Inviting startup founder friends, as audience members, to an angel group’s pitch event: rude?

I am a member of an angel group and the group is having a demo day, open to the general public, to publicize the group and get more companies in its pipeline. The companies are all in one specific niche for this event, but the group invests in a broad range of companies. I know plenty of startups that would like to receive angel investments. If I invite those founders to the event, as audience members, would that be weird or rude, or would they like it? (The niche for this event is so narrow that those companies simply are ineligible this time.) I wouldn't want the founders who I invite to think that they are B-list companies, watching better companies pitch. But since the niche for this event is so narrow, I hope that they wouldn't. Should I invite those founders, to join the audience at the event, even if they aren't presenting? Thanks.