Every week , Sherveen Mashayekhi, Founder & CEO of Free Agency, invites a group of early-stage startup founders to refine their pitch in front of a live audience. Their pitches are later released on YouTube. After delivering their 1-minute pitch, they receive 5 minutes of direct, actionable feedback from check-writing investor judges.

This week’s featured guest judge is Nika Duan, Partner at Inflect Capital. More about Nika is provided below.

​​​Nika Duan is a Partner at Inflect Capital, which invests in and incubates early stage startups in health and wellness. She began her career as a consultant at Bain & Company. She then became an impact investor at Emerson Collective, focusing on healthcare, education technology, and the future of work. After that, she supported student founders as an Investment Partner at Dorm Room Fund and advised Google Ventures. Now, she’s with Inflect, where they’ve invested in companies like Seven Starling, AnsibleHealth, and ShiftRx.

The session is unscripted and happens in real time—judges are unaware of the founders’ ideas until they arrive. There are no slides, no script, and no immediate funding. It’s all about the natural pitch. The biggest hurdle for most founders? Storytelling. It always comes down to how well you tell your story.

Nika Duan’s feedback is particularly valuable for startups for several reasons:

Industry Expertise

As a Partner at Inflect Capital, Nika specializes in investing and incubating early-stage startups in health and wellness[1]. This focused expertise allows her to provide industry-specific insights that are crucial for startups in these sectors.

Diverse Experience

Nika’s background spans multiple areas of the startup ecosystem:

• Consulting experience at Bain & Company
• Impact investing at Emerson Collective
• Supporting student founders at Dorm Room Fund
• Advising Google Ventures

This diverse experience enables her to offer multifaceted feedback covering various aspects of startup development and growth[1].

Investment Perspective

As a partner at a venture capital firm, Nika can provide feedback from an investor’s point of view. This insight is invaluable for startups looking to attract funding, as it helps them understand what investors are looking for and how to position their companies effectively.

Real-time, Unscripted Feedback

The event’s format, where judges don’t know the founders’ ideas beforehand, ensures that Nika’s feedback is spontaneous and authentic[1]. This real-time evaluation closely mimics actual investor interactions, providing startups with a realistic pitch experience.

Focus on Storytelling

The event emphasizes the importance of storytelling in pitches. Nika’s feedback likely addresses this critical aspect, helping founders refine their narrative and effectively communicate their value proposition[1].

Actionable Advice

Participants receive 5 minutes of direct, actionable feedback on their pitch and concept[1]. This focused critique from an experienced investor like Nika can help startups make immediate improvements to their pitches and business strategies.

By leveraging Nika Duan’s expertise, startups can gain valuable insights to refine their pitches, improve their business models, and increase their chances of securing investment in the competitive health and wellness sectors.

hosted by Sherveen Mashayekhi, Founder & CEO of Free Agency.

​​​If you want to pitch at “The Feedback Loop” event, you can apply on their page. 

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Event link: https://lu.ma/xjk8ezko

​​Doors open at 6pm ET, and the show will begin at 6:30pm.

Hosted By The Feedback Loop

Location

29 E 19th St 3rd floor

New York, NY 10003, USA

Citations:
[1] https://lu.ma/xjk8ezko
[2] https://joshua.herzig-marx.com/759ed5fc78274eae8c5277b9b1aa7552
[3] https://fi.co/event/nyc-pitch-night-and-networking-pitch-your-startup-to-a-vc-new-york-fall-2024.
[4] https://angelspartners.com/top-venture-capital-firms/Music
[5] https://www.eventbrite.com/e/startup-investor-pitch-lunch-online-new-york-tickets-884313715127
[6] https://fi.co/event/founder-showcase-startup-pitch-networking-event-australia-summer-2025.
[7] https://www.eventbrite.com/e/unicorn-pitches-us-blockchain-gaming-edtech-ai-saas-fintech-defense-tickets-920913185127
[8] https://www.garysguide.com/events

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NEW YORK MANHATTAN BUSINESS CLUB USA