Hyper-local community news and unlimited beauty services

02/25/25 • 36 min

Welcome back to The Feedback Loop, where founders share bold ideas with real investors – receiving unfiltered, in-the-room feedback to help them refine their pitch, product, and story.

In Episode 056, two founders tackle hyper-local community news and a subscription platform for unlimited beauty services. Each founder gets one minute to pitch, followed by a candid deep-dive with host Sherveen Mashayekhi (Founder & CEO of Free Agency). Discover how they navigate potential investor pushback, handle sticky economic realities, and differentiate themselves from well-funded incumbents.

Follow Sherveen

X (formerly Twitter): https://www.x.com/sherveen

Threads: https://www.threads.net/@sherveenm

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sherveenm

Hosted by Sherveen Mashayekhi

A multi-time founder, angel investor, and LP in several venture capital funds, Sherveen is on a mission to help people reach the height of their ambition – be it landing dream offers or launching the next big startup. The Feedback Loop is his platform to deliver brutally honest yet encouraging feedback, letting founders sharpen their pitch before venture-scale conversations.

Want to pitch your startup live or attend The Feedback Loop in person?

Head to afterfeedback.com for more information.

Thank you to these visionary founders for stepping into the spotlight and sharing their big ideas. The Feedback Loop is here to refine your pitch and sharpen your narrative – so subscribe for more real-time, unfiltered feedback on how to actually pitch your startup.

In a job search? Check out our newest channel for 2025’s 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.

Make sure to like, subscribe, and share this episode with a friend – together, we can power the next generation of ambitious founders!

Key themes from the episode: hyper-local platforms, media tech, events startups, being "bored in the burbs," all-in-one startups, counter-positioning your startup, venture potential in local media, subscription-based services, beauty startups, the unlimited subscription business model, avoiding pitch traps, back-office SaaS, double-sided marketplaces, subs versus pay-per-use, integrated operating systems, and more!

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

Welcome back to The Feedback Loop, where founders share bold ideas with real investors – receiving unfiltered, in-the-room feedback to help them refine their pitch, product, and story.

Follow Sherveen

X (formerly Twitter): https://www.x.com/sherveen

Threads: https://www.threads.net/@sherveenm

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sherveenm

Hosted by Sherveen Mashayekhi

Want to pitch your startup live or attend The Feedback Loop in person?

Head to afterfeedback.com for more information.

In a job search? Check out our newest channel for 2025’s 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.

Make sure to like, subscribe, and share this episode with a friend – together, we can power the next generation of ambitious founders!

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

Previous Episode

AI for Fashion and "Duolingo for Sales"

Welcome back to The Feedback Loop, where founders take the stage, pitch their startups, and receive raw, no-nonsense feedback from real venture investors. In Episode 055, we hear from two ambitious founders pushing the boundaries of AI-driven style recommendations and AI-driven conversational sales training.

Each founder has one minute to pitch, followed by candid insights from host Sherveen Mashayekhi (Founder & CEO of Free Agency, angel investor, and multi-time founder). It’s an inside look at how to refine your story, tackle tough investor questions, and position your startup for venture-scale success.

Follow Sherveen

X (formerly Twitter): https://www.x.com/sherveen

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sherveenm

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.

If you’re into venture capital, AI styling, sales training, or early-stage startup growth, you’ll find a ton of insights here. Drop a comment on your favorite pitch, and don’t forget – feedback is a gift to every founder, investor, and community member on the startup journey.

In a job search? Check out our newest channel for 2025’s 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.

Make sure to like, subscribe, and share this episode with a friend – together, we can power the next generation of ambitious founders!

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

Next Episode

Earbuds That Track Your Focus? | 2 Founders Pitch!

Welcome back to The Feedback Loop, where founders pitch early-stage startups to real investors, getting unfiltered feedback and practical advice on how to sharpen their story. In this episode, we’re hosted by Sherveen Mashayekhi (Founder & CEO of Free Agency) and guest investor Mirit Lugassi from Laconia Capital – digging into two radically different early stage pitches.

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

Nailing Your 2nd Pitch – How to reframe your story if you’ve raised a small pre-seed and now you’re aiming for seed capital.

AI for Data Aggregation – Why focusing on specific use cases (like market basket analysis) can wow investors more than a generic AI solution.

Wearables Beyond Fitness – How EEG-based earbuds offer new frontiers in productivity, stress management, and potential health applications.

Investor Skepticism – Tactics for addressing reliability concerns in hardware & data signals, especially for frontier tech solutions.

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 into venture capital, AI data platforms, wearables, or frontier hardware, this episode is packed with insights. Like, comment, and share with a friend who’s building the next big thing—and remember, feedback is a gift for every founder and investor.

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