Y Combinator CEO Garry Tan wants to bring back the famed accelerator's Demo Day presentations as an in-person event by the end of the year.
During opening remarks at YC's summer cohort demo day on Wednesday, Tan said this week's demo day presentations will “fortunately” be the last to be held entirely online. Tan added that the accelerator's first fall cohort demo day, which will be held on Dec. 4, will include an in-person element.
Demo Day is a sort of graduation event for startups that have completed the program, where they can pitch their products to investors and others in the tech ecosystem. Tan said in-person seating will be limited and reserved for decision-making investors who have invested at least $50,000 in YC companies within the past two years.
“Think of it this way: There are four must-attend events a year in San Francisco where you can hang out with your friends and look to the future at the same time,” Tan told venture capitalists watching online about the planned in-person events.
The switch to an in-person demo day is a logical move: While the accelerator program and its demo day went online and virtual in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the program itself returned to an in-person event two years later. Meanwhile, YC has played a key role in encouraging more startups to locate in the Bay Area, particularly San Francisco. In addition to its accelerator program, it hosts numerous in-person events for the school's alumni and startup community.
Y Combinator recently increased the number of startup cohorts each year from two to four, adding fall and spring batches. The first fall cohort will begin on September 29. YC's first spring program will launch in 2025.