"Do you have a real edge?" | 60 Seconds to Pitch
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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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