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PitchIT 2026 Finalists Revealed (EP 1078)

PitchIT 2026 Finalists Revealed (EP 1078)

Author: Marvin Bee September 10, 2026 Duration: 22:41
Uncle Marv's IT Business Podcast (Products, stories, and tips for the MSP and IT Professional)
TechnologyBusinessEntrepreneurshipNews

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

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=== Connect with Uncle Marv

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🎙 Host: Marvin Bee
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If you found value in this episode, share it with another MSP, IT provider, or tech entrepreneur. Your support helps keep practical, no-nonsense IT business conversations coming every week.


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

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Uncle Marv's IT Business Podcast (Products, stories, and tips for the MSP and IT Professional)
Podcast Episodes
MSP Boundaries With Aggressive Vendors (EP 1038) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 47:46
I dig into real-world MSP stories, from fixing “just the Wi-Fi” for a court reporting client to wrestling with a digital logger at a small airport, and I share why I lean on Windows tools like netstat and NBTSTAT when yo…
Kim Simmonds Live: Stop Letting AI Write Contracts (EP 1037) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 21:44
Kim Simmonds from Cloud Contracts 365 and Law 365 joins me at Pax8 Beyond 2026 to break down how MSPs can use AI for contract review without trusting their entire MSA to uncounseled tools like Claude or Copilot. We dig i…
How Evergreen Scales MSP Acquisitions (EP 1036) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 21:54
I sit down with Ramsey Sahyoun from Evergreen to unpack how his team acquires MSPs, keeps them independent, and still drives serious growth across more than 120 firms worldwide. We get into valuations, deal criteria, ERP…
Lessons From Pax8’s Ryan Walsh on SMB AI Adoption (EP 1035) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 28:32
I sit down with Ryan Walsh at PAX8 Beyond in Salt Lake City to break down the SMB Pulse Report, why so many small business AI projects stall out, and where MSPs can actually turn AI into real outcomes instead of hype. We…
Why GTIA Matters For MSPs (EP 1034) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 27:37
I’m joined by GTIA’s Dan Wensley and MJ Shoer live at Pax8 Beyond to break down why GTIA and ChannelCon 2026 in San Diego matter so much for MSPs right now. We get into industry self‑regulation, AI innovation awards, and…
Cynthia Schreiner Talks MSP Community (EP 1033) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 21:26
Sat down with Cynthia Schreiner at Pax8 Beyond to unpack her journey into channel engagement, how Pax8’s community and academy support MSP growth, and the very real ways AI is reshaping how she runs 90+ events a year.
Secure Business Communication with Traceless (EP 1032) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 23:09
I sit down with Gene Reich from Traceless to dig into how MSPs can lock down business communications, verify identity at the helpdesk, and stop high‑risk transactions from turning into wire fraud nightmares. We get real…
AI Automation for MSP Scalability with Pia (EP 1031) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 21:21
David Schwartz, CEO of Pia, joins me at Pax8 Beyond in Salt Lake City to dig into how MSPs can use AI‑driven automation to scale service delivery without burning out their techs. We cover PiaChat for Teams, smart forms,…
NSITSP Update: Taxes, Repair, Safe Harbor (EP 1030) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 18:06
Regulations are shifting fast, and this NSITSP update walks through the new cyber laws, safe harbor protections, right to repair battles, and tax trends that are already reshaping how we run MSPs and IT service businesse…

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