Both Sides of the Table

APRIL 2, 2014

We feel pressure to hit milestones for a variety of reasons: Investor presentations, conference demos, customer sales meetings, competitive pressures, a need to drive revenue, business development commitments – whatever. There is nothing that will focus the mind more than not wanting to be on stage with a demo that bombs.

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Both Sides of the Table

JUNE 20, 2013

You want to be able to demonstrate your product and the best way I call, “A day in the life of …” where you show the demo as though you’re a user with a problem that needs to be solved. If you need demo tips I’ve covered that before. Ideally it will be close to the problems that your prospect is trying to solve.

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advice opportunity development investing 336

TechCrunch

JULY 13, 2022

It seems like every time a demo day ends , there’s a new one waiting around the corner — and as you know, TechCrunch is no stranger to covering them. But today we’re highlighting the demo day for a new wave of crypto projects and teams who participated in the latest cohort for Alliance DAO, a web3 accelerator and builder community.

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TechCrunch

MARCH 8, 2023

Garin Hess, a tech entrepreneur based in Utah, experienced what he calls the “ demo bottleneck ” at a previous software-as-a-service (SaaS) startup while pitching to potential customers. Consensus lets engineering teams build a library of reusable, interactive video demos that sales teams can send out on demand.

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TechCrunch

APRIL 7, 2023

Y Combinator’s Demo Day took place this week , and although the event itself was virtual-only, 86% of the founders in YC’s winter 2023 batch lived in SF while participating. TechCrunch+ roundup: YC Demo Day faves, thrift shop VCs, cybersecurity product challenges by Walter Thompson originally published on TechCrunch

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Both Sides of the Table

DECEMBER 14, 2014

You can see Zach James & Rich Raddon who are standing next to a demo table pitching a small, yet-to-be-funded company called MovieClips – now the powerhouse ZEFR. Demo’d to death. We’ve all been demo-day’d to death. Yeah, he was LA, baby! Almost none remain from that era. Quality endures.

accelerator 290

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Y Combinator

JULY 26, 2022

On the morning of September 7th and September 8th, 2022, YC will host our 35th Demo Day live on Zoom. At the start of the day, a single-slide company summary, short company description, and team bio will be available through the YC Demo Day website. More information about attending Demo Day can be found at demoday.ycombinator.com.

SaaS 98

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TechCrunch

APRIL 6, 2023

And now we’re getting our first look at them through Demo Day. The first day’s demos included a healthy dose of artificial intelligence and open source, which is different from years past that were dominated by new fintech companies. Check out our favorites from the second day of demos below and see for yourself. Is crypto back?

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Both Sides of the Table

MAY 4, 2013

The other quote from the article is this: “The other thing they say is that they can’t tell on Demo Day which are the good start-ups. So I stand by my well-read Quora post of why I don’t attend demo days. It’s a Demo Day thing. Which means we’re doing our job.” . I don’t think they serve investors well.

advice 361

advice VC pitching entrepreneurs 361

500

APRIL 6, 2020

On our end, we hosted our first-ever Digital Demo Day to ensure the safety and protection of our team and founders. We registered over 5K unique views during the Demo Day live stream, and over 1,300 investors joined the Slack channel to chat with our founders.

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investment investing startup founder 256

Paul G. Silva

NOVEMBER 26, 2024

Experience the simulation firsthand: Watch the demo video Access the simulation materials free Transform your understanding of startup dynamics with an immersive experience that brings theory to life. Let’s forge the future together!

entrepreneurs 208

entrepreneurs entrepreneurship education incubation 208

TechCrunch

SEPTEMBER 7, 2022

The idea is that you might not have time to sit through over 100 pitches – so let us filter a bit and highlight some of the best companies from the first day of Y Combinator’s Summer 2022 Demo Day. Our 11 favorite companies from YC’s S22 Demo Day: Part 1 by Anna Heim originally published on TechCrunch. Let’s have some fun!

