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demo-day-prep

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Updated 10-15 21:11

About this skill

Demo Day Prep

Prepara un founder para Demo Day — el evento más high-stakes del early-stage journey. Cubre 4 artefactos:

  1. Application (YC / Techstars / cualquier accelerator que requiera written apply)
  2. Pitch deck (10-slide standard para VC demo days)
  3. Pitch script (3-min spoken script coordinado con deck)
  4. Q&A bank (50+ preguntas anticipadas + respuestas preparadas)

⚠️ Disclaimer

  • Demo Day es one-shot event per cohort — preparation quality correlates direct con fundraising outcome
  • Este skill genera structured preparation material, NO sustituye:
    • Rehearsal con real humans (record + review; iteration crítica)
    • Feedback from experienced demo day judges o investor advisors
    • Legal review de financial claims + forward-looking statements
    • Deck design polish (Figma / Canva / professional designer)

Regla de idioma

Español para interacción + preparation. Deck + script final pueden ser en inglés si demo day es US-based + international investors expected.

Directorio de salida

./launchpad/{startup-slug}/demo-day/
├── application.md                      # Application form write-up (YC, Techstars, etc.)
├── deck-outline.md                     # 10-slide outline with speaker notes
├── script.md                           # 3-min spoken script (coordinated with deck)
├── qa-bank.md                          # 50+ anticipated Q&A
├── rehearsal-log.md                    # Rehearsal iteration log (round N feedback)
└── one-pager.md                        # 1-page PDF-ready summary for post-event handout

4 artefactos core

1. Application (si aplica)

Typically required by:

  • Y Combinator (~5000 words, heavily structured)
  • Techstars (~2000 words, accelerator-specific)
  • 500 Startups, Plug and Play, local accelerators (varies)

Structure standard (adaptada por accelerator):

  • Company name + tagline
  • Founders (backgrounds, equity split, commitment)
  • Problem (customer-centric, 1-2 paragraphs)
  • Solution (what we built, 1 paragraph)
  • Traction (quantitative metrics, specific)
  • Market (TAM/SAM/SOM + bottom-up validation)
  • Competition (direct + indirect, differentiation)
  • Business model (revenue streams, unit economics)
  • Why now (timing rationale)
  • Ask (money raising, use of funds)

Critical: application review para filter — must be tight, no fluff. Average reader spends 3-5 min.

2. Pitch deck — 10 slides standard

Canonical 10-slide structure (adaptable by accelerator):

  1. Title: logo + tagline (≤8 words) + founder names
  2. Problem: concrete customer story, quantified pain
  3. Solution: what we built, 1-line core value prop
  4. Traction: 2-3 key metrics with trajectory chart
  5. Market: TAM/SAM/SOM, bottom-up
  6. Business model: revenue streams, unit economics snapshot
  7. Competition: 2×2 matrix or feature comparison
  8. Team: founders + key advisors, why we'll win
  9. Why now: market/tech/regulatory timing signal
  10. Ask: $X raising, use of funds, runway bought, milestones to next round

Some accelerators require deck <10 slides (e.g., YC wants ~5 for the initial pitch). Adapt.

3. Pitch script — 3-min standard

Pacing:

  • 3 min = 400-450 words spoken at natural pace
  • Each slide gets ~18-20 seconds
  • Final 30 sec reserved for ask + call-to-action

Structure:

  • Hook (first 15 sec): specific customer story that demonstrates pain
  • Problem + Solution (45 sec): what's broken + what we built
  • Traction (30 sec): 2-3 metrics with "because X..." rationale
  • Market (20 sec): TAM size + why bottom-up is credible
  • Business model (20 sec): how we make money, unit economics
  • Competition (20 sec): why we win
  • Team (20 sec): why these people will execute
  • Why now (10 sec): tight window rationale
  • Ask (30 sec): $X for Y milestones, closing line

Delivery rules:

  • NO jargon without immediate definition
  • NO superlatives without quantification ("fastest growing" without data = instantly dismissed)
  • Practice WITHOUT deck first (deck should complement, not drive)
  • Record + review — detect filler words, weak transitions

4. Q&A bank — 50+ questions

Categorize anticipated questions:

Market (10 questions):

  • "What's your TAM bottom-up?"
  • "Why is the market growing / why will it grow?"
  • "Who's the largest competitor and why don't they already do this?"
  • etc.

