By Jenn Rogers
After 10 months of ideation, pivots, planning, and practice pitches, five Innovation Design Teams (IDTs) arrived at Breakthrough’s first-ever “Demo Day” on May 20, 2025, ready to present their bold ideas. Each team came with a vision for change and countless hours of work behind them, eager to not just share what they’d built but to confidently ask for what they feel they need to grow. One word floated through my head all day as I reflected on the event’s energy: “audacious.” These teams were audacious in their ideas, audacious in their commitment to youth, and audacious in their belief that they could build something better.
And you could feel that energy in the room. Breakthrough-branded signage and vibrant visuals brought the space to life and the buzz of anticipation filled each corner. Innovators stood side by side with young people, funders, coaches, and partners. Everyone had come to witness something special: the culmination of a 10-month accelerator program designed to propel adolescent sexual and reproductive health solutions.
What Is Demo Day?
Demo Day is more than just a pitch event: It’s a celebration of transforming innovation into reality. It’s where abstract ideas become real solutions, where community-rooted design meets real-world implementation. For the five teams in Breakthrough’s inaugural cohort, this was their chance to showcase not just what they built—but how they built it.
Over the past year, teams participated in two in-person innovation labs, monthly coaching sessions, expert-led workshops, and countless hours of testing, iteration, reflection, and refinement. By the time they took the stage for the final showcase, they were ready.
Youth and young adults from across DC judged innovation pitches during Breakthrough’s inaugural Demo Day.
The Innovations
Each team brought their unique voice, perspective, and lived experience to the stage. Here’s a quick glimpse of what they shared at Demo Day:
- ATLAS unveiled a self-guided, web-based sexual health resource designed specifically for the learning needs and experiences of autistic youth, using affirming and accessible content to bridge gaps in access.
- Beyond the Bump originally focused on direct support to teens but pivoted to prioritize the recruitment and training of doulas to provide teen-friendly care, redefining their approach throughout their time in our accelerator.
- HBCU Wellness Collective created a culturally rooted sexual health curriculum for students at Historically Black Colleges and Universities, organizing their work around six guiding pillars and adapting their model based on campus feedback.
- Stigma RPG presented a first-of-its-kind role-playing game designed to challenge stigma around sex, relationships, and identity. The team’s innovation harnesses interactive storytelling and character play to make learning feel engaging and empowering.
- Up to Us focused on youth who are impacted by the justice system, developing a series of fictional short films and an interactive arts-based workshop to spark critical conversations and promote sexual health in safe, creative spaces.
ATLAS team members celebrate their participation in Demo Day with a fun photo booth moment.
What Innovation Really Looks Like
As the day unfolded, the presentations revealed a powerful truth: Innovation is rarely linear. In her remarks to the teams, Breakthrough project manager Alison McClay captured this idea perfectly: “Sometimes innovation means pivoting your delivery model based on what your users are telling you. It means discovering that your audience isn’t who you originally imagined or that your business model needs to evolve to protect your intellectual property or adapt to a shifting funding landscape. And sometimes, it’s about refining and refining and refining—trusting that iteration, not perfection, is what builds impact.”
That fearless, forward-looking spirit was on full display during these teams’ accelerator journey. HBCU Wellness Collective and Up to Us intentionally shifted their delivery methods; Beyond the Bump and Up to Us redefined their audiences; ATLAS and Stigma RPG made strategic changes to how they structure and sustain their ideas. And all five teams embraced feedback, remained open to change, and put youth voices at the center of their solutions. That’s what audacious innovation looks like in practice.
Audience members listen intently as the Up to Us innovation team shares their groundbreaking ideas on stage.
What’s Next?
While Demo Day marked the formal end of this cohort’s accelerator journey, it’s far from a conclusion. Each team now joins the Breakthrough Alumni Network—a growing community of innovators who will continue to learn from and support each other as they grow and scale their work. They leave Breakthrough equipped with new skills, tools, and connections that will help them take their work further. And, through their participation, they’ve helped shape the Breakthrough program itself, offering feedback, raising questions, and helping us strengthen the accelerator for future cohorts.
Jenita Parekh, Breakthrough’s outgoing principal investigator, said in her closing remarks: “To our incredible teams: We hope you feel as proud of yourselves as we feel of you. As our very first cohort, you didn’t just grow with us—you helped define us. You challenged us to refine what this accelerator could be. You’ve left a mark far beyond your innovations, and we’re better for it.”
Jenn Rogers speaks at Demo Day.
As Breakthrough’s new principal investigator, I want to personally thank our coaches, community partners, and (especially) the young people who helped guide these teams. Their insight, encouragement, and honesty were instrumental in helping these ideas take flight.
And we’re not done yet! Breakthrough’s second cohort launches this August. We’re eager to meet the next generation of innovators and apply everything we learned from working with this brilliant first group. If you want to follow along with our alumni or learn more about what’s ahead, subscribe to our newsletter, check out our website, and follow us on LinkedIn and Instagram.
Demo Day reminded us what’s possible when you put trust in new ideas, invest in young people, and build space for innovation that doesn’t follow a straight line.
Audacious? Absolutely. And we’re just getting started.
Breakthrough’s first cohort of innovation teams gather for a group photo to commemorate the day’s success.
Suggested citation: Rogers, J. (2025). Demo Day highlights audacious ideas to improve adolescent health. Breakthrough Accelerator. https://breakthrough.fund/demo-day-ideas-improve-adolescent-health