The Realm of Low Expectations
February 20, 2026
As a startup investor, I've seen many careers develop over the last 20 years and one of the worst patterns I see is: low expectations.
Today we’re talking about wasting demo days. If you’re a little behind on progress, or perhaps your round is already closed, be careful not to waste your demo day. They don’t come along too often, so here are your options:
If your program allows you to defer until a later date, that might be a good option so you can align the timing with your next round of funding.
At a minimum, you should use the demo day to meet investors for the next round and understand what milestones they’d like to see you hit in order to be excited about investing later.
If you’re generating interest but don’t need the money, raise the valuation to whatever works for you. Don’t worry if some investors say no, as you have the leverage to minimize dilution and set an anchor point for the next round.
Best of luck out there.
