TechCrunch: How To Demo Your Startup

"Jason Calacanis’ most recent post to his email mailing list is particularly relevant to our audience. He’s spoken with 200 companies in ten minute increments as they give their pitch to be a part of the upcoming TechCrunch50 conference. I agree with all of his thoughts below based on my own experience getting pitched from thousands of startups over the last three years. If you are pitching a company to the press, a conference, a potential employee or an investor, bookmark this. You’ll be glad you did.
The best chance for success of course is to have a killer product to show. In which case it doesn’t really matter if you show up late to the call and do it from a cell phone while sitting in an underground parking garage with the music playing. But on the margin advice like this is hugely valuable because it helps the listener understand exactly what your product is, and how clearly you understand the challenges ahead of you."

"After doing 2,500 minutes of demos (40 hours) this year and many more last year for the conference, I’ve learned a lot about what makes for a great demo and what makes for a horrible demo. Since demoing your idea is a key to your success as an entrepreneur, I thought I would share everything I know in a few simple bullet points.

These tips are applicable to presenting in front of an investor, a partner as well as a demo style conference. Of course, every situation is different so consider these loose guidelines."