Girls Into VC - Pitch Battle: Who Would You Back?

Welcome back to this week’s Girls Into VC—where we spotlight opportunities, investors, and ideas shaping the future of venture.

🗓️ Agenda (What’s Inside This Week)

• 🔍 Industry Spotlight: AI for Social Good
• ⚡️ Pitch Battle: 3 startups, you decide who wins
• 🌟 Investor Feature: Lily from Underscore VC
• 🚀 Opportunities: Hackathons, conferences, and ways to get involved
• 💭 Closing thought for the week

🔍 Industry Spotlight: The Future of AI for Social Good

AI is quickly moving beyond productivity into purpose-driven innovation—tackling challenges across healthcare, education, climate, and access. For VCs, this space represents a powerful intersection of impact and scale: mission-driven companies with strong data moats, rapid iteration cycles, and expanding enterprise + public sector demand.

We’re seeing a rise in early-stage startups building AI tools that don’t just optimize workflows—but meaningfully improve lives. As capital continues flowing into AI, “social good” may become one of its most important frontiers.

🧠 How to Think Like a VC: What Are You Actually Looking For?

When you’re evaluating startups—like in this week’s Pitch Battle—it’s easy to go with your gut. But great investors balance instinct with a simple mental framework.

Here’s how to start thinking like a VC:

1. 🚀 Market Size (Is This Worth Winning?)

Even an amazing product can’t save a small market.
Ask yourself: If this works, how big could it get?
Look for startups going after large, growing markets—or creating entirely new ones.

2. 🔥 Problem Strength (Is This a “Must Solve”?)

The best companies solve painful, urgent problems—not just “nice to have” ones.
Ask: Do people NEED this, or just kind of want it?

3. 💡 Unique Insight (Why This Team?)

Strong founders see something others don’t.
Ask: What do they understand about this space that others are missing?

4. 📈 Traction or Signals (Is There Proof?)

At early stages, this doesn’t have to be revenue. It could be:
• User growth
• Strong partnerships
• Early adoption or waitlists

Ask: Is there any signal that this is working?

5. 🏆 Competitive Edge (Why Them?)

There will always be competitors. What matters is defensibility.
Ask: What makes this hard to copy? (data, network effects, brand, tech, etc.)

6. 🌍 Founder-Market Fit (Why Them, Personally?)

This is a big one in VC.
Ask: Why are THESE founders the ones to solve this problem?
Look for obsession, experience, or a personal connection.

🗳️ Applying This to This Week’s Picks

As you vote, don’t just choose the “coolest” idea—try to think like you’re actually writing the check:

• Which company could become the biggest?
• Which is solving the most urgent problem?
• Which team feels uniquely positioned to win?
• Which one would you regret not investing in?

That last question? That’s often the one investors care about most.

⚡️ Pitch Battle: Who Would You Back?

A new section (!!) where you step into the investor seat. Below are three venture-backable startups in the AI for social impact space. Review their concepts + decks, then vote in the poll 👇

1. Recidiviz (Criminal Justice Reform Tech)

A data platform helping governments reduce incarceration rates by improving transparency and decision-making. They partner directly with state agencies to drive systemic change.
Website: https://www.recidiviz.org/

2. Zipline (Autonomous Medical Delivery)

Uses drones to deliver medical supplies (like blood and vaccines) to remote areas—already operating at scale globally. A strong example of logistics + AI + hardware innovation.
Website: https://flyzipline.com/

3. Koko (Mental Health AI Support)

Provides AI-powered mental health support at scale through partnerships with major platforms. Focused on accessible, real-time emotional support.
Website: https://kokocares.org/

🌟 Investor Spotlight

Lily (Managing Partner, Underscore VC)
Lily is the Managing Partner at Underscore VC, a Boston-based firm investing in bold founders at pre-seed and seed. She previously led growth at Facebook, launching products that brought in 100M+ users, and has held roles across strategy, operations, and entrepreneurship—including co-founding a startup at Stanford.

Underscore VC
Underscore VC is a Boston-based venture capital firm backing founders at Pre-Seed and Seed. Inspired by the principles of open source software—community, collaboration, and transparency—they’ve built an “open source” investing model that shares returns with a curated network of operators who help source and support their companies.

🚀 Opportunities You Should Know

AI for Social Good Hackathon (NYC)
On April 8th, Ruth AI Inc. and HearstLab are hosting the AI for Social Good Hackathon in NYC, supported by OpenAI for Startups.

• 25 women will build AI-powered tools using OpenAI Codex
• Evening demos presented to 100 founders, investors, and creators

Apply here (by April 4th): https://lnkd.in/gJKwx5MD
Evening event: https://luma.com/m3gcz3v4

DEMO — SoCal’s Largest Student-Run Startup Conference
Presented by TroyLabs and sponsored by the USC Lloyd Greif Center for Entrepreneurial Studies, DEMO brings together:
• 50+ startups
• 100+ investors
• 1,000+ attendees

A full day of startup exhibitions, pitch competitions, and workshops connecting the next generation of builders. GIVC will have a booth, come say hi!

Apply to showcase your startup: form.typeform.com/to/xmqWPpON

💭 Closing Thought

The best investors aren’t just pattern-matchers—they’re perspective builders. The more you train your eye to evaluate ideas, markets, and founders, the more confident (and differentiated) your voice becomes.

See you next week 💌