Demo Day

As part of the Student Entrepreneurial Pathways program, the UIC Innovation Demo Day is a chance for students to showcase ideas, products, and startups to fellow student entrepreneurs, faculty, and mentors. This year, Demo Day is on November 7th, 2024!

Students will get idea feedback and entrepreneurship coaching and even win cash prizes! This annual event is a popular way for faculty, staff, and students to support entrepreneurship at the university.

Demo Day is for new, independent ventures in the pre-seed through growth stages. Any UIC student can present an idea and is welcome to participate in the Demo Day event. “Venture” refers to a proposed business, nonprofit organization, or hybrid organization that is being developed, even at the conceptual level, by one or more members of the UIC student community.

Team Member or Individual Eligibility & Participation

*Eligibility for participation may be impacted by levels of revenue and/or capital raised. If students have established concepts and already have revenues exceeding $50,000 in a prior academic year (excluding Phase I SBIR/STTR grants) or have raised equity capital above $50,000 from individuals other than team members or family/friends, please let the UIC Innovation team know as soon as possible to determine that venture’s eligibility for entry.

• All UIC students are eligible to participate as a member of a team for the Demo Day event.
• Students may participate as a member of a team or as an individual.
• There is no maximum or minimum number of people who may be on a team.
• Teams may include non-UIC students, but at least 50% of the team must be current UIC students and at least one UIC student must be present at the Demo Day table during the event.
• Students may be on more than one team and should coordinate among team members to ensure one person is always present at their assigned table during the Demo Day event.
• Students participating as an individual may only register with one idea to present at the event.

Student Responsibilities

The Spark Series: Demo Day is an opportunity for you to showcase your venture idea and informally pitch this idea to attendees using a visual aid. Demo Day attendees will include members of participating teams, the UIC community (e.g., students, faculty, and staff), and the broader Chicago startup and business community. Each team will be assigned to a table where you will display your venture concept, conversationally pitch the concept to attendees, and respond to questions / receive feedback on your concept from attendees.

Non-Confidentiality

All events and presentations are accessible to the public, and some presentations may be recorded.
Information or data presented during events by participants may be made public. Participants should
not share proprietary information; they should identify a problem and present an idea that addresses
the problem using knowledge and experienced gained over the course of the semester.
Copyrights & Permissions

Participants must obtain permission or authorization in advance from the owners of any copyrighted
materials and/or images used in presentation materials and cite this information. Learn more about
citation resources by clicking here.