Brooklyn VC Charlie O’Donnell’s gonna be riding around in an Uber Thursday listening to pitches

You know, sometimes opportunity just comes honking at your door.
Tomorrow, your Uber POOLmate might not be someone you smile at and then avoid making eye contact with for the duration of your journey, but rather a venture capital who might invest in your startup idea.
It’s called POOL Pitch and, between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. Thursday, VCs from several high-powered firms, including First Round Capital, Lerer Hippeau Ventures and Brooklyn Bridge Ventures will traveling around the five boroughs listening to randos’ spiels. Brooklyn Bridge’s Charlie O’Donnell confirmed via email he will be participating.
“POOL Pitch guarantees that you’ll get the undivided attention of that one VC you could only dream about sharing a ride with,” according to Uber. “Think of it like an elevator pitch, but in an Uber.”
Uber did the same thing in Philly last year.
To participate, interested pitchers can enter ‘POOLPITCH‘ in the promotions tab on the app. If a car with an investor in the back seat shows up, you’ll have seven minutes to pitch and receive feedback. At the end of the day, the VCs will pick some of the best pitches and invite the riders to a cocktail party full of investors. The three best will be chosen to pitch onstage in front of a panel of investors, with the winner receiving $5,000 from First Round Capital, an early investor in the transportation company.
Just requesting a Pool Pitch car doesn’t mean you’ll get one, according to Uber. There are evidently only so many VCs willing to ride around in the backseat of an Uber for three hours, so requests will be honored on a first-come, first-served basis. So get that app open at 11 a.m.!