The Pitch

Josh Muccio created something that shouldn't work as well as it does: a podcast version of Shark Tank that's actually better than the TV show for learning about entrepreneurship. The Pitch records real founders making real pitches to real investors, with real money on the line. There's no scripting, no dramatic music cues, and no post-production editing to manufacture tension. The tension is already there because the stakes are genuine. The show has had an interesting journey. It started in 2015 and was eventually acquired by Gimlet Media, then went to Spotify when Gimlet was acquired. After Gimlet was sold, Josh bought The Pitch back in 2022, took it independent, and partnered with Vox Media for distribution. Season 15 was streaming on Spotify in early 2026, with 207 episodes in the catalog. Josh himself is a founder-turned-podcaster-turned-VC, having started his first company in college, which gives him a unique understanding of both sides of the pitch table. What makes the show valuable for listeners is hearing how investors actually evaluate ideas in real time. You hear the questions they ask, the concerns they raise, and the reasoning behind their yes-or-no decisions. It's an education in how startup funding works that no textbook can replicate. Some pitches succeed, some fail, and the most instructive episodes are often the ones where investors pass and explain exactly why. The format is tight -- episodes run around 20 to 30 minutes -- and the variety of businesses that come through keeps things from getting repetitive. If you've ever wondered what it actually sounds like when a founder asks an investor for money, this is the show.