When Mike Slagh left the military, he wanted to find a job in tech, but he couldn’t get his foot in the door. And then he found out that he was one of approximately 300,000 service members who every year struggle to make the transition back into the workforce. So Mike decided to do something about it and started Shift. 
Today's investors are Phil Nadel, Jillian Manus, Daniel Gulati and James Altucher.
Our show is produced by Josh Muccio, Kareem Maddox, and Molly Donahue. We are edited by Devon Taylor. Our Theme Music is by Breakmaster Cylinder, with original music composed by The Muse Maker, Bobby Lord and Haley Shaw. We were mixed by Enoch Kim with help from Matt Boll. Lisa Muccio plans our recording events and thanks to Asthaa Chaturvedi for her reporting on this episode.

Shift (#15)

Where real startup founders pitch to real investors—for real money.
Forget everything you think you know about the world of venture capital. Host Josh Muccio takes listeners behind closed-doors and into the room where deals are made.
Part of the Vox Media Podcast Network.

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Growing up as a pastor's kid, Emmanuel Brown saw what a financial burden church real estate can be. Churches sit empty 70% of the week even though they have commercial kitchens and professional sound systems and oh so much space for activities! So Emmanuel built ChurchSpace, a church rental marketplace. He has faith in his business – but can he convert investors if they believe congregations are shrinking?
Featuring investors Jillian Manus, Beck Bamberger and Mac Conwell.
...
Watch the ChurchSpace pitch on YouTube @thepitchshow
To invest with the VCs on the show, join our investor community at thepitch.fund
Founders can apply to pitch at our next recording event in San Francisco this June. No intro required, just go to pitch.show/apply
Superfans can join The Pitch UNCUT and get early access to unedited versions of all ten pitches on season 11.
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#128 ChurchSpace: Airbnb for Churches

Kavitta Ghai struggled in school due to autism and ADHD until a positive experience with a college professor transformed her academic journey. Convinced this was the future, she launched a startup to make classrooms more accessible. Now, she just needs a VC to lead her $3 million seed round. Will Kavitta pass the test with the investors in The Pitch Room?
Featuring investors Cyan Banister, Charles Hudson, Elizabeth Yin, Mac Conwell and Paige Finn Doherty.
...
Watch the Nectir pitch on YouTube @thepitchshow
To invest with the VCs on the show, join our investor community at thepitch.fund
Founders can apply to pitch at our next recording event in San Francisco this June. No intro required, just go to pitch.show/apply
Superfans can join The Pitch UNCUT and get early access to unedited versions of all ten pitches on season 11.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

#127 Nectir: The Classroom of the Future

The Pitch is back for season 11! Recorded for the first time in front of a live studio audience, we invited the top startup founders and VCs from across the country to join us in Miami. Visionary founders will pitch everything from pants you can pee in, to Airbnb for churches. And it wouldn’t be 2024 if we didn’t throw in some AI and alternative investments!
Tune in to season 11 to hear the true story of how venture deals get done. And this season, a LOT of deals get done.

Watch FULL episodes on YouTube this season @thepitchshow.

Invest with us alongside top VCs via The Pitch Fund.


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Season 11: We're Bringing the Heat

For our season 10 finale, we’re trying something crazy. We’re giving you a full pitch from start to finish with no editing whatsoever! Founder Chase Robbins presents his snack delivery business, Handle, to investors Paige Doherty, Neal Bloom, Elizabeth Yin, Mark Phillips and Charles Hudson. Will they back this college dropout who promises on-campus deliveries in 15-minutes or less? Or will they steer clear of a space that's seen billions of VC dollars go up in flames?
You can also watch the Handle pitch on YouTube. To learn more about Chase's snack delivery startup and the investors featured on this episode, check out the Handle show page.
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Chapters:
(0:00) Introduction and season finale announcement by Josh Muccio
(1:30) Pitch by Chase Robbins, founder of Handle
(3:22) Questions from investors about profitability, customer acquisition, and supplier base
(9:43) Chase Robbins' plan for expansion and discussion on potential market size
(13:54) Operational challenges, solutions, and current tests in the company
(20:26) Discussion on delivery speed, customer retention, and the trust aspect in the business model
(23:05) Neil Bloom's question about using delivery bots and future use of drones for delivery
(25:20) Elizabeth Yin brings up the issue of student turnover and aging out of the demographic
(34:53) Investors give their final thoughts and investment decisions
(45:49) After The Pitch: Josh interviews Chase Robbins
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#126 Handle: The Uncut Pitch

Online shopping was supposed to make things easier. But with so many options, it’s also made our shopping experience more fragmented than ever. Kristine Locker set out to fix that with her social shopping app Locker. However, her target demographic is a couple generations behind most VCs. Can Kristine convince investors she has the solution to a problem they don’t experience or will they abandon this startup in the cart?
You can also watch the Locker pitch on YouTube. Today’s investors are Beck Bamberger, Al Bsharah, Jillian Manus, and Howie Diamond.
To learn more about Kristine's retail tech startup and the investors featured on this episode, check out the Locker show page.
Enjoying the podcast? Use this link to text a friend!
Chapters:
(0:00) Introduction from Josh Muccio and overview of the episode
(2:21) Kristine Locker's pitch for Locker
(5:47) Discussion on possible B2B opportunities and go-to-market strategy for Locker
(9:15) Deep dive into the team behind Locker and their vision for the next five years
(12:58) Investor decisions and overall thoughts on the business
(15:45) Investors debrief after Kristine leaves the room
(18:34) After The Pitch: Kristine Locker shares updates on funding opportunities and challenges
(21:45) Discussion on the future of retail and online commerce
(24:14) Kristine's plans for Locker moving forward
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Shift (#15)

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