The Feedback Loop

One founder gets 60 seconds to pitch two venture capitalists – and you watch them pick the idea apart, live.Welcome to Episode 078 of The Feedback Loop – the show where startup founders road-test their pitch in front of real investors, and the rest of us learn what actually moves the needle in a funding conversation.Today’s founder & startupKhalil Shanti is the co-founder of Atria, an AI research and compliance copilot for architects and real-estate developers.Instead of juggling dozens of zoning PDFs, fire-safety manuals, and ADA checklists, Atria wants you to drop in an address and a building program, then return the exact mix of city-specific setbacks, egress rules, and code references you need to stay legal – before you break ground.See a real pitch and real investor feedback, where investors press Khalil on market size, data moats, and GTM strategy -- including why your back-story matters, the edge investors can bet on, and what it means to get venture-scale.--Today's guest investor was Mike MacCombie, General Partner at Generous Ventures. Mike has spent the past 8 years in venture capital – as an investor, operating + platform partner, community builder, and superconnector, supporting founders at the earliest stage. Find him on X at @MikeMacCombie.As always, hosted by Sherveen Mashayekhi, Founder & CEO of Free Agency. Follow him on X at @Sherveen.To attend The Feedback Loop in-person or apply to pitch as a founder, head to afterfeedback.com.Because the thing that can hold even the best founders back from reaching their ambition? Their pitch. Whether a startup founder is raising money, recruiting a team, or selling their product, it's the pitch at the start of any given conversation that starts them on a journey to success.We dive into…• Two datasets, one product – Why combining zoning GIS + building code could make Atria a category winner, or a never-ending data crawl.• Project-based pricing – Why architects hated SaaS seats and how passing a tech fee to the client might unlock faster adoption.• Domain founders vs. “AI wrappers” – Khalil’s co-founder teaches architecture, his family runs construction projects – is that the moat investors want?• Market size reality check – How to frame a believable TAM without hand-waving at “$50B in lost billable hours.”Khalil Shanti, co-founder of Atria: https://www.linkedin.com/in/khalil-shantiThank you to all of the brave founders who participated in this episode. The Feedback Loop is dedicated to creating an engine of support for startup founders attempting to change the way the earth spins. We're on your side.

One brave founder has just 60 seconds to pitch two venture investors – and you get to see what happens next.Welcome to Episode 077 of The Feedback Loop: a show designed to help startup founders refine their pitch, product, and go‑to‑market strategy by receiving on‑the‑spot critiques from real VCs. If you’re a founder or an investor yourself, this is your backstage pass to how actual funding conversations unfold.This week: Daniil tells us about Mark AI – an “AI agent” for coaches and consultants that automates the entire marketing stack (funnels, emails, analytics, CRM) through a chatbot‑style interface. With countless GPT‑powered rivals cropping up, can Daniel’s vision for truly “no‑code marketing” stand apart – and do smaller businesses provide a big enough path to venture‑scale growth?Daniil’s backstory? Two prior martech startups: one failed, one exited at 15x revenue. Now, he’s laser‑focused on coaches and consultants who can’t afford expensive freelancers or super‑complex platforms. Mark AI promises a single chatbot‑style interface that spins up websites, writes email copy, and deploys marketing automations – no coding or big budgets required. But our investors question whether Mark AI’s “all‑in‑one” approach can fend off the GPT‑powered competition and keep adding value as new models improve.Why Watch?Real Pitch, Real Feedback – See how investors interrogate Daniel’s market size, competition, and product differentiation in a hotly contested AI landscape.Lessons for Founders – Learn how to distill your story into a razor‑sharp pitch, leverage personal backstory to build credibility, and define a clear go‑to‑market edge.Insight for VCs – Discover how experienced investors weigh the pros and cons of an “all‑in‑one” AI platform, and what they look for in crowded verticals like martech.--Today's guest investor was Mike MacCombie, General Partner at Generous Ventures. Mike has spent the past 8 years in venture capital – as an investor, operating + platform partner, community builder, and superconnector, supporting founders at the earliest stage. Find him on X at @MikeMacCombie.As always, hosted by Sherveen Mashayekhi, Founder & CEO of Free Agency. Follow him on X at @Sherveen.To attend The Feedback Loop in-person or apply to pitch as a founder, head to afterfeedback.com.Because the thing that can hold even the best founders back from reaching their ambition? Their pitch. Whether a startup founder is raising money, recruiting a team, or selling their product, it's the pitch at the start of any given conversation that starts them on a journey to success.Highlights We Explore TodayFrom Failure to 15x Exit – Daniel’s martech background shapes his perspective on what small businesses actually need in a marketing platform.AI for “No‑Code” Marketing – Building websites, funnels, email sequences – can a chat interface truly replace multiple specialists?Hyper‑Competitive Landscape – Do smaller coaches and consultants offer a big enough market, and how do you stand out when bigger companies copy or acquire new AI tech?The Power of a Personal Narrative – Investors push Daniel to share his “why,” so they can see a clear bet, not just another GPT wrapper.Daniil Musatov, co-founder of Mark AI: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dmusatoThank you to all of the brave founders who participated in this episode. The Feedback Loop is dedicated to creating an engine of support for startup founders attempting to change the way the earth spins. We're on your side.

