There was barely a breeze on the roof of the MCM studios building in Manhattan last week as six entrepreneurs graced a stage to pitch their businesses.
At one point, it was April Wachtel’s turn. She stood and made the case for her company, Cheeky Cocktails, to a judging panel that included the billionaire venture capitalist Tim Draper. Men holding TV cameras circled her as she pitched, capturing the moment live for Draper’s “Shark Tank”-style business competition show “Meet the Drapers.”
The show is entering its eighth season, with past winners including the leadership platform Balloon and the food company It’s Skinny.
After the show, Wachtel told TechCrunch the experience was a “whirlwind” and said the exposure is huge for startups like hers. Cheeky Cocktails offers a line of handcrafted cocktail mixers. She heard about the show after coming in second at another pitch competition earlier this month. A producer for “Meet the Drapers” reached out and asked if she was available to film, and less than two days later, she was pitching on the show.
“There’s no substitute for hearing a founder tell their own story,” she said. “At the end of the day, people might buy from you because they like you and then stick around because they love t
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