Pitching on Shark Tank and What It Takes to Land Mark Cuban & Maria Sharapova

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Hot Takes Big Stakes

Natalie Holloway and Lana Elie

18 episodes

6 days ago

The real-world highs and lows of building a business—from early ideas scribbled on napkins to multimillion-dollar raises and the pivotal moments in between. Hosted by serial founders Natalie Holloway (Bala) and Lana Elie (Floom). We explore the unfiltered truths most founders are too polished (or too cautious) to say out loud. No hype, no jargon—just honest conversations about what actually works, what doesn’t, and what it really takes to grow something from nothing. Each week, Natalie and Lana sit down founder-to-founder to share sharp insights, fresh perspectives, and the kind of candor you rarely hear in the boardroom. Build your dream. Burn the playbook.

Entrepreneurship

Business

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Entrepreneurship

Business

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Pitching on Shark Tank and What It Takes to Land Mark Cuban & Maria Sharapova | #6

Hot Takes Big Stakes

25 minutes 32 seconds

2 months ago

Pitching on Shark Tank and What It Takes to Land Mark Cuban & Maria Sharapova | #6

Let’s Talk About the Elephant in the Room… Shark Tank.

On Hot Takes, Big Stakes, host Natalie Holloway, founder of Bala, and co-host Lana Elie, founder of Flume, are here to help you turn your time into real value.

In today’s episode, Lana interviews Natalie about one of the most pivotal moments in her career with Bala: her appearance on Season 11 of Shark Tank. The pitch led to a major turning point for the brand when Natalie received an offer from Mark Cuban and Maria Sharapova for $900,000 in exchange for 30 percent of the company.

Understanding your brand, defining your valuation, and crafting a razor-sharp pitch are some of the most valuable skills you can develop as a business founder. Whether or not you ever end up on Shark Tank, the insights Natalie shares in this conversation will be key to your ability to attract investors and grow with confidence.

Each episode of Hot Takes, Big Stakes brings you real conversations with high profile business leaders. No jargon. No sugarcoating. Just the honest truth about what it takes to build a company from the ground up.

Key Takeaways:

Just try. If you get a call, you can discuss timing. But go for it.
Your pitch is everything.
Closing the deal itself is a process.
Respond quickly to emails, it shows you value your employees.