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pitching accelerator startup venture capital 98

TechCrunch

SEPTEMBER 9, 2022

startup accelerator with global outreach that conducts demo days twice a year. Our 10 favorite startups from YC’s S22 Demo Day: Part 2 by Kyle Wiggers originally published on TechCrunch. And we’re back! Yes, today was the second day of pitches from Y Combinator , a U.S.

startup 98

startup startup accelerator pitching accelerator 98

This is going to be BIG.

SEPTEMBER 3, 2014

And trust me, a demo never makes a difference. Nothing ever gets done in just 5 minutes, so if someone says no to a meeting, either take that as market feedback or just move on to someone who is interested. If you can''t tell me what you''re doing and get me excited about a first meeting, I''m just not going to get there on it.

venture capital 420

venture capital networking technology capital 420

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 4, 2013

” The other Paul Graham quote from the article is this: “The other thing they say is that they can’t tell on Demo Day which are the good start-ups. So I stand by my well-read Quora post of why I don’t attend demo days. It’s a Demo Day thing. I normally advise “ Raising at the Top End of Normal.”

VC 347

VC advice pitching entrepreneurs 347

This is going to be BIG.

NOVEMBER 19, 2015

I'm proud to say that I was dollars number 476 and 477 to be swiped on the platform after Jack demoed the very first prototype to me on a bench in Washington Square Park in late summer 2009. Maybe for once public investors will get a chance to benefit from a little runup of the companies they use everyday.

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TechCrunch

SEPTEMBER 9, 2022

Our 11 favorite companies from YC’s S22 Demo Day: Part 1. YC Demo Day did not have a very long list of creator companies, but here’s who stood out by Amanda Silberling originally published on TechCrunch. But if you do decide to commit to the site, it’s $8 per month and can be equipped with a custom domain.

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Both Sides of the Table

JUNE 18, 2015

There are too many deals to look at, too many seed funds or angels asking you to look at deals and weekly “demo days” with manicured and monocultural presentations crafted by experienced story tellers to help even the mundane idea sound like it will. For investors life is no different.

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advice VC entrepreneurs transportation 398

500

JUNE 9, 2020

From taking all aspects of our accelerators digital (including our Demo Day) to rethinking the opportunities of the future, we’ve taken this moment to analyze what innovations can come from this time and new opportunities that arise from our changing environment. As a VC firm, we’ve had to adapt many aspects of our business as well.

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frameworks investment investing disruption 202

The Seraf Compass

JANUARY 20, 2021

But you have to look beyond the prototype, ignore the flashy product demo, and really dig into the technology before you write that check! Part of the fun of investing in early stage companies relates to the joy we get in trying out new products or imagining how the world will be a better place when a new medical device comes to market.

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technology startup investment investing 262

Dream It

APRIL 7, 2020

This pandemic is accelerating a trend in more and more startups utilizing remote workforces and closing sales with virtual demos,” states Barsh. “As Before the COVID-19 pandemic, Dreamit had already structured much of its program to increase startup flexibility around participating on a remote basis.

ventures 369

ventures accelerator enablement communities 369

500

DECEMBER 17, 2019

Throughout the four-month program, founders will put in hard work to prepare for Demo Day in March of 2020. The nine startups began the accelerator activities on November 25th at 500’s office in Mexico City. The post ¡Hola Batch 11 LatAm! These are the 9 Startups Joining our Latest Batch in Mexico City appeared first on 500 Startups.

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500

MAY 15, 2020

When news broke of COVID-19 entering in the US, we were one of the first major accelerators to turn the Demo Day experience completely virtual, and since then, we have focused on collecting data from investors and founders to help the community at-large through reports like our COVID-19 Investor Survey and Female Founders Survey.

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Gust

JULY 25, 2023

Most, but not all, will offer networking opportunities (with the exception of programs that focus heavily on one-on-one mentorship) and most, but not all, will offer some form of funding opportunities, either through direct investment or by leveraging their network of investors for targeted introductions or a demo day-style event.

startup accelerator 170

startup accelerator accelerator mentorship startup 170

500

MAY 22, 2019

The 16-week intensive Seed Program will focus on legal, product, sales, growth, culture, fundraising, and more, in order to prepare the companies for the culminating Demo Day taking place in Mexico City on August 7th. The 11 startups began the accelerator activities on April 22nd at 500’s office in Mexico City.

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mentorship startup culture accelerator 251

Both Sides of the Table

APRIL 27, 2014

Don’t even get me started on Demo Days. You could spent 20 days / year at Demo Days now. The ones above are the ones I’ve prioritized this year (other than Disrupt – I never seem to get invited to that one). I guess if you’re in high-volume, low-differentiation mode perhaps this is efficient for you.

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VC investment investing entrepreneurs 374

Dream It

AUGUST 10, 2020

Instead of using superlatives, a strong competitor slide or use case demo is much more effective. Perhaps worse, Adam points out that unfounded superlatives point to a lack of self-awareness in founders. It’s about showing, not telling. Red Flag #3: Words that shall not be spoken Conservative - avoid this word at all costs.

pitching 341

pitching disruption startup advice 341

500

NOVEMBER 21, 2019

The outcome was that it was both – and when you’re at Demo Day, you’re going to be grateful to the part that’s ‘too challenging’. As part of the founding team at Alluva, my thoughts ranged from excitement at the incredible learning opportunity to worry about how challenging 500’s batches were rumored to be. What Alluva is.

startup 183

startup advice opportunity investment 183

Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 18, 2014

I avoid Demo Days like the plague and have publicly said so. By the time it’s hit demo day I’m too late. I seek out great entrepreneurs. End of story. I try to know people that others don’t yet know. Why trod over the deals everybody else it looking at, at the same time they’re looking at it?

VC 337

VC consulting strategy entrepreneurs 337

This is going to be BIG.

AUGUST 20, 2012

Sure, they had a demo or a prototype or something, but investors know the product will change. Most entrepreneurs aren't qualified for their jobs--including about 100% of the first timers. Many times, they get backed just because they're smart people working in an interesting area.

peer-to-peer 407

peer-to-peer pitching consulting creativity 407

500

JULY 22, 2019

Over the past three months, companies from 12 countries participated in our flagship program, building their companies and preparing for Demo Day on August 22nd. The latest San Francisco accelerator batch was no exception. Competition was fierce, and these companies represent the top 2% of applicants for our accelerator.

startup 217

startup accelerator health entrepreneurs 217

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 9, 2018

Your product demo crushed. You had an amazing meeting with an investor. The dialog was great. They told you how much they loved your space. The meeting was only supposed to last 45 minutes but you ran 90. The assistant tried to end the meeting twice but was shoooshed away.

pitching 381

pitching board funders entrepreneurs 381

Both Sides of the Table

OCTOBER 30, 2014

They demoed the electricity transfer with a physical device that looked like something that would never be allowed on an airplane. But it seemed to work. I spent one hour with them. I had back-to-backs all week and that’s what it’s like when you squeeze in a last-minute meeting.

VC 418

VC ventures leadership board 418

Both Sides of the Table

AUGUST 29, 2013

In my post I noted the bias in his accent comments and also called b t on his statements that Demo Days are great because “the bad companies look good” and that VCs should compete to “pay the highest price & offer the best terms.” I did so before when he originally uttered the accents comment for the NY Times.

innovation 391

innovation culture advice education 391

This is going to be BIG.

OCTOBER 3, 2014

So I went--the only investor at the time to actually hangout during the pizza and hacking part of the hackathon, not just the demos. I wound up not only helping to promote that event, but actually attending, because if a bunch of hackers were going to be in a place in NYC, as an early stage investor I figured I should be there.

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500

APRIL 9, 2020

The COVID-19 pandemic is affecting the entire startup ecosystem, and in the name of safety and support of our founders, we hosted our first-ever Digital Demo Day last week. This was a whole new take on demo day for us, and the end result was a unique and inspiring experience for both our startups and investor community.

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