table. Subscribe for more essential, no-nonsense feedback on your startup journey.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Next Episode
Hinge-Meets-Yelp and AI Benchmarks | Ep. 053
Welcome back to The Feedback Loop, where we feature bold founders pitching their startup ideas to real venture investors – live, candid, and unfiltered.
In Episode 053, we’re joined by guest investor Leeor Mushin of Formation, a pre-seed and seed stage venture fund laser-focused on helping founders from the earliest phases of company building.
Each founder has one minute to pitch. Then, they receive raw, transformative feedback to help tighten their story, pre-address investor concerns, and chart a path to building a venture-scale business.
Follow Sherveen:
X: https://www.x.com/sherveen
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sherveenm
Follow Leeor:
X: https://x.com/lmushin
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/leeormushin
This episode's venture investor:
Leeor Mushin is the Founder & GP at Formation VC, a pre-seed and seed fund that invests at the “formation stage.” He partners with founders at the earliest stage, sometimes before there's even a deck. Leeor was previously a Principal at Floodgate (1st checks into Twitter, Lyft, Okta, Twitch, etc). He also created the 20|20 Fund, a venture club focused on investing in entrepreneurs from the Stanford GSB Class of 2020.
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.
Want to pitch your startup live or attend The Feedback Loop in person?
Head to afterfeedback.com to join our community of founders and investors.
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.
Key Takeaways:
When to use “famous company” analogies in your pitch – and when they might backfire
Why user incentives matter – especially in dating and consumer social
The complexity of AI reliability – are customers willing to pay for AI model benchmarking?
Fine-tuning your storytelling – it’s not just about hooking interest, but resolving key questions so investors walk away confident in your vision
If you’re into venture capital, dating apps, AI benchmarks, or early-stage startup strategy, you’ll find tons of insights in this episode. Drop a comment on your favorite pitch, and don’t forget: feedback is a gift—to founders, to investors, and to everyone on this startup journey.
In a job search? Check out 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 decisions.
Help us power the next generation of founders – like, share, subscribe, and see you in the comments!
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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