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

Podcast: The Pitch

Published: 2026-03-18

Duration: 1 hr 3 min

Guests: Amaka Uchegbu, Celine King, Jamie Jin Lewis

What Happened

The episode featured a live pitch event in New York City where three startup founders presented to a panel of venture capitalists, including Jesse Middleton, Jenny Fielding, and Charles Hudson. Each founder had 15 minutes to pitch their company, a significant reduction from the usual 45-minute format. This event marked the first time a live show resulted in investments, contrary to previous attempts that were more competition-focused.

Amaka Uchegbu from Uche AI was the first to present, offering a consumer intelligence platform that helps shoppers find suitable haircare products while generating valuable data for brands. Uchegbu's company has captured 450,000 user data points and secured its first paying customer. She is raising $1 million to scale her B2B model, targeting mid-sized companies with multiple teams.

Celine King pitched her company, Greener, which provides a carbon accounting and visibility platform for Fortune 500 supply chains. Greener uses primary data from telematics and fuel cards to offer environmental and operational reporting. The company has a $36 million pipeline and is raising $1.5 million to scale, focusing on hiring for sales and business development roles.

Jamie Jin Lewis presented Wiggle Room, a platform designed to streamline operations for small childcare providers. With 50 paying customers and a unique focus on mobile-first solutions, Wiggle Room aims to become the default operating partner in the childcare industry. Jamie Jin is also raising $1 million, with commitments already secured from Sidecut Ventures.

Jesse Middleton expressed interest in Wiggle Room, offering a $50,000 investment through Next Wave's pre-seed program. Jenny Fielding also showed interest, initially considering a personal investment but later opting for a $50,000 commitment from her fund. The Pitch Fund invested $70,000, helping Wiggle Room exceed its fundraising goal.

Charles Hudson offered a $25,000 investment in Greener, impressed by the company's potential to meet regulatory demands and improve supply chain efficiency. Although he did not invest in Uche AI, the episode revealed that Amaka Uchegbu secured her first $100,000 commitment post-show.

The live event was seen as a success, with the founders benefiting from valuable exposure and capital. The episode concluded with an invitation for listeners to invest through The Pitch Fund and a teaser for the next episode featuring Kavita Guy from Nectar AI.

Key Insights