He’s got 60 seconds to pitch 2 venture investors – and he wants to track the amount of coffee you drink every day to help you sleep!It’s Episode 076 of The Feedback Loop, featuring founder Maxwell (Max) Luz building Stym AI. It's an AI-powered, camera-first “smart caffeine” app that wants to show you how each espresso or energy drink might impact your vibe now and your sleep later.Caffeine is the world’s most popular stimulant, yet few know their ideal daily intake – or how that 4 p.m. latte could mean a restless night. Is tackling that problem with an easy-to-use app that leverages vision and object recognition an interesting path?Or do our investors think there's a broader health tracking category and issues with other startups in the space (and the quantified self movement) that might hold things back?--Today's guest investor was Mike MacCombie, General Partner at Generous Ventures. Mike has spent the past 8 years in venture capital – as an investor, operating + platform partner, community builder, and superconnector, supporting founders at the earliest stage. Find him on X at @MikeMacCombie.As always, hosted by Sherveen Mashayekhi, Founder & CEO of Free Agency. Follow him on X at @Sherveen.To attend The Feedback Loop in-person or apply to pitch as a founder, head to afterfeedback.com.Because the thing that can hold even the best founders back from reaching their ambition? Their pitch. Whether a startup founder is raising money, recruiting a team, or selling their product, it's the pitch at the start of any given conversation that starts them on a journey to success.Today, we dive into...From Caffeine to Sleep – Does a “smart caffeine” app naturally expand into deeper wellness or stay hyper‑focused on one routine?Retention & Value – Once users learn their caffeine cutoff, do they churn? Investors push Max to propose a bigger vision for Stym AI.Vision Models & Accuracy – Stym AI uses image recognition to scan drinks and estimate caffeine content, but how much precision do customers really need?Toward Venture Scale – Can an app for coffee lovers become a massive business, or does it need to evolve into broader health tracking?Maxwell Luz, founder of Stym AI: https://www.linkedin.com/in/maxwell-luzThank you to all of the brave founders who participated in this episode. The Feedback Loop is dedicated to creating an engine of support for startup founders attempting to change the way the earth spins. We're on your side.

