Entrepreneur Elevator Pitch Season 4 Episode 5: 'I Invest in People' This episode of our weekly pitch show catches up with a pair of furniture founders from last season.

By Matthew McCreary

Entrepreneur Elevator Pitch invites ambitious entrepreneurs to step into the Entrepreneur Elevator, then gives them 60 seconds to pique the judges' interest. It's a high-pressure, fast-paced environment in which startup founders need to race the clock while maintaining their composure to make a clear, deliberate pitch that covers at least three essential components:

  1. Defining the company
  2. Making the request
  3. Specifying what the investment money will be used for

The investors watch the pitch through a video livestream while the elevator ascends to the boardroom floor. Once the 60 seconds are up, the group votes on whether to open the doors or send the founder back down and pass on investing.

Related: Entrepreneur Elevator Pitch Season 4 Episode 4: 'It Hit All the Ingredients Except a Good Product'

This episode of Elevator Pitch starts out with a pair of entrepreneurs who leave the judges split after 60 seconds. "I invest in people," says judge David Meltzer, "and I don't see the competence," while Peter Goldberg thinks "there's more to this story that's positive that they just didn't convey." Eventually, the investors agree to open the doors, but will the founders be able to convert that opportunity into dollars and cents?

Next up is a man selling products for women. His pitch starts with the words, "Yes, that's right," and ends with one judge saying, "This is crazy."

After that, the show checks in with a company, Fernish, that earned an investment from the judges in season three. The co-founders break down the growth they've seen in their business since appearing on Elevator Pitch, from the sheer volume of their team to the amount of brand awareness they've enjoyed.

Another quick cutout of the episode breaks down some tips you can use while pitching, starting with the fact that when you pitch your business, you're really pitching yourself. That means:

  1. You should talk about yourself, your background and your expertise.
  2. You should tout your team's accomplishments.
  3. You need to prove you're the right leader for this venture.

As Meltzer says, "The right person can make a company succeed." Prove that you can do just that, and you're well on your way to earning potential investors' trust.

For more tips and the rest of the pitches in this episode, click play.

Entrepreneur Elevator Pitch in partnership with Sports 1 Marketing streams Wednesdays on entrepreneur.com. Follow Entrepreneur Elevator Pitch on Facebook, YouTube and IGTV.

Matthew McCreary

Entrepreneur Staff

Associate Editor, Contributed Content

Matthew McCreary is the associate editor for contributed content at Entrepreneur.com.

Want to be an Entrepreneur Leadership Network contributor? Apply now to join.

More from Entrepreneur Elevator Pitch

Will Investors Bite on a Pizza Wallet? Find Out on the Wild Season Finale of 'Elevator Pitch.'

'Elevator Pitch' Meltdown: Watch the Moment That Broke This Entrepreneur's Brain

A Near-Tragedy Spurred This Dad's Invention — Now Worth Millions

A Scary Shopping Experience Inspired This Entrepreneur to Launch Her Own Brand. Now It's Done Over $5 Million In Sales.

Editor's Pick

Business News

JPMorgan Shuts Down Internal Message Board Comments After Employees React to Return-to-Office Mandate

Employees were given the option to leave comments about the RTO mandate with their first and last names on display — and they did not hold back.

Business Ideas

70 Small Business Ideas to Start in 2025

We put together a list of the best, most profitable small business ideas for entrepreneurs to pursue in 2025.

Business News

Zillow Predicts These 10 Places Will Have the Hottest Housing Markets in 2025

Zillow predicted that the hottest housing market of 2025 will be Buffalo, New York. Here's why.

Business News

'Masculine Energy Is Good': Mark Zuckerberg Tells Joe Rogan He Thinks Companies Need More Aggression

On the most recent episode of "The Joe Rogan Experience," Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg said corporate culture has become "neutered."

Business News

'More Soul-Crushing Than Ever': Popular Hiring Platform Finds Around 20% of Its Postings Were 'Ghost Jobs'

Is that job listing too good to be true? There's a one-in-five chance that it might be.

Growing a Business

5 Risk-Taking Lessons From Founders Who Bet Big and Won

Discover the bold moves and strategic risks that catapulted these entrepreneurs to success. Learn how their fearless decisions can inspire your own path to growth.