The Pitch Competition Where We Didn’t Get Picked

I got the email today: ReplyFabric is not selected to pitch at Rare Founders’ Embassy Pitch Series in London.

It stung for a moment. Then I read the feedback—and strangely enough, I felt relieved. Even happy.

Why? Because in that rejection, I found clarity. Thank you Rare Founders!

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The Feedback in Black and White

Here’s the raw version of how investors scored us:

• Novelty: 2.83/5
• Founders: 3.5/5
• Market: 3.17/5
• Traction: 3.17/5

And here’s some of the written feedback, unfiltered:

• “I think you need to focus on the why here, I did not understand what the huge benefit would be for a company to purchase your software.” (Score: 2)
• “Not sure how defensible this is—but strong value proposition + repeat founder.” (Score: 4)
• “Addresses a clear pain point… execution-ready SaaS proposition… main risk is traction in a competitive space.” (Score: 4)
• “No real moat and very competitive space.” (Score: 1)
• “Good idea, big market.” (Score: 3)
• “Presentation materials can be streamlined but brilliant idea and explanation of team.” (Score: 4)

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Brutal Truth #1: I Didn’t Really Mention My Why

And that’s on me.

My why is simple: let AI take over the routine so people can be brilliant again.
That’s the core of ReplyFabric.

But instead of saying that out loud, I buried it under slides about TAM, EBITDA, VAC, and LTV. I followed the pitch template too closely, talking about numbers that sound investor-friendly but don’t explain why the world needs this product.

That’s a rookie mistake—and I know better.

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Brutal Truth #2: Solo Founder ≠ Red Flag

I’ve been carrying around this worry: that being a solo founder is a dealbreaker.
But my highest score was actually Founders: 3.5/5.

That was an eye-opener. Apparently, investors don’t care as much about how many founders there are—they care about whether you can execute.
And that, I can do.

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Brutal Truth #3: This Isn’t Sexy

An AI agent for shared inboxes doesn’t scream “moonshot.” It’s not a flying car or a cure for cancer.
It’s practical. Real. Maybe even boring.

But boring can also be a business. Investors may crave novelty. Customers crave productivity.
Which means my real audience isn’t investors yet—it’s companies drowning in email chaos.

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What I’m Taking Away

This rejection actually sharpened my focus:

1. Prove it with traction. We need paying customers, real ROI numbers, case studies. Without them, it’s all theory.
2. Find our moat. Gmail AI and Microsoft Copilot are the giants. Niche inbox platforms are the specialists. ReplyFabric has to carve out a defensible position in between.
3. Integrate or die. CRMs, ticketing systems, collab tools—ReplyFabric needs to plug in everywhere to stay sticky.

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Why I’m Not Discouraged

Because hidden in the noise was this line:

“Execution-ready SaaS proposition with a clear niche and strong economics on paper.”

That’s the foundation. And if the foundation is good, the rest is just building.

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The Founder’s Reality

So no, we won’t be on stage in London this time.
But I’ll still be there. Talking. Listening. Learning.

Because here’s the truth about building a startup:
You don’t lose when you’re not selected. You lose when you stop showing up.