Failure Is Important

Discussing Episode 1 of StartUp, “How Not to Pitch a Billionaire”

In the first episode of StartUp entitled “How Not to Pitch a Billionaire”, Alex Blumberg tells the story of his new podcast idea and the experience pitching it to mogul Chirs Sacca. Prior to starting a new business, Blumberg was very successful and well-known in the podcast world. He was a producer for This American Life and helped create Planet Money, both dealing with finances and economics. One day he decided he could take his experience and create something better.

In the beginning, Blumberg decided he was going to create a podcast business focused on storytelling and the like; a genre that deserves more recognition but requires more resources to create. Anyone who is confident enough to leave their stable job and start a business must be passionate in the process. Blumberg is very personable and treats his podcast casually while remaining professional. He talks about his personal life and family and creates an equal connection to the audience, rather than putting himself higher. Blumberg then goes on to talk of all these successful investments that have been made through Sacca, showcasing his importance and getting the audience to support Blumberg’s pitch. 

I think it’s interesting how the podcast ended with Blumberg not getting the investment and feeling discouraged. Even when it seemed he was going to have another potential investor, that conversation wasn’t super promising either. Including this part of the story leaves the audience wondering what comes next, effective in keeping the audience interested to learn more in future episodes.