Carbon Reform, Co-Founder & CEO Jo Norris, FairNow, Founder & CEO Guru Sethupathy, and Integrated Reality Labs, Co-Founder Ian Andolsek and CEO Lauren Steidl | PACT Lion's Den 2024 | Founding Philly Ep. 48

In this episode of the Founding Philly podcast, we interviewed the 3 finalists from this year's PACT "Lion's Den" segment—their Shark Tank'-style pitch competition.

Over 60 startups pitched throughout the day and only these 3 made it to the finals, walking away with about $1 million in investments (pending diligence).

Jo Norris of Carbon Reform, Guru Sethupathy of FairNow, and Lauren Steidl and Ian Adolsek from Integrated Reality Labs discuss their strategies for success and the key elements of a compelling pitch:

1. Clear Problem Definition: Clearly articulate the problem your solution addresses.
2. Customer Insights: Explain who your customers are and why they need your product.
3. Market Validation: Demonstrate market demand through customer feedback and contracts.
4. Exciting Solution Overview: Share your solution at a high level to spark interest.
5. Unique Selling Points: Highlight what sets your team and technology apart.

Each founder emphasized the importance of tailoring pitches to the audience, knowing the panel's background, and confidently handling Q&A sessions.

Looking forward, they shared strategies for leveraging their conference success to accelerate their companies' growth, emphasizing continuous innovation and strategic market expansion.

Tune into this episode for actionable insights on crafting pitches that resonate with investors and driving startup success in competitive environments.

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This episode is presented by PACT.