BNN’s The Pitch helps entrepreneurs both on and off-camera

Hope you enjoyed Wednesday’s episode of The Pitch on BNN, which marked my second appearance as a panelist on the show and the first The Pitch show taped at BNN’s very cool new studios in Toronto. The set is brand new and everyone was getting used to camera angles, lighting, sound, new microphones, places and marks (where we, the panelists and the two pitchers stand). A little bit of a learning curve behind the scenes – but a really great show.

The two pitchers were well prepared, well-rehearsed and had some serious passion goin’ on in their pitches. I like to see confident people behind a company – their confidence helps to instill my confidence in their business and their plans moving forward. However, that doesn’t stop any of us on the panel from pointing out the gaps I found in their business models or strategic plans going forward. See my comments to each of them at the end of the show in segment three (look for the videos marked December 8).

It doesn’t end there, though. The pitchers only get 90 seconds to make their pitch, and a short amount of time to answer questions on-air. But after the show wraps, I like to hang around in the green room and debrief the pitchers – how they thought it went, or if they had any questions about what went down on the show. We usually agree to a follow-up Skype or phone chat so that I can offer some guidance to help them work through some of the issues that are raised by me or the other panelists. That’s one of the fun parts of the show for me – working one on one with the pitch companies after the show is over. I also enjoy the emails I get after a show from the BNN audience at home – the armchair venture capitalists who want to weigh in with their opinions.

If you haven’t watched The Pitch, watch it. It’s real, not entertainment. We have a genuine interest in helping the pitchers succeed, and this extends off the air to what goes on behind the scenes.