White House Demo Day
Opening the doors to entrepreneurs from across the country.
Get involved - Demo Day
August 4, 2015
Meet the Demo Day Exhibitors
Meet the first ever White House exhibiting entrepreneurs and learn more about their innovations. See the full list here.
How Folks Joined In On August 4
Sign up to host or attend a watch party here
-->Here are some ways to organize events on Demo Day:
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 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 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 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
- What was your first invention or business idea?
- Who inspires you as an entrepreneur?
- What was your most successful pitch?
- 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?
- 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
- Find Private Sector Tools and Community Resources through our TechHire Initiative.
- The U.S. Small Business Administration has offices across the country, including Small Business Development Centers and Women’s Business Centers
- Connect with your local Tech Meetup group or start your own group.