How to run a demo day, step by step.
A demo day is judged by one thing: meetings between founders and investors that happen after it. These 8 steps are built around that outcome, with MyStartupValley Events running the logistics free.
Updated by the MyStartupValley team.
What a good demo day delivers
A shortlist investors trust
Founders picked on deck, traction and team, not on who applied first.
The right investors in the room
Invited by sector and stage, registered on the same form as the founders.
Planned conversations
Every attendee knows who to meet before the pitches end.
Follow-ups that happen
Meetings scheduled within days, not lost in a WhatsApp group.
The 8 steps
- Fix the date, the venue and the number of pitch slots8 to 12 pitches of 5 minutes keeps investors in the room.
- Open founder applications 4 to 6 weeks outAsk for startup, sector, stage, deck, revenue and team. The demo day template lists the fields.
- Invite investors on the same linkInvestors fill four fixed fields: type, firm, sectors and stages.
- Shortlist 2 weeks outScore decks on team, market, traction and the ask. Accept the founders who pitch and tell the rest the same week.
- Send passes and the agendaEvery registrant has an Event Pass; post the agenda and halls on it the week before.
- Check people in with QRVolunteers scan passes at the door, offline if they must.
- Turn the room into meetingsAttendees see Who's here and their Top 5 to meet; founders send meeting requests to investors.
- Report the outcomeRegistered, attended, connections and meetings, in the event report for your team and funders.
Questions.
How many startups should pitch at a demo day?
8 to 12 is a good range: enough choice for investors, short enough to keep the room.
How early should applications open?
4 to 6 weeks before the event, with the shortlist out 2 weeks before.
What tool runs a demo day end to end for free?
MSV Events: one link for founder and investor registration, Event Pass with QR check-in, Top 5 to meet, meeting requests and an event report, free for organisers.
More: Pitch event checklistNetworking at startup eventsMove from Luma or Google Forms
Run your next startup event on MSV Events.
Registration, Event Pass, QR check-in, networking and meeting requests on one free link.