I used to believe that telling my story in full was enough to inspire trust—and capital. But the truth is, how you position your story in a pitch can be the difference between another “we’ll pass” and your next funding round.

In this episode, we discussed what it really means to be the guide in your pitch, how to turn cold intros into warm investor relationships, and how to align with capital that actually gets your mission.

If you’re pitching, fundraising, or simply trying to get people to rally behind your vision, this is your map. Take notes. Share it with your team. Then tighten your narrative to make everyone around you a hero.

There’s nothing fluffy about storytelling—it’s a core investor strategy. 

Your pitch should connect purpose, people, and proof. Otherwise, it’s just noise.

What You’ll Learn:

💠 Why founders must stop pitching like the hero—and what to do instead

💠 A plug-and-play framework for guiding your customers through transformation

💠 How to fundraise with zero investor network and still land warm intros

💠 The one mindset shift that builds trust with investors faster

💠 Why alignment, not access, is the hidden growth lever for diverse founders

💠 How to get in front of capital that already believes in your category

Timestamps:

00:00:00 — Positioning founders as the guide instead of the hero

01:01:07 — Your pitch is a strategy, not just a story — intro to Pitch2Yes

01:01:54 — Why clarity and heart matter in funding

04:04:21 — Burnout to purpose: Sabrina’s own hero’s journey

06:06:48 — Making customers a hero through impact

08:08:48 — Capital Engine: Getting founders investor-ready

00:11:53 — Why choosing the right investor matters most

00:15:27 — What’s your superpower investors aren’t seeing?

00:19:37 — Community and lived experience drives credibility

00:21:53 — Top learning point #1 — Story alignment

00:22:29 — Top learning point #2 — Everyone gets to be the hero

00:22:45 — Top learning point #3 — Build the right rooms

00:23:04 — Top learning point #4 — Storytelling is strategy

00:23:22 — Top learning point #5 — Reverse-engineer warm intros

00:23:40 — Top learning point #6 — Community closes funding

00:23:52 — How are you showing up as the guide?

00:24:13 — Closing: Review + help raise your business to the next level

🎧 Related Episodes You’ll Love

📍 Ep 171 – Why Founders Fail When They Ignore This with Monica McKitterick

📍 Ep 170 – From Implementation to Optimization: Never Lose a Client Again Ep 170 with Sandra Johnson

📍 Ep 169 – How AgeTech Startups Win Hospital Trust With Wound-Care Pilots Ep 169 with Amy Cassata

🎤 Be a Featured Guest on the Provider’s Edge

Have traction and a story to share? Apply to join us on the show: PulsePointPath.com/Call-Sabrina

📊 Ready to turn your pitch into a magnet? 

Send us your draft, let me rewrite it for you 👉 PitchToYes.com

🎯 Get You In Front of Investors

We match you with the most aligned investors and decision-makers who care about your niche already. Apply at CapitalEngine.vc

Curious why your traction isn’t translating into checks?

Listen in as we uncover the investor signals that actually matter—and why underrepresented founders can win by doing things differently.

Emotionally real, data-backed, and full of practical gems, this conversation isn’t just another funding 101—it's a readiness check.

As founders, we often chase capital. But what if you could attract it instead—with clarity, confidence, and aligned storytelling?

You’ll leave this episode knowing how to prove your startup is not just growing—but built to scale.

🔶The 3 investor-proven metrics that matter most at the early stage (burn multiple, NRR, GTM traction)

🔶How to assess if your team is truly operationally ready to scale

🔶Why authentic founder storytelling creates trust that closes checks

🔶How underrepresented and female founders can turn their “difference” into a pitch superpower

🔶What investors like DFX and Gangel look for when deciding to fund diverse teams

🔶How to use the Sales Heat Metric to align your pitch with urgency and trust

Timestamps:

00:02:12 – Part two of the Funding for Women panel: What “ready to scale” really means

00:03:13 – Key investor metrics: burn multiples, NRR, and repeatable GTM channels 

00:05:55 – Operational readiness: why your team is the real growth engine 

00:07:24 – Sabrina’s “Sales Key Metrics” framework for founder storytelling 

00:10:25 – Capital Engine: helping healthcare founders scale smart 

00:12:06 – Turning bias into connection and trust with investors 

00:16:08 – How underrepresented founders can turn “different” into “undeniable” 

00:18:46 – Emotional readiness and authentic storytelling for founders

 00:22:00 – From chasing to attracting the right investors and partners 

00:23:13 – Recap: aligning metrics, mindset, and message 

🎧 Related Episodes You’ll Love

📍Ep  173- Who Are the Founders That Win Investor Trust Fast?

