The VC firm behind Snapchat took the phrase 'elevator pitch' literally and turned their elevator into a practice pitch room
An elevator pitch is supposed to be a short summary of your business that you could pitch quickly when meeting someone in an elevator.
Venture capital firm General Catalyst decided to take the idea in a very literal sense, so it built a pitch room into the elevator in their Palo Alto, California office. The office is only three stories - a basement, main level and second floor - so startups in their accelerator (or anyone) can practice pitching fast.
The firm has used it not only to perfect the elevator pitch, but for meetings, some of which have lasted for hours in the small elevator-turned-conference room, said Katja Gagen, General Catalyst's VP of Marketing. It's not as crazy as the stingrays or yoga studios seen in other Silicon Valley businesses, but it's a room that's actually useful - both as an elevator in the literal sense and as a conference room.
