Eleven select founders from Venture Asheville’s Elevate program will pitch their startups to investors and the community at large at the second annual Demo Day on Tuesday, January 22. The event, which is free but requires registration, takes place at the Collider from 4:00 pm to 7:00 pm.
“These companies are pitching for a significant amount of money. Not only is Demo Day a rare opportunity for investors to have a critical mass of funding-ready startups in one place—it’s also a great opportunity for our community to see the inner workings of the startup journeys happening right here in Asheville,” Jeff Kaplan, director of Venture Asheville at the Asheville Area Chamber of Commerce, says.
The following startups will be pitching: Atbay, The Bright Angle, Bright Field, Craftpeak, Ecobot, Elite HRV, Ginger’s Revenge, Mandala Naturals, Poppy, Postre, and Watchpitch. Around two hundred investors, business leaders, and community leaders are expected to attend.
Startups currently raising capital will have eight minutes to pitch. Startups raising capital within the next 6-12 months will have five minutes to pitch. Several startups from last year’s event will also attend and share two minute progress updates.
“WatchPitch continues to evolve and finding a sweet spot of revenues and customers is a constant hunt and drive for us,” said WatchPitch founder Trey Scott. “Last year’s Demo Day helped us better understand how robust the entrepreneurial spirit is in Asheville. This year’s event, I am confident, will be no exception.”
All startups in attendance have advanced through the Elevate mentorship program that is modeled on MIT’s Venture Mentoring Service. Launched in January 2016, Elevate has had nearly 100 participants in the program thus far. Currently, approximately 40 are actively participating in mentorship, with the goal of propelling locally-based, high-growth entrepreneurship.
After the pitches, there will be a cocktail party celebration. This will be a great opportunity to connect with other entrepreneurs, investors and leaders in Asheville.
Free tickets can be reserved at EventBrite.com.