PitchIT 2026 Finalists Revealed (EP 1078)

PitchIT 2026 Finalists Revealed (EP 1078)

Author: Marvin Bee September 10, 2026 Duration: 22:41

Sean Lardo, better known around the channel as Mr. IT Nation, joined me for a special conversation following the announcement of the IT Nation PitchIT 2026 finalists: Lemhi, Synthreo, and Blacksmith InfoSec. After a 16-week competitive cohort built around coaching, refinement, and practice, these three companies are now preparing to take the stage at IT Nation Connect Global in Orlando.

=== Chapters

  • 00:23 PitchIT 2026 Finalists Announcement
  • 01:47 Meet Sean Lardo of IT Nation
  • 03:07 Behind the PitchIT Finalist Reveal
  • 06:01 How PitchIT Vendors Refine Their Message
  • 08:40 Uncle Marv’s PitchIT Rankings and Prize Debate
  • 11:12 MSP Feedback on PitchIT Vendor Interviews
  • 13:22 Preparing Vendors for Real Sales Conversations
  • 14:14 The Best Questions MSPs Should Ask Vendors
  • 17:04 Evaluating Vendor Fit Beyond Price
  • 19:12 What to Expect at PitchIT Orlando
  • 21:09 Finalist Congratulations and IT Nation Connect Closing

=== Guest: Sean Lardo, ConnectWise / The IT Nation

=== Companies / Vendors / Products / Books

=== SPONSORS:

=== SHOW MUSIC:

=== Connect with Uncle Marv

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Uncle Marv's IT Business Podcast (Real Talk for IT Pros & MSPs) by Marvin Bee is where managed service providers and IT professionals come for straight, practical guidance. This podcast dives into the real-world challenges of running and growing an IT services business - from pricing and packaging to sales, operations, and client management. Each episode features conversations with seasoned IT pros who share hard-earned lessons, proven strategies, and honest stories from the field. Whether youre just starting your MSP or looking to streamline and scale, youll find actionable tips you can apply right away. Listen episodes to stay ahead of industry trends, avoid common pitfalls, and sharpen both your technical and business skills. This podcast is your ongoing companion for building a stronger, smarter, and more profitable IT business in a fast-changing tech landscape.
Author: Language: en-us Episodes: 50

Uncle Marv's IT Business Podcast (Products, stories, and tips for the MSP and IT Professional)
Podcast Episodes
Attack Surface Management with TRaViS (EP 1068) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 21:29
Aaron Birnbaum, co-founder of Seron Security’s TRaViS ASM, joins the show to discuss an AI-enhanced external attack surface management platform built for proactive cybersecurity. TRaViS helps MSPs identify exposed assets…
Cyber Risk Management with Cyrisma (EP 1067) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 21:21
Mark Balovnev, CEO of Cyrisma, joins the IT Business Podcast’s PitchIT 2026 series to discuss helping MSPs turn cyber risk and compliance into scalable services. Cyrisma consolidates vulnerability management, asset and d…
Human Risk Management with Belfor.io (1066) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 21:23
Romain Basset, co-founder of belfor.io, joins the PitchIT 2026 conversation to discuss a human-risk-management platform built specifically for MSPs. Belfor helps providers deliver white-labeled security awareness content…
Handover: Smarter QBRs for MSPs (EP 1065) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 20:24
Lewis Williams is the Technical Project Manager and founder behind Handover, a PitchIT 2026 company built for MSP delivery teams. Handover connects to HaloPSA and ConnectWise to turn live ticket and project data into cli…
Repeatable AI Revenue for MSPs with Lemhi (EP 1064) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 22:03
John Harden, Founder & CEO of Lemhi, joins the IT Business Podcast as a PitchIT 2026 participant to discuss turning client AI demand into a repeatable MSP service. Lemhi helps MSPs identify AI opportunities, build client…
Nimo: AI Coaching for MSP Teams (EP 1063) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 22:25
Danny Suk Brown, President of AppMeetup, joins the PitchIT 2026 series to discuss Nimo, an AI role-play and simulation platform for MSP teams. Nemo helps sales, technical, support, and leadership staff practice real-worl…
Compliance-as-a-Service with Blacksmith InfoSec (EP 1062) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 22:14
Michael Zbarsky, Co-Founder of Blacksmith InfoSec, joins the show to discuss a Compliance-as-a-Service platform built for MSPs. Blacksmith helps IT providers operationalize client compliance through customizable policies…
How Synthreo Helps MSPs Sell AI (1061) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 21:56
Callen Sapien, Co-Founder and CEO of Synthreo, joins the PitchIT 2026 series to discuss building an AI service practice for MSPs. Synthreo provides white-label, multi-tenant AI infrastructure that helps IT providers buil…
Proactive AV Management for MSPs (EP 1060) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 22:02
Kevin Rauch, Co-Founder of pivot, joins the show to discuss how the company’s proactive AV lifecycle-management platform helps MSPs bring deployment, monitoring, support, maintenance, and refresh planning into one operat…
How Oprising Helps MSPs Improve Service (EP 1059) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 21:55
Michelle Coombs, founder of Oprising, joins the IT Business Podcast as a member of the 2026 IT Nation/ConnectWise PitchIT cohort. Oprising is a service optimisation platform that helps MSPs turn continual service improve…