She has 60 seconds to pitch 2 venture capitalists!Then, she gets their UNFILTERED feedback on her startup and her concept.It's time for Episode 075 of The Feedback Loop, and we've got founder Neha Panwar building BuyerSidee. It's an AI-driven copilot for first-time homebuyers, determined to protect you from "money-pit" pitfalls and giving you personalized insights you can't find on other homebuying platforms.Buying a home is the largest purchase most of us make – so why rely on seller‑centric listings and guesswork? BuyerSidee aims to pinpoint red flags (like basement flooding or faulty wiring), parse seller disclosures with AI, and help you set the right offer strategy.The ultimate goal? Crowdsource real‑world buyer data to create a more transparent marketplace – one built around your interests, not the brokers’. Will it be enough to stand out from entrenched platforms like Zillow or Redfin?--Today's guest investor was Mike MacCombie, General Partner at Generous Ventures. Mike has spent the past 8 years in venture capital – as an investor, operating + platform partner, community builder, and superconnector, supporting founders at the earliest stage. Find him on X at @MikeMacCombie.As always, hosted by Sherveen Mashayekhi, Founder & CEO of Free Agency. Follow him on X at @Sherveen.To attend The Feedback Loop in-person or apply to pitch as a founder, head to afterfeedback.com.Because the thing that can hold even the best founders back from reaching their ambition? Their pitch. Whether a startup founder is raising money, recruiting a team, or selling their product, it's the pitch at the start of any given conversation that starts them on a journey to success.Today, we dive into...Buyer‑First vs. Seller‑Driven – Why focusing on the buyer changes everything, from property checklists to post‑purchase regrets. Do the startup investors bite?AI for the Biggest Investment – Parsing legal docs, highlighting risk factors, and predicting a home’s “true value” beyond the seller’s spin. Enough of a compelling value prop?Unlocking the Data Moat – BuyerSidee’s future vision involves aggregating real buyer feedback for a brand‑new source of truth in home buying. Is it investable?Early Monetization – From mortgage lenders to inspection services, how do you build a business if you’re not charging the buyer directly? Is it venture backable?Neha Panwar, co-founder of BuyerSidee: https://www.linkedin.com/in/neha-panwar-7ab86a28Thank you to all of the brave founders who participated in this episode. The Feedback Loop is dedicated to creating an engine of support for startup founders attempting to change the way the earth spins. We're on your side.

One startup founder has 60 seconds to pitch to two venture investors!And today, we’ve got a founder aiming to modernize a $2.3 trillion industry – mortgage lending.It's Episode 074 of The Feedback Loop, featuring Suketu Gaglani building Mira Labs!It's an AI co-pilot that wants to transform the agonizing, paperwork-heavy process of getting a home loan – for everyone involved.The big idea? Smaller brokers can’t afford the slick tech stacks of giants like Rocket or Better. Mira changes the game by automating everything from document reviews to pre‑approvals, slashing a 12‑day manual workflow down to as fast as 48 hours – all without hiring extra processors or underwriters. But will legacy players and entrenched software vendors give Mira enough room to scale?Today's guest investor was Mike MacCombie, General Partner at Generous Ventures. Mike has spent the past 8 years in venture capital – as an investor, operating + platform partner, community builder, and superconnector, supporting founders at the earliest stage. Find him on X at @MikeMacCombie.Because the thing that can hold even the best founders back from reaching their ambition? Their pitch. Whether a startup founder is raising money, recruiting a team, or selling their product, it's the pitch at the start of any given conversation that starts them on a journey to success.We dive into...A Market Ripe for Disruption – With mortgage processes still stuck in 2005, how can AI co‑pilots turbocharge approvals?Competing with Direct Lenders – Building standalone tech for brokers, loan officers, and borrowers that rivals the “in‑house” advantage of industry giants.Time & Cost Savings – 7‑day pre‑approvals reduced to 2? A single processor handling 2x the loans? Investors ask if these benefits truly scale.Crafting a Clear Pitch – Learn how to highlight your unique impact and stand out from other mortgage or “AI for finance” startups.As always, hosted by Sherveen Mashayekhi, Founder & CEO of Free Agency. Follow him on X at @Sherveen.To attend The Feedback Loop in-person or apply to pitch as a founder, head to afterfeedback.com.Suketu Gaglani, founder of Mira Labs: https://www.linkedin.com/in/suketugaglaniThank you to all of the brave founders who participated in this episode. The Feedback Loop is dedicated to creating an engine of support for startup founders attempting to change the way the earth spins. We're on your side.

