How to Survive Your First 10 Demos

Doga Oflazoglu
6 hours ago
2 min read

Your product is evolving fast, and stakeholders already want a demo. That’s normal. From Nomu Labs’ vantage point working with very early founders, this moment is often misunderstood: teams assume they’re being judged on polish. In reality, your first 10 demos are about three signals:

Problem intensity: the pain is real and costly.
Solution credibility: your approach clearly addresses that pain.
Learning velocity: you iterate quickly based on feedback.

1) Reframe the demo

Open by setting expectations: “I’ll show a mix of what exists and what we’re building. I’d value your take on whether this solves the right problem in the right way for someone like you.” Before each meeting, write two lines: Assumption to test and One takeaway (e.g., “Turns a 2-hour task into 10 minutes”). If those land, the demo worked.

2) Use the lightest format that communicates value

Concept demo (very early): slides/storyboard showing before → after and 3–5 realistic steps. Best for angels, pre-seed, discovery. Goal: “This problem matters; your approach is plausible.” Workflow demo (solution taking shape): clickable prototype (Figma/InVision) of one frequent job, end-to-end, using realistic data. Best for design partners. Goal: “If this existed, I’d try it.”

3) Tune for audience

Investors: show repeated user pain (quotes/notes), scrappy traction (manual pilots, landing-page tests, early revenue/LOIs), and what’s live now vs next 3–6 months and why. They ask: Can this team access the market, prioritise well, and execute? Customers: keep scope narrow and urgent; turn requests into prioritisation (“If we added that next quarter, would it change your decision?”); set clear expectations while things evolve. They ask: Will this improve my life within a quarter?

4) Run a tight demo cadence

Before: test the exact flow; have a PDF/screenshot fallback; prep 3 unblockers:

“What makes this a no-brainer?”
“Which step looks fragile in your org?”
“What proof would you need to pilot?” During: show for 10–15 minutes; spend the rest on decision criteria, blockers, success metrics. After (5 min): log role, pain (1–5), reaction, top objection (price/integration/timing/trust), and next step. Every 2–3 demos, adjust narrative and prototype.

5) What “good” looks like after 10 demos

Sharper focus: specific segment + one urgent job.
Retellable story: value in one sentence.
Design partners: 2–5 leaning into pilots/trials.
Early evidence: time saved, errors down, faster cycles.
Fact-shaped roadmap: prioritise the flow prospects tried to buy.

Use these ten demos to harden your segment, message, and first release, so when you scale delivery, you’re building the right thing for the right user, with conviction.