The Pitch

Venture Capital isn’t just about writing checks—it’s about backing bold ideas and extraordinary founders. That’s something I’ve come to understand deeply as an investor in The Pitch Fund, led by General Partners Josh Muccio and Lisa Muccio. Over the past few years, they’ve built something remarkable: ✅ Over $4.8 million raised ✅ Nearly 30 startups funded ✅ Process that blends media, innovation, and hands-on founder support But what makes their approach stand out is how personal it is ... It’s not just about spreadsheets and market trends—it’s about people. As Lisa often says, “Startups are like babies. They need a village.” I’m truly grateful to Josh and Lisa for not only creating an incredible platform like The Pitch, but for opening the door to a new world of investing for so many—myself included. Their vision and commitment to supporting founders are unmatched, and their process sets a new standard for what venture capital can be. In our recent conversation, we dove into what makes The Pitch Fund unique and why their first fund has become a magnet for innovative founders and passionate investors alike. Here’s a glimpse of what we covered: ➡ What VCs really look for in founders ➡ How The Pitch media platform gives startups a competitive edge ➡ The future of investing in pre-seed and seed-stage startups If you’ve ever been curious about how venture capital works—or wondered how to get involved—this is the perfect place to start. Watch the video below to learn more about The Pitch Fund, the behind-the-scenes process, and why emerging fund managers like Josh and Lisa are shaking up the VC world 👇 https://lnkd.in/eshGSpSC #VentureCapital #ThePitch #StartupFunding #Innovation #HighNetWorthInvesting

🚨 ESAI is hiring a Founding Engineer! As we cross 400,000 students on the platform, the demand for new features is off the charts. If you're excited about building fast, shipping faster, and seeing immediate impact on student lives, let’s talk. We’re looking for someone who is scrappy, thrives in early-stage chaos, and cares deeply about making college admissions (and beyond) more accessible. You’ll have the chance to shape both our product and our team as we scale to help students of all backgrounds learn about themselves and share their story with the world. If this speaks to you, check the comments for how to apply. Let's build something meaningful together 🚀

We are beyond excited to reveal the outstanding winners of the 2024 Black Ambition Prize Competition: -$1M Grand Prize Winner: Dr. Monica Williams, Co-Founder/CEO of RedDrop, a revolutionary brand empowering and educating tweens with thoughtfully designed period kits. -$250k 2nd Place Winner: Thomas Fields, Founder/CEO of GRIND, inspiring young inner-city kids to explore engineering and technology through cutting-edge sports tech. -$50k HBCU Grand Prize Winner: Jordyn Weaver, Founder/CEO of Forefront. -$25k Most Popular Venture Prize Winner: Ericka Chambers, Co-Founder/CEO of Puzzles of Color. This year, we awarded over $2.7M to 30 visionary founders who are breaking barriers and building the businesses of the future. These entrepreneurs have inspired us with their bold ideas, passion, and resilience, and we cannot wait to see their businesses thrive. A heartfelt thank you to our esteemed judges — Lisa Price, Pinky Cole, Matt Story, and Erik Moore — for your thoughtful deliberation. Immense gratitude to our generous sponsors — Visa, Comcast, Lennar Foundation, Louis Vuitton, and Adidas — for making this transformative day possible. To our emcee Hill Harper, the Black Ambition team, and everyone behind the scenes, your dedication made this celebration magical and unforgettable. To every founder in our community, your courage and creativity remind us of the power of investing in Black and Hispanic entrepreneurs. Together, we’re building a brighter, more equitable future. Let’s keep this momentum going. Visit www.blackambitionprize.com to learn more about our mission and follow @blackambitionprize to stay inspired. Here’s to celebrating innovation, impact, and the future of entrepreneurship! Felecia Hatcher Jermeen Sherman Christine Joseph Samiyah Malik, MS Alexis Chin BSc (Hons) MBA Aliyah Terry #BlackAmbition #DemoDay2024 #Entrepreneurship #Innovation #FundingTheFuture #BreakingBarriers #CelebratingCulture Photo Credit: Jason Mendez, @photographsbyj @gettyimages Content team: @ciaraingram @aa_dawg @lexalt @crossoniam @noelwalton_ @ishootwithmyleft

I'm thrilled to share that Bounce has raised a Series B, adding some fantastic new investors to the roster. In the last 2 years since our Series A, we've grown more than 20x, and expanded Bounce to now 100 countries and 13,000 locations. If you lined up all the bags we've stored, it would stretch from London to Beijing. Or stack them up and you would make it to space and back 28 times. We are building towards a customer expectation that you can find Bounce just about anywhere you go always having a place to drop your bags, freeing you to explore more. In my interview with the incredible Natasha Lomas at TechCrunch, I share more details on our multi-decade vision -- to build "cloud storage for the physical world" and how we're soon making this more of a reality. Building a company comes with many ups and downs and it would not be at all possible without the amazing team behind it. They say "it only counts if you're having fun" and this team knows how to enjoy the ride while making things happen. A special shoutout goes to their significant others who embrace the long hours and chaos. Lastly, to the new investors in Bounce, you know as well as I that this is only the start of the Bounce story and what we are going to achieve. Welcome Sapphire Sport (David Hartwig, Rico Mallozzi, & team), Thayer Ventures, Shilling VC, and others. And thanks to our existing investors for further investment and support: Andreessen Horowitz, General Catalyst, Creator Ventures and many many others who have been instrumental in our journey. PS: to those who like to ask "how can I help" (which I'm so grateful for), here are a few things we're looking to unlock right now: -Intros to hotel chains for our new Bounce for Hotels product -Intros to potential strategic partners -Senior growth or product leaders open to a new career adventure -Sales reps excited to help us add more stores to the network -Help getting the word out to anyone who should know about Bounce! Thank you, much love to all our supporters ❤️ (TechCrunch article in comments)