One Year On: Canopy Demo Night Lights Up London Tech Week

 On a warm June evening during London Tech Week, founders, investors, and startup supporters gathered to mark a major milestone: one year of Demo Nights in London, brought to life by the Canopy Community in partnership with City, University of London’s Bayes Business School. What started last summer as an experiment in startup support has become one of the most anticipated events for early-stage entrepreneurship in London, Lisbon, Boston and beyond.

This Demo Night wasn't just another evening of pitches. It was a celebration of how far the ecosystem has come—complete with red balloons, birthday candles, reflection cards, and a standout lineup of founders returning to the stage to share new versions of their startups.

A Community That Builds Together

In his opening remarks, Stewart Noakes, co-founder of Canopy, reminded the room that Demo Night isn’t pitch theatre. It’s a startup gym. Each founder steps forward not just to show off, but to grow—with the help of the crowd. Every question, piece of feedback, and moment of encouragement from the audience helps shape sharper pitches and stronger products.

“We’re not here to sell,” Stewart said. “We’re here to learn, to connect, and to thrive together. That’s how ecosystems grow.”

Five Startups, Five Big Ideas

The evening spotlighted six standout startups:

• Pioneering People – Founder Rita Kastrati showcased a powerful live demo of their gig-economy matchmaking platform. Think Hinge meets Uber, built to connect purpose-driven businesses with verified, fairly paid workers at speed. With over 5,000 registered workers since launch, it’s a game-changer for the hospitality and service industries.

• Phase Space – Winners of the People's Choice Award, Zillah Watson and Katie Grayson returned to present their VR-based solution supporting adolescent mental health. Developed in collaboration with students from City St George’s, their seven-minute immersive experience delivers fast, evidence-based relaxation tools—tackling a mental health epidemic with grace and science.

• Pravi – Robyn wowed the audience with a deep-tech platform helping small charities unlock growth through AI-powered donor targeting and marketing tools. With SEIS backing already secured, Pravi's blend of data, impact, and clarity hit home with investors in the room.

• Student Venture – Liam Jeffrey presented a bold vision for the “LinkedIn of students.” With 1,400+ job applicants on one listing last month and Unidays integration opening access to 30 million students, Student Venture is addressing the broken bridge between university and industry.

• Deeprel – Founder Sahil pulled off a live demo in real-time, generating two fully AI-produced videos in minutes, including a sci-fi thriller about AI squid attacking London. Deeprel makes high-quality video creation accessible for non-creators—with use cases from content marketing to charity campaigns.

A Platform for Founders, Not Perfection

What makes Canopy Demo Night different is the trust and openness that comes from a founder-first philosophy. This isn’t just a place to pitch—it’s where founders come to stress test ideas, connect with future investors, and most importantly, get better.

We witnessed live product walkthroughs, honest questions, and supportive challenges from the audience. From safeguarding in VR to the ethics of data scraping, every topic was tackled with rigour and curiosity.

A Global Pathway

With roots in Lisbon and Boston as well as London, Canopy Demo Nights are creating a pathway for global growth. Founders who pitch in one city can be invited to share their progress in another, building a cross-border community of founders, mentors, and early-stage investors.

For anyone building an MVP, validating an idea, or looking to raise their first round of investment, Demo Night is a vital proving ground.

Join the Movement

Want to see what’s coming next? Whether you're an early-stage Founder, an Investor scouting new talent, or just startup-curious, Canopy Membership gives you access to these events—and the supportive tribe that powers them.

🗓️ Join the next Demo Night
🌍 In London, Lisbon, Boston or Singapore
📩 Sign up via www.canopy.community or follow us on lu.ma/Canopy

Let’s keep building—together.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kXOmPHDCnNc. Watch the full demo night back

See the interview of the People's Choice vote for this month https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7cKrgyIcKqE