2 startup founders pitch, 2 venture investors give them unfiltered feedback on their concept and storytelling – live, candid, and unfiltered! In Episode 060, two big-picture founders tackle a personal carbon offset platform (aimed at everyday gas fill-ups) and a social network for gamers looking to disrupt mainstream channels.

And who’s on the other side of the table? John Frankel, the second-most tenured guest judge at The Feedback Loop and Founder & Partner at ff Venture Capital, plus our host Sherveen Mashayekhi (Founder & CEO of Free Agency). Buckle up and buckle in for direct questions, pointed critiques, and honest assessments about product vision, user adoption, and whether these bold concepts can scale to venture outcomes.

It’s time for Episode 060 of The Feedback Loop!

More on our guest venture investor for the episode, John Frankel:

​Prior to founding ff Venture Capital in 2008, John worked at Goldman Sachs for 21 years working on financial management, technology development, and reengineering, among other things. Specializing in seed and pre-seed investments, John has heard thousands of pitches and ideas from founders just like the ones you'll see present in this group. He brings that context, along with the wisdom of investing in early-stage tech businesses since 1998, to the stage.

Follow John on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnfrankel

Follow Sherveen on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sherveenm

Follow Sherveen on X: https://www.x.com/sherveen

What we get into in this episode:

Don’t Bury the Hook – If you’re building a social platform or a behavior change solution, lead with the why. Overloading your pitch with monetization or future expansions can muddle your core idea.

Focus vs. Broad Vision – Early-stage investors want to see a sharp hypothesis they can rally around. A half-dozen possibilities (marketplace, loyalty programs, on-chain assets) can create confusion.

Market Size vs. Adoption Reality – Selling carbon offsets or launching a gamer social network might attract niche audiences. Show how you’ll expand beyond the “true believers” into mainstream usage, or prove that a small base can still become a big business.

Social/Advertising Models Are Tough – Ad-driven platforms often require massive scale before revenue. If you’re pre-traction, highlight your unique user experience or distribution approach—not a guess at long-term CPMs.

Channel Partnerships & GTM – If you’re relying on loyalty programs or enterprise deals to scale, clarify your channel strategy: Who’s championing you internally, what’s their incentive, and how does that align with your user acquisition costs?

Want to Pitch Your Startup Live?

Apply now at afterfeedback.com and join our growing community of founders and investors.

Thank you to these intrepid founders for stepping into the spotlight. The Feedback Loop is here to help refine your pitch, sharpen your go-to-market, and share battle-tested investor perspectives. Make sure to subscribe for more real-time, no-nonsense feedback on how to pitch your startup.

In a Job Search?

It’s more competitive than ever. Explore our newest channel for 2025’s ultra-competitive talent landscape: https://youtu.be/dlbfZJmY8t8

Disclaimer: This content is for educational purposes only and does not constitute investment advice. Always do your own research before making any investment decision.

If you’re exploring carbon offsets, community-driven social apps, or want to polish your VC pitch, you’ll find tons of insight here. Like, comment, and share — because feedback is a gift!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.