A playful pitch film that transforms a funding announcement into a viral storytelling experience

The Challenge

In the competitive startup landscape, Ugaoo needed to create a funding announcement that would break through the noise and capture audience attention.

The traditional corporate approach of formal funding declarations was set aside in favor of a more creative, engaging narrative that could resonate with a digital-first audience.

The Treatment

Collaborating with director Kushang Dholakia, Ugaoo embraced a radical storytelling approach that mimics the chaotic, meme-driven content consumption habits of modern audiences. The film was designed to be a rapid-fire, visually dynamic piece that seamlessly blends humor, absurdity, and a core message of growth and potential.

The creative strategy centered on personifying plants as protagonists, using a mix of digital formats including videos, GIFs, stock clips, doodles, and spontaneous visual transitions. The goal was to create a narrative that feels simultaneously random and purposeful, mirroring the way people consume content on social media.

The Craft

The film follows an unconventional storytelling path, anthropomorphizing plants through a series of quick, witty vignettes. By presenting plants in unexpected scenarios—from attending video calls to going viral on Instagram—each scene subverts expectations and maintains viewer engagement through its innovative narrative approach.

The visual treatment is deliberately chaotic and multiformatted, incorporating multiple video sizes and aspect ratios, integrating GIFs and stock footage, utilizing doodle animations, and featuring cutout stickers and captions alongside grainy, found-footage style clips. This deliberately disruptive design creates a sense of spontaneity that feels authentically aligned with digital-native storytelling, particularly resonating with younger audiences.

Cinematographically, the film leverages rapid scene transitions, often occurring within a single second, which keeps viewers constantly surprised and engaged. By deliberately avoiding traditional pacing, the film creates a rhythm that mimics the experience of scrolling through social media, reflecting contemporary content consumption habits.

The script skillfully balances absurdist humor with a genuine narrative about growth. Playful lines like “This plant went to space!” and scenarios such as plants receiving more Instagram comments than humans create a memorable, entertaining experience that transcends typical corporate communication.

Costume and production design reflect a contemporary, casual aesthetic. Founders appear in relaxed formal wear like suits and casual shirts, while young characters don oversized tees and hoodies. Investors are styled in casual suits and polos. The production design emphasizes visual variety—spanning environments from home offices to greenhouses, and from video calls to disco-lit plant parties—creating a rich, diverse visual landscape that maintains viewer interest.

The film’s climax is strategically crafted, pausing just before the funding announcement to create dramatic tension. The reveal—”I just got funded! And so did my humans”—transforms what could have been a dry corporate announcement into an exciting moment of potential. The final message elegantly ties back to Ugaoo’s core mission: growing plants that can “Grow More People,” suggesting both literal and metaphorical growth, and positioning the company’s vision as something far more profound than a simple business transaction.

By reimagining the funding announcement as a viral, meme-like experience, Ugaoo created more than just a corporate communication—they crafted a shareable, memorable story that captures the imagination of their audience.