Key Takeaways Clarity and storytelling win pitches.
Valuation and focus are non‑negotiable.
Adaptability under pressure earns respect.
Season 13 of Entrepreneur Elevator Pitch is cranking up the stakes again — and episode seven is an absolute must-watch. Founders have just 60 seconds in the elevator to win over powerhouse investors Kim Perell, Jonathan Hung and Laura Chau, and this episode delivers everything: emotional backstories, bold valuations and real-time drama as deals teeter on the edge.
In one pitch, Pierre Paul of We Hear You races the clock with a mission to make doors more inclusive for people of all abilities, prompting Chau to praise his delivery while probing, “How big is this market, and how much of a burning issue is it?” Hung warns that “hardware is hard to sell” if you cannot clearly define your buyer.
Related: Do These Pitches Have What It Takes to Win Over a Board of Investors?
Perell calls his elevator pitch “nearly perfect” but pushes him to tighten his story and connect the company name and product more clearly — a masterclass in how clarity can make or break a deal.
Later, repeat founder Kevin Lavelle steps in with Harbor, a next-gen baby monitor and remote night-nanny platform, and instantly shows what calm confidence looks like under pressure. Perell bluntly explains that “when someone pitches me, and they don’t tell me the valuation, I’m out,” underscoring how non‑negotiable the numbers are.
Then the tension spikes when Kalie Nitzsche pitches Fuzzy, a “modern green flag” identity-verification platform born from her own experience being scammed on a dating app. Hung challenges her decision to go B2B and B2C at once, noting that “it’s so hard to do one of them really well,” while Perell zeroes in on traction, asking how you can raise nearly $2 million with barely 100 users and no revenue.
Chau, seeing the surge in AI-driven scams, still leans in and structures an offer that hinges on execution, showing founders how to stay poised and negotiate even when investors are skeptical.
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