Village Capital is ditching Demo Days
I don&#x27;t think there&#x27;s anything new here.  This is real life, human nature --however one might care to put it.  Startup demo&#x27;s are not about demo&#x27;s at all.<p>From politics to selecting an air conditioning contractor and beyond, presentation and engagement matter a lot.  It&#x27;s not that people are stupid or superficial, these things (and others) create impressions and confidence.  And, in some cases, they are crucial to the success of the venture.<p>When I first launched into the world as an entrepreneur, decades ago, I was too much of an engineer.  One key element that was missing is I sucked at selling.  You can engineer an amazing product but, contrary to the popular saying, people won&#x27;t beat a path to your door unless you are good at selling it.  The history of business is paved with the carcasses of great products that never got off the ground because the people involved couldn&#x27;t sell them.<p>In my case I recognized this from the very start and actively sought help in the area where I was most deficient.  The first few months after we started to sell our hardware product were terrible.  I&#x27;d mess-up presentation after presentation.  Yet, with constant coaching I eventually figured it out.  Within about eight months or so I was so comfortable selling that I could actually sell a product without saying a single word about it during a demo.<p>These presentations to potential investors have a far greater purpose than simple product demos.  They serve to communicate to the audience a range of information about the entrepreneur.  Important data points.  One of them being whether or not the person can actually sell what they are making.  If you can&#x27;t sell and are going to hire someone to do so, you might be better off having them do the presentation.  Folks who understand selling can sell anything, including a startup looking for funding.<p>To paraphrase an observation made decades ago by Smokey Yunick, a famed race car designer:<p>&quot;When all the smoke and bullshit clears out you have to sell the damn thing&quot;.