DEMO update: Get your applications in by Feb 5., meet more investors

We’ve extended the deadline for applications to the upcoming DEMO conference to Feb. 5.

With the next DEMO coming up soon — March 21-23 at the sunny resort town of Palm Springs, Calif. — we’ve been engulfed with applications from companies wanting to launch solid products. Several promising companies have asked us for more time, so we’ve extended the deadline.

We’ve also had an open house scheduled at venture capital firm Kleiner Perkins on Feb 3 and 4, another reason we’ve decided to keep the application process open until that time. A networking reception wil be held at Kleiner on the evening of the 4th. Even though we’ve filled out the available 20 slots for pitches (we’ll be sending out the remaining invites for those this weekend), you can still apply to come to the reception (just fill out the form). We’re also inviting some well-known angel investors to participate at the open house.

We have other meetups, too, where applicants can get involved. Indeed, today we’re pleased to announce two other networking events for companies in specific industries. Details are as follows:

Breakfast at BlueRun Ventures: Feb 9, 8am-10:30am — This is a breakfast hosted at the offices of BlueRun Ventures in Silicon Valley. BlueRun is specialized in mobile, having originally been backed by Nokia, but it morphed several years ago into an independent firm. The breakfast is for companies that have applied to DEMO for Spring, or are planning to apply in Fall, and which are focused on either (1) mobile, or (2) the cloud. Aside from getting a chance to meet with me and the rest of the DEMO team more intimately, you’ll also be able to meet with partners at BlueRun, and some other angels, investors and experts in the mobile and cloud areas. We’re trying to keep this open to as many candidates as possible, but still must limit the number of attendees. To apply to come, just fill out this form.

Breakfast at IDG Ventures: Feb 10, 8-10am — This is another breakfast, hosted at IDG Ventures’ offices in San Francisco. IDG is a firm affiliated with the IDG publishing powerhouse, and is focused on investing in media and other early-stage consumer companies. This breakfast is for companies that have applied to DEMO in Spring, or are planning to apply in Fall, and which are focused on either (1) social and media or (2) consumer technology. Again, you’ll get to meet the DEMO team, partners from IDG Ventures and other experts and investors active in media, social and consumer investing. Again, it’s limited, so fill out this form.

We’ll be announcing a third event at award-winning venture capital firm Accel Partners shortly, which will host companies targeting enterprise and clean-tech. Just as with the Kleiner open house, these events are merely optional benefits for DEMO companies, and are not required parts of the process. And there’s no exclusive deal we’ve cut with either BlueRun or IDG Ventures in terms of first-looks at these companies. The networking events are designed solely to help the companies get networked and get ahead.

None of the other goodies have changed: We’ve got a host of other services that are part of the DEMO experience too, as we’ve written about before. For example, Nathan Gold, our DEMO coach, offers a good chunk of free time helping prepare demonstrators get ready for their pitch (or you can pay him for more time if you want even more help), and he’s opened up his calendar. And of course, a reminder of the big award at DEMO: The $1 million media prize we’re offering to the People’s Choice winner. This prize gives the winning company $1M in media value across IDG print and online properties over the course of 6 months, following the DEMO Spring event.

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