A founder's pre-demo-day checklist

Demo day is unusual. The room is denser than any other event you'll hit all year - investors, operators, founders one batch ahead - and the surface looks like a pitch competition but is actually a networking event masquerading as one. Most founders over-rotate on the pitch and under-prepare for the after-pitch room, which is where the actual value is.

This checklist is for the 72 hours before. Run it once, take the few hours it requires seriously, and the room will return 10-50x the investment.

T-72 hours: who's in the room

• Get the investor list from the accelerator. Most batches send one. If you have to ask twice, ask twice.
• Cross-reference with your dream-investor list. The overlap is your Top 10 going in.
• Read each of the 10 on LinkedIn and on their fund site. Look for last 3 investments, check size, stage, sectors. Two minutes per person, no more.

T-48 hours: the warm-intro request

The single highest-leverage move at this stage: ask your accelerator partner, your existing investors, or any founder one batch ahead of you for warm intros to your Top 10. Specifically. By name.

One sentence, by email or Slack:

Hey - we're pitching demo day Thursday. [Investor A, B, C] are on the attendee list and look like strong fits because [one specific reason each]. If you have a relationship and it makes sense, would love a warm intro before Thursday.

Don't ask for all 10 from one person. Spread the asks. Even 3 of 10 warm intros pre-arranged transforms the day.

T-24 hours: rehearse, then stop

• Do your last full pitch rehearsal. Once, with a timer.
• Write your three follow-up emails. Pre-drafted, generic enough to personalize in 30 seconds each post-event.
• Stop rehearsing. Sleep, eat, hydrate. You can't out-prep being exhausted on the day.

Day of, morning: re-scan the list

Often a few investors RSVP late. Re-pull the attendee list. Check for new names. Update your Top 10 if anyone notable joined.

Day of, pre-pitch (90 min before)

• Eat (you will forget if you don't plan it now).
• Walk through the room layout if you can - know where the side rooms are, where the bar is, where you'll be miked.
• Find one of your warm-intro investors before pitches start. Even a 90-second hello pre-pitch raises your odds of a real conversation after.

Post-pitch: the actual game

The two hours after pitches end are 80% of demo day's value. Strategy:

1. Don't hover near the stage. Other founders will. Walk toward your Top 10.
2. Lead with the warm-intro context. "Hey, X said you'd be interested in chatting - I'm the founder of [company]."
3. Aim for 8-12 minutes per conversation. Long enough to convey the story, short enough that you can hit 5-8 investors in two hours.
4. Ask for the second meeting before leaving the conversation. "Would love to walk you through deeper numbers Friday or Monday - which works?"
5. Take 30 seconds of notes after each conversation in your phone. You will not remember the specifics tomorrow.

T+24 hours: the follow-up sweep

Email every investor you talked to within 24 hours. Use the pre-drafted templates, personalized with the notes you took. If you said "I'll send numbers Monday," send numbers Monday. The single biggest reason demo day conversations die is broken follow-up cadence.

What not to do

• Don't pitch your company in the elevator unsolicited. Demo day is a context where people already know to ask.
• Don't talk to other founders the whole time. They're fun. They're also not who you came for.
• Don't do drinks-only after. Half the room shows up at the after-event sober and ready to talk shop. Be part of that half.
• Don't forget the people who introduced you. A "thanks - that intro converted" note within 48 hours is how you earn the next one.