For accelerators and incubators
100 investors said yes. 55 showed up. Then everyone went quiet.
Founders prepare for months to pitch at Demo Day. I make sure the right investors are in the room, and that their interest turns into meetings.
- Investors who said yes100
- Showed up55
- Followed up within a weekA few
- Rounds traced back to the dayNobody knows
- 10,000+investors in my database
Matched to your cohort's sectors and stages, then by distance:
LocalSame city or state. The most likely to come in person.
NationalFunds across the country that invest in your sectors.
InternationalSpecialist investors who join online.
Most Demo Days don't turn into meetings.
The big accelerators have investor teams. Most programs don't. The invite list gets old, many RSVPs never arrive, and nobody follows up on the interest from the day. Founders leave with business cards instead of meetings.
What a weak Demo Day costs you
- Founders leave without meetings. They prepare for months and get few or no investor meetings out of the day.
- Sponsors ask for results. Partners and funders want numbers you can't show them.
- Weaker applicants. Strong founders look at how your alumni raised before they apply.
- Investors stop coming. Investors who got nothing out of the last Demo Day skip the next one.
The numbers
28–47%
of sign-ups to free events never show up.
28% is the median. One in four free events loses 47% or more. Investor Demo Days are free events.
1+/ week
Demo Day invitations an active VC receives.
Generic invites get ignored. Investors come when the cohort fits what they invest in.
20–30%
of event contacts are ever followed up.
Most Demo Day interest is never followed up, and the organizer can't see what turned into meetings or rounds.
47–171%
more raised by startups in well-run programs.
Program design makes a big difference to how much cohorts raise. How you run Demo Day is part of that design.
Sources: PheedLoop Event Data Lab (no-show rates, ~1,000 events); Gil Dibner, Angular Ventures (invitation volume); Kitchen 2017 via Converve (follow-up rate); Hallen, Cohen & Bingham, accelerator study (funding raised vs. comparable startups, 3 of 4 programs studied).
Demo Day today vs. with mrdemoday
Who shows up
How most accelerators do it now
An invite list from the team's own contacts. Little control over who comes, and 28 to 47% of sign-ups to free events never arrive.
With mrdemoday
Investors matched to the cohort's sectors and stages, with every RSVP confirmed and reminded.
Who owns investors
How most accelerators do it now
Teams of 3 to 6 people run the whole program. Demo Day prep can take the entire team for a month, and nobody works on investors full time.
With mrdemoday
One person dedicated to the investor side, from cohort start to 90 days after Demo Day.
Before the day
How most accelerators do it now
One invitation and maybe a reminder. Active investors get a Demo Day invite every week, so generic ones get ignored.
With mrdemoday
Investors warmed up from cohort start with updates, the newsletter and the cohort booklet.
On the day
How most accelerators do it now
Pitches end, people grab a drink and network, and the interest walks out the door with them.
With mrdemoday
Investors activated in the room and online: interest flagged live and meetings booked on the spot.
After the day
How most accelerators do it now
Follow-up is left to founders alone. Only 20 to 30% of event contacts are ever followed up.
With mrdemoday
A follow-up process for every company, and regular updates to investors about the cohort.
Results
How most accelerators do it now
Follow-up happens in private inboxes, so the team can't see which conversations became meetings or rounds.
With mrdemoday
Results tracked at 30, 60 and 90 days and reported to your team, partners and sponsors.
Tools
How most accelerators do it now
Spreadsheets and email threads, rebuilt every cohort.
With mrdemoday
My own platform for investor communication and tracking.
Sources: AcceleratorApp (team size, Demo Day workload); PheedLoop Event Data Lab (no-shows); Gil Dibner, Angular Ventures (invite volume); Kitchen 2017 via Converve (follow-up rate, outcome visibility).
From conversations to checks.
I work with investors before, during and after the pitches, so interest on the day turns into meetings with founders.
Before the pitches
Investors know the cohort
Every investor gets the cohort booklet before the day and can filter it by sector and stage.
During the pitches
Interest flagged live
Investors in the room and online mark the companies they want to meet on my platform.
After the pitches
Meetings booked on the spot
Investors book a time with the founder before they leave.
The next 90 days
Follow-up and tracking
Follow-ups sent within 48 hours, and every meeting and round tracked.
Investors choose which companies to meet. I make sure every request reaches the founder.
What you get
Matched investors
Funds and angels from my database of 10,000+ investors, matched to your cohort's sectors and stages.
In person and online
Seats filled in the room and investors joining digitally, with published invite criteria.
Investor newsletter list
Investors sign up to hear from your program, so you have an audience before the next cohort.
Follow-up, start to finish
Investors followed up from cohort start, through Demo Day and after it.
