#182 LIVE in NYC: 3 Startups, 3 Investors, 15 Minutes to Invest - The Pitch Recap

Podcast: The Pitch

Published: 2026-03-18

Duration: 3788

Guests: Jesse Middleton, Jenny Fielding, Charles Hudson, Amaka Uchegbu, Celine King, Jamie Jin Lewis

What Happened

Live from New York at the SEEN Summit, The Pitch featured three startups aiming to secure investments in just 15 minutes. The event was notable for being the first time real money investments were made on the show. Jesse Middleton, Jenny Fielding, and Charles Hudson listened to pitches from Uche AI, greenIRR, and Wiggle Room.

Amaka Uchegbu, founder of Uche AI, presented her B2B consumer intelligence platform targeting the textured hair product market. With a captured data pool of 450,000 user points and a $2.2 million pipeline, Uche AI is already cash flow positive and closed its first client, a notable celebrity beauty brand. Despite the competition from traditional data sources, Amaka aims for a $1 million ARR by converting 25 clients to higher annual contract values.

Celine King, founder of Greener, pitched her carbon accounting platform for Fortune 500 companies, focusing on the trucking industry's substantial emissions. Greener's platform integrates with telematics and fuel card APIs, providing rapid onboarding and serving both efficiency and sustainability needs. Celine is nearing the close of a $1.5 million funding round, with a current shortfall of just $78,000.

Jamie Jin Lewis, founder of Wiggle Room, likened her platform to Shopify for the childcare industry. With 50 paying customers and zero churn, Wiggle Room aims to streamline daycare operations through a mobile-first approach using SMS and WhatsApp. The company plans to reach a $1 million ARR, supported by a 20,000 daycare pipeline for 2026.

Investments concluded with Jesse Middleton and Jenny Fielding both backing Wiggle Room, contributing $50,000 each from their funds. The Pitch Fund also invested $70,000 at a $7 million post-money valuation. Jamie Jin Lewis closed her million-dollar funding round and exceeded her initial target due to investor interest.

Charles Hudson refrained from investing in Greener after due diligence, citing concerns about its potential to scale to a venture level. However, he remains optimistic about Celine King's near completion of her funding round, with minimal capital left to secure.

Amaka Uchegbu of Uche AI received a $100,000 commitment, marking her initial success in the investment scene. While no offers were made to the audience, listeners can invest by joining the Pitch Fund, which is currently raising its second fund.

The episode concluded with a preview of the season finale, featuring Kavita Guy and her startup Nectar AI, which previously raised $1.4 million on the show. The production team included Josh Muccio and others, and the episode highlighted Adobe's PDF Spaces feature.

Key Insights

• Uche AI taps into the $3 billion textured hair market, with $14 billion wasted annually by brands on incorrect launches. The company aims to secure yearly licenses with brands, charging $10,000 per team and targeting a $50,000 average contract value.
• Greener addresses the $900 billion U.S. trucking industry, which contributes 14% of global emissions. The platform provides emissions data through telematics and fuel card APIs, with an onboarding process under 14 days.
• Wiggle Room serves the $150 billion childcare industry, where most operations are small-scale and run by individual women. The platform automates processes via mobile communication, aiming to become the standard for daycare operations.
• The Pitch Fund committed $100,000 during the live event, marking the first real-money investment on the show. Jenny Fielding and Jesse Middleton invested in Jamie Jin Lewis's Wiggle Room, contributing to her oversubscribed funding round.