First Pitch Podcast
by First Pitch Pod
Most platforms celebrate companies after they've already made it. We show up at the beginning. We're a founder first media platform built to give early stage startups the exposure they rarely get when they need it most. The wins, the failures, the pivots, the late nights. The real journey of building from the ground up that never makes it into pitch decks or business school case studies. Every episode, we spotlight founders in the trenches, share their unfiltered stories, and document what it actually takes to turn an idea into a real business. We're also building toward something bigger. Connecting standout founders to investors and strategic partners, and hosting live pitch events where founders can get real feedback and compete for funding and exposure. We root for the underdog. We believe in earned attention over bought attention. And we're building a modern school of hard knocks for the next generation of great companies. </p
Episodes
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He Could Not Get A Single Internship. Then Harvard And MIT Both Said Yes.
Jack Doughty spent years applying for internships and getting rejected by every single one. Out of options, he took a research job in a physics lab he knew nothing about, learned electromagnetic physics from scratch, and published a paper within four months. When Adobe finally offered him his…
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The Founder’s Dopamine Trap: How to Hack Your Brain for Scale
Most founders think their productivity problem is a discipline problem. Brad Plumlee says it is actually a chemistry problem. In this episode Brad breaks down how dopamine really works, why cheap hits from social media and junk food are raising your baseline and making real work feel impossible,...
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The Most Powerful Man In History Chose Humility Over Wealth. Here Is What Founders Can Learn.
Marcus Aurelius was the most powerful man in the world. He commanded the largest empire in history, could start wars, end lives, and accumulate unlimited wealth. And he spent his private journals reminding himself that none of it mattered. In this episode Brad and Alex break down Meditations by...
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He Built a YouTube Audience for 5 Years at Starbucks. Then He Grossed $300 Million.
Curry Barker graduated high school wanting to make films, left film school after a year, built a YouTube audience making comedy shorts, pivoted to horror on an $800 budget, and sold his first feature film at the Toronto Film Festival for $15 million while it was still being edited. The catch is...
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53 Years Without a Championship. One Unconventional Hire Changed Everything.
The New York Knicks spent fifty-three years without a championship. Then one unconventional hire changed everything. In this episode Brad and Alex break down what that story teaches founders about the difference between being in a drought and just moving slowly, how to identify the missing piece...
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She Started Selling Desserts Through Instagram DMs. Now There Are Lines Around the Block.
Klara Han moved from South Korea to Utah without knowing a single person, started baking Korean desserts in her dorm room just to feel less homesick, and ended up building one of Salt Lake City's most talked about dessert brands before she even graduated. In this episode Klara tells us how...
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Growth Mindset vs Fixed Mindset: What Separates Founders Who Make It
Growth mindset and fixed mindset is one of those ideas everyone learns young and then mostly forgets to apply. In this episode Brad and Alex break down what separates founders who bounce back from rejection and what separates the ones who quietly blame the market, the investors, or their team...
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How A College Senior Built A Mobile Barbershop Empire On Campus
Aiden Leone was on the finance track at the University of Utah until a guest speaker's story about walking away from accounting to build a hundred million dollar firm changed everything. In this episode, Aiden tells us how a bad haircut during COVID turned into Leone's Barbershop, a mobile...
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The Brand Mistake Every Student Founder Makes Before They Even Launch
The conversation delves into the strategies for building credibility on social media, humanizing the business, the impact of controversial content, the importance of vulnerability, and the credibility of influencers and creators. It also explores the significance of long-form content and provides...
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Should Founders Share Their Goals Publicly? We Debated It.
Build in public or stay quiet and grind? We went back and forth on this one. Tune in and let us know where you land. Drop your take in the comments.
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Building Alone Is Slowly Destroying Your Startup
If you are building alone right now, this one is for you. We talk about why isolation kills early startups and exactly who you need in your corner before you hit a wall. Doing everything alone is not strength. It is a slow burn. This episode is about building the right people around you before it...
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The Advice Destroying Student Startups Before They Ever Launch
The safest advice you are getting as a student founder might be the thing holding you back the most. We said what most people will not.
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Why Most Startup Ideas Fail Before You Ever Build Them
If you are sitting on a startup idea and not sure if it is worth building, this one is for you. We cover how to pressure test your idea fast and find out if real demand actually exists.
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The College Student Who Built a Social App for Skiers
This week on First Pitch we sat down with Brody, founder of Shredder, a ski based social app built by a college student who just saw a gap and went for it. If you are building something niche, this episode is for you.
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Why Being Broke and in School Is Actually Your Biggest Edge as a Founder
Being broke, unknown, and in school is not a disadvantage. It is your greatest edge. Episode 3 breaks down why.
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The Fake It Phase: Building a Real Startup from Nothing
Imposter syndrome is part of the process. We talk about why every builder goes through it and how to push through before the world knows your name. Drop this in a friend's DMs if they need to hear it.
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Why We Started a Podcast for Founders Nobody Knows Yet
Welcome to First Pitch, the show built for founders before they're famous. This is where up-and-coming entrepreneurs get a platform to share their story, present their ideas, and document the earliest stages of building something meaningful. If you've ever wanted to witness a company from its…
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About this show
Most platforms celebrate companies after they've already made it. We show up at the beginning.
We're a founder first media platform built to give early stage startups the exposure they rarely get when they need it most. The wins, the failures, the pivots, the late nights. The real journey of building from the ground up that never makes it into pitch decks or business school case studies.
Every episode, we spotlight founders in the trenches, share their unfiltered stories, and document what it actually takes to turn an idea into a real business.
We're also building toward something bigger. Connecting standout founders to investors and strategic partners, and hosting live pitch events where founders can get real feedback and compete for funding and exposure.
We root for the underdog. We believe in earned attention over bought attention. And we're building a modern school of hard knocks for the next generation of great companies. </p
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First Pitch Pod
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