Get ready to showcase the product you’ve poured your heart and soul into! This is your moment to shine, to share your passion and creativity with the world. Whether it’s a game-changing idea or a polished solution, now’s your chance to wow your audience, make an impact, and leave a lasting impression they won’t forget.
To help you prepare, here’s an overview of the setup and logistics for the day of your pitch. We want everything to run smoothly, so we’ll be there to guide you through every step of the process. From ensuring your presentation is ready to help you with last-minute adjustments, we’ll ensure you’re supported every step of the way.
In the meantime, here’s a quick heads-up on what to expect so you can feel confident and prepared when the big day arrives.
BLANKSPACES Venice Beach
Join us at BLANKSPACES in the vibrant and picturesque Venice Beach for an exciting event! The venue offers a welcoming atmosphere perfect for connecting, learning, and sharing ideas.
Address: 606 Venice Blvd, Venice, CA 90291
Parking Logistics
There are approximately 50 parking spaces available on the BLANKSPACES Venice Beach location campus. These spaces operate on a first-come, first-serve basis, so arriving early is encouraged to secure a spot.
Additionally, there is plenty of street parking around the campus, providing convenient options for those who may not find a spot on-site.
BLANKSPACES Member Parking and Entries
BLANKSPACES is a shared coworking space that values collaboration and community. There are designated areas for members, including parking, building entries, and amenities. Please be courteous and ensure that these spaces remain accessible to BLANKSPACES members.
Respecting these areas helps maintain a positive experience for everyone who works and thrives within the coworking environment.
Investor Pitch (Start at 4:00 PM)
The following represents the methodology proven to maximize positive outcomes. Please review it carefully as your prepare for your Demo Day pitch & demo opportunity.
ON-STAGE FORMAT
- You will be standing on stage with a microphone and a remote to advance your slides.
- There will be a seated audience including a panel of investors in the front row
- You will have 3 minutes to pitch
- The investor panel will have 4 minutes for Q&A and feedback
DEMO TABLE
- You will be provided with a table on which to set up your demo
- 6×2.5’ table
- Wi-fi
- Electrical access
- This is where deals and connections get made
PITCH OBJECTIVES
For your 3-minute minute pitch to the ****investor panel and the audience, your goals are to make sure they both:
- understand your product, traction, and team at a high level
- are excited and inspired by the opportunity you’re presenting
- want to continue to be in conversation with you after your pitch
PRESENTATION EXPECTATIONS
You will pitch your company to investors and a room full of startup ecosystem players. ALL of them are easily distracted and likely do not know your industry or your tech the way you do.
WHAT YOU SAY: Keep your approach conversational and your explanations high-level and focused on the topics that matter to investors – especially traction, team and market size. Use PLAIN ENGLISH, not jargon or buzzwords. Imagine you’re talking to a 10-year-old or a grandparent.
WHAT YOU SHOW: The deck that backs up your voice-over MUST be visual with minimal text. That means big, beautiful images and only the most important stats or words on the screen. Super short bullet points at most. No paragraphs. No complicated charts or graphs.
→ If you’re starting with an email deck, you’ll likely need to strip out ~80% of your text.
HIGH-LEVEL PRESENTATION GUIDELINES
Your 3 minutes will go by quickly, so it’s important to structure your time. You can’t include everything, nor should you try. Four key points:
- Before you put together a deck or script, start with the end: What do you want this audience to remember and retell? Answer that, and you’ll have a rough outline for your 3-minute pitch.
- Open with an attention-grabbing hook. You have about 10 seconds to grab the audience’s attention. If you don’t, they are unlikely to listen to the rest (!!). Your hook can be a surprising stat or insight about your industry. It can be the brief story of why you founded the company or a compelling customer story.
- Introduce your product/solution by no later than the 1-minute mark. This audience doesn’t need loads of context on the problem you’re solving. At 1 minute or sooner, state what you do in one-two sentences, then explain how it works, ideally with an example that’s relevant and easy for the audience to understand. From there go into the business: how you make money, your traction, your team, etc.
- Start wrapping your pitch by the ~2:25 mark, land the pitch with an inspiring call to action (CTA). Endings matter as much as beginnings – you want to end strong. The last ~30 seconds can include how much you’re raising (and what milestones it gets you to), your vision (what the world looks like when you’re successful) and your CTA (what do you want this audience to do now that they’ve heard your pitch, eg, talk to you to learn more, scan your QR code to get early access, etc).
DECK REQUIREMENTS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
- Aim for about 12 slides, including 1 title slide, 1 closing slide with your contact info (URL, email, socials), and 10 in between.
- Your slides must be 16:9 (widescreen format).
- Because the Nerdstage AV team is running your deck: the most reliable solution is a browser-based presentation (Google Slides, Canva, etc that you can send as a URL).
- Files exported from Powerpoint etc are not recommended and may induce formatting and font errors
- Use big, crisp screenshots of your product. These will help make your product come to life in place of a live demo.
- Use big, bold images instead of text to convey statistics, use cases, concepts and flows. This is a presentation deck, not a leave-behind, so bullet points and short phrases are best. You don’t want people reading while you’re pitching.
- Do not rely on videos during your pitch. You have only 3 to pitch. Use those minutes to present yourself as a visionary founder.
- Detailed product demos are perfect for your demo table
- Use the on-stage pitch opportunity to create interest in visiting your table
- Minimize the bells and whistles of your deck – the more fancy stuff you include (animations, transitions, etc), the more can go wrong when delivering your pitch.
Effective Investor Pitches
Crafting an effective investor pitch is essential for capturing attention and securing funding. The most impactful pitches are concise, focused, and structured around key elements that highlight the value of your startup while fostering engagement with potential investors.
- Problem – Begin your pitch by clearly articulating the problem your startup aims to solve. Outline the current state of the world, why this issue matters, and its broader implications. This sets the context and creates an emotional connection, helping investors understand the significance of your mission.
- Team – Introduce your team and emphasize what makes you uniquely qualified to tackle this problem. Highlight the expertise, experience, and dedication of the key members. Show why your team’s composition is perfectly suited to deliver innovative solutions in this area.
- Opportunity – Clearly present the opportunity your startup offers through your innovative approach. Explain why your solution is not only viable but also highly valuable. Use this section to illustrate market potential, the uniqueness of your product or service, and how it stands apart from existing alternatives.
- Validation – Next, provide evidence of your startup’s momentum. Highlight traction metrics, revenue growth, customer adoption, or other indicators that validate your progress. Investors need to see that your idea is not only compelling but also backed by tangible results that demonstrate potential for scalability.
What we expect from investors: HERE
Pitch Time
You will have a total of 7 minutes to pitch your product. Here’s the breakdown:
- 3 minutes to present your pitch. Use this time to deliver a concise and compelling overview of your product, its value proposition, and the problem it solves.
- 4 minutes for questions and answers. Be prepared to address inquiries from the investors and clarify any aspects of your pitch or business model.
Make sure to practice and stay within these time limits to leave a strong impression.
Pitch Order
Pitch order is determined on a lottery basis to ensure fairness for all participants. Startups are encouraged to arrive promptly, as failing to do so will result in losing their assigned slot. This process helps maintain a smooth schedule and ensures everyone has a fair chance to present.
Remember that investors have limited time and tight schedules—they will not wait for late or unprepared pitches. Presenters must arrive on time and ready to go to ensure a smooth process.
Post-Event Cleanup
demodayLA event concludes at 8PM, and we kindly ask all participants to take a few moments to clean up their booths at the end of the event.
Please ensure you remove all trash, pack up your materials, gather your personal belongings, and leave the space as tidy as you found it upon arrival. This includes clearing away any leftover promotional items, wiping down surfaces, and checking the floor for any debris.
A clean and organized environment not only reflects professionalism but also helps us maintain the venue in great condition for future events. Your cooperation plays a vital role in ensuring the success and smooth operation of demodayLA and similar events to come.
Thank you for your efforts and for being part of creating an enjoyable experience for everyone!
If you have any additional questions, feel free to contact us at hello@demoday.LA.