This Is the No. 1 Mistake You Can Make When Pitching Investors Messing up a pitch isn't nearly as bad as giving up.

By Matthew McCreary

This week's episode of Elevator Pitch features pitches from minority founders in the finance, beauty, cannabis and beverage industries. Some of the founders have years of experience with starting ventures and raising funds, while others are pitching in front of cameras for the first time. Regardless of their previous experience, every person in our elevator has to stare down the ticking clock and battle their nerves to deliver a succinct and compelling 60-second pitch.

What happens if they stumble over a rehearsed sentence or lose their train of thought? Will they be able to get back on track and impress our investors — serial entrepreneur Dre London, angel investor Kim Perell and Netflix co-founder Marc Randolph — or will they completely fall apart under the pressure? Watch the full episode to see who manages to pass the first stress test and get into the investment room.

Stream this and all past episodes at Entrepreneur Elevator Pitch.

Related: These Founders Started Their Company With a $300 Investment. They've Now Done $1 Million in Profits.

Season 7 of Entrepreneur Elevator Pitch is brought to you by Amazon Business with support from State Farm* and T-Mobile for Business. New episodes stream Wednesdays on entrepreneur.com. Follow Entrepreneur Elevator Pitch on Facebook, YouTube and IGTV.

*State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company is not involved with the judging or prize distribution of this contest hosted by Entrepreneur

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.

Innovation

4 Ways Market Leaders Use Innovation to Foster Business Growth

Forward-thinkers constantly strive to diversify and streamline their products and services, turning novelties into commodities desired by many.

Franchise

Jersey Mike's Switched Up Its Strategy for Serving Customers This Year — Then Blackstone Bought the Sandwich Chain for $8 Billion

The New Jersey sub franchise has dialed in on strategies to serve customers in stores and online, as proven by its recent acquisition.

Franchise

The One Factor the Top Franchises of 2025 Have in Common

Here's how we determined the companies in our annual Franchise 500 ranking, and what we learned from the data.

Franchise

Taco Bell Is More Than 60 Years Old — Here's the Brand's Secret to Staying Relevant, According to Its CEO

The fast food franchise has its sights set on something bigger than the quick service restaurant category. That landed it the #1 spot on our Franchise 500 for the fifth time.

Franchise

From Dog Grooming to Acai Bowls — What's Making These Brands Grow So Fast?

These five brands rocketed up the rankings of our Franchise 500 this year. Here's why.