Meet Kim Perell, Marc Randolph and Sean Neff

Introduction to the Elevator Pitch Team

Adrian Hargrave

Why Did Our Investors Throw Out 3 Entrepreneurs Mid-Pitch?

The Board likes the technology and the potential, but the Soundskrit team will not disclose the valuation for the proposed round, their strategic partners or their forecasts. Soundskrit say they have spoken with consumer electronics manufacturers, such as laptops and earbuds and the fundraise is to help them go into production.

The Board does not invest in Soundskrit

Don't miss a tense, new Elevator Pitch episode -- watch now!

It’s a new week, so you know what that means: An all NEW Elevator Pitch is here, and you won’t want to miss this week’s exciting episode. While the ascent to our boardroom of investors is high for our four startups, the stakes and tension have never been higher. 

Watch as entrepreneurs pitching food-waste, children’s education, noise-canceling technology and solar-panel companies race against the clock to impress our three investors. Who is able to strike a deal, and whose business proposal is declared a “waste of time” by our judges?  

This episode is powered by ASU's Innovation Open, an annual competition for the world’s top collegiate tech ventures. Each startup you'll see on this episode is a previous Innovation Open winner.  Learn more at ASU.io

Peter Goldberg asks the Soundskrit team why they pitched without being able to give so many details. The Soundskrit team were hoping the Board would take a risk, but they will go back to existing investors now to raise the remaining money

What will Soundskrit do next?

Kiri is a non-screen learning system to teach kids new skills using AI and RFID. They are seeking $100K for 5% of the company. Modern educational toys are falling short of meeting children's needs, 90% are made of plastic and most of them have a limited life cycle in which the child is actively engaged in learning from the toy. Meet Kiri.

Pitch 2 - Kiri Toys Co-Founder Brandon Greenburg

This week's episode of Elevator Pitch features founders with all sorts of fascinating backgrounds. One entrepreneur claims a 9-figure sale of his last business while another has only been in business for six months. Another entrepreneur has put 12 years into his business and now needs investment. For what he doesn't make quite clear. But perhaps the most interesting background comes from Amy Beckley of Proov (a tech company that monitors women's hormone levels to optimize fertility), who appeared on the first season of Elevator Pitch. 

In her first Elevator Pitch appearance, Beckley failed to earn a deal because her business idea was too new and deemed too risky. Years later, she returned with proof of concept in the form of two small children. Will the kids help bolster her pitch or distract our investors?

She Brought a Baby to the Boardroom While Asking for $1 Million. There's No Way That Worked...Right?

My co-founders are a senior executive at a toy company and a Stanford Grad with an MBA. We are asking for a $2 million dollar valuation, we have raised $150K previously

Pitch 2 - Kiri co-founders background and the investment need

Kim offers $50K at the valuation,  Shaun offers $100K at a $1m valuation

Pitch 2 - Kiri: The Board's Verdict

his week's episode of Elevator Pitch features a founder with 20 years of experience in her industry...and an entrepreneur who's only 12 years old. The businesses on this episode are just as varied, spanning from fast food and mental health to job placement and fitness.

Like most startups, each founder and business have some weaknesses and concerns for our investors: entrepreneur Shaun Neff, angel investor Kim Perell and Netflix co-founder Marc Randolph. For example, how does a brick-and-mortar fitness class intend to deal with the long-reaching effects of Covid? Which business partner in the mom-and-daughter nail-care team holds more weight?

The first entrepreneur in the elevator faces an even simpler question: Who is his customer? While his patented french fry-holder makes it easier for customers at a fast-food restaurant to eat on the go, he's not actually selling to a McDonald's eater. He needs to sell to McDonald's management and other fast-food chains, which have different incentives and emphases than their customers. Will he satisfy the investors' concerns and have them bite on his invention?

You've Got a Great Invention. Now How Do You Get People to Buy It?

Kiri takes Shaun's offer of $100K for 10% of the company and Brandon explains why

Pitch 2 - Kiri, which offer will they take?

Swift Coat has a nanotechnology based coating that uses UV light from the sun to clean solar panels. 30% of solar panel power is lost due to dirt. Swift Coat has been awarded $2.5 million in federal funding and is looking to raise $75,000 in exchange for 1%

Pitch 3 - Swift Coat founder Peter Firth

This week's episode of Elevator Pitch features pitches from minority founders in the finance, beauty, cannabis and beverage industries. Some of the founders have years of experience with starting ventures and raising funds, while others are pitching in front of cameras for the first time. Regardless of their previous experience, every person in our elevator has to stare down the ticking clock and battle their nerves to deliver a succinct and compelling 60-second pitch. 

What happens if they stumble over a rehearsed sentence or lose their train of thought? Will they be able to get back on track and impress our investors — serial entrepreneur Dre London, angel investor Kim Perell and Netflix co-founder Marc Randolph — or will they completely fall apart under the pressure. Watch the full episode to see who manages to pass the first stress test and get into the investment room.