📍Ep 164- Busy or Scaling? The Founder Habit That Sabotages Real Growth

📍Ep 168- What Turns a Good HealthTech Pitch Into a ‘Yes’ for Women Founders

🎤 Be a Featured Guest on the Provider’s Edge

Have traction and a story to share? Apply to join us on the show: PulsePointPath.com/Call-Sabrina

📊 Ready to turn your pitch into a magnet? 

Send us your draft, let me rewrite it for you 👉 PitchToYes.com

🎯 Get You In Front of Investors

We match you with the most aligned investors and decision-makers who care about your niche already. Apply at CapitalEngine.vc

If you’ve ever thought, “I need to be more ready before I pitch,” this episode is your wake-up call. 

In this live panel from the Venture Vitality Roundtable, you’ll hear from four powerhouse women who are reshaping startup capital—from DFX funding strategies to investor readiness, go-to-market scaling, and how to avoid founder burnout.

We’re talking real traction, real funding conversations, and the new rules of storytelling that convert. 

This isn’t just another panel—this is a masterclass in becoming 100% compelling, even when you’re not “fully ready.”

Learn (What You’ll Take Away)

✅ The 5 ecosystem layers every founder must optimize to scale sustainably

✅ How the bar for investor readiness has shifted in today’s venture climate

✅ What investors actually want to hear in early-stage pitches

✅ Why female founders should stop over-explaining and start boldly asking

✅ How to pitch for capital without burning out or sacrificing clarity

As women in HealthTech and BioTech, we often hold ourselves back, thinking we need to be perfect before we’re persuasive. But readiness isn’t about checking every box—it’s about showing up with conviction, clarity, and confidence. 

This conversation will remind you that you are your company’s most valuable asset—and that being compelling is a strategy, not a personality trait.

Timestamps:

00:03:10 - Alice Liao on scaling from zero to exit and the realities of building globally 

00:04:15 - Jennifer Jeronimo on Gaingel’s mission for accessible and diverse venture capital 

00:07:32 - Archita Fritz on preparing founders for private equity exits and sustainable growth 

00:09:43 - Sabrina joins the panel: shifting from chasing funding to attracting the right capital 

00:14:41 - How investor readiness has evolved in the current venture landscape 

00:17:36 - The new pre-revenue signals investors look for 

00:21:30 - Common fundraising myths that hold women back 

00:26:34 - Final reflections and episode wrap-up

🎧 Related Episodes You’ll Love

📍 Ep 171 – Why Founders Fail When They Ignore This with Monica McKitterick

📍 Ep 170 – From Implementation to Optimization: Never Lose a Client Again Ep 170 with Sandra Johnson

📍 Ep 169 – How AgeTech Startups Win Hospital Trust With Wound-Care Pilots Ep 169 with Amy Cassata

🎤 Be a Featured Guest on the Provider’s Edge

Have traction and a story to share? Apply to join us on the show: PulsePointPath.com/Call-Sabrina

📊 Ready to turn your pitch into a magnet? 

Send us your draft, let me rewrite it for you 👉 PitchToYes.com

🎯 Get You In Front of Investors

We match you with the most aligned investors and decision-makers who care about your niche already. Apply at CapitalEngine.vc

Tired of cold-pitching investors who don’t get what you’re building?

What if capital started chasing you?

In this episode, I sat down with a panel of seasoned investors during our Venture Vitality Roundtable to unpack what truly makes a startup irresistible to aligned capital.

We’re talking beyond pitch decks—this is about market readiness, community-first traction, and the kind of 2-minute pitch that gets shared in closed-door investor chats.

