Engine: The Billion-Dollar Side Project

Elia Wallen was ready to pull the plug on Hotel Engine, a side project within Travelers Haven. Today, that side project is Engine, a billion-dollar company backed by hundreds of millions in venture capital. So why does Elia still have reservations about VC? Watch season 16 uncut on Patreon (@ThePitch) Subscribe to our email newsletter: insider.pitch.show Learn more about The Pitch Fund: thepitch.fund Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Nate Thomas met his co-founder at a 12-step meeting and together they built Shmoody, a mental health app that’s super irreverent. They've grown to over a million users on the consumer app, but a new customer came knocking—universities. Will the VCs back a founder who says he doesn’t want students to use his app forever? This is The Pitch for Shmoody. Featuring investors Charles Hudson, Ellie Bahrmasel, Elizabeth Galbut,  Jeff Cantalupo, and Mike Ma. Watch Nate’s pitch uncut on Patreon (@ThePitch) Join us for our fall live shows and Season 17 taping: pitch.show/events Subscribe to our email newsletter: insider.pitch.show Learn more about The Pitch Fund: thepitch.fund *Disclaimer: No offer to invest in Shmoody is being made to or solicited from the listening audience on today’s show. The information provided on this show is not intended to be investment advice and should not be relied upon as such. The investors on today’s episode are providing their opinions based on their own assessment of the business presented. Those opinions should not be considered professional investment advice. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Seasonal affective disorder had Harrison Lin falling asleep on Zoom calls, so the mechanical engineer built a machine that generates sunlight indoors. Now Bryan Johnson starts his mornings with Rhythm. Will the VCs see the light, or is the cost too steep when the sun is outside for free? This is The Pitch for Rhythm. Featuring investors Charles Hudson, Ellie Bahrmasel, Elizabeth Galbut, and Jeff Cantalupo. Watch Harrison’s pitch uncut on Patreon (@ThePitch) Join us for our fall live shows and Season 17 taping: pitch.show/events Subscribe to our email newsletter: insider.pitch.show Learn more about The Pitch Fund: thepitch.fund *Disclaimer: No offer to invest in Rhythm is being made to or solicited from the listening audience on today’s show. The information provided on this show is not intended to be investment advice and should not be relied upon as such. The investors on today’s episode are providing their opinions based on their own assessment of the business presented. Those opinions should not be considered professional investment advice. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Jack Walters built HapWare with Bryan, one of 20 blind people in the world with a PhD in computer science. Their haptic wristband lets you feel a smile, a wave, or an eye roll. But in a room of VCs who know hardware is hard, can Jack convince them $1.5 million is enough to get HapWare off the ground? This is The Pitch for HapWare. Featuring investors Charles Hudson, Ellie Bahrmasel, Elizabeth Galbut, and Jeff Cantalupo. Watch Jack’s pitch uncut on Patreon (@ThePitch) Join us for our fall live shows and Season 17 taping: pitch.show/events Subscribe to our email newsletter: insider.pitch.show Learn more about The Pitch Fund: thepitch.fund *Disclaimer: No offer to invest in HapWare is being made to or solicited from the listening audience on today’s show. The information provided on this show is not intended to be investment advice and should not be relied upon as such. The investors on today’s episode are providing their opinions based on their own assessment of the business presented. Those opinions should not be considered professional investment advice. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Luke & Jen Ritchie sold three companies and built games for Pokémon GO and Barbie. Now these married founders are tackling a darker problem—protecting kids from the predators and bullies lurking in the in-game chat. But will the VCs back Haiven when its business model has yet to be tested? This is The Pitch for Haiven. Featuring investors Charles Hudson, Ellie Bahrmasel, Elizabeth Galbut, Jeff Cantalupo, and Mike Ma. Watch Luke and Jen’s pitch uncut on Patreon (@ThePitch) Join us for our fall live shows and Season 17 taping: pitch.show/events Subscribe to our email newsletter: insider.pitch.show Learn more about The Pitch Fund: thepitch.fund *Disclaimer: No offer to invest in Haiven is being made to or solicited from the listening audience on today’s show. The information provided on this show is not intended to be investment advice and should not be relied upon as such. The investors on today’s episode are providing their opinions based on their own assessment of the business presented. Those opinions should not be considered professional investment advice. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Ashley is hiding vegetables in chocolate milk, and kids keep asking for more! She wants to do for chocolate milk what Poppi did for soda and Goodles did for mac and cheese. But when the VCs ask, “how big can this get?” Ashley's answer might cost her a check. This is The Pitch for Jubilee's. Featuring investors Charles Hudson, Ellie Bahrmasel, Elizabeth Galbut, and Jeff Cantalupo. Watch Ashley’s pitch uncut on Patreon (@ThePitch) Join us for our fall live shows and Season 17 taping: pitch.show/events Subscribe to our email newsletter: insider.pitch.show Learn more about The Pitch Fund: thepitch.fund *Disclaimer: No offer to invest in Jubilee’s is being made to or solicited from the listening audience on today’s show. The information provided on this show is not intended to be investment advice and should not be relied upon as such. The investors on today’s episode are providing their opinions based on their own assessment of the business presented. Those opinions should not be considered professional investment advice. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

After founding two successful beverage companies, Soylent and Kin, Matt Cauble is ready for his toughest customer yet – kids. Will the VCs snap, crackle, invest in his protein packed juice? This is The Pitch for Wonderade. Featuring investors Charles Hudson, Ellie Bahrmasel, Elizabeth Galbut, and Jeff Cantalupo. Watch Matt’s pitch uncut on Patreon (@ThePitch) Join us for our fall live shows and Season 17 taping: pitch.show/events Subscribe to our email newsletter: insider.pitch.show Learn more about The Pitch Fund: thepitch.fund *Disclaimer: No offer to invest in Wonderade is being made to or solicited from the listening audience on today’s show. The information provided on this show is not intended to be investment advice and should not be relied upon as such. The investors on today’s episode are providing their opinions based on their own assessment of the business presented. Those opinions should not be considered professional investment advice. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Four years ago, Iryll helped a friend plant a church and learned just how much time pastors spend doing admin. Now he's raising $600,000 for Church AI, an operating system that runs the back office so pastors can get back to their people. But will the church market sound big enough to a room of VCs? This is The Pitch for Church AI. Featuring investors Elizabeth Yin, Jesse Middleton, Mike Ma, Charles Hudson, and Yasmin Cruz Ferrine. Watch Iryll’s pitch uncut on Patreon (@ThePitch) Join us for our fall live shows and Season 17 taping: pitch.show/events Subscribe to our email newsletter: insider.pitch.show Learn more about The Pitch Fund: thepitch.fund *Disclaimer: No offer to invest in Church AI is being made to or solicited from the listening audience on today’s show. The information provided on this show is not intended to be investment advice and should not be relied upon as such. The investors on today’s episode are providing their opinions based on their own assessment of the business presented. Those opinions should not be considered professional investment advice. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Cam Richardson built Paysquad to make group payments easy with a button at checkout and no awkward Venmo requests. Can he convince VCs that Gen Z wants to pay together for all their events, trips, and gifts? This is The Pitch for Paysquad. Featuring investors Elizabeth Yin, Jesse Middleton, Mike Ma, Charles Hudson, and Yasmin Cruz Ferrine. Watch Cam’s pitch uncut on Patreon (@ThePitch) Join us for our fall live shows and Season 17 taping: pitch.show/events Subscribe to our email newsletter: insider.pitch.show Learn more about The Pitch Fund: thepitch.fund *Disclaimer: No offer to invest in Paysquad is being made to or solicited from the listening audience on today’s show. The information provided on this show is not intended to be investment advice and should not be relied upon as such. The investors on today’s episode are providing their opinions based on their own assessment of the business presented. Those opinions should not be considered professional investment advice. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Dacia Leon wants to make it rain on demand. Cloud seeding technology isn't new – people have been making it rain with silver iodide since the '50s – but Supercool Earth pioneered a way to seed clouds with a natural protein. Can Dacia close her $3 million round before the weather turns? This is The Pitch for Supercool Earth. Featuring investors Elizabeth Yin, Jesse Middleton, Mike Ma, Rohit Gupta, and Michelle Kwok. Watch Dacia’s pitch uncut on Patreon (@ThePitch) Join us for our fall live shows and Season 17 taping: pitch.show/events Subscribe to our email newsletter: insider.pitch.show Learn more about The Pitch Fund: thepitch.fund *Disclaimer: No offer to invest in Supercool Earth is being made to or solicited from the listening audience on today’s show. The information provided on this show is not intended to be investment advice and should not be relied upon as such. The investors on today’s episode are providing their opinions based on their own assessment of the business presented. Those opinions should not be considered professional investment advice. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices