About the Author
Emily Mogel is a second-year Entrepreneurship Catalyst and an active Cohort 5 member of the Next Generation Service Corps at ASU. Emily is the founder of Mogel Social, a social media management and content creation agency dedicated to assisting small businesses and entrepreneurs strategically tell their story and sell their products on social platforms. Emily fell in love with the boundless customization, creativity, problem-solving, and freedom found in entrepreneurship. Emily believes that entrepreneurship enables others to solve problems through innovation without limits! Emily will graduate with her Bachelor of Arts in Communication this May.
What is Demo Day?
The Venture Devils program culminates in Demo Day, where participating ventures showcase their hard work and deliver investor-style pitches. This event offers the potential for significant seed funding, in-kind services, and other valuable resources.
The boardroom pitches are open to the community, and the Funding and Awards Ceremony is an exciting and supportive event for program supporters.
Demo Day occurs at the end of each ASU fall and spring semester. Each semester, participants compete for nearly $200,000-$300,000 in seed funding and support, around $500,000 in total each school year.
Community supporters can attend both the pitch portion of the event and the Demo Day Awards Ceremony, where funding decisions are made and winners are announced.
In-person attendees get the chance to see live pitches, and the Awards Ceremony is hybrid.
The Spring 2023 Venture Devils Demo Day will occur on Saturday, April 22nd, from 10am – 5:30pm and both in person attendance and a live streaming option will be available for the ceremony.
Why you should attend Demo Day even if you are not pitching!
While it is common for students who are pitching to attend these events, many students who are not pitching may wonder why they should attend! Let’s discuss several reasons why students who are not pitching should attend Demo Day.
Networking
Attending Demo Day can provide an excellent opportunity for networking. You can meet other students who are interested in entrepreneurship, investors, and other business professionals. You can also learn from the experiences of the competitors and ask questions about their journeys. You never know who you might meet, and the connections you make at Demo Day could lead to future opportunities!
Learning
Demo Day is a great learning opportunity for students who are interested in entrepreneurship but are not quite ready to pitch their ideas. You can observe and learn from the presentations and interactions with the judges. You can also learn about different business models, marketing strategies, and funding opportunities that are available for entrepreneurs. This information can be invaluable in your future entrepreneurial pursuits.
Inspiration
Attending a pitch competition can be a great source of inspiration. You can see firsthand the passion and creativity of the competitors and learn about innovative ideas. Seeing other students successfully pitch their ideas can motivate and inspire you to pursue your own entrepreneurial dreams.
Feedback
Attending a pitch competition can provide valuable feedback for your own ideas. You can observe the judges’ feedback and critiques of the competitors’ presentations and use that information to improve your own business ideas. There are tons of opportunities outside of the pitch room to get feedback from attendees and competitors on your ideas.
Exposure to different industries
This competition includes a wide range of industries and ideas. Attending Demo Day allows you to learn about different industries and business models that you may not have otherwise been exposed to. This exposure can broaden your understanding of entrepreneurship and help you identify potential areas of interest for your own business ideas.
There are several reasons why students who are not pitching should attend Demo Day! The networking opportunities, learning opportunities, inspiration, feedback, and exposure to different industries make Demo Day an excellent event to attend for anyone interested in entrepreneurship.
I want to go to Demo Day. How do I sign up?
Demo Day supporters can register to attend the Demo Day here. All community supporters are welcome to attend! Please click on the registration link to view the full schedule for Demo Day.
Visit this link to learn more about past Venture Devils Demo Days.
I hope to see you there!
