Frequently Asked Questions

Investors will review the information startups include in their UnDemo application to determine which startups they’d like to spend time with during UnDemo Day® 1:1 meetings. Investors make these selections as part of the registration process, based on alignment of sector and stage focus. Renaissance will then create custom 1:1 meeting schedules for investors and startups. Meeting schedules will be finalized and distributed about a week before UnDemo Day®. In order to participate in 1:1 meetings, startups must complete the Startup Application, and investors must register and complete the meeting selection form. 1:1 meetings during Spring UnDemo Day® are virtual. 1:1 meetings during Fall UnDemo Day® are in person in Detroit. 

Renaissance UnDemo Day® is a semi-annual event that connects Midwest startups with venture capital investors from around the U.S. The spring event is virtual, and the fall event is in person in Detroit. The goal for all UnDemo Day® events is to foster useful connections that ideally lead to investment in historically underrepresented geographies and founders.

Renaissance Venture Capital is based in Ann Arbor, Michigan, so in support of the entrepreneurial community in which we live, Fall UnDemo Day® is open to all Michigan-based startups. Spring UnDemo Day® was created to give historically underrepresented and undercapitalized founders an additional opportunity for exposure to investors. Spring UnDemo Day® is open to all Midwest-based startups led by a founder or CEO from an underrepresented community (Arab American, Black, Hispanic/Latine, Native American, LGBTQ+, Veteran, and/or Woman).

– Qualifying startups apply to participate in UnDemo Day®, sharing basic information about their company. The application takes about 20 minutes to complete, and requires a pitch deck. Qualifications for Spring vs. Fall UnDemo Day® are slightly different, so please read all forms carefully.

– Startup applicant information is compiled and organized by Renaissance, then made available to all venture capital investors (VCs) interested in participating in 1:1 meetings at UnDemo Day®.

– VCs, as part of the registration process for the event, will decide which startups they’d like to meet. They’ll submit their preferences to Renaissance.

– Renaissance will curate 1:1 meeting schedules for startups and investors, based on these investor preferences. 1:1 meetings are in 15 or 20-minute increments. There will be up to six or seven 1:1 meeting time slots.

Investors interested in participating in 1:1 meetings with startups can register at undemoday.com. After you register, you’ll receive a link to the startup database as well as a link to a form where you can indicate which startups you’d like to meet. Note investor registration typically opens about two months prior to an UnDemo Day® event.

Startups interested in participating in 1:1 investor meetings are invited to complete an application at undemoapp.com. Please read the information on the application form carefully to make sure you qualify. Participating startups should be venture-ready: incorporate cutting-edge technology; have high potential for ultra-fast growth and revenue generation; and likely to be an attractive acquisition or IPO within 5-8 years. Information startups include in their application will be shared with participating investors, who will make their 1:1 meeting selections based on alignment of sector and stage. Note the startup application typically opens 3-4 months prior to an UnDemo Day® event.

Spring UnDemo Day® is a virtual event that connects investors and Midwest startups led by an underrepresented founder or CEO. Spring UnDemo Day® includes startup education, two pitch rooms, and custom 1:1 virtual meeting schedules for startups and investors. You can join from anywhere as long as you have a reliable internet connection. Presenting startups will have screenshare capabilities. 

2025 Timeline:
January 2025: Startup Application opens
February 2025: Investor registration + 1:1 meeting selection form open
End of March/Start of April 2025: 1:1 Meeting Schedules distributed to participating startups and investors

Virtual Pitch Rooms: The ~20 startups that receive the most interest from investors during the 1:1 meeting selection process will get a spot in the Spring UnDemo Day® virtual pitch room. Each pitching startup will have 5 minutes to pitch to a virtual room of investors.

1:1 Virtual Meetings: Startups and investors will be scheduled for up to seven virtual meetings during Spring UnDemo Day®. Meetings are in 15-minute increments and are scheduled based on alignment of sector and stage, and investor requests. Renaissance aims to schedule startups for as many meetings as possible.

Please reach out to the events team at [email protected]. 

2025 Spring UnDemo Day® will be virtual on April 9, 2025. Pitch and 1:1 meeting opportunities will be open to all Midwest-based founders and startups that are led by an underrepresented founder or CEO. More information will be available in December 2024 / January 2025.

2025 Fall UnDemo Day® will be in person in Detroit the week of September 29, 2025. More information will be available in May 2025.

