Builders NYC: Demo Day -- Roast & Roast

Builders NYC is a community for builders across New York City: founders, developers, designers, students, creatives, technologists, product-minded enthusiasts, and anyone who wants to build, share, and connect.
The theme for this Demo Day is simple:
Roast & Roast
Roast & Roast is a morning demo day where builders present real projects, prototypes, MVPs, experiments, tools, designs, and half-baked ideas, then get honest feedback from the room over coffee.
Each selected demo will get around 8–10 minutes to present, followed by 3–5 minutes of constructive feedback, questions, and lighthearted roasting from the audience.
The goal is not to tear anyone down. The goal is to help each other sharpen ideas, improve products, explain projects more clearly, and become better builders together.
Whether your project is polished, half-working, or ugly-but-functional, bring it. The best demos are not always perfect. Sometimes they are honest, interesting, weird, scrappy, and worth discussing.
This is not a pitch competition. This is a room full of builders helping other builders get better.
Who Should Attend
This event is open to anyone who has a project they want to share, a project they want feedback on, or a project they want to roast.
If you want to demo, you do not need a completed product. You just need to be willing and able to show something, explain what you are building, receive useful feedback, and have a sense of humor.
If you are not demoing, you are still very welcome. Come meet other builders, give thoughtful feedback, ask questions, and connect with people working on interesting projects across NYC.
Demo Format
Selected builders will have 8-10 minutes to present their project.
A demo can include:
a live app or website
a prototype
a Figma or design walkthrough
a GitHub repo
a CLI or dev tool
a notebook
a slide deck
a landing page
a demo video
a startup idea or product concept
anything else people can react to
After each demo, we will spend 3–5 minutes on feedback from the room.
Feedback can focus on things like:
product clarity
UX and design
technical approach
market or use case
onboarding
pitch and storytelling
what is confusing
what is actually interesting
what could be improved
The roasts should be funny, but useful. No personal shots, no punching down, and no being weird. The goal is to make the project better, not embarrass the demoer.
Demo interest does not guarantee a demo slot. We are curating the main demo lineup so each project gets enough time, attention, and useful feedback. Selected demoers will be confirmed before the event, and we may leave room for a few quick lightning demos depending on time.
Selected demoers may also be asked to submit their project through HackerSquad before the event so their demo can be recorded and shared with them afterward as an unlisted video.
Agenda
10:00 AM – 10:30 AM — Doors Open + Coffee
Check in, grab coffee, meet other builders, and settle in before demos begin.
10:30 AM – 10:40 AM — Welcome to Builders NYC
A short intro to Builders NYC, the mission behind the community, and how Roast & Roast will work.
10:40 AM – 11:35 AM — Project Demos: Block 1
The first group of selected builders will demo their projects, followed by feedback, questions, and light roasting from the room.
11:35 AM – 11:50 AM — Coffee Break + Open Feedback
Refill your coffee, talk to demoers, ask questions, and meet other people in the room.
11:50 AM – 12:45 PM — Project Demos: Block 2
More selected builders will present their projects, get feedback from the room, and hear what is clear, confusing, funny, promising, or worth improving.
12:45 PM – 1:10 PM — Social Break + Informal Feedback
Take a longer break, keep conversations going, meet the demoers, and give feedback one-on-one.
1:10 PM – 2:05 PM — Project Demos: Block 3
The final group of selected demos, feedback, questions, and useful roasts.
2:05 PM – 2:25 PM — Lightning Demos + Room Reactions
We will open the floor for a few quick lightning demos from attendees who want to share something short, scrappy, experimental, or still in progress. These are meant to be fast, interactive, and low-pressure.
Each lightning demo should be around 3-5 minutes, followed by quick reactions from the room.
2:25 PM – 2:40 PM — Closing Thoughts + Community Updates
We will thank demoers and attendees, share what is next for Builders NYC, and highlight ways to stay involved.
2:40 PM – 2:50 PM — Group Photo + Official Wrap-Up
We will take a group photo and wrap up the official event.
2:50 PM – 3:00 PM — Optional Hangout + Open Networking
Stick around, meet people, continue conversations, share projects informally, and connect with other builders.
Feel free to check out our LinkedIn page for more updates:
https://www.linkedin.com/company/builders-nyc/