In the days after any DEMO conference, I feel a bit like the Maytag repair man: lonely. The anticipation has been answered. The products are launched to the market, and the companies are off and running. And that’s how it should be. An event like DEMO is not an end point, but just the beginning. It is the head of the comet, the blast of light that illumines the opportunity for a product, a company, a customer, maybe even an investor or partner. In the days after a DEMO conference, the real work begins: serving the market and seizing the opportunities.
For the 72 companies that introduced products at DEMOfall 08, there’s little time for reflection and really no time for rest. Since returning to their offices last week, these entrepreneurs have been scrambling to respond to press queries, take customer calls, and set meetings with VCs. No down time; just go, go, go to capitalize on the adrenaline rush that is a product launch on what may be the brightest and most intense stage in the technology industry.
The complete archive of presentations, along with the roundtables and opening remarks, is online at DEMO.com. If you missed any of the conference or couldn’t make it to San Diego yourself, you’ll certainly get a tasted for these terrific products by reviewing their 6-minute demonstrations.
In the coming weeks, I’ll begin hearing from the companies, as they score victories in the market or, in a few cases, hit a bump in the road. Readers of DEMO.com will be able to follow the stories of our Class of DEMOfall 08 on the site, through news feeds and our own editorial coverage that charts their progress.
As for me, I’m going to enjoy this brief lull in activity to collect my thoughts and begin planning for DEMO 09. (Mark your calendars for March 1–3, 2009 and plan to be in Palm Desert, Calif.) There’s a lot to do between now and then, but right now, I’m going to enjoy watching this class of companies take off and fly.
(Note to readers: I’ll be off next Monday attending to some very special personal business.)
