I've been traveling around the world looking for the coolest companies to invite to DEMO, the bi-annual conference we co-produce that showcases the most exciting technology products around.
The schedule has been pretty relentless. I've been to several U.S. cities last month, and I just got back from Russia (see my post here) and Singapore (post coming). My next stops are San Diego and Los Angeles. More details on those plans in a sec.
Just a reminder that the deadline for the upcoming fall DEMO class is July 1. This event, which will be held on Sept 13-15, is going to be big. We're excited to be bringing it to the Valley for the first time, where it will be accessible to more people. We're also inviting scores of top chief information officers (CIOs) this year, who will complement the already high-end crowd of top tech media, investors and corporate development professionals.
If you're ready for DEMO, then I want to meet with you. DEMO is arguably the most professionally run launch event around. It includes coaching, help with PR, social media advice, networking events to find capital, unparalleled audio visual help, an Internet that works and much more. But it means that we're really only looking for the best. If you have technology that is going to change the world, well, I'm not going to let price get in the way. I'm going to make sure we work with you.
Here are the details for our trip to Southern California:
If you’re a tech company and considering launching your product at this coming event, or even at the next event in Spring 2011, consider joining us for one of two meetups we'll be having in the area next week.
Our first stop will be in San Diego on Tuesday, June 15, where we'll be teaming up with Mission Ventures and InLab Ventures at the offices of the law firm Mintz Levin at 3580 Carmel Mountain Road. The following day, on Wednesday, June 16, we'll be in Irvine with GRP Partners, Versant Ventures, and InLab at the offices of the law firm Greenberg Traurig at 3160 Michelson Drive.
We'll be inviting up to 10 companies to each session to pitch their new products or concepts. Five of the spots at the Irvine session will be focused on life science companies, but the rest will be from the general tech categories as usual. Each company that is selected will be allotted at least a half-hour (20 minutes of presentation and 10 minutes feedback).
Each meetup will be a great opportunity to meet with myself (as executive producer, I'm in charge of selecting DEMO’s class of companies) and also to meet with several partners from each of the VC firms in attendance.
We’ve done this before at other firms including Kleiner Perkins, Madrona, Austin Ventures, and Village Ventures as part of our worldwide quest to find the best entrepreneurs. We're also doing it at Benchmark Capital later this month.
However, there is an added bonus this time: InLab Ventures has agreed to subsidize one DEMO spot for a pre-funded Southern California company at the upcoming DEMO Fall event. We're hoping to find that company on this tour.
If you’re interested in attending the San Diego session, please fill out this form. If you're interested in the Irvine session, please fill out this form. The deadline to apply is this Friday, June 11 at noon. If you’re selected as one of the 10 companies at either stop, we’ll follow up immediately with more information about the presentation and who will be there, etc.
At the end of each day, we will also be hosting a casual cocktail reception that is open to the entire Southern California tech scene from 6:00PM to 9:00PM. If you would like to join us for a drink in San Diego at the Mintz Levin office, please register here. To register for the Orange County reception at the Marconi Automotive Museum (1302 Industrial Drive, Tustin, CA), please click here. Both nights will be a great time to find out what's new at DEMO, talk up your product or concept, and connect with a great group of innovators who have already reaped the benefits of a DEMO launch.
Look forward to seeing you in So. Cal!