Demo Days compared: Seattle TechStars VS San Francisco AngelPad

(founder of design centric kout.me here)

It was definitely interesting.

The exercise of condensing our entire pitch down to 120 seconds was worthwhile. We could very quickly explain what we do, where we're going, and how we'redoing. Elevator pitches were a snap.

The best aspect of it was that it gave us more time to speak to investors afterwards. Most stayed in the room and we had an opportunity to have amazing conversations (and collect business cards) from those that might be a better fit...rather than broadcast to everybody.

That said, having never been through a 7m presentation, I can't compare against that directly. Just providing my own perspective.

When we first heard of the two minute rule, we were in disbelief. But at the end, somehow it miraculously worked.

A lot of commerce/ad startups (Amazon influence?) and a lot of LeadGen stuff (AllStarDirectories influence and several key investors up here seem to like that style of business). Plenty of B2B.

There's a fair bit of gaming DNA here (Valve, BigFish, PopCap) but strangely few gaming startups (there are a few). Lots of mobile stuff (notably Swype).

I'd say it's pretty all-over-the-map.

Great question. No fashion startups here this time. Some were using their experience to enter tough spaces, like working with insurance companies or doing money transfers. A few trying to help brands / marketers reach their audience better. A couple trying to make it easier for non-designers to build a very targeted very slick web presence. Also a team building an actual robot, and one trying to improve on dating sites. .. any obvious theme jump out?

I'd never sell the idea of investing in a startup. It's an area that should be left to sophisticated investors. It's not like investing in a laundromat or an apartment building.

Back in YC S'08 pitches were between 5-6m. Now with so many teams I believe they're around 2m.