Product (10 questions):

  • "What's the core technical innovation?"
  • "What would a competitor need to replicate this?"
  • "Is there a data moat forming?"
  • etc.

Traction (10 questions):

  • "What's the growth rate month-over-month?"
  • "Which channels are working? Which aren't?"
  • "What's your CAC and LTV? How confident are you?"
  • etc.

Team (5 questions):

  • "Why are you the founder to solve this?"
  • "What are your gaps and hiring plans?"
  • "How did you meet your co-founders?"

Business model (10 questions):

  • "What's your revenue per customer?"
  • "Where's margin expansion coming from?"
  • "How do you price and how did you arrive at that?"

Fundraising (5 questions):

  • "What's your runway?"
  • "How much are you raising and at what valuation?"
  • "Who's already committed?"
  • "What milestones does this raise unlock?"

Flujo del skill

Paso 1 — Load context + demo day target

DD-1: "Vamos a preparar tu Demo Day. Primero contexto:

  1. startup-profile.md existente? Si sí, lo leo.
  2. cap-table.md existente? (para ask slide + ownership context)
  3. Target demo day:
    • Name: [YC / Techstars / local accelerator / internal investor day]
    • Date: [YYYY-MM-DD]
    • Audience: [general VC / sector-specific / geography-specific]
    • Format: [stage presentation / 1:1 meetings / video submission]
    • Time limit: [3 min / 5 min / 10 min]
  4. Application required: yes/no? If yes, which questions/format?"

Paso 2 — Application draft (if required)

DD-2: Si hay application, generar application.md siguiendo la structure del accelerator + inputs del startup profile. Incluir:

  • Version para el founder edit (markdown)
  • Word count tracker (must fit accelerator limits)
  • Highlights section — strongest 3 bullets to ensure reviewer sees immediately

Paso 3 — Deck outline + speaker notes

DD-3: Generar deck-outline.md con 10 slides:

  • Por slide: headline + 2-3 bullet points + chart/visual description + speaker notes
  • Cross-reference a datos específicos del startup profile (traction numbers, market data)
  • Flag slides que requieren design polish (professional chart, custom visual)

Paso 4 — Pitch script

DD-4: Generar script.md coordinado con deck:

  • Word-by-word script (400-450 words for 3-min)
  • Timing markers per slide
  • Delivery cues (pauses, emphasis, transitions)
  • Alternate openings (3 hooks to A/B test in rehearsal)
  • Alternate closes (2 ask framings)

Paso 5 — Q&A bank generation

DD-5: Generar qa-bank.md con 50+ Q&A:

  • Por categoría (Market/Product/Traction/Team/Business Model/Fundraising)
  • Question + prepared answer (30-60 sec spoken)
  • Follow-up question chain (si te preguntan X y respondés Y, probable follow-up Z)
  • Red flag questions — questions que si las responden mal torpedoan el momentum

Paso 6 — One-pager handout

DD-6: Generar one-pager.md — resumen de 1 página para post-event handout:

  • Logo + contact info
  • 3 key metrics
  • 1-line problem + 1-line solution
  • 2-3 "why now" points
  • Ask (specific, include link to data room / deck)
  • QR code if possible (link to full deck)

Paso 7 — Rehearsal log

DD-7: Iniciar rehearsal-log.md — track iterations:

  • Round 1: solo rehearsal (video record + self-review)
    • Weak points detected
    • Timing issues
  • Round 2: con co-founder/advisor feedback
  • Round 3: con externa (founder friend + potential investor)
  • Round 4: full dress rehearsal incluyendo Q&A bank
  • Round 5+: polish until natural pacing

Recommended: mínimo 5 rounds + 3 different audiences.

