Founder Hotseat: Pitch Your Startup to Local Investors & Advisors

Pitch your startup to knowledgeable experts

UPDATE:

We'll see you for Founder Institute Houston: Founders, Mentors & Hot Seats at The Us Space inside the Neils Esperson Building Ste 400..

Arrive at 5:30 so you have time to check in, meet some people, and network before we officially kick things off at 6:00.

PARKING + ARRIVAL

🚗 Garage Parking: enter 801 Travis Garage, Houston, TX 77002 In your GPS,
As you approach the garage on Rusk, stay to the RIGHT. You'll pass the Esperson Building, and the garage entrance will be on your immediate right on the next block. Look for the large "P" parking sign and 801 Travis Parking.

Once you park: Take the garage elevator to the ground floor, exit the building, and walk across the street to the Esperson Building.

🅿️ Street Parking: Metered street parking is also available around all four sides of the Esperson building on Travis, Rusk, Walker, and Milam.

🚪 Building Entrance: Enter the Esperson Building at 815 Walker St. The Us Space is located inside the Esperson Building on the 4th floor. Take the elevator to the 4th floor and follow the signs to The Us Space, Suite 400.

Schedule:
5:30–6:00 PM | Networking
6:00–6:15 PM | Founder Institute Houston Intro
6:15–7:30 PM | Founder Hot Seats
7:30–8:00 PM | Networking + Connections

Come ready to meet, reconnect, and make some good connections!

Who should Attend?

Anyone who wants feedback from leading entrepreneurs and startup experts
Founders with an early-stage startup and wants expert feedback
Anyone who has an idea for a startup or a tech company
Startup team members who need practice and expert advice on pitching
Experts looking to Mentor the upcoming 2027 cohort

Who Pitches?

We will be selecting people from the audience to pitch, and will do as many as time allows. PRO TIP: To prepare a pitch, first begin your one sentence pitch at https://fi.co/one-sentence-pitch and then work on expanding your pitch to be no longer than 60 seconds.

The 5 Core Elements of a 1 minute pitch are:

Hook & One-Liner (0–15 seconds): State what you are building in a single, jargon-free sentence ("[Company] builds [what] that helps [customer] achieve [outcome] by [approach]"). Skip your life story or buzzwords.
Problem & Pain Point (15–30 seconds): Name and quantify the specific problem, cost, or risk your target customer faces. Make the pain tangible.
Solution & Competitive Edge (30–45 seconds): Explain your product, your unfair advantage, and how you stand out against real alternatives or competitors (never claim you have no competitors).
Traction & Validation (45–50 seconds): Share concrete momentum—such as user growth, revenue, pilot programs, or key technical milestones—rather than vague claims.
Ask & Close (50–60 seconds): State a clear call to action, such as a specific capital raise amount and what milestone it will fund, followed by a reminder of your name and company.

Interested in further perfecting your pitch? Read our Pitch Deck Guide.