Today we’d like to introduce you to Mary Scott.
Hi Mary, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I had a video production business in New York. Did a lot of B2B videos & two documentaries that made money. One got on PBS & was nominated for an Emmy. I moved to St. Louis about 10 years ago & landed at Venture Cafe in the heart of the startup ecosystem. I love anything new, so early stage startups were so exciting to me. I got involved with 1 Million Cups St. Louis & House of Genius. I helped find startups for those programs & in the process I compiled the Startup Resources Guide for St. Louis https://stlstartupecosystem.org so that not only Startups could have “one stop shopping” for resources, but also all the Resources could know about each other & collaborate.
Then House of Genius folded. Covid hit, and Venture Cafe folded as well.
In June of 2024, 1 Million Cups was told we were being “sunsetted”.
As Lead Organizer, I wasn’t going to accept that. There were too few resources for early stage startups as it was.
I decided to form PitchSTL as a replacement for 1 Million Cups.
Early stage startups need to be able to validate their ideas & learn to pitch to customers, if not investors. PitchSTL is that “warm fuzzy shark tank” where every Wednesday at 9 a.m. one or two startups get 6 minutes to present & get 20 minutes of feedback from the community. They also get free pitch coaching before they present. And we video all presentations so presenters can review themselves & reflect on the feedback. We also post the 6 minute pitches in social media with permission.
We also decided to continue the pitch competition that was started by Pitches Get Stitches, and have put on two Fast Pitch Networking evening events with a cash prize for the winner each time.
We are an official 501(c)3 organization & currently looking for grants and sponsorships to keep providing this valuable resource to startups in St. Louis Metro. We don’t just serve tech companies, but also inventors, product creators, food & fashion entrepreneurs, and retail startups. Anyone is welcome to apply, and I, personally love it when I see the lightbulbs go off in a startup, knowing they will be successful.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
I didn’t get much attention when I started. I don’t know if it was me, the New Yorker, or ageism, but lots of younger folks in the ecosystem ignored me. Once I started making actual phone calls to other resources, and showing up at their events with ideas & resources to promote them, I got more traction. Now, all the libraries know about the Resources Guide, and a few of the accelerators (Arch Grants, BALSA) have been suggesting startups apply to PitchSTL to practice, particularly if they were not chosen for the current cohort.
I find many venues are willing to host PitchSTL events, but finding cash sponsors is still a challenge.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about PitchSTL?
started in August, 2024 as an LLC not-for-profit, We have three board members currently: Mary Scott, President, Joseph Muller, Secretary-Treasurer, and Christian Johnson. We are known for providing access to the specific resources any given startup needs. My contact list is extensive & I share. I also do a weekly podcast with expert, practical/tactical advice for startups. The Startup Resources Guide is available for free online & email addresses are not collected from it.
Weekly meetings are an opportunity for networking & collaboration & coffee, as well as giving startups a chance to present & get feedback.
We chose the name PitchSTL because there is already TechSTL & SupplySTL, and StartupSTL, so it would fit in well with the ecosystem. Also, the url was available which made a difference.
I’m still not sure if this is supposed to be about me or about PitchSTL. I do Thanksgiving for Orphans at my house, and Lunch on My Porch with friends for anyone who shows up after the Tower Grove Farmers Market on Saturdays when I’m in town. I have three grown kids in different time zones who call to talk & don’t ask for money. I go to Texas every other month to take care of two grandsons, 12 & 14 when their dad is overseas. I also have two granddaughters. I love dancing & scifi & telling stories.
Do you have recommendations for books, apps, blogs, etc?
I love Less Annoying CRM, which is my database manager & a local St. Louis company
My Podcast Links
https://rss.com/podcasts/stuck-time-to-improv-the-startup-launchpad
https://www.youtube.com/@StartUpSuccessLaunch
https://www.facebook.com/groups/startupbusinesslaunchpad/
St Louis Startup Resources Guide https://stlstartupecosystem.org
https://techstl.com
https://nicstl.org
I also try to get to Founders Lounge and Idea Bounce as often as possible
Pricing:
- all services & meetings are free; sponsorships are appreciated
Contact Info:
- Website: https://PitchSTL.com
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PitchSTL
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/pitchstl/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@StartUpSuccessLaunch
- Other: https://forms.gle/4knPpHDSLaqiLWaKA