Up to two people from each startup can participate in 1:1 meetings. All  individuals need to be  registered. If you would like a second person from your startup to have access to 1:1 meetings, please reach out to Christina ([email protected]). The individual who initially applied will be automatically granted 1:1 meeting access.

As many people as you’d like but each individual needs to be  registered. If your organization is taking 1:1 meetings, please be sure to inform Renaissance whether you’d like separate meeting schedules for your members or if you will take startup meetings together. Up to two people from the same organization can take the same 1:1 meeting schedule.

Venture Capital funds and angel investors from across the U.S. participate in UnDemo Day®, and they represent a wide range of sector and stage focus areas. Most investors who participate invest in tech, healthcare, or industrial sectors (mobility, manufacturing, or materials). Participating investors make investments from Seed to Growth stages. Startups will receive information on the investors that are part of their 1:1 meeting schedule, and a full list of participating firms will be available closer to the date of the event. Past investor participants include 5AM Ventures, Arboretum Ventures, Edison Partners, Frazier, Greycroft, Hyde Park Venture Partners, Invest Detroit Ventures, Material Impact, Menlo Ventures, Mercury Fund, Next Coast Ventures, Plymouth Growth, Red Cedar Ventures, Revolution Ventures, and Sierra Ventures, among hundreds of others.

200+ startups apply for each UnDemo Day® event. Startups are focused on a variety of sectors, but more than half are technology or healthcare-related, and about one quarter are focused on mobility, manufacturing, materials, or energy. Typically participating startups are fairly early, though historically more than half are generating revenue. Investors can request a complete list of participating startups by reaching out to Christina ([email protected]). 

We are not able to accommodate rescheduled meetings due to the tight timeframe of the schedule during UnDemo Day®. If you would like to connect with an investor or startup outside of UnDemo Day®, you can reach out to the other party directly (contact information is on the 1:1 meeting calendar invitations). You can also reach out to Christina Drake at Renaissance ([email protected]). An introduction will be made about a week after the event.

Investors will review the information startups include in their UnDemo application to determine which startups they’d like to spend time with during UnDemo Day® 1:1 meetings. Investors make these selections as part of the registration process, based on alignment of sector and stage focus. Renaissance will then create custom 1:1 meeting schedules for investors and startups. Meeting schedules will be finalized and distributed about a week before UnDemo Day®. In order to participate in 1:1 meetings, startups must complete the Startup Application, and investors must register and complete the meeting selection form. 1:1 meetings during Spring UnDemo Day® are virtual. 1:1 meetings during Fall UnDemo Day® are in person in Detroit. 

Renaissance UnDemo Day® is a semi-annual event that connects Midwest startups with venture capital investors from around the U.S. The spring event is virtual, and the fall event is in person in Detroit. The goal for all UnDemo Day® events is to foster useful connections that ideally lead to investment in historically underrepresented geographies and founders.

Renaissance Venture Capital is based in Ann Arbor, Michigan, so in support of the entrepreneurial community in which we live, Fall UnDemo Day® is open to all Michigan-based startups. Spring UnDemo Day® was created to give historically underrepresented and undercapitalized founders an additional opportunity for exposure to investors. Spring UnDemo Day® is open to all Midwest-based startups led by a founder or CEO from an underrepresented community (Arab American, Black, Hispanic/Latine, Native American, LGBTQ+, Veteran, and/or Woman).

Investors interested in participating in 1:1 meetings with startups can register at undemoday.com. After you register, you’ll receive a link to the startup database as well as a link to a form where you can indicate which startups you’d like to meet. Note investor registration typically opens about two months prior to an UnDemo Day® event.

Startups interested in participating in 1:1 investor meetings are invited to complete an application at undemoapp.com. Please read the information on the application form carefully to make sure you qualify. Participating startups should be venture-ready: incorporate cutting-edge technology; have high potential for ultra-fast growth and revenue generation; and likely to be an attractive acquisition or IPO within 5-8 years. Information startups include in their application will be shared with participating investors, who will make their 1:1 meeting selections based on alignment of sector and stage. Note the startup application typically opens 3-4 months prior to an UnDemo Day® event.

Renaissance Venture Capital is a fund of funds that invests in venture funds around the country and uses this network to help attract capital to startups in Michigan and the surrounding region (over $2.8 billion to date). Twice per year, Renaissance hosts UnDemo Day®, connecting startups with major venture capital investors around the U.S. It has become one of the most important events in the Midwest for helping attract venture capital investment to the region.