Demo Day Spring 2026
Help entrepreneurship BLOOM at Demo Day!
Join us for an evening of celebration of entrepreneurship at VCU. All friends, family, and community members are welcome and encouraged to attend and cheer on the pitches. Following the pitches, everyone is invited to stay for an awards ceremony and networking session.
Demo Day is our bi-annual pitch competition where VCU students, alumni, and Richmond community members bring their ideas to life, connect with resources, and compete for funding.
APRIL 17, 2026 | 4-7pm | Shift Retail Lab at VCU
Sponsored by
Apply to Pitch at Demo Day!
Deadline: Monday, April 6th
Demo Day is an opportunity to test your ideas, tell your story, and take meaningful steps toward putting your ideas into action. Whether you’re just getting started or actively growing a venture, you’ll gain valuable feedback, expand your network, and access resources that can accelerate your progress. It’s an opportunity to be part of a supportive, energetic community that’s invested in helping your ideas take root and thrive. Open to all students, alumni, small business owners in the community.
Compete for up to $5,000 in funding
Win judges’ awards and audience-voted prizes
Gain feedback to help strengthen your venture
Connect with a community that supports entrepreneurs
Pitch Categories
Innovative Ideas
60-second pitch
Early-stage ideas ready to take root
Emerging Entrepreneurs
3-minute pitch
Pre-launch ventures preparing to enter the market
Active Ventures
3-minute pitch
Businesses already operating and growing
Information Sessions
Want to learn more before applying? Join a virtual session:
- March 30 | 12:00–12:30 PM | RSVP
- March 30 | 5:30–6:00 PM | RSVP
- April 1 | 12:00–12:30 PM | RSVP
- April 1 | 5:30–6:00 PM | RSVP
For questions, contact Program Manager Ashley Wenger at wengeran@vcu.edu.
From past awardees...
Winning funding at Demo Day gave us the confidence and the resources to take our idea seriously. What started as a class project turned into an actual product!
Demo Day was a turning point for our venture! The funding helped, but the real impact was the validation and feedback we received.
Agenda
Kick off Demo Day by setting the stage for an evening of bold ideas, student innovation, and cross-disciplinary collaboration and hear from our title sponsor, Capital One.
Big ideas take the stage! This session showcases early concepts with bold potential, competing for funding and your vote.
Growing ventures share their prototypes and MVPs as they compete for funding and audience support.
Selected ventures take the stage to showcase established businesses and real-world traction as they compete for funding and recognition, with the audience casting votes to support ventures ready to scale.
Celebrate standout ventures as funding and awards are announced to help take their ideas to the next level.
Wrap up the evening by connecting with students, alumni, and community members building what’s next.