This is the mindset shift every Seed to Series B founder needs to hear.

• Why product-market fit is overrated (and what to chase instead)
• How to become fundraising fluent so you stop wasting time
• What investors actually want to hear in your pitch
• The secret to getting great capital to chase you
• Why problem validation is the real unlock for early traction
• How to build a pre-launch community that sells for you later

1. What’s the last market validation conversation you had—before building anything?
2. Can you pitch your company in 2 minutes with no slides?

Timestamps:

00:00:00 - Why some startups attract capital instead of chasing it 

00:02:11 - The hidden struggles of raising money (Marie’s perspective) 

00:03:57 - Training founders to be fundraising fluent (Kurt’s insights) 

00:06:01 - Alternative capital sources + accelerator/venture studio models 

00:07:23 - Market readiness beats product-market fit 

00:09:58 - The 100 Customer Challenge: Validating the problem first 

00:11:52 - Why a 2-minute video pitch beats any deck 

00:13:07 - Build community before building your product 

00:17:05 - Healthcare pilots and clinical trials as proof of traction 

00:21:32 - Five core lessons to make your startup truly investable

🎧 Related Episodes You’ll Love

• Ep 174 – Who Are the Founders That Win Investor Trust Fast?
• Ep 169 – How AgeTech Startups Win Hospital Trust With Wound-Care Pilots
• Ep 168 – What Turns a Good HealthTech Pitch Into a ‘Yes’ for Women Founders

🎤 Be a Featured Guest on the Provider’s Edge

Have traction and a story to share? Apply to join us on the show: PulsePointPath.com/Call-Sabrina

📊 Ready to turn your pitch into a magnet? 

Send us your draft, let me rewrite it for you 👉 PitchToYes.com

🎯 Get You In Front of Investors

We match you with the most aligned investors and decision-makers who care about your niche already. Apply at CapitalEngine.vc

What happens when six bold women founders get two minutes to pitch life-changing health innovations… and three minutes to prove they’re investor-ready?

You get this episode. Real traction. Real questions. Real feedback.

And the blueprint for turning your pitch into a strategic partnership.

From point-of-care diagnostics to digital therapeutics for fibroids, non-hormonal contraception, and military-grade triage tech—each founder had just two minutes to make their case and three minutes to defend it.

Here’s what you’ll walk away with:

🔑How to communicate your FDA and reimbursement strategy in 30 seconds or less

🔑Why NIH-backed data and patient voice interviews are pitch power tools

🔑What separates “cool tech” from “capital-efficient” models investors will back

🔑How to position your solution as a platform, not a product

🔑Why B2B2C models in women’s health are gaining real ground

🔑What to include (and cut) when you only have 2 minutes to shine

Timestamps:

00:02:42 – Live Pitch Tank: Six Women Founders Take the Stage

00:03:46 – Nancy (AmplifiDX): 15-Minute Women’s Health Diagnostics

00:09:23 – Tanu (FlowCare): Fixing Period Product Access in Public Spaces

00:14:52 – Natasha (Myocurrent): Tackling Fibroids with Digital Therapeutics

00:21:01 – Mehek (Manglovo): Reinventing Birth Control with a Weekly, Hormone-Free Pill

00:26:45 – Jessica (Omedus): Saving Lives with Smarter Triage Tech

00:32:53 – Goli (Cosm Medical): Personalized Solutions for Pelvic Health

43:30 – And the Winners Are…

44:07 – Investor Secrets: Five Lessons for a Standout Pitch

🎧 Related Episodes You’ll Love

📍 Ep 171 – Why Founders Fail When They Ignore This with Monica McKitterick

📍 Ep 170 – From Implementation to Optimization: Never Lose a Client Again Ep 170 with Sandra Johnson

📍 Ep 169 – How AgeTech Startups Win Hospital Trust With Wound-Care Pilots Ep 169 with Amy Cassata

🎤 Be a Featured Guest on the Provider’s Edge

Have traction and a story to share? Apply to join us on the show: PulsePointPath.com/Call-Sabrina

📊 Ready to turn your pitch into a magnet? 

