Jonathan Kumar notes pitching failure contingencies undermines VC confidence in founders
Jonathan Kumar · #63 Can A Startup Solve Homelessness? · Mar 3, 2025 · at 26:58
Samaritan founder Jonathan Kumar explains why he did not mention his non-profit backup plan during his pitch to venture investors.
0:00 / 0:15exact quote · 15.1s
▶ Watch the full episode on YouTube → 720p mp4 · rendered on demand · StarZero watermark
“I think that they want to see that the business is going to work, and if I'm already talking about what we're going to do if we fail, that's not going to instill confidence in an entrepreneur that they've just met five minutes ago.”
quote is from the automated transcript, cleaned for reading: filler sounds and stutters are removed, nothing is rephrased. names can be misheard (the analysis reads context, assessments check outside sources). how →
More from Jonathan Kumar
Jonathan Kumar says enriching VCs is acceptable if it speeds homelessness relief
“Like I am glad about getting to people in five years instead of 10, if we were doing banquet fundraisers and passing the hat for donations, it's all about how can we help people across the country experiencing homelessness the fastest. And if we need to make s…”
Jonathan Kumar projects Samaritan capping out as a $25M annual business
“I think when we win, this is a 15 to twenty-five million dollar a year business, so it's not in a stratosphere in terms of VCs and Facebook-type valuations, so we definitely believe there are returns to be had.”
Jonathan Kumar says Samaritan is not targeting an acquisition or IPO
“We're not targeting an exit right now. We're focusing on, on building an incredible business that helps nonprofits and cities better understand, reduce, and ultimately prevent situations of homelessness.”
Samaritan's Seattle pilot helps 28 leave streets and generates $100K revenue
“We've launched a 500 beacon pilot in Seattle, and we've seen and helped over 28 beacon holders leave the street, saving our city half a million dollars per year and earning our first 100,000 dollars in licensing revenue.”
Samaritan active users receive $40-$50 monthly and show 30-40% program retention
“We see right now about 40 to 50 dollars per active beacon holder per month, which is so low, but what's amazing about that number is even with an amount as low as 40 to 50 dollars, we're seeing 30 to 40% of beacon holders keep their beacon and go through the p…”