Demos aren’t as important as you think for your VC pitch

When you’re doing a stage pitch, a demo can really liven up your connection with the audience. Plus, being able to explain what the product is and does while showing it in action is a great way to make a story visually interesting as well. That makes a lot of sense when you’re pitching in TechCrunch’s Battlefield, for example: If we had to sit through 200 back-to-back pitches where people were only using pitch decks, we’d all be comatose by the end of the first day.

When you’re pitching to VCs to raise money, however, there’s more to it. Before you start planning how you’ll demonstrate your product, you first need to consider whether you need a demo at all. The answer may very well turn out to be no. But there are other things you can do instead.