Send us your draft, let me rewrite it for you 👉 PitchToYes.com

🎯 Get You In Front of Investors

We match you with the most aligned investors and decision-makers who care about your niche already. Apply at CapitalEngine.vc

Why do some founders raise with ease—while others, equally talented, get ghosted?

In this episode, we reverse the roles: three HealthTech investors answer real questions from early-stage founders on what makes them say “yes.”

If you’ve ever poured your heart into a pitch only to hear crickets, this conversation will make you feel seen—and help you shift from being overlooked to oversubscribed.

Tune in to hear what Naomi Goez, Jasper, and Veda say are the green flags they look for, the red flags they avoid, and what turns a promising founder into a confident “yes.”

The way you show up, communicate, and align your mission with momentum might be the single most fundable thing you do this quarter.

💡 What You’ll Learn:

🎯What specific traits make investors instantly lean in

🎯Why fast follow-up and Loom videos might close your next round

🎯How investor diligence actually works from their side of the table

🎯What red flags will quietly kill a deal (even if your product is great)

🎯Why building for women’s health is no longer niche—it’s a movement

🎯How founders can turn passion into long-term performance

Timestamps:

00:03:04 - Meet the investor panel: Naomi, Jasper, Veda

00:07:32 - Capital Engine: Preparing founders for the right rooms

00:08:16 - Beyond the pitch: What investors really look for

00:09:59 - Red flags that stop investors in their tracks

00:13:22 - How investors support founders beyond capital

00:15:26 - Key green flags: Urgency, consistency, passion

00:24:30 - Four must-know investor questions

🎧 Related Episodes You’ll Love



📍 Ep 171 – Why Founders Fail When They Ignore This with Monica McKitterick

📍 Ep 170 – From Implementation to Optimization: Never Lose a Client Again Ep 170 with Sandra Johnson

📍 Ep 169 – How AgeTech Startups Win Hospital Trust With Wound-Care Pilots Ep 169 with Amy Cassata

✅Here are 3 ways we can support you right now:

🎤 Be a Featured Guest on the Provider’s Edge
 Have traction and a story to share? Apply to join us on the show: PulsePointPath.com/Call-Sabrina 

📊 Ready to turn your pitch into a magnet? 

Send us your draft, let me rewrite it for you 👉 PitchToYes.com

🎯 Get You In Front of Investors
We match you with the most aligned investors and decision-makers who care about your niche already. Apply at CapitalEngine.vc 

When you’re building a healthcare startup, there’s one resource you can’t afford to waste—your people. 

Too often, founders lose top talent because they rely on quick fixes instead of designing compensation and incentives that keep employees engaged for the long haul.

In this episode, I sat down with Scott Trumpolt, a compensation consultant with 30+ years of HR experience, including 12 years advising startups and healthcare companies. 

We explore how founders can balance equity vs. pay, stay transparent with teams, and build incentive structures that attract talent, retain high performers, and strengthen investor confidence, all while making people feel valued and aligned with the mission.

🔑 How compensation and engagement together drive retention

🔑 Ways early-stage founders can balance equity, cash, and variable pay

🔑 Why transparency builds trust and loyalty inside small teams

🔑 How tying incentives to milestones strengthens investor confidence

Timestamps:

 00:00:00 – Why talent needs more than pay to stay

00:01:47 – Why retention matters in early-stage startups

00:03:16 – Scott’s 30-year journey in HR and consulting

00:05:58 – Appreciation as a retention factor

00:08:52 – Equity, variable pay, and survival mode

00:12:25 – Capital Engine: investor readiness support

00:16:51 – Hiring for today’s needs vs. future scalability

00:19:59 – Candidate frustrations: ghosting and misfit hiring

00:23:05 – Keeping people engaged during slow growth phases

00:25:23 – Career architecture as a hiring tool

00:29:51 – Using long-term incentives for senior leaders

00:33:15 – Sabrina’s closing call: apply lessons to your team

00:34:32 – Six key learning points from today’s episode

🎧 Related Episodes You’ll Love

🎤 Be a Featured Guest on the Provider’s Edge

Have traction and a story to share? Apply to join us on the show: PulsePointPath.com/Call-Sabrina

📊 Ready to turn your pitch into a magnet? 

