When the six-week startup application period closes, investor registration opens. Applicants’ information, including pitch decks, is shared with investors attending UnDemo Day in a filterable and sortable database. Investors have a six-week period to register and make their startup meeting selections. Startups that receive the most meeting requests from investors will secure a table at UnDemo Day (and will be included on the Renaissance Startup Hotlist, made available to hundreds of VC firms in the Renaissance network). Startups are notified whether or not they secured a table about 10 days prior to the UnDemo Day date. Even if you are not selected to host a table, you are welcome to join UnDemo Day and take part in open networking. If you do not secure a table, but you did receive interest from an investor, an email introduction will be made for you about a week prior to the event.

Yes – if you are an investor and would like to be connected with a startup outside of UnDemo Day®, please reach out to Christina ([email protected]). An introduction will be made about a week after the event. Additionally, UnDemo Day® includes plenty of space for open networking, as well as a live music event the night prior. 

Up to two people from each startup can participate in 1:1 meetings with investors. 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, Corporate VC, 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 pre-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, Red Cedar Ventures, Revolution Ventures, Sante Ventures, Sierra Ventures, and Straylight Capital, among hundreds of others.

200+ startups apply for each UnDemo Day® event. All sectors are represented, with more than half of applying startups focused on technology or healthcare, and about one third 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®. To reschedule a 1:1 meeting, please reach out to the other party directly (contact information is on the 1:1 meeting UnDemo Day 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.

To be considered for 1:1 meetings with investors, startups need to apply in advance of the stated deadline. Investors will review the information startups include in their UnDemo application to determine which startups they’d like to spend time with during the event. 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. All UnDemo Day® meetings are in person in Detroit. 

Startups and investors participating in 1:1 meetings during UnDemo Day® will be scheduled for up to six 20-minute meetings between 2-4:30pm ET. Each startup will have a table (Renaissance will designate each startup’s location and there will be signage) and will be stationary, while investors will move about the room based on their custom schedules. Startups may bring paper materials to share with investors, but please note space is very limited, so do not bring a lot of items, and do not bring any displays (there will not be room). WiFi will be available, but 1:1 meeting tables may not be positioned near a power outlet, so you should not rely on being able to charge a device during meetings. 

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.

Service providers interested in sponsoring UnDemo Day® can reach out to Christina ([email protected]) to learn more.

UnDemo Day® is on October 1 at the Department at Hudson’s, in downtown Detroit. The agenda is below; all times are Eastern Time:

12:30pm: Registration opens
1pm: Open networking
2pm: Curated 1:1 meetings between startups and investors (20-minute slots)
4:30pm: UnDemo Day® concludes

Note pre-registration is required.

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 $3.5 billion to date). Annually, 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.