White House Demo Day

Opening the doors to entrepreneurs from across the country.

Get involved - Demo Day

August 4, 2015
On Tuesday, August 4, the White House hosted a Demo Day where we showcased the wide-ranging talents of innovators from across the country. Unlike a private-sector Demo Day, where entrepreneurs “pitch” their ideas to funders, innovators from around the country joined President Obama to “demo” their individual success stories and show why we need to give every American the opportunity to pursue their bold, game-changing ideas.
But we didn't want the day’s activity to be limited to events in Washington, DC. That’s why we encouraged entrepreneurs, innovation spaces, universities, and more to host their own Demo Day events and follow along live as we engage in a conversation about how we can ensure that everyone has access to the tools and resources they need to make their ideas a reality.

Watch: President Obama Hosts the First-Ever White House Demo Day

Meet the Demo Day Exhibitors

Meet the first ever White House exhibiting entrepreneurs and learn more about their innovations. See the full list here.

Privahini Bradoo
BlueOak | San Francisco, CA
Ramona Pierson
Declara | Palo Alto, CA
Tatyana Kanzaveli & Maksim Tsvetovat
Open Health Network | Los Altos, CA
Christopher Ategeka and Anwaar Al-Zireeni
Privail | San Francisco, CA
Rubi Sanchez
Wearless Tech, Inc. | San Francisco, CA
Jean Arnold
479° | San Francisco, CA
Billy Griffin and Tony Hatala
Base Directory | Denver, CO
Betsy Núñez & Emily Núñez Cavness
Sword & Plough | Denver, CO
Jewel Burks and Jason Crain
Partpic | Atlanta, GA
Lisa Laughner
Go Electric | Anderson, IN
Francisco Aguilar & Carolina Aguilar
Bounce Imaging | Boston, MA
Dina Katabi, Fadel Adib, and Zach Kabelac
Emerald | Cambridge, MA
Pashon Murray
Detroit Dirt | Detroit, MI
Ann Marie Sastry
Low-Cost Lithium Batteries | Ann Arbor, MI
Andrew Brimer and Abby Cohen
Sparo Labs | St. Louis, MO
Frederick Hutson
Pigeonly | Las Vegas, Nevada
Joe Landolina
Suneris | Brooklyn, NY
Suma Reddy
Waddle | New York, NY
Kris Akins
BikeTrak | Portland, OR
Rita Hansen
Onboard Dynamics | Bend, OR
Melissa Brandao
Rogue Rovers | Ashland, OR
John Thornton
Astrobotic Technology | Pittsburgh, PA
Luis von Ahn and Gina Gotthilf
Duolingo | Pittsburgh, PA
Ignacio “Nacho” Pino Mayaguez
CDI Laboratories | Puerto Rico
Aaron Horowitz and Hannah Chung
Jerry the bear | Providence, RI
Mindy Taylor
Bidr | Charleston, SC
Jerome Hardaway
FRAGO | Memphis, TN
Moziah Bridges
Mo’s Bows | Memphis, TN
Jeanette Hill
Spot On Sciences | Austin, TX
Tony Aguilar
Student Loan Genius | Austin, TX
Felix Lloyd and Jordan Lloyd-Bookey
Zoobean | Arlington, VA
William Hakizimana and Austin Grandt
Export Abroad | Madison, WI

Megan Smith Calls Entrepreneurs to Invite Them To Demo Day

Megan Smith Calls Pigeonly

Megan Smith, Chief Technology Officer of the United States, calls Pigeonly to let them know they will be attending the first ever White House Demo Day.

Megan Smith Calls Sword And Plough

Megan Smith, Chief Technology Officer of the United States, calls Sword and Plough to let them know they will be attending the first ever White House Demo Day.

How Folks Joined In On August 4

By Hosting a Watch Party:
Whether in your garage, dorm room, or Maker space, gather members of your community to tune in to the White House’s Demo Day activities and have a discussion about the challenges and opportunities facing entrepreneurs. Demo Day is a great opportunity to connect with other people and organizations in your community.
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Sign up to host or attend a watch party here

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Here are some ways to organize events on Demo Day:

Individual
Individuals

Individuals can volunteer to mentor and share their skills by hosting workshops or classes in areas of their community that have fewer opportunities for designing and developing businesses.

Colleges and Universities
Colleges and Universities

Colleges and universities can host events at on-campus spaces or programs that are accessible to students, faculty and the broader local community to dream, design, and build their own businesses or products. They can also share best practices with other educational institutions through networks and communities of practice.

Companies
Companies

Companies can highlight entrepreneurship in their community by helping designers, inventors, and other aspiring entrepreneurs create American jobs by navigating the startup transition from ideation to realization, or in creating sustainable business plans that help nascent companies to develop.

Entrepreneurial financing establishments
Entrepreneurial financing establishments

Entrepreneurial financing establishments like venture capital firms, the angel investment community, and crowdfunding entities—can showcase their efforts to expand access to capital and educate and inspire more entrepreneurs to seek funding for their business in creative ways, like hosting an educational workshop or panel or by volunteering their time in local innovation spaces to help entrepreneurs prepare effective pitches or presentations for funding.

Suggested Discussion Questions

We will be posing these questions on Twitter and to the entrepreneurs exhibiting at Demo Day so that you can interact with us directly during the White House event.
Icebreakers
  • What was your first invention or business idea?
  • Who inspires you as an entrepreneur?
  • What was your most successful pitch?
Challenges and Opportunities in Increasing Opportunities for Entrepreneurship
  • What people or resources have been most helpful to you in your career?
  • What tools or resources do you wish you had access to?
  • What barriers do you see for entrepreneurs in your community?
    • What do you see as potential solutions?
  • How can we increase the number of entrepreneurs who are traditionally underrepresented?
  • What organizations would you like to connect to in order to advance entrepreneurship in your community?
Challenges and Opportunities in Increasing Opportunities for Entrepreneurship
  • What can you do personally to increase opportunities for entrepreneurship?
  • What would you like to see as an outcome of this meeting in two months? A year? 5 years?

Examples of Local Resources

This list is by no means comprehensive, but includes a number of resources that may be helpful in connecting to other innovators in your community.

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