Ryan Husk

Post-pitch story

Ryan Husk pitched Culture Force as a fix for the sad office happy hour: curated team experiences that actually build company culture. The investors on the show weren't convinced it was more than "cool work parties," and he left without a deal. Someone else saw the potential, though. Just five months later, in August 2019, Airbnb acquired Culture Force to fold its thinking into Airbnb's team-building experiences. It was a fast, quiet exit — the price was never disclosed, and the standalone Culture Force platform was eventually closed after the acquisition. Husk stayed in the startup world. He's now Head of Partnerships at Pulley, the cap-table management company, and a Venture Partner at Gaingels, one of the largest angel investing groups in North America. Culture Force's own product may be gone, but as post-pitch stories go, "pitched in February, acquired by Airbnb by August" is one of the quickest turnarounds in the show's history.