DC DEMO DAY: 9 Ventures Pitched in Front of 500+ Community Members

By: Bianca Buliga, Digital Marketing Manager

And just like that, D.C.’s inaugural Demo Day is over. Nine ventures began their journey last night, just steps away from the White House and Washington Monument.

We are still on an adrenaline rush from an unforgettable night at the Warner Theatre cheering on the newest cohort of SEED SPOT alumni as they pitched their ventures to the DC impact community! The turnout was overwhelming, the audience’s energy was palpable, and the entrepreneurs stole the show with their #Dreambig attitudes.

Let’s hear a round of *virtual* applause for these inspirational entrepreneurs who overcame their public speaking fears and pitched their ventures ON STAGE in front of over 500 supporters, potential investors, and startup community members. We couldn’t be more proud of their courage and hard work!

For those of you who couldn’t make it to Demo Day, no worries! We’ve put together a quick recap to share the love:

5:30pm: SEED SPOT VIPs mixed and mingled with the founders before the main doors opened
6:00pm: Open networking began for all attendees in the lobby before taking their seats for the show

6:30pm: CEO and co-founder, Courtney Klein, and National Director of Expansion, C’pher Gresham kicked off the show by explaining SEED SPOT’s story and plans for the future

6:45pm: Susan Penfield, Executive Vice President at Booz Allen Hamilton and SEED SPOT D.C. Board Member remarked: “SEED SPOT is empowering change in the world – we are glad our doers, dreamers, and disrupters have served as mentors.”

6:50pm: Director of Entrepreneur Initiatives, Kate Glantz, thanked mentors, Venture Thursday hosts, and context experts before introducing the ventures!

7:00pm: Venture pitches
- 1/9: Michelle Beaman Chang of imby: giving citizens a voice in their communities
- 2/9: Steve Sinha of Empowered to Run: turning novices into seasoned and effective political candidates
- 3/9: Stephanie Westhelle of Halona Foods: creating delicious snacks out of imperfect produce
- 4/9: Molly Matthews of Job-IQ: putting career development in your pocket
- 5/9: Naamal de Silva of Mayla: creating hope and inspiring the protection of nature
- 6/9: Brooks Garber of AcademME: helping professionals upskill to stay ahead of the labor curve
- 7/9: Lavinia Popinceanu of i4Spy: protecting users from mobile spyware
- 8/9: Darren Cambridge of Mia Learning, helping kids make powerful choices, starting with books
- 9/9: Janice Omadeke of The Mentor Method: creating inclusive workplaces by mentoring tech talent

7:30pm: Awards, awards, awards
- Community Partner of the Year: Booz Allen, award accepted by D.C. Board Member, Susan Penfield
- Content Expert of the Year: John Gossart
- Mentor of the Year: Nate Wong
- Impact Hub Collaborative Social Innovation Award for 5 months of office space: Halona Foods
- 3 months of dedicated desk space at DC’s newest coworking space, Alley powered by Verizon: imby
- Booz Allen’s $2,500 #GrowtheGood Award: imby
- Booz Allen’s $7,500 Most Promising Innovation Award: Mia Learning
- SEED SPOT’s $5,000 Audience Impact Award: The Mentor Method

8:00pm: End of show – mingle time in lobby!

DEMO DAY wouldn’t have been possible without the help of our AMAZING promotional partners: the Washington D.C. Economic Partnership (WDCEP), the George Washington University (GWU) Office of Innovation and Entrepreneurship, and the Office of the Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development (DMPED). So many acronyms.

A HUGE thank you to our sponsors: Capital Impact Partners, the Giving Together Program at the International Monetary Fund (IMF), and our SEED SPOT D.C. Title Sponsor Booz Allen Hamilton for their generous support in enabling the nine founders to receive coaching, mentorship, and support from the D.C. community.