The demo-day run sheet we share with every program team
Six weeks out to the morning after: the checklist that keeps demo day about the founders, not the logistics.
The CohortOS team · · 2 min
Demo day is the one event every stakeholder sees: founders, investors, funders, your own board. It is also the one most often planned in the final fortnight. This is the run sheet we share with program teams. Copy it and change the dates.
Six weeks out
- Fix the date, the venue (or the virtual or hybrid setup) and the running order of segments.
- Confirm which startups will pitch. Agree on the pitch length now; it changes how founders prepare.
- Draft the investor list. Personal invitations from the program lead outperform any mass email.
- Publish the event page with registration open, so invitations have something to link to.
Four weeks out
- First pitch rehearsal with every team, with mentors in the room.
- Collect one-line descriptions, sector, stage and the ask from each startup for the investor booklet.
- Lock the agenda: speakers, tracks and timings.
Two weeks out
- Second rehearsal, timed to the second. Cut slides, not speaking time.
- Send the investor booklet to registered investors.
- Run a technical check on the venue, the stream and the slide handover.
A founder who rehearsed three times pitches the company. A founder who rehearsed once pitches the slides.
The day
| Time | What | Owner |
|---|---|---|
| T−3h | Venue and stream check | Ops |
| T−1h | Founders in, slides loaded | Program manager |
| T−0 | Doors, check-in, attendance | Ops |
| T+2h | Networking, warm introductions | Program lead |
The morning after
Send investors a short follow-up within 24 hours: the booklet again, a line on each startup and an offer to make introductions. Ask founders which investors they spoke to, and log those conversations while they are fresh. Most demo-day value is created in the week after, not on the day.