This startup founder wants AI to negotiate for you – whether you're buying jewelry or while you're making other high-dollar, high-stakes purchases.It’s Episode 073 of The Feedback Loop, and it's Ifeanyi Osuji pitching the future of AI driven buying.Ifeanyi's vision is an AI negotiation platform that can benchmark real‑time market prices, prompt you to ask critical questions (“How many carats is that diamond, anyway?”), and – eventually – negotiate on your behalf.But to be able to negotiate, Haggler AI needs “vertical‑by‑vertical” data – is that go-to-market approach realistic in a world where GPT‑powered solutions crop up every 7.9 seconds (don’t fact‑check that)? Our investors dig into the potential (and pitfalls) of building a B2C app for occasional high‑stakes purchases – plus the possibility of expanding into enterprise procurement, subscription cancellations, or even AI‑versus‑AI negotiations.Want to Pitch Your Startup Live?Apply now at afterfeedback.com and join our growing community of founders and investors.Follow SherveenLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sherveenmX (Twitter): https://www.x.com/sherveenMore on our guest investor for the episode:​Ihar Mahaniok is Managing Partner at Geek Ventures, which he founded in 2021 to support immigrant entrepreneurs building at the pre-seed and seed stage. He’s made more than 200+ investments over the past decade, and has invested early in companies like Instacart, People.ai, Chainalysis, PandaDoc, and Airbyte, to name a few.Follow IharLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mahaniokX (Twitter): https://x.com/mahaniokWe dive into…Haggling 101 – From gold prices to diamond clarity, how accurate can AI get without firsthand quality data – and how much will it matter to curious buyers?B2C vs. Enterprise – Should Haggler AI stay laser‑focused on jewelry shoppers, or pivot to bigger markets like procurement and “dynamic discounting”?User Adoption – People only buy jewelry every so often. Can a specialized negotiation app thrive, or does Haggler AI need to go broader (like a ‘DoNotPay’ 2.0)?The Road to Venture Scale – VCs love a big vision, but can AI negotiations become a billion‑dollar category before the market “efficient‑izes” itself?Ifeanyi Osuji, founder of Haggler AI: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ifeanyi-osuji-82231139Drop a comment – feedback is the building block for builders everywhere!

One startup founder has 60 seconds to pitch to two venture investors!And today, we’ve got a founder tackling a critical – yet often overlooked – health challenge: fertility care.It’s Episode 072 of The Feedback Loop, and it’s Josh pitching his vision for an all‑in‑one operating system that could reshape how fertility clinics and OB‑GYNs work together.Josh’s idea? Reduce the friction and stress of fertility treatments by offering a centralized clinic OS and patient app – empowering specialists to focus on advanced IVF procedures while everyday OB‑GYNs handle routine steps. In a country with just 500 fertility clinics serving a massive population of 350M+(almost 20% of the population experience infertility issues), Josh believes this can help more hopeful parents access care closer to home.But is this strategy too complicated to scale? While the goal of democratizing fertility is compelling, investors wonder: do you double down on software for existing clinics, or pivot toward a consumer‑facing approach for patients directly?More on our guest investor for the episode:​Ihar Mahaniok is Managing Partner at Geek Ventures, which he founded in 2021 to support immigrant entrepreneurs building at the pre-seed and seed stage. He’s made more than 200+ investments over the past decade, and has invested early in companies like Instacart, People.ai, Chainalysis, PandaDoc, and Airbyte, to name a few.Follow IharLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mahaniokX (Twitter): https://x.com/mahaniokFollow our host, Sherveen:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sherveenmX (Twitter): https://www.x.com/sherveenWe dive into:Clinic OS vs. Patient App – Which aspect of Josh’s platform is most crucial for growth? Is it the back‑end or the consumer experience?Bridging the Fertility Desert – The majority of America lacks access to IVF. Can Josh’s platform turn local OB‑GYN offices into mini‑fertility centers?Market Size & Go‑to‑Market – Only 1,250 fertility experts serve a massive patient base. Is Josh’s plan to integrate with OB‑GYNs realistic—or too complex?10-Year Vision vs. Immediate Traction – Investors push for a clear roadmap: focus on servicing 500 clinics first, or begin weaving in telemedicine and at‑home tech now?Josh Gottesman, founder of Embie Clinic: https://www.linkedin.com/in/josh-gottesman1Drop a comment – feedback is the building block for builders everywhere!