Send us your draft, let me rewrite it for you 👉 PitchToYes.com

🎯 Get You In Front of Investors

We match you with the most aligned investors and decision-makers who care about your niche already. Apply at CapitalEngine.vc

Burnout isn’t just a clinical issue—it’s a leadership one. And most clinicians-turned-founders are burning the candle at both ends while trying to serve, scale, and stay sane. Monica McKitterick, PA-C, did it differently.

When she stopped leading from adrenaline and started building from alignment, everything shifted—her visibility, her support system, and her ability to scale without chaos.

“You’re doing too much” wasn’t an insult—it was a wake-up call. Monica shares what happened when she created space for actual relief… and why more clinicians need to stop hiding behind their grind.

Listen in to learn how Monica built a sustainable, multi-site practice while helping NPs and PAs claim their space in the DPC world.

Less hustle, more intention. Greater reach, deeper fulfillment. Learn what happens when you lead with your nervous system—not just your ambition.

💠Why leading from nervous system regulation creates scalable clarity

💠The #1 mindset shift Monica teaches clinicians who want to become founders

💠How to build visibility and trust—even if you’re terrible on camera

💠The hidden power of answering questions in Facebook groups

💠What it really takes to grow past $3M (hint: it’s not patient care)

💠How to know if entrepreneurship is right for you

Timestamps:

00:00:00 - Silent signals of burnout and why alignment matters

00:00:59 - Introducing guest Monica McKitterick, NP and DPC founder

00:02:57 - Monica’s story: from NP to direct primary care pioneer

00:05:27 - Burnout and the realization that scaling isn’t everything

00:07:26 - Sabrina on ecosystems: family, mentors, partners, community

00:11:18 - Giving back through boards and community service

00:14:05 - Key lessons from Monica’s book: entrepreneurship readiness

00:17:09 - Marketing, sales, and operations before $3M in revenue

00:19:54 - Redefining worth beyond revenue and patient numbers

00:24:22 - Staying open to the future and embracing change

00:24:40 - Encouragement for aspiring clinician-founders

00:27:48 - Monica’s journey: from provider to community leader

00:28:44 - The power of visibility and selling yourself as a founder

00:29:42 - Episode summary and five key learning points

00:30:41 - The hidden costs of doing it all yourself

🎧 Related Episodes You’ll Love

🎤 Be a Featured Guest on the Provider’s Edge

Have traction and a story to share? Apply to join us on the show: PulsePointPath.com/Call-Sabrina

📊 Ready to turn your pitch into a magnet? 

Send us your draft, let me rewrite it for you 👉 PitchToYes.com

🎯 Get You In Front of Investors

We match you with the most aligned investors and decision-makers who care about your niche already. Apply at PulsePointPath.com/Pitch-Application 

𝒀𝒐𝒖 𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒌 𝒉𝒂𝒓𝒅 𝒕𝒐 𝒘𝒊𝒏 𝒂 𝒄𝒍𝒊𝒆𝒏𝒕. 

But what happens after the go-live? 

Too many health tech companies lose momentum right when they should be deepening trust and adoption.

In this episode, I sit down with Sandra Johnson, SVP of Client Services at CliniComp, to talk about how their “system as a service” model keeps clinicians front and center, embeds users in every stage of product creation, and delivers interoperability that makes life easier for care teams—not harder.

Whether you’re an early-stage founder or scaling your solution, this conversation will help you see why optimization is your real retention strategy.

What you’ll learn in this episode:

🔶 How to turn “go-live” into the start of a stronger client relationship

🔶Why embedding end users early ensures adoption

🔶The role of interoperability in creating a 360° patient view

🔶How automation gives clinicians back their most valuable asset—time

🔶The strategic advantage of ongoing optimization for scaling startups

Episode Timestamp:

