DEMO DAY 2020: Behind the Scenes with Duncan Walker ’13 & Alina Yan ’23

Even one of the worst pandemics of all time couldn’t stop this year’s Demo Day, which was, by all accounts, our best yet. Much of the credit goes to Shea Center Entrepreneur-in-Residence/Accelerator Program Lead Duncan Walker ’13 and Editor/Student-Entrepreneur Alina Yan CSOM ’23 (yup, she pitched too!). Working with a team that spanned the globe (including Yan in Beijing, China), they made the seemingly impossible look easy. We went behind the scenes with the pair to learn how it all came together.

Q: Demo Day 2020 was the first large "virtual event" in Shea Center history. What was it like to take on such a complex video production?

DW: Demo Day 2020 was the largest event the Shea Center has ever put on, virtual or otherwise, so we knew the pressure was on to produce something special. We wanted to do a livestream but decided to pre-produce the event in-house to minimize technical issues and dealing with presenters in eight different time zones.

Two weeks beforehand, Alina CSOM ’23 and our logistics lead, Jack McClelland MCAS ’22, wrote a rough script. We got some inspiring footage from the Office of University Communications to punch up the intro. And Alina surprised everyone with her creativity, including overlaying real handwriting on the videos.

AY: This was my first semester being a part of the Start@Shea team and my first year at BC. I was scared, because there was so much to do. It wasn’t until Duncan sent the coolest, most well-edited intro video that I felt grounded.

Q: Did you have time to prepare or did you have to pivot quickly?

DW: There were many small adjustments along the way, but I had faith in the student team, molded by the Shea Center’s entrepreneurial mindset–initiative, adaptability, resilience, and self-awareness. In many ways, Demo Day was a test for the student-entrepreneurs and the Shea Center’s approach to building them. I’m proud to say everyone passed with flying colors.

AY: Three days before the event, we got all the main videos and it was time to piece them together. I spent from 11 a.m. to 10 a.m. the next day editing with support from Duncan and the rest of the team. When all the segments were done, I couldn’t get anything to anyone because the WIFI wasn’t working. There was still a bunch of fine-tuning to do, and I felt overwhelmed with that and two mid-terms I had that day.

Instantly, Duncan took over while the rest of the team figured out how to livestream the video. Around 6 a.m. my time, it was ready to go, and I joined our live Slack viewing party. The video started playing on YouTube, and everyone’s face lit up.

Q: How did you score so many cool celebrity guests?

DW: A lot of viewers asked the same thing! Several Boston College legends including Doug Flutie, Coach Jerry York, and Emmy-winner Alex Loverde were more than happy to send messages of support, especially given how hard the semester was.

We also wanted to feature a couple of non-BC celebrities but only if they had a meaningful message. We sent out a lot of texts and Instagram messages trying to figure out how to connect with ideal celebrities. I’m sure every viewer will testify that the messages from HBO’s Ross Mullan and Chris Diamantopoulos were uplifting and inspiring.

Q: The event drew 255 viewers, most of whom stayed on the entire time. Did you expect such a large turnout?

DW: We didn’t expect such a big turnout, but what really blew me away was the energy viewers brought. We saw over 700 chat comments from alumni and students in just 45 minutes. We originally set a goal of 100 viewers, or 200 RSVPs. We hit our original goal in four days and then raised the bar twice to 400 RSVPs. The student marketing team, led by Maggie Yan, did an amazing job promoting the event.

AY: We kept hitting our targets so we knew people were going to come–but we didn’t realize what that actually meant. When the numbers kept going up and the chat started going crazy, we realized just how many people were actually watching. Then that night when I refreshed the uploaded video, it went to 500 views. The next day, 700. The next day, nearly 1,000. I didn’t expect any of this at all, and it still amazes me.

Q: You had viewers from eight different time zones. Where were they from?

DW: I know of viewers on at least four continents. Countries represented included the US, China, Malawi, the UK, and Belgium. Some viewers stayed up till 2 a.m. while others woke up at 6 a.m.. There was also a lot of local support from the Boston tech community. Many of the Accelerator’s mentors aren’t BC alumni but believe in the mission of supporting student-entrepreneurs. I was glad Demo Day could play a part in strengthening BC’s relationship with the Boston tech community.

Q: What stood out to you from the presentations? the commentary?

DW: How well the founders presented. A viewer commented, “Why are BC students such good communicators?” in the livestream chat and I couldn’t agree more. The most surprising part of Demo Day was the crazy energy brought to the event chat. You couldn’t help but get caught up in the anticipation, hype, and excitement.

AY: Many of the teams pitched with me during the elevator pitch competition back in the fall, the mini Demo Day. How much everyone has grown in communication skills and confidence amazes me. The live commentary made it real. All our hard work showed and people were excited. It’s such a surreal feeling when you get such great comments after weeks and weeks of practice and growth. This is really something none of us will forget.

Q: How did the energy level of the online Demo Day compare to past versions?

DW: The energy was through the roof! My favorite comment of the day was, “​I don't even miss live sports anymore–this is electric!”

AY: The energy was CRAZY. I had no idea that one hour passed just like that. The amount of “ahhhhh”s and “WOAH”s and clapping kept our adrenaline high the entire time. It was like a runner’s high but a Demo Day high.

Q: Some student-entrepreneurs presented indoors, some outdoors. Was it up to them?

DW: I wasn’t expecting to receive any pitches filmed outside but I loved how it turned out. Nature has a funny way of humbling content. Personalities shone through, founders were more relaxed, and the different environments helped illustrate that founders were apart from one another but together in spirit and aspiration.

Q: Finally, a two-part question: Did Demo Day 2020 fulfill your hopes? And how did this “experiment” in staging a Shea Center competition change the way you think about future events?

DW: Demo Day 2020 exceeded all my expectations. As a recovering perfectionist, I often set the bar high. But even I was blown away with the number and quality of viewers.

We’re already planning a similar format for the next Demo Day in 2021, with a live watch party on campus. It would have been easy for us to accept campus closing and minimize or even cancel the Accelerator. But we stepped up. The Accelerator’s remote workshops were rated higher than many in-person workshops. And we just put on the biggest Demo Day in the history of the Shea Center!

I believe we can achieve whatever we set our minds to for future programming and I welcome all ideas, requests, and feedback from the global BC community on how we can sustain the ever-growing appetite for Shea Center events and programming.