Y Combinator Demo Day Returns In Person

Y Combinator Returns to In-Person Demo Day

As previously announced, the upcoming Demo Day for startup accelerator Y Combinator will be conducted in person. The organization appears to have initiated this return to in-person events following the Thanksgiving holiday.

An in-person Alumni Demo Day was held on Sunday for the Fall 2024 cohort of startups. This served as a preliminary event before the main showcase.

Founder Reactions to the In-Person Format

Esther Crawford, founder of Squad and formerly a product manager at both Twitter and Meta, highlighted the “high energy” experienced while listening to pitches from 93 startups.

Avni Patel Thompson, founder and CEO of Milo, characterized the event as both a preparation opportunity for founders and a valuable way for alumni to provide support to the current group.

Details of the Main Demo Day

The upcoming Demo Day, where founders will present to investors and members of the press, is scheduled for Wednesday, December 4.

The recent Alumni Demo Day functioned as a “dress rehearsal” for this primary event.

The Shift Back from Virtual Events

Virtual Demo Days were implemented as a result of the shift to remote operations during the pandemic.

Garry Tan, CEO of YC, stated at the September Demo Day that the online presentations would be the last of their kind, barring unforeseen circumstances.

Demo Day Logistics

Y Combinator now describes Demo Day as being “back to being in-person,” with attendance limited to an invited audience of approximately 1,500 individuals.

For those unable to attend in San Francisco, information about the presenting companies will be available on the official Demo Day website.