From Quiet Persistence to AI Innovation: Andrew Devlin’s PitchHub Journey
When Santa Cruz entrepreneur Andrew Devlin co-founded PitchHub in 2018, his vision was simple yet ambitious: help professionals speak with clarity and confidence on camera. Early versions of PitchHub’s browser-based studio gained steady traction, but Andrew believed the real breakthrough would come when the teleprompter lived where the conversations happened inside Zoom calls.
The Ordinary World
In the company’s first chapter, PitchHub operated out of a converted classroom on the west side of Santa Cruz. A tight-knit crew-built recording booths, recorded hundreds of customer videos, and refined a lightweight teleprompter that floated near a webcam. Local Realtors, educators, and small businesses were quick fans, but broader adoption proved elusive. Video-first communication was growing fast, yet many presenters still wrestled with nerves, muddled messaging, and the ever-present “where do I look?” problem.
The Call from Zoom
When Zoom opened its App Marketplace, Andrew spotted the moment PitchHub had been waiting for. By bringing the teleprompter inside a user’s meeting window, presenters could follow concise talking points without breaking eye contact. The concept was strong, but two hurdles appeared:
Zoom’s marketplace was still new, so discovery was limited.
PitchHub needed real-time intelligence something more than static scripts to guide users through unpredictable conversations.
Trials, Allies, and Lessons Learned
Rather than chasing growth at all costs, Andrew made the difficult decision to right-size the team and double down on learning. The office/studio shifted back to Work from Home during off hours, giving the skeleton crew an affordable sandbox for experiments. Andrew simultaneously stepped into a Managing Director role at a top global sales-training firm. Coaching thousands of reps firsthand, he saw exactly where sellers stumble:
Prospects ignore phone calls.
Inboxes overflow.
Live meetings are precious and often squandered.
That front-row view crystallized the product roadmap: the teleprompter had to transform into an AI coach that surfaces the right question, stat, or objection-handler at the precise second a salesperson needs it.
Crossing the Threshold: A Partner Says “Yes”
Zoom just released Real-Time Media Streams (RTMS) and began courting dev partners who could showcase its power. PitchHub’s prototype fit the criteria, and Andrew championed the integration.
Transformation: AI Inside the Glass
Coming soon, users can choose their preferred large language model OpenAI GPT, Meta Llama, Anthropic Claude or their own LLM then let PitchHub listen in and generate coaching prompts right next to the camera. Missed asking about budget, need help with a technical question? The prompt flashes a reminder. Need a concise way to state value? It suggests a sentence.
What once felt like science fiction a few years back, is now reality:
Quiet guidance, not a script dictator
Real-time cues that adapt to the flow of conversation
Confidence without the robotic delivery
The Return Home
“We never ran out of belief. We simply paused until the world caught up with the future we already saw.”
After two years juggling consulting and product refinement, Andrew returned as full-time CEO this spring. Headcount is growing, and the company has renewed its commitment to the local ecosystem through Santa Cruz Works events, mentorship hours, and open office demos.
What Comes Next
Deeper Zoom collaboration.
Hiring local engineering talent with expertise in real-time audio and AI safety.
Partnerships with sales-training academies so that best practices flow straight into the teleprompter.
For Santa Cruz founders and technologists, PitchHub’s story is a reminder that timing matters, perseverance matters more, and sometimes the quest takes a detour so the hero can level up.
Watch this space the next chapter is already being scripted, one perfectly placed prompt at a time.
PitchHub LOVES Santa Cruz!
