🎤 San Francisco's Got Talent: Founder Edition Pitch Event Grand Finale
San Francisco's Got Talent: Founder Edition Pitch Event Grand Finale
Tuesday, October 6th | San Francisco | SF Tech Week
Eight months. Eight winners. One night.
Since February, we've been running the most electrifying pitch series in San Francisco. Every month, founders step up, pitch their companies, and face live feedback from ex-TV journalists and active investors, the only panel combo like it anywhere.
Now, the eight monthly champions come together for the Grand Finale during SF Tech Week to compete for the room that matters most.
THE FORMAT
Most pitch events give you 90 seconds and a "thanks, next." Ours is different.
Each founder gets 4 minutes to pitch followed by 3 minutes of real, unfiltered feedback from a panel of ex-TV journalists and active investors, people who know what makes a story stick AND what makes a deal close.
8 monthly winners compete head-to-head on the Grand Finale stage. They earned their spot. Now they compete for the title.
Meet Your Storytelling Judges
Joe Vazquez is a four time Emmy Award-winning TV journalist with decades of experience in broadcast news covering everything from hurricanes to riots to politics to the rise of Tech. Joe has told the story of America from TV stations in Houston, Philadelphia and San Francisco, among others, mastering the art of distilling complex narratives into compelling, digestible stories.
Armed with a B.S. in Political Science from the University of Houston (Yes, a BS in politics!), his education and experience have taught him to question everything and hold the powerful accountable. He uses these skills to coach founders on storytelling best practices. Joe is co-founder of a podcast called “Answering AI,” which aims to address the many questions raised by Artificial Intelligence.
Ella Sogomonian is a multilingual journalist who helped launch KRON ON, the Bay Area's first 24/7 local news app, and has covered some of the region's most significant stories from the Ghost Ship warehouse fire to the Wine Country Firestorm.
Speaking English, Spanish, and Russian fluently, Ella brings a unique perspective on how stories translate across cultures and audiences. Before joining KRON 4, she covered the U.S.-Mexico border in Arizona, earning recognition from both the Yuma County and Arizona Farm Bureaus for her investigative coverage of the agriculture industry, water conservation, and immigration.
With a B.F.A. in Television and Broadcast Journalism from Chapman University, Ella understands the mechanics of narrative structure and knows how to break news in a way that makes people pay attention—exactly what founders need when pitching their vision.
🎲 THE WILDCARD ROUND
Think you're just here to watch? Think again.
Two audience members will be selected at random. Live, invited on stage to pitch alongside the monthly champions. No prep. No warning. Just you and your story.
Every registered founder in the room is automatically entered. You could walk in as a spectator and walk out as the Grand Prize winner.
THE PANEL
Our signature judging format, elevated for the finale:
Ex-TV Journalists who know exactly what makes a story land
Active Investors who know what makes a deal close
A Wildcard Judge — a high-profile operator or past winner who proves this series produces real outcomes
PRIZES
🏆 Grand Prize
🥈 Runner-Up
👏 Audience Choice
📰 Best Story Award (Journalist Pick)
THE VIBE
Corporate demo day with lanyards and catered lunch, boring. Happy hour you won't remember, not again. This is a spectator sport, real stakes, real drama, real feedback, and an eight-month storyline that all comes down to one night.
Doors open at 5:00 PM with curated drinks and networking. Pitches kick off at 6:00 PM. The after-party is where the real conversations happen, structured networking with investors who've been watching all night.
WHO SHOULD ATTEND
Founders — Watch, learn, network, or get pulled on stage
Investors — See vetted deal flow and discover breakout founders in real time
Operators & Builders — Experience the energy of SF's most unique pitch format
Anyone who loves a good story — Seriously, people come just to watch
Why HER Connections Is Hosting This
We build curated experiences that help underrepresented founders level up—not through fluff, but through real feedback and meaningful connections.
Great pitches aren't about having the perfect deck. They're about communicating your vision so clearly that people want to be part of it. This event series is about sharpening that skill over time, in a room that's rooting for you.
No gatekeeping. No fake polish. Just real founders getting real feedback from people who know what lands.
Everyone gets a shot. Come ready.
Questions? Want to become a partner?
Email info@herconnections
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