April 22nd • 11AM - 8PM • USC TCC Ballroom
DEMO 2026
USC's Largest Student Organized Entrepreneurship Conference
Sponsored by the USC Lloyd Greif Center for Entrepreneurial Studies
Contact Us
What is DEMO?
TroyLabs presents DEMO 2026
Empowering USC's Next Generation of Entrepreneurs
DEMO is the largest student-run entrepreneurial conference in Southern California, annually bringing together startups, investors, and students for a day-long event.
Striving to be the platform for SoCal student founders to get help with building, scaling and raising, we host a startup exhibition, pitch competition, and workshops aimed to empower student builders move from idea to launch.
Every year, DEMO brings in:
50
startups
100+
investors
1000+
attendees
April 22, 2026
DEMO Agenda
A day full of speakers, pitches, and exhibitions
✦
Doors Open
10:30 AMDoors for the Opening Ceremony will open at 10:30 AM.
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Opening Ceremony
10:45 AM - 11:00 AMThe Opening Ceremony will feature an introduction by TroyLabs, speeches from sponsors, and welcome remarks.
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Framer Workshop Introduction
11:15 AM - 11:45 AMKick off the Framer Designathon with an introductory workshop.
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Keynote Speaker
12:00 PM - 1:00 PMAmy Liu, Founder & CEO of Tower 28 Beauty
Amy Liu
Founder & CEO of Tower 28 Beauty
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Lunch
1:00 PM - 2:00 PMCatered by Lucille's Barbecue
✦
Framer Workshop Sprint
1:00 PM - 2:00 PMTeams compete in the Framer Designathon sprint.
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Keynote Speaker
2:00 PM - 3:00 PMEvan Spiegel, Co-Founder & CEO of Snap Inc.
Evan Spiegel
Co-Founder & CEO of Snap Inc.
✦
Framer Workshop Judging & Winner Announcement
3:00 PM - 3:30 PM✦
Startup Exhibition
3:00 PM - 5:00 PMThe Startup Exhibition is the main event, and will be open to all guests. Attendees can walk around the exhibition to look at the startups, network with founders, meet investors, and enjoy free food and merchandise.
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Exclusive Founder Chat
5:00 PM - 5:30 PMJimmy Douglas, CEO of Plug
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Pitch Competition
5:30 PM - 7:00 PMSelected startups pitch to a panel of expert judges for cash prizes.
Inspiring Founder Stories
Keynote Speakers
Tower 28 Beauty, Snap Inc. & Plug
Amy Liu
Founder & CEO of Tower 28 Beauty
Amy Liu is the Founder and CEO of Tower 28, the best-selling beauty brand designed for sensitive skin, and made for all. A longtime eczema sufferer, Amy spent over 20 years as a beauty executive before launching Tower 28 in 2019. Tower 28's award-winning SOS skincare line is the first to earn seals of approval from the National Psoriasis Foundation, National Rosacea Society, and National Eczema Association—a testament to its commitment to skin-safe, effective formulations.
Amy is a true leader in the industry, founding Clean Beauty Summer School in 2020 to support minority-owned brands and creators. Her influence has earned her prestigious accolades, including the USC Entrepreneur of the Year Award, the CEW Visionary Award, and the EY Entrepreneur of the Year 2024 Greater Los Angeles Award. She also serves on the National Eczema Association's Board and is a member of YPO Los Angeles, further cementing her commitment to leadership and advocacy.
Evan Spiegel
Co-Founder & CEO of Snap Inc.
Evan Spiegel is the co-founder and CEO of Snap Inc., the company behind Snapchat. He famously turned down a $3 billion acquisition offer from Facebook at 23 years old, and built a platform now used by over 800 million people worldwide. Under his leadership, Snap pioneered Stories, AR filters, and the ephemeral messaging format that reshaped how a generation communicates.
As one of the youngest CEOs to take a company public, Evan has consistently bet on creativity and culture over convention, building Snap into a global camera and communications company now valued at over $15 billion. At this keynote, he's sharing his vision for the future of augmented reality, entrepreneurship, and what it means to build something truly original.
Jimmy Douglas
Founder & CEO of Plug
Jimmy Douglas is a serial entrepreneur and the visionary behind Plug, a Santa Monica-based startup building the “brain” for EV valuations. After spending 5+ years in executive roles at Tesla, Jimmy realized that traditional car auctions were broken for EVs and set out to fix the infrastructure from the ground up.