Output template — deck-outline.md (preview)

# Pitch Deck Outline — [Startup Name]

**Demo Day**: [Accelerator]
**Date**: YYYY-MM-DD
**Time limit**: [3 min]
**Audience**: [profile]

---

## Slide 1 — Title

**Visual**: Logo (large, centered) + tagline
**Tagline**: [≤8 words, value-prop clear]
**Founders**: [F1] + [F2]

**Speaker notes (0:00-0:15)**:
"Hola, soy [name], CEO de [startup]. [Hook — specific customer moment]."

---

## Slide 2 — Problem

**Visual**: Customer photo / quote / data point
**Headline**: [specific pain, quantified]

**Bullets**:
- [Bullet 1 con datos específicos]
- [Bullet 2 con market validation]
- [Bullet 3 con urgency signal]

**Speaker notes (0:15-0:45)**:
"[30-sec storytelling del pain point]"

---

## Slide 3 — Solution

[continues same format for all 10 slides]

Rehearsal best practices

The 5-5-5 rule

  • 5 rounds minimum before going live
  • 5 different audiences (solo, co-founder, advisor, external founder, real investor)
  • 5 iterations per section (refine slide X 5 times based on feedback)

What to look for in rehearsals

  • Pacing: Hit 2:45 consistently (leaves 15 sec buffer for stage transitions)
  • Filler words: count "umm", "like", "basically", "actually"
  • Eye contact: look at camera / audience, NOT at deck
  • Confident posture: stable stance, controlled hand gestures
  • Energy: varied delivery — not monotone, not shouty
  • Weak transitions: listen for "and then..." or "so..." as crutch words

Record + watch back

  • Record every rehearsal (phone camera is sufficient)
  • Watch the playback WITHOUT audio first (body language only)
  • Watch with audio but without video (delivery only)
  • Watch complete
  • Take notes; identify top 3 improvements per iteration

Output template — script.md (preview)

# Pitch Script — [Startup Name]

**Target duration**: 3:00
**Word count**: 430 words (@ 143 wpm)
**Last rehearsal**: [YYYY-MM-DD, duration achieved]

---

## [0:00-0:15] Hook

> "La última vez que [specific scenario], [specific customer type] tuvo que [painful action] porque [root cause]. Esto le pasa a [N number] personas cada [time period]."

**Delivery**: Direct eye contact, medium pace, no notes visible.

## [0:15-0:45] Problem deepening

> "[Continuation of pain with quantification + why current solutions fail]"

**Delivery**: [next slide cue]

[... continues through all sections]

## [2:30-3:00] Ask + close

> "Estamos raising $[X] at $[Y] post-money para [specific milestones — e.g., reach $X MRR, hire N people, expand to Y markets]. Si esto te resuena, me encantaría hablar 15 min después. Gracias."

**Delivery**: Slow down on ask, make eye contact with judges, confident pause before "Gracias".

Integración con DojoOS (future)

Cuando el DojoOS API esté disponible:

  • Pull demo day queue assignments del user desde DojoOS
  • Sync rehearsal artifacts al DojoOS demo day portal
  • Use Dojo-Score para identify weak areas que need extra rehearsal time

Standalone hasta entonces.

Integración con otras skills

  • startup-intake: source del startup-profile.md para context
  • cap-table-builder: ask slide needs accurate ownership + dilution impact
  • investor-matching: Q&A prep informed by what target investors ask historically
  • feature-to-spike: si durante prep se descubre pattern (ej. "3-slide deck outperforms 10-slide in video demo days"), generar SPIKE

Principios clave

  • Deck complements, not drives: script must hold up without slides
  • Specific > abstract: "We have 47 paying customers" beats "We have strong traction"
  • Customer stories > stats: open with concrete pain moment, anchor to data
  • Ask is specific: "$1.5M at $10M post-money for 18-month runway to $500k MRR" beats "We're raising"
  • Rehearse to 2:45, live at 3:00: buffer for nerves and stage transitions
  • Q&A prep is 50% of the work: judges remember your Q&A more than your pitch
  • Record every iteration: delta between round 1 and round 5 is massive

Anti-patterns

  • Reading off slides (death)
  • Fitting 5 minutes of content into 3 minutes by speaking faster (unintelligible)
  • Overloading slides with text (should be <20 words per slide)
  • Stats without source or timeframe ("1M users" — in what period?)
  • Ask slide is vague or too late (must be in final 30 sec)
  • No one-pager handout (investors forget names within 1 hour)
  • Rehearsing alone indefinitely (feedback loop is critical)
  • Arguing with judges during Q&A (even if they're wrong, concede gracefully)
  • Checking notes during pitch (signals unpreparedness)

Recursos