LONG BEACH – CSU entrepreneurs from all over the state will get a chance to promote their business ideas in front of potential investors on Friday, Oct. 18, at the third annual CSU Demo Day Powered by Sunstone. This event is open to anyone that is or has been associated with the CSU system of 23 campuses – faculty, staff, students, alumni and others.
This event is part of the partnership that also puts on the Sunstone CSU Startup Launch Competition in the spring, with $200,000 in prize money on the line. The Demo Day doesn’t offer prize money, but the connections made can prove even more valuable according to organizer Dr. Wade Martin, an economics professor at Cal State Long Beach and director of the Institute for Innovation & Entrepreneurship there.
“There are no judges, this isn’t a pitch competition,” Dr. Martin said. “The investors and other audience members are there to provide feedback and ask questions… The hope for the event is that all founders have an opportunity to network and connect with investors. Demo Day does not award prize money, the founders must convince the investors that they are a good investment!”
There are 23 campuses in the California State University system. Last year, more than half were represented at the Demo Day, and 17 of the 23 had teams at the Startup Launch Competition. At the beginning of the month this year, there already were 16 confirmed founders scheduled to present from nine of the campuses.
Sunstone Investment Group sponsors both events through the Sunstone Community Fund, a donor-advised nonprofit organization.
“We are honored to help bring together so many amazing minds found in the CSU university community,” John Keisler, CEO and managing partner at Sunstone, said. “These young founders are the future of technology and business in California and beyond.”
This year’s Demo Day will be part of the far-reaching LA Tech Week. Demo Day is free to attend, although people are encouraged to register in advance.
” The CSU system is really a hidden source of innovation and creativity,” Dr. Martin said. “For founders from the system, it is relatively new to find out that there is a support structure for them to succeed. Investors should attend since this is an untapped source of founders. Having early access to these founders provides an important opportunity to be the first to see the ideas and teams coming out of the largest university system in the world.”
CSU Demo Day will run from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday, Oct. 18, on the Cal State Long Beach campus. Registration and applications to participate with a founder pitch are open at www.csulb.edu/iie.
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Jennifer Huang
Sunstone Management
(562) 732-0617