Jason Toevs has pitched a time or two as an entrepreneur.
The co-founder and CTO of Quicc, a Wichita-based company that helps content creators transcribe and burn captions on video, is headed to South by Southwest next month to pitch with business partner Mike Mathia.
“We were selected as one of the top five finalists in entertainment and content,” Toevs said during an interview at Groover Labs. “There were 900 applications from around the world.”
He and Mathia, co-founder and CEO, are looking forward to the challenge.
“I love to be challenged,” Toevs said. “One of the hardest things in this ecosystem is that there aren’t a lot of challengers. I think there are plenty of naysayers who like to pile on and say ‘I don’t think that will work.’ Some of the best entrepreneurs use it as fuel when people say ‘I don’t really see it, I don’t get it.’ ”
Quicc began in May 2019, a pivot from an earlier company, Alyss Analytics, that Toevs said was “too early to market.” Quicc has 2,500 users in 84 countries, all believers in the time the company can shave off of post-production.
Wichita’s startup community is encouraging at the moment, he said.
“I think there is an incredible amount of momentum at the moment,” Toevs said, mentioning Groover Labs as an important player.
“Places like Groover Labs are a great fit. Now there’s a place you can go and connect and build with other people — and not just software,” he said.
Toevs and Mathia will pitch Quicc to a room full of investors and SXSW attendees.
The process is involved — SXSW assigned Quicc a pitch coach who will help the team review and refine its presentation. The pitch itself will be three minutes with six minutes for questions and answers.
“I’ve pitched quite a few times — mostly to rooms of investors. It’s fun because Mike and I go back and forth on what’s the best to present this vision. It’s really awesome and fun to have a co-founder who complements and doesn’t replace parts of your capabilities,” he said.
Toevs served as a judge for Startup Grind Wichita’s Pitch Battle in December at Groover Labs.
Being authentic is crucial to a good pitch, he said — “really speaking the truth that you’re living every day. For founders, it’s really easy when you see and believe in the vision so clearly.”
His advice to other startups?
“Let the authenticity flow. You know your product. You know your vision. You know your customers. I think it’s a real gut check if pitching is hard because then you don’t know.”
He encourages entrepreneurs to consider “what part of this felt hard to deliver on, and how do I go deeper?”
Practicing your pitch to perfect it is crucial, Toevs said.
“Practice it with all sorts of different people. That will give you so much more confidence. It’s the unknown questions that blindside you that really put you on your toes,” he said.