Jimmy joins us at DEMO to share his journey from the front lines of Tesla to raising a $20M Series A and scaling a category-defining company.
DEMO LEGACY
$28M+ Raised
By TroyLabs Startups
350
Top Trojan Startups
6000+
Unique Attendees
500
Investors
Past Speakers
Past Startups
Past Investors
Exhibiting Startups
Startup Database
42/42
| Company | Vertical | Hiring | Founders |
|---|---|---|---|
| Consumer/Entertainment, CPG | No | ||
| Consumer/Entertainment, CPG | No | ||
| Tech, SaaS | No | ||
| Tech, SaaS | Yes | ||
| Consumer/Entertainment, CPG | No | ||
| Tech, SaaS | Yes | ||
| Tech, AI/ML | Yes | ||
| Tech, SaaS | Yes | ||
| Healthcare, Biotech & Pharma | No | ||
| Sponsor | No | ||
 Healthlet | Healthcare, Digital Health | No | |
| Industrials/Infrastructure, Aerospace & Defense | Yes | ||
| Consumer/Entertainment, Food | Yes | ||
| Tech, SaaS | No | ||
| Tech, AI/ML | No | ||
| Tech, AI/ML | No | ||
| Tech, AI/ML | Yes | ||
| Healthcare, Healthcare Administrative Services | No | ||
| Tech, SaaS | Yes | ||
| Healthcare, Digital Health | No | ||
| Tech, AI/ML | Yes | ||
| Industrials/Infrastructure, Aerospace & Defense | No | ||
| Consumer/Entertainment, CPG | No | ||
| Healthcare, Medical Devices | No | ||
| Tech, Internet | No | ||
| Consumer/Entertainment, Retail | No | ||
| Tech, SaaS | Yes | ||
| Tech, SaaS | No | ||
| Industrials/Infrastructure, Manufacturing | No | ||
| Finance & Business Services, Data Analytics | No | ||
 Sense AI | Tech, SaaS | No | |
| Consumer/Entertainment, Retail | Yes | ||
| Consumer/Entertainment, CPG | No | ||
| Consumer/Entertainment, Entertainment | No | ||
| Tech, SaaS | No | ||
| Sponsor | Yes | ||
| Tech, AI/ML | No | ||
| Tech, Internet | No | ||
| Finance & Business Services, Enterprise Software | Yes | ||
| Consumer/Entertainment, Music | No | ||
| Tech, IT | Yes | ||
| Tech, AI/ML | No |
Innovation in Action
Pitch Competition
Emerging Startups, Expert Judges
Pitch Competitions for selected startups will last from 5:30 PM to 7:00 PM, and winners will receive tuition-deductible prizes as awarded by the Lloyd Greif Center for Entrepreneurial Studies.
$7,500
First Place Prize
$3,000
Second Place Prize
Our Judges
Alex Canter
CEO & Co-Founder of Maggie's Refuel, 2x exited founder, and angel investor
Timothy Li
CEO & Co-Founder of LendAPI
Sean Kohli
General Partner of Why You Should Join and Board of Team Vitality
Carmen Palafox
Founding Partner of 2045 Ventures, Partner of MiLA Capital & How Women Invest, and USC Marshall Adjunct Professor
Abdo John Hajj
Co-Founder & Managing Partner of Type One Ventures
Why DEMO?
Startups
DEMO provides startups with meaningful exposure to 1,000+ attendees, including active investors, talented student operators, and fellow founders. Showcase your product, compete in our pitch competition, and build relationships that accelerate growth. No matter your stage, DEMO connects you to the people who help startups move forward.
Investors
Investors get direct access to Southern California's most promising student-founded startups. Meet high-potential founders, discover emerging talent early, and engage with the next generation of builders before they hit the broader market. DEMO is a concentrated pipeline of innovation, deal flow, and long-term founder relationships.
Attendees
Attendees gain direct access to emerging startups, venture capitalists, and industry leaders, while participating in panels, workshops, and networking designed to accelerate their careers. Whether you're looking to launch, join, or invest in a startup, DEMO is where SoCal's next generation of builders connects.