Machine Demo: Showcasing startups’ most exciting products at Web Summit

Machine Demo showcases the most exciting products from startups at Web Summit, taking place on Friday, November 4. Applications are open now.

Machine Demo is open to all startups with a physical product in any one of the following industries: hardware and IoT, AI and machine learning, and gaming, AR, and VR. Software products will not be eligible. The top 20 startups that apply will get the opportunity to show how their product works live on the Machine Demo stage.

Each startup will be allocated six minutes onstage to demo their product followed by a two-minute Q&A with the audience. Following the group stages, four startups will advance to the final, where they will demo their product in front of our distinguished judging panel, in a bid to be crowned Web Summit Machine Demo champion 2022.

To apply for Machine Demo, complete the application form, and submit a video of your demo along with your presentation. In your demo video, please give us your elevator pitch, the benefits and offerings of your product to consumers, and clearly demonstrate your product in action. Your presentation should provide information to support your demo.

Here’s the competition format:

Group rounds

20 startups will battle it out in the group rounds of the competition on the Machine Demo stage on November 4. Competing startups will have six minutes to demo their product onstage, followed by a two-minute Q&A with the audience.

Startups are divided into four groups of five for the group rounds. The audience will choose the winner of each group to progress to the final.

Final

The Machine Demo final will take place on the afternoon of Friday, November 4, on the Machine Demo stage. Our four finalists will each deliver another six-minute demo followed by a two-minute Q&A with our panel of judges.

The finalist with the highest combined score will be crowned the winner of Machine Demo at Web Summit 2022.

Your Machine Demo

Presentations must be submitted to the Web Summit Machine Demo team in your initial application for Machine Demo. Startups must use the same slides at all stages of the competition.

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• Presentations must be in Keynote or PowerPoint format. No other formats will be accepted.
• All media, including video and sound, must be embedded within the presentation slides and must be in MOV or MP4 format. No external programs – including your website or demos – may be accessed during your Machine Demo.
• Please note: We use Mac for all our AV requirements. Make sure your presentation software is compatible with Mac and the latest version of macOS.
• Presentations should be in widescreen format (16:9). Presentations not in this format will be surrounded by black borders on screen.
• Each startup will be given six minutes to Machine Demo, followed by a two-minute Q&A. This time will be strictly enforced, but you will have a countdown clock on stage for your comfort.
• Slides must be controlled onstage by the presenter. You will be given a clicker to control your presentation.

For more tips and FAQs on how to succeed at Machine Demo, find more information here.

To apply for Machine Demo, sign up here.

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