Pitching Startups in the East Village
Sign up to receive Surface Area or follow me on Linkedin or Twitter. Book a meeting here to talk about ghostwriting from my agency, Principals Media.
I spent an evening last week in the basement of The Whiskey Cellar, a bar in the East Village, listening to pitches by half a dozen startups.
The meetup was put on by Derun Events and coordinated by Trent Westwood, an accountant, who has managed the Manhattan group for the past two years. It cost $20 to attend.
Typically, founders get up and pitch, each for about five minutes. Trent tries to keep everyone on track by signaling when people run over (note: everyone does.) He said he used to allow longer presentations but the audience’s attention waned.
The quality and depth of the presentations varied considerably, but that is also the charm of an event that’s a tenth of the price of dinner at Balthazar and way more educational.
It’s low-key inspirational to pile into a windowless cellar and hear random people make Shark Tank-style appeals to solve problems you didn’t know existed.
It re-affirms your belief in New York City as a talent magnet that can compel people with day jobs to drag themselves out on a Wednesday evening to tell strangers about their long-shot passion.
One presentation I enjoyed came from Xingeng Zhang, co-founder of Empath Legal, a company that’s created an AI assistant that helps lawyers evaluate potential jurors from a trial pool.
I also spoke with Alain Beltran, CEO of Kamioi, which facilitates investing in fractional shares of the companies where you are making consumer purchases. Think: buy a coffee at Starbucks, top it off with a $1 worth of equity.
Everyone who spoke wrapped up by asking for money to help scale.
Almost everyone mentioned AI as a key feature, though that is probably more a reflection of the moment we are living through than the event itself.
The attendees mingled over drinks before and after the presentations. They were mostly founders, though there were VCs and scouts, one of which sat next to me.
Xenia Masl said she was there to report back to a friend who is a VC.
She had to leave early, but before departing she asked: “Are you a founder or investor?”
Founder, I said.
“Send me your deck,” she responded.
And with that, she was gone.
She had barely said a dozen words to me.
It might have been the best pitch of the evening.
Looking for unbiased, fact-based news? Join 1440 today.
Join over 4 million Americans who start their day with 1440 – your daily digest for unbiased, fact-centric news. From politics to sports, we cover it all by analyzing over 100 sources. Our concise, 5-minute read lands in your inbox each morning at no cost. Experience news without the noise; let 1440 help you make up your own mind. Sign up now and invite your friends and family to be part of the informed.
BRIEF OBSERVATIONS
MAKING YOUR PARENTS PROUD: Fascinating cross country comparison on people who agree with the statement: “One of main goals in life has been to make my parents proud.”
OFFICE DESIGN CULTURE: Steve Jobs office 1995 vs Tim Cook office 2025 is a reminder that there is no one path to be successful. Do what works for you.
SAN FRANCISCO: I haven’t been in a long time. I’ve been seeing posts like the one below from Don Tepman pop up in my feed, reminding me I’m due for a visit.
MASS TRANSIT: I went to see my son play in a band in Bushwick, a neighborhood deep into Brooklyn. I was surprised Google showed there was only an 8 minute difference between the 1 hour 1 minute subway trip and a 1 hour 9 minute bike ride. I took the bike.
SOLOPENEURS: We seem to be moving toward a world in business and life where everyone increasingly goes it alone.
HIGH STANDARDS: Bezos has this idea that high standards are “domain specific.” A corollary to that idea is people who are successful in one arena aren’t necessarily the best choice for another unrelated field.
P.S. Hit reply if you have something to share about today’s newsletter. Did anything stand out? Are there any stories or themes I should cover? You can also click on the poll below. I review every reply – so say hi!