Investor activation
Before, on and after Demo Day: live interest flagging, meetings booked on the spot, and follow-ups that keep investors engaged.
Results tracked for 90 days
Interest, meetings and rounds reported at 30, 60 and 90 days, for your team, partners and sponsors.
Support for founders and your team
Founders know what investors expect, and your team has a clear plan before, during and after the day.
My own platform
Investor database, outreach and tracking in one system I built, used before, during and after Demo Day.
A 2 to 3 month campaign per cohort
10 weeks out
Match
We agree on the cohort profile and I build the investor list.
8 weeks out
Invite
The invite campaign and event promotion go live.
4 weeks out
Confirm
RSVPs, reminders and the cohort booklet.
Demo Day
Show up
Investors activated: interest flagged live and meetings booked on the spot.
48 hours to 90 days after
Follow up
Interest sent to founders within 48 hours. Results reported at 30, 60 and 90 days.
Investor work between cohorts
Investor relationships are built between Demo Days. As a year-round partner, investors hear about your program all year, not only before Demo Day.
Investor newsletter between cohorts. Regular updates about your program and portfolio to your investor list.
Your own investor CRM, run for you. Every investor who attended your Demo Days, kept up to date. You own the list.
Fundraising workshop for your founders. How investors think, how a raise runs, and how to prepare before Demo Day. Digital, or in person as an add-on.
Pricing
Fixed prices. Sign two cohorts and pay less per cohort. Prices exclude VAT.
Digital Demo Day
$8,490 per cohort.
$6,490 per cohort with a 2-cohort agreement.
For online Demo Days and smaller budgets.
Book a call- Investor list matched to the cohort
- Invite campaign
- RSVPs and reminders
- Online access for investors
- Cohort booklet
- Investor interest to founders within 48 hours
- Attendance report
Demo Day
$14,990 per cohort, plus travel.
$11,990 per cohort with a 2-cohort agreement, plus travel.
In person or hybrid.
Plan a Demo DayEverything in Digital, plus:
- In-person invitations and seating
- Event promotion
- Check-in on the day
- Hybrid access for online investors
- Follow-up process for every company
- Results report at 30, 60 and 90 days
Year-round partner
Best value$1,990 per month with 1 cohort a year.
$2,790 per month with 2 cohorts.
12-month agreement.
Every cohort, plus investor work between cohorts.
Become a partnerEverything in Demo Day for each cohort, plus:
- Investor newsletter between cohorts
- Your investor CRM, run all year
- One digital fundraising workshop per cohort
- Priority scheduling for your dates
Add-ons
Fundraising workshop
$2,990 digital · $4,990 in person, plus travel
A session for your cohort, digital or in person.
Investor newsletter and CRM
$999 per month
Your Demo Day investors, structured and maintained for you, and monthly updates about your program to that list.
Questions accelerators ask
- Who do you invite?
- Funds and angels that invest in your cohort's sectors and stages, from my own investor database. I start with investors in your city and state, then the rest of the country, then international investors, who mostly join online. For online Demo Days, the invite criteria are published on the event page.
- Do you recommend companies to investors?
- No. Every investor gets the same cohort booklet. I make sure interest reaches founders fast and that nothing is dropped, but the conversations are between your founders and the investors.
- How does the 2-cohort agreement work?
- You sign both cohorts up front and get the lower price on each. If the second cohort is canceled, the first is billed at the single-cohort price.
- Who owns the investor list?
- The investors who attend your Demo Days are yours, kept in your CRM. My wider investor database stays with me.
- How does payment work?
- Per cohort: 50% at signing and 50% seven days before Demo Day. Follow-up for up to 90 days is included. Year-round partners pay monthly in advance on a 12-month agreement. Workshops are paid at booking and the newsletter and CRM monthly, all in advance.
- Is travel included?
- No. For in-person and hybrid Demo Days and in-person workshops, I quote flights, hotel and meals up front. You choose whether to pay for travel at signing or one month before the event. This also applies to year-round partners. Online Demo Days and digital workshops have no travel costs.
- What if our Demo Day moves or is canceled?
- Moving the date is fine, and I adjust the campaign. The second payment is still due on the original date, since most of the campaign work is done before the day.
- Can a sponsor cover the fee?
- Yes. Many Demo Days are sponsored by banks, law firms or funds. I can invoice the sponsor directly.
- Can you guarantee a number of investors?
- No. You get a full campaign and a report showing who was invited, who signed up and who came.
Planning your next Demo Day?
Fill in the form and I'll reach out on WhatsApp. Tell me how your last Demo Day went and I'll show you what I'd change. Ten weeks before Demo Day is the best time to start.
Or message me on WhatsAppThanks. I'll reach out on WhatsApp.