1 startup founder has 60 seconds to pitch to 2 venture investors!And today, we've got a startup founder who has been in real estate for most of his career tackling an age-old problem in for brokers in his industry: wasted leads.It's Episode 071 of The Feedback Loop, and it's Gregory Maro pitching QalifAI!Gregory is building an AI agent trained on years of high-performing sales calls, capable of texting, calling, following up, and updating CRM notes just like a top-notch ISA (inbound sales agent).But is it enough to stand out when LLM-powered solutions are flooding the market? Venture capitalists hear a new AI startup pitch every 7.9 seconds (it's a fact, don't look it up though). Can Gregory tell a story about a data advantage that can hold up versus the rest of the market?But what does it take to make an AI company truly venture‑scale?As our panelists note, many founders are pitching GPT‑powered solutions – and investors are tired of “just another chatbot.” Gregory’s challenge is to prove a lasting competitive edge: is it the domain expertise and data, the deeper workflow integrations, or a broader vision that extends well beyond real estate?More on our guest investor for the episode:​Ihar Mahaniok is Managing Partner at Geek Ventures, which he founded in 2021 to support immigrant entrepreneurs building at the pre-seed and seed stage. He’s made more than 200+ investments over the past decade, and has invested early in companies like Instacart, People.ai, Chainalysis, PandaDoc, and Airbyte, to name a few.Follow IharLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mahaniokX (Twitter): https://x.com/mahaniokFollow our host, Sherveen:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sherveenmX (Twitter): https://www.x.com/sherveenWe dive into...Training Data & Proprietary Advantage: Gregory emphasizes his mountain of real estate sales calls and messages. But will GPT’s rapid evolution make specialized datasets obsolete? Investors weigh how to build a moat in a sector evolving at breakneck speed.AI Wrappers vs. Full Workflows: Embedding an AI agent into the full sales lifecycle might create more stickiness than a point‑solution. Is Gregory’s bigger opportunity a platform that integrates deeply with CRMs, analytics, and post‑sale follow‑up?Venture Capital Realities: When is raising VC essential, and when might it be an overreach? Our panel tackles how founders should differentiate a potential “cash flow” business from a truly venture‑scale opportunity – especially in a market buzzing with AI hype.Real Estate’s Scaling Potential: Gregory sees a roadmap through rentals, commercial real estate, and ancillary services like mortgage and insurance. Is that enough to entice investors searching for billion‑dollar outcomes, or should he focus on conquering one niche first?Gregory Maro, co-founder of QalifAI: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gregory-maroDrop a comment – feedback is the building block for builders everywhere!

Otto wants to build an AI platform to shake up the legacy industry of legal research. Can he get busy attorneys and legal services companies – reliant on familiar tools and workflows –- to switch over to his product?On Episode 070 of The Feedback Loop, that's what we get into!Otto von Zastrow is building midpage. Instead of spending weeks sifting through Westlaw or LexisNexis, he wants lawyers to search, read, and organize thousands of cases in a connected workflow – featuring LLM-fueled tags, question--asking, parallel prompting, and more.Can his 'Notion or Figma-style' approach offer a big enough leap over incumbents to make this interesting to our investor panel?We get into:Legal Research, Reinvented – Why building a better search bar isn’t enough to win over law firms and how a collaborative, AI‑driven approach may tip the scales.Owning the Workflow – From daily case‑tagging to drafting briefs, Otto envisions a single tool that captures the entire journey – is that a clear pitch that venture capitalists can understand?The Case for Data Supremacy – Scraping 500+ websites and linking case law with AI is no trivial feat, but is it the true moat that disrupts the duopoly?Startup Pitch Essentials – Investors push Otto to share a compelling vision beyond “search.” How can midpage become the Figma of legal research and drafting?Want to Pitch Your Startup Live?Apply now at afterfeedback.com and join our growing community of founders and investors.Follow SherveenLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sherveenmX (Twitter): https://www.x.com/sherveenMore on our guest investor for the episode:​Ihar Mahaniok is Managing Partner at Geek Ventures, which he founded in 2021 to support immigrant entrepreneurs building at the pre-seed and seed stage. He’s made more than 200+ investments over the past decade, and has invested early in companies like Instacart, People.ai, Chainalysis, PandaDoc, and Airbyte, to name a few.Follow IharLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mahaniokX (Twitter): https://x.com/mahaniokOtto von Zastrow, founder of midpage: https://www.linkedin.com/in/otto-von-zastrow-631b74113Drop a comment – feedback is the building block for builders everywhere!