Canopy's Global Demo Night: A Glimpse into the Future of Startups

Exeter, England, United Kingdom – On Wednesday, July 9, 2025, Canopy hosted its "first global demo night of the year", bringing together innovative startups from around the world to showcase their groundbreaking ideas.  The remote event, accessible to participants in various countries including the UK, India, the US, and Portugal , provided a platform for founders to present their ventures, receive valuable feedback, and compete for the coveted "People's Choice Award". 

A Hub for Innovation and Connection

The evening commenced with a warm welcome from Stewart, the host, who highlighted the collaborative spirit of Canopy's Demo Nights.  Attendees, who joined via Mentimeter, expressed diverse reasons for their participation, with "invest" and "learn" being the most prominent keywords in the interactive word cloud, indicating a strong interest in both financial opportunities and gaining knowledge.  This underscored the event's role as a vital networking and learning experience for the startup community.  

Spotlight on the Startups

Four promising startups demoed their ideas, each addressing unique challenges and presenting innovative solutions:

• AdAUC by CreatorLink

  What they do: AdAUC is an "auction-driven influencer advertising platform"  that aims to make the influencer marketing market "efficient, transparent and fair".  It connects influencers like Alex, who seek to monetize their content and manage sponsorships, with marketing managers like Sam, who want to run effective and scalable campaigns.  The platform allows for classic auctions where sponsors bid on ad slots, or reverse auctions where influencers bid to join campaigns.  Their business model includes a 12.5% transaction fee on winning bids, paid subscriptions for power users, and future in-platform promotion fees.  

  Main feedback: The audience and fellow founders praised AdAUC for its "great presentation"  and a "very interesting idea".  Questions revolved around their current traction, with the team revealing they are in pre-launch mode and have gathered influencers with a combined following of over 7 million.  They also clarified their competition, emphasizing their unique auction-based approach over black-box matching logics.  The monetization model was also clarified, highlighting freemium access, pro and advanced tiers with AI capabilities, and an enterprise tier for agencies.  

• SparkAI

  What they do: Founded by Connie Kwan, SparkAI aims to simplify "thought leadership"  for busy executives, founders, and consultants.  The platform uses AI to help users generate LinkedIn posts from dictated conversations, enabling them to consistently share their expertise and build their personal brand. 

   Main feedback: The pitch generated interest, with discussions on its differentiation from general AI tools like ChatGPT.  Connie emphasized that SparkAI's value lies in "keeping them on track"  and expanding their content creation beyond their usual bubble, catering to busy individuals who are not professional writers but have valuable expertise to share.  There was also a question about including "royalty-free image[s] to go with the text" , to which Connie replied that they are "working on images"  and "video models" for future integration     

• KauSchlau

  What they do: Leon Rauch, co-founder of KauSchlau, presented their digital health solution designed to relieve chronic jaw pain from bruxism and TMJ disorders.  Their app provides "personalized step-by-step therapy plan[s]"  with guided muscle relaxation and self-massage techniques, utilizing augmented reality for real-time feedback during exercises.  

  Main feedback: The audience acknowledged the widespread problem KauSchlau addresses.  Questions focused on "regulation"  (MDR law in Europe, FDA in America) , "monetization"  (freemium model, partnerships with health insurers) , and the "efficacy" of their approach, with Leon clarifying that while their product hasn't undergone clinical trials yet, meta-studies support the efficacy of simple self-therapy.  The chronic nature of bruxism means users are not "cured" but rather achieve pain reduction, leading to a long-term value proposition     

• Teacher Success Platform

  What they do: Robyn Andrews, CEO of the Teacher Success Platform, introduced their "software as a service solution" aimed at addressing global teacher shortages and improving teaching quality.  The platform uses "context rich animated simulations to present real life classroom situations" , providing instant expert feedback on decision-making to "attract the right people to the profession, select the right candidates and provide support, learning opportunities and performance monitoring". 

   Main feedback: The platform was recognized for its potential to support early career teachers and foster professional development.  The business model is B2B, targeting "government organizations and teacher training organizations".  While acknowledged as a "research product"  , the feedback suggested potential for "better looking interface for younger people".  

The People's Choice Award Winner

 The evening culminated in the highly anticipated "People's Choice Award", determined by audience votes.  Emerging as the favorite was  

AdAUC by CreatorLink.  The team, composed of co-founders Vlad (CEO and Head of Product), Anuar (Chief Strategy Officer), and Kimberly (Chief Social Media Officer) , attributed their win to a combination of factors: being a strong team, having the advantage of presenting first, and their diligent preparation.  Anuar particularly highlighted the invaluable advice from Chuck, who guided them to transform their pitch into a compelling story, focusing on relatability rather than excessive technical detail. 

As the Demo Night concluded, the AdAUC team expressed their immediate plans to drive sign-ups to their pre-launch website and continue their product development, promising a launch in "months, not years".

The event served as a testament to the vibrant and collaborative spirit of the global startup ecosystem, fostering connections and propelling innovative ideas forward.