Help Me Pan For Gold

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Arizona State University’s Venture Devils Demo Day is extremely underrated. Essentially, it’s a culmination of every top startup at ASU, all pitching for prizes ranging from $1k to $50k+ in individual checks, all dilution-free. I’ve been involved with Demo Day as a founder who has won money but mostly as a judge on the other side of the table evaluating the startups. I won’t mince my words—75% of the founders who pitch are very impressive. They are ambitious, articulate, and many have the wherewithal to play in the big leagues. A few already have been for years.

Jonathon Barkl and Scott Fitsimones of AirGarage pitched at Demo Day back in 2017/2018. They’ve now raised $14M from Founders Fund, a16z, and Floodgate. Keith Ryu of Fountain (FKA-OnboardIQ) pitched at an earlier version of Demo Day and has since raised over $200M! There are more recent examples who will grow into their potential and build something big. I’m not saying that every founder pitching has the potential that Fountain or AirGarage does. What I am saying is, if Jonathon, Scott, or Keith came through the Venture Devils funnel, what other high-potential founder is also in that funnel? And how can we support them?

Do I think all the founders pitching have great startups? Absolutely not. Do I think all of them should be able to raise venture capital? No way. But the key is whether some of these students have the potential to grow into influential startup leaders. Do they have the confidence, the technical ability, the communication skills, and the knack for curiosity? If all those qualities are present, I don’t actually care if what they’re currently building isn’t high potential. I want to befriend them and mentor them because those are the qualities the world’s best founders have. And when one of them gets the big idea, I want to be the first to hear about it. Or if their current company is the one, I want to be the first call they make when they’re looking for angel financing.

Want To Help Me Find The Best Founders Out Of ASU?

The next Demo Day is coming up on November 16th, and unfortunately, I won’t be able to attend. I am very busy with a new job and my 10-month-old son. So, I’m putting out an open call to anyone who wants to help me identify the top founders pitching at the Fall 2024 Demo Day in Arizona. Essentially, I need people to listen to the pitches, pick the founders they think have the highest potential, and share their favorite founders and “why them” with me. These pitches are not streamed online, so you can only help if you are in Arizona or willing to fly in for the day. I will have a small gathering with those scouting the Demo Day beforehand and maybe give out Seedscout shirts or some swag.

You may be wondering, what am I going to do once I have a list of the top founders coming out of Demo Day? I’m going to reach out to them, befriend them, and most importantly, show them how to take the success they accumulated in the ASU ecosystem and give them the tools, resources, and connections to not just compete in the Phoenix ecosystem but to compete with the top startups being funded out of Stanford, MIT, and even Y Combinator; To compete in the global marketplace we call capitalism.

Some founders pitching at Demo Day may not want that. They may see pitching as a way to make some money or as an academic exercise. But there is a rare breed of founder who pitches because they want to build the best company their generation has ever seen. We will find these founders and help them achieve their vision.

If you want to help me scout ASU Demo Day, shoot me an email at [email protected]. If you are an investor and want deal flow of the best startups I am meeting out of Arizona, filtered by your thesis, also email me. I don’t charge anything for deal flow. No catch. I am just trying to help our best founders secure funding so they can realize their grand visions.