Fixing Fitting Rooms (and Startup Pitches) with Olivya Munro

Episode SummaryOlivya Munro, founder of Zello Studio, is on a mission to transform fitting rooms with smart tech. She shares how a frustrating shopping experience sparked the idea for Zello, how she turned that idea into a startup, and why retailers are eager to get on board. Alan puts her pitch to the test, offering advice on storytelling, investor questions, and scaling in a tech-resistant industry. Whether you’re a founder refining your pitch or just love a good startup origin story, this episode is packed with insights.Time Stamps1:33 – From fashion dreams to startup founder: Olivya’s unexpected career shift3:32 – The moment that sparked Zello: a broken fitting room experience4:22 – 91% of shoppers are dissatisfied—why retailers should care5:58 – How Zello works: tablets, real-time requests, and upselling7:14 – The “boyfriend seat” and retail design realities9:28 – Addressing privacy concerns in the changing room11:07 – First in-store launch and landing major retailers13:00 – What makes a great startup pitch?15:15 – The #1 investor question: progress toward commercialisation18:41 – Hiring for growth: Who’s the first key hire?ResourcesOlivya Munro's Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/olyvia-munro-2038a6218/Zello Studio – Learn more about Olivya’s smart fitting room assistant. https://www.zellostudio.co/Startmate – The accelerator where Olivya pitched Zello. https://www.startmate.com/writing/gen-z-startup-zello-is-transforming-the-140-year-old-fitting-room-experienceHow to Pitch to Investors – A collection of pitching tips from Y Combinator. https://www.ycombinator.com/library/4b-how-to-pitch-your-companySponsors:Pick My Brain is supported by our wonderful sponsors:🦙 Vanta automates up to 90% compliance, getting you audit-ready quickly and saving you up to 85% of associated costs. Join 10,000 global companies like Cipherstash, Handle and Indebted that use Vanta to build trust and prove security in real-time.Get 10% off - http://dayone.fm/vanta/brain The Day One NetworkPick My Brain is part of Day One, the podcast network dedicated to founders, operators & investors.To learn more, join our newsletter to be notified of new and upcoming shows. The only content we create is content that will help Australian founders. Mentioned in this episode:Vanta PMB Ad_March 2025_02Vanta PMB Ad_March 2025_02

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