00:00:01 – Go live is just the beginning, not the end

00:01:48 – Introducing guest Sandra Johnson from CliniComp

00:03:05 – Sandra’s career journey in healthcare IT

00:05:44 – CliniComp’s unique “system as a service” model

00:09:15 – Collaborative partnership approach for long-term support

00:12:21 – Use cases across inpatient, outpatient, and long-term care

00:14:55 – Scalable platform, interoperability, and AI in EHR

00:17:10 – Expanding to global customers with full end-to-end solutions

00:20:49 – Summary of Sandra’s key insights

00:21:24 – Key Point #1: Customer retention starts at go live

00:22:03 – Key Point #2: Clinicians must lead product development

00:22:49 – Key Point #3: Interoperability as a growth lever

00:22:58 – Key Point #4: Workflow automation equals more patient time

00:23:26 – Key Point #5: Adaptability and scalability for all organizations

00:23:53 – Key Point #6: Awareness as a strategic barrier

Contact  Sandra Johnson, SVP of Client Services at CliniComp at: 

🎧 Related Episodes You’ll Love

📍 Ep 151- Tech Equity Is the Missing Link in Health Equity – How inclusive tech design drives adoption and improves outcomes.

📍 Ep 121- Navigating Capital Fundraising in Health Tech: Lessons from the Field – Strategies to position scalable platforms for investment.

📍 Ep 114- Nurse Entrepreneur: A Founder’s Perspective with Susan Davis – Frontline-led innovation and adoption insights that parallel CliniComp’s clinician-first approach.

✅ Want to Keep Growing Without Losing Clients?

Here are 3 ways we can help you today:

🎤 Be a Featured Guest on the Provider’s Edge

Have traction and a story to share? Apply to join us on the show: PulsePointPath.com/Call-Sabrina 

📊 Make Your Pitch Investor-Ready

Send us your draft and let me rewrite it so it becomes a funding magnet 👉 PitchToYes.com 

🚀 Get in Front of Investors Who Already Want What You’ve Built

Apply for a contestant spot at PulsePointPath.com/Pitch-Application and pitch to active investors and decision-makers in your niche.

What if a single piece of technology could improve patient healing rates by 35%—without adding extra work for clinicians?

That’s exactly what Swift Medical is proving with their AI-powered wound care platform. With over 30 million wound assessments and 40+ peer-reviewed studies, their solution integrates directly into existing EHR workflows, predicts complications before they happen, and enables providers to deliver faster, safer care.

In this episode, we uncover how founder partnerships, evidence-based AI, and seamless integration are transforming wound care from a hidden problem into a proactive part of recovery.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

🔑 Why wound care is one of healthcare’s most overlooked challenges

🔑 How AI is predicting complications before they escalate

🔑 The importance of interoperability in healthcare tech adoption

🔑 Why trust—not features—drives clinical adoption

🔑 How partnership accelerates market penetration for healthtech startups

Timestamps:

00:00:00 – Introduction: Why tech approval is more than just tech.

00:03:20 – Wounds as a critical yet overlooked issue.

00:05:43 – How wound care evolved over 25 years.

00:08:55 – Educating patients and providers with tech.

00:13:03 – Spotlighting healthcare domains.

00:17:57 – Evidence-based AI and clinical trust.

00:21:54 – Learning from 10 years of trial and error.

00:25:01 – Value-based care and patient outcomes.

00:28:00 – Navigating value-based ecosystems.

00:30:10 – Data capture challenges across systems.

00:31:59 – Wound care as an underestimated challenge.

00:32:54 – Six key points recap.

🎧 Related Episodes You’ll Love

• Ep 116 — Navigating the Shift: Optimizing Business Models for Scalable HealthTech Growth
• 
  
• Ep 117 — The Conference Chessboard: Winning Moves for HealthTech Networking and Deals
• 
  
• Ep 118 — The Hidden Cost of DIY: Why Top HealthTech CEOs Choose Strategic Partnerships
• 
  

🎤 Be a Featured Guest on the Provider’s Edge

Have traction and a story to share? Apply to join us on the show: PulsePointPath.com/Call-Sabrina

📊 Ready to turn your pitch into a magnet? 

Send us your draft, let me rewrite it for you 👉 PitchToYes.com

🎯 Get You In Front of Investors

We match you with the most aligned investors and decision-makers who care about your niche already. Apply at PulsePointPath.com/Pitch-Application