Get All Access for $5/mo

Entrepreneur Elevator Pitch Season 3 Episode 3: Circus Act or Class Act? Every founder who pitches on our weekly show has their own style. But the investors' decisions ultimately boil down to whether a business can scale.

By Lydia Belanger

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

Many entrepreneurs claim to have innovative solutions to problems that plague millions. But it doesn't matter how good someone's idea is, or how much energy they have in pitching it. It matters whether they can build a viable business around their product.

On every episode of Entrepreneur's weekly pitch show, Entrepreneur Elevator Pitch, contestants get just 60 seconds to sell a panel of four prominent investor judges on their ability to do just that. That minute-long pitch happens inside the Entrepreneur Elevator, while the judges watch via livestream on an upper floor.

When the time is up, the entrepreneur waits anxiously (or kills time doing a product demo) just steps away from the deliberating investors behind the Entrepreneur Elevator doors. The judges then vote: Should they grant the contestant more time to elaborate and potentially seal a deal, or have they heard all they need to hear?

Related: Entrepreneur Elevator Pitch Season 3 Episode 2: 'You Gotta Discuss It Right Now'

The investors don't always agree right away on whether to open the doors or to send an entrepreneur down without facetime with them. From there, in cases where they do concede to let them in, they don't always see eye to eye on what's a reasonable deal.

From a group of guys who aim to "change education" for "the Wi-Fi generation" to a woman who thinks her app is the cure to loneliness, this week's ideas run the gamut. One founder admits how he's faced obstacles in selling his promising product. Guest judge and PLG Ventures founder Peter Goldberg asks him, "How, as the CEO of this company, are you going to implement and execute to make this a successful business?"

The entrepreneur responds with a surprising story that makes the panel realize, maybe it's a "no for now" and an opportunity to share their robust networks in the meantime.

Should a pitch make or break an entrepreneur's chances at funding? How important is the ability to think on your feet as a business leader? Stream this week's episode of Entrepreneur Elevator Pitch above to find out which companies entice the investors.

Entrepreneur Elevator Pitch in partnership with Sports 1 Marketing streams Wednesdays on entrepreneur.com. Follow Entrepreneur Elevator Pitch on Facebook, YouTube and IGTV.

Lydia Belanger is a former associate editor at Entrepreneur. Follow her on Twitter: @LydiaBelanger.

Want to be an Entrepreneur Leadership Network contributor? Apply now to join.

More from Entrepreneur Elevator Pitch

Will Investors Bite on a Pizza Wallet? Find Out on the Wild Season Finale of 'Elevator Pitch.'

'Elevator Pitch' Meltdown: Watch the Moment That Broke This Entrepreneur's Brain

A Near-Tragedy Spurred This Dad's Invention — Now Worth Millions

A Scary Shopping Experience Inspired This Entrepreneur to Launch Her Own Brand. Now It's Done Over $5 Million In Sales.

Editor's Pick

Business News

'It's Not About You': How to Fire Someone Effectively, According to Kevin O'Leary

O'Leary says that if you can't fire someone, you aren't the right leader for the organization.

Side Hustle

'Hustling Every Day': These Friends Started a Side Hustle With $2,500 Each — It 'Snowballed' to Over $500,000 and Became a Multimillion-Dollar Brand

Paris Emily Nicholson and Saskia Teje Jenkins had a 2020 brainstorm session that led to a lucrative business.

Business News

'I'm Not Trying to Land on Mars': Mark Cuban Takes Dig at Elon Musk to Explain Why His Online Pharmacy Isn't Trying to Make More Money

Mark Cuban Cost Plus Drug Co. is an online pharmacy co-founded by Cuban and radiologist Alex Oshmyansky.

Business News

Meta Makes $1 Million Dollar Donation to Donald Trump's Inaugural Fund

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg also reportedly gave Trump a pair of Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses.

Business Ideas

63 Small Business Ideas to Start in 2024

We put together a list of the best, most profitable small business ideas for entrepreneurs to pursue in 2024.

Leadership

Should I Stay or Should I Go? 8 Key Points to Navigate the Founder's Dilemma

Here are eight key signs that help founders determine whether to persevere or let go.