This Is the No. 1 Mistake You Can Make When Pitching Investors

The Board is put off by the small offer available, but Peter is invited in so Marc can hear more.

Pitch 3 - Swift Coat: The Board's verdict

Swift Coat sells a version of razor and blades to the panel manufacturers - the hardware and the raw materials for coatings. Our $2.5m grant pays for product development, but we need $75,000 for sales and marketing. Marc Randolph makes and offer for $50,000

Pitch 3 - Swift Coat: The Board interrogates and makes an offer

This week's episode of Elevator Pitch features female founders from the travel, beauty, and fashion industries. Each pitch offers something new and intriguing: One startup founder claims a valuation upward of $20 million, another boasts $5 million in sales and another uses an "off the cuff" style that she believes provides a more genuine pitch. But will those big numbers and surprising styles be enough to overcome their companies' weak points, like an overcrowded marketplace or an untested product? 

Our investors for this episode — serial entrepreneur Dre London, angel investor Kim Perrell and Netflix co-founder Marc Randolph — put this group of entrepreneurs through the paces to determine which business will likely be printing money, and which will likely be a money pit. Watch the full episode to find out who wins an investment ... and who gets sent packing.

These Founders Started Their Company With a $300 Investment. They've Now Done $1 Million in Profits

Strella biotech's proprietary sensors are changing the world by reducing food waste in the food supply chain. The technology provides shelf life food data for real time decision making

Pitch 4 - Strella Biotech co-founder Katherine Sizov

Strella sensor is a device that measures ethylene gas and can predict whether or not your avocados are gonna be too hard or mushy. We are raising $20 million and have done a seed round for $3.3 million at a $9 million pre-money valuation

Pitch 4 - Strella Biotech: The Board interrogates

On this week's episode of Elevator Pitch, the pitchers come from a wide variety of backgrounds and industries. Some are seasoned pros who have already built and sold businesses, while others have yet to complete their first product. But one trait they all share in common, however, is not being shy about having bold asks. More than one startup founder asks for a seven-figure investment from our panel of investors, which includes entrepreneur Shaun Neff, angel investor Kim Perrell and Netflix co-founder Marc Randolph.

None of the pitching entrepreneurs manage to get that million-dollar number. However, one gets halfway there. Watch the full episode to find out which business swayed one investor to put in $500,000, which opportunity had our judges competing against one another with six-figure offers, and which pitch left them totally unmoved.

Watch the 60-Second Pitch That Landed a $500,000 Investment

Kim passes as there is no firm valuation, Shaun offers $150K plus intros at the seed round valuation and Marc offers $75K at a 20% discount to the next round with a $100m valuation cap

Pitch 4 - Strella Biotech: The Board makes an offer

Katherine explains why she took Marc Randolph's offer and how this will help drive Strella Biotech forward

Pitch 4 - Strella Biotech: They take Marc's money

On this week's episode of Elevator Pitch, our panel of investors watches pitches on a wide range of industries, from sexual wellness to fashion, personal health and technology. While the products are diverse, one thing is the same: it is nerve-wracking to deliver a clear, informative pitch in just 60 seconds. Some use attention-grabbing gimmicks to start their presentation, like talking about pooping their pants as a way to start a conversation about irritable bowel syndrome. Others use a cliffhanger at the end of the pitch, hoping to draw the investors' attention. 

Some of those tactics work on our board, which includes Inherent Learning CEO Nicole Walters, angel investor Kim Perrell and Netflix co-founder Marc Randolph. Other tactics? Not so much. Learn what to do from the entrepreneurs who get through our elevator doors, and what not to do from those who get denied.

Can a Sex-Enhancement Product Score a $100K Deal in 60 Secs?

Soundskrit developed a new directional microphone that isolates your voice and cuts out unwanted noise giving you crystal clear audio in all of your consumer electronics. They are looking to raise $1 million to add to a $10-12 million series A round.

Pitch 1 - Soundskrit developed a new directional microphone that isolates your voice

Pitch 1 - The verdict on Soundskrit

What would you do if you flubbed your introduction during a high-stakes pitch?

Entrepreneur Elevator Pitch invites ambitious entrepreneurs to step into the Entrepreneur Elevator, then gives them 60 seconds to pique the judges’ interest. It’s a high-pressure, fast-paced environment in which startup founders need to race the clock while maintaining their composure to make a clear, deliberate pitch that covers at least three essential components:

Defining the company
Making the request
Specifying what the investment money will be used for

The investors watch the pitch through a video livestream while the elevator ascends to the boardroom floor. Once the 60 seconds are up, the group votes on whether to open the doors or send the founder back down and pass on investing.

Entrepreneur.com

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