{"id":3250,"date":"2022-05-05T23:54:19","date_gmt":"2022-05-05T23:54:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/entrepreneurship.asu.edu\/blog\/?p=3250"},"modified":"2022-05-27T21:16:16","modified_gmt":"2022-05-27T21:16:16","slug":"demo-day-recap-entrepreneurs-pitch-for-dollars-and-change","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/entrepreneurship.asu.edu\/blog\/2022\/05\/05\/demo-day-recap-entrepreneurs-pitch-for-dollars-and-change\/","title":{"rendered":"Demo Day recap: Entrepreneurs pitch for dollars \u2014 and change"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Sixteen-year-old Avi Agarwal asked a panel of seasoned entrepreneurs for $1,000. Instead, he received $5,000.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The idea that made them want to give more? Edible cupcake liners.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Agarwal was one of 75 participants who call themselves Venture Devils<\/a>, a program to support Arizona State University students, staff, faculty and community entrepreneurs run by the J. Orin Edson Entrepreneurship + Innovation Institute<\/a>. On April 29, they vied to earn seed funding for innovative solutions during the Demo Day competition at SkySong, the ASU Scottsdale Innovation Center<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019m the type of person that believes in taking things step by step, and only ask for what I believe is absolutely necessary right now,\u201d said the owner of Avi\u2019s Sweet Treats<\/a>, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit bakery that sells and donates cupcakes for charity. \u201cI figure I could always ask for more money later on.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But the BASIS Peoria high school junior and youngest member in the competition didn\u2019t have to ask for more. Judges for the Edson Social Impact Venture Challenge liked his five-minute pitch so much they gave him an extra $4,000 for his venture, which has baked around 10,000 cupcakes, raised funds for 24,500 meals and raised $5,000 for other causes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And now, it\u2019ll also help protect the environment, because every cupcake he makes means there\u2019s no liner to toss in the garbage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Demo Day is held at the end of every semester, and Friday\u2019s pitch and awards event was the culmination of a daylong showcase of ideas that ranged from festival-style fashions to an app for team building to an alternative caffeine drink. This year, $280,000 \u2013 the highest in the competition\u2019s history \u2013 was awarded in eight funding tracks<\/span><\/span>. Venture Devils teams also get access to personalized mentorship, curated resources and collaboration spaces.<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Continued: read the full story.<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Watch the awards ceremony:<\/p>\n\n\n