How can you tailor your demo day presentation to your audience?

1 Know your audience

Before you craft your demo day pitch, you need to do some research on who will be watching and listening. What are their backgrounds, sectors, and preferences? What are their pain points, challenges, and opportunities? What are their criteria for evaluating startups and making decisions? The more you know about your audience, the more you can align your presentation with their needs and values.

2 Focus on the problem

One of the most common mistakes that startups make on demo day is spending too much time talking about their features, technology, and achievements, and not enough time explaining the problem they are solving. Your audience wants to know why your product matters, who it serves, and what impact it has. You need to show them that you understand the market, the customer, and the competition, and that you have a unique and compelling solution.

3 Tell a story

Another way to engage your audience is to tell a story that illustrates your journey, your vision, and your value proposition. A story can help you connect with your audience on an emotional level, and make them care about your mission and your team. You can use anecdotes, testimonials, or data to support your story, but make sure they are relevant, concise, and clear. A story can also help you highlight your achievements, challenges, and learnings, and show your audience how you have validated, iterated, and improved your product.

4 Show your traction

Your audience also wants to see evidence that your product works, that you have product-market fit, and that you have growth potential. You need to show them your traction, which can include metrics such as revenue, users, retention, engagement, or customer satisfaction. However, you also need to explain what these metrics mean, how they relate to your goals, and how they compare to your competitors or benchmarks. You need to demonstrate that you have a scalable and sustainable business model, and that you can deliver results.

5 Ask for action

The last part of your presentation should be a clear and specific call to action. You need to tell your audience what you want them to do next, whether it is to sign up for your product, schedule a meeting, join your network, or invest in your startup. You need to show them how they can benefit from working with you, and what value you can offer them. You also need to create a sense of urgency, and make them feel that they don't want to miss out on your opportunity.

6 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?