Welcome to Service First, a Proclaim Podcast! In this episode, host Ben Wiggins sits down with Andrew Kazlow, Founder and CEO of PitchFact, for an insightful conversation about entrepreneurship, angel investing, and the critical importance of customer discovery. Andrew shares a frustrating service failure that made him reconsider how founders should be treated, and opens up about the harsh feedback that nearly derailed his business idea—and why he's now grateful for it.

From his transition out of engineering to building a service provider for early-stage investment communities, Andrew discusses the biggest pain points in angel investing, the difference between vitamins and painkillers in business, and why disagreement about your idea might actually be a positive signal. He reveals his most triumphant moment as a founder, the dedication of his business partner Keaton, and current trends reshaping the venture capital landscape.

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Host: Ben Wiggins, Founder of Proclaim

Guest: Andrew Kazlow, Founder and CEO of PitchFact

Time Stamps:

(00:00 - 00:53) Intro

(00:54 - 2:45) Andrews worst service failure

(2:46 - 5:22) Andrews journey creating his own business

(5:23 - 8:26) What is PitchFact and what do they do

(8:27 - 11:13) Hardest things to hear as a business owner

(11:14 - 14:06) The emotional strength of an investor on their investees

(14:07 - 15:57) Feedback from investors

(15:58 - 17:05) Proclaims experience in the early days

(17:06 - 19:17) How to determine if your business is a good idea

(19:18 - 21:38) Most ridiculous reaction to success for Andrew

(21:39 - 22:58) Best service moment from a coworker

(22:59 - 28:11) The early stage ecosystem of businesses and how it’s changing

(28:12 - 29:56) Difference between an angel syndicate and a VC firm

(29:57 - 32:01) Things that Andrew does not like to see currently

(32:02 - 34:34) What should be happening in service

(34:35 - 35:21) Outro