Should I include a demo in an accelerator application?

Yes, if the rules allow links. Reviewers read many applications quickly and the most useful thing you can do is remove doubt that the product exists. A stepped demo suits a glance in a way a three-minute video does not.

What if the application does not allow external links?

Use a PDF export of the demo. It is a document rather than a link, carries the screens and captions, and does not break a submission that caps or forbids attachments and URLs.

What should an application demo show?

The core loop as it exists today, in four to six steps, ending on the outcome your written answer claims. A demo padded with unbuilt features reads as a founder who cannot tell the difference, which is the opposite of the impression you want.

← Back to blog

Using a Demo in an Accelerator or Grant Application

August 22, 2026

Accelerator and grant reviewers read a great many applications quickly, and most of them describe a product that may or may not exist.

The single most useful thing you can do is remove that doubt in under a minute.

What they are checking

Does it exist? More applications than you would think describe something unbuilt.
Is it coherent? Does the product match the problem in the written answer.
Is the team capable? A working product is the strongest evidence available in a form.
Is it too early? A demo lets them judge stage honestly rather than guessing.

Why a demo beats a video here

A reviewer will not watch a three-minute video for every application. They will click a link, glance at four screens and form a judgement, which is exactly what a stepped demo supports and a video does not.

It also survives being forwarded to a second reviewer, which is how most shortlists are actually made.

Keep it inside the rules

Some applications forbid external links, cap attachments, or are scored blind. Read the rules before building the answer around a link.

Where links are not allowed, a PDF export of the demo is the fallback: it is a document, it carries the screens and captions, and it does not break the submission.

What to show

The core loop, not the roadmap. Reviewers are assessing what is true today; a demo padded with unbuilt features reads as a founder who cannot distinguish the two, which is the opposite of the impression you want.

Four to six steps, ending on the outcome your application claims the product delivers.

Frequently asked questions

Should I include a demo in an accelerator application?: Yes, if the rules allow links. Reviewers read many applications quickly and the most useful thing you can do is remove doubt that the product exists. A stepped demo suits a glance in a way a three-minute video does not.
What if the application does not allow external links?: Use a PDF export of the demo. It is a document rather than a link, carries the screens and captions, and does not break a submission that caps or forbids attachments and URLs.
What should an application demo show?: The core loop as it exists today, in four to six steps, ending on the outcome your written answer claims. A demo padded with unbuilt features reads as a founder who cannot tell the difference, which is the opposite of the impression you want.

Keep reading

This is what Demorta does

Click through it — the same kind of demo you can record of your own product.

Try it on your own product

Record your first interactive demo free.

Five demos on the free plan, forever. No credit card, no trial countdown, no sales call. Install the Chrome extension, click through your product once, and you have a shareable link in about ten minutes.

Start free →