Hi everyone, for my venture pitch, I took this opportunity to roll in my passion project which is close to my heart while working and researching the idea with CNIB and OCAD in these last few months. This course has given me the opportunity to literally demo my idea and concept to you all (#nervous). This is still in prototype phase but hope that it will evolve into something tangible by next spring 2022.
Of course we always think that one’s own idea is unique until you realize that someone else has done it in some fashion. But I stuck to the project and hope to break into the disability education area starting small. Additionally, this would target a market for STEM education for the visually impaired and hopefully increase enrolments in STEM sciences and create an impact.
The venture pitch (voice-over) and pitch deck (no voice-over) are both on the website. Any issues please alert me.
Please Enjoy. Thank you!
http://astrovision.freehostia.com/
REVIEW – Luke, I really believe there is potential for your venture to be successful and make a significant impact in the lives of the visually impared. To begin, your elevator pitch was very well executed. You make a personal connection between the viewers, the wonders of space, and how we are not all fortunate to experience our universe in the same way. Your pitch made it clear that you are not only passionate about this project, but you are knowledgeable about the opportunity it presents. I was also impressed at the detail presented in your venture pitch, especially the market and market strategy sections. I would encourage investment in your venture!
Hi Luke,
ELEVATOR PITCH: • SO GOOD! • I agree with Josh’s statements above. Your script seamlessly explains the “why”, and “why now” while appealing to a sense of wonder and emotion. I also get a solid, general sense of what the product is and want to learn more.
PAIN POINT: • Clearly articulated.
SOLUTION: • Very clear. AMAZING prototypes. The focus on “changing minds” is clear and seems realistic based on the details you’ve provided.
DIFFERENTIATION/COMPETITION: • It doesn’t really seem like you have any direct competition? Oed is much more general, and the ‘space and beyond box’ doesn’t advertise any accessibility features.
MARKETING: • Well articulated and clear. • The pricing seems fair based on other subscription boxes I’ve used.
CHAMPIONSHIP: • Your bio combined with the CNIB partnership suggests high credibility.
CONSTRUCTIVE FEEDBACK: • I found myself wondering if the content of the boxes would contain information for sighted individuals as well as blind? Or for individuals with milder vision problems? Would this make it more accessible to a wider variety of folks?
OVERALL: Your branding is beautiful! I love everything about it! I want to buy this product, though I don’t know anyone personally with vision impairments. I would definitely invest and/or recommend investment in this opportunity.
Hi Sally, thanks for the feedback! I am awaiting funding from CNIB and waiting to use OCAD’s 3d printing machines so I can use the freely available 3d objects already created by NASA, which is openly available and can be used by everyone, sighted and non sighted when printed in the toolkit. I have ordered some boxes from amazon and looking to create prototypes and source out science braille books accessible to non sighted kids for my fall research.
There is always room for improvement as I said and from peoples feedback, but at the end of the day, we can research and gather data all we want, but understanding blind kids at a deeper motivational level, you cannot put a number on it. It’s just about their lived experiences and getting that self confidence in reaching that goal. I’m just looking to enhance that understanding and nudging them along into science.
thank you!
Hi Luke,
You have created a beautiful, professional, and consumer-ready website. I am impressed. I particularly liked the customer persona and the timelines you proposed. I am still curious as to what the other companies offer and more about the competition, but great pivot with the notion of partnering with the competition.
ps. the music on your elevator pitch was a bit loud and distracted me from your words.
pps. great logo and box!
Hi, Luke. I really enjoy your product and the overall design of your website. The starry sky is beautiful, but it’s a pity that the blind are unable to appreciate it. I sincerely hope that the 3D toolkit will be well produced and will assist blind people in seeing the world in new ways. To increase competitiveness, I believe it is preferable to devote more effort to further developing digital technology with your product. Otherwise, if it’s merely a 3D toolkit, competitors may easily copy it.
Hi Luke, I think this is a great idea and your pitch is well packaged. From the opening page, it seems you’ve been envisioning this idea for a while. The purposes of your idea are aligned with your problems which emphasizes how important your solutions are. Your projections are backed up by science and clearly relate to your needs. I particularly liked how you drew in what may be indirect marketing opportunities for you. Because you have found a niche in the market, I’d think having a strong presence in that particular community is an invaluable commodity. If there is one thing I would suggest you develop, it would be your roadmap. Although it is reasonable, it leaves a lot of questions around staffing, product evaluation, and growth plan.
Hi Luke, I have to admit that your presentation of Astrovision is “astronomical” and quite absorbing. The elevator pitch is professionally rendered with interesting visuals and a well-delivered description. The entire design of Astrovision, including the logo, is thematically coherent and highly informative. The clip of the first blind civilian in space, Russell, is also a nice touch in the course of context. The most interesting part for me is the actual samples of materials and the fancy toolkit box of the products. This makes your proposal more appealing in the eyes of investors, in my opinion. However, I do not see why your product does not target K12 non-sighted students, providing a modified version of the space syllabus in middle and high school. Also, although the project is sound and the rationale is valid, I feel that expectations of high demand for the product are questionable. In other words, your targeted audience seems very limited on two levels: interest (not a need) and non-sighed (a marginal minority). Therefore, perhaps a non-profit organization can adopt this project and invest in it for the special needs individuals. I am also curious about how the product can be significantly valuable for STEM. Overall, the comprehensive presentation of the venture is plausible and professional, but I personally would probably need a bit stronger argument on the financial side to invest in it. Thank you for the excellent post.
Hi Luke, I am totally sold! This is such a great idea! Both your elevator and venture pitch are engaging and well-articulated. You also thoroughly pitched on your website. I agree with Sally- are these boxes only tailor-made for visually impaired children? Why not make it available for everyone? Further, to empower educators with the right tools to teach visually impaired children, are there spaces that allow for the creation of user guide for educators/students? Maybe a link to podcasts that are in line with the learning content in these boxes? I also thought about the need of a growth plan. As a potential investor, I would love to learn about what the company aims for in the next 5 years. Again, thank you for sharing this amazing product with us!
Hi Luke, really well-made stuff here! How do you envision these boxes will be facilitated to students once they arrive? Do you see a need for instructor / admin resources to make the most out of these?
Hi Lyon! the original research idea entails using the toolkit along side a mentoring component to facilitate dialogue and learning for students who purchase the kit alone through a dedicated website with group video chats etc. For educators who purchase the toolkit, this can be used in classrooms with additional materials and support from other sponsored organizations. While this project is still in research phase, the venture idea hopes to incorporate the outcome of the research looking at which of best combination of learning i.e. toolkit+mentoring or toolkit+mentoring+elearning, etc helps to foster interest in astronomy based STEM courses.
Hi Luke, this is a truly beautiful product. I’ve always loved astronomy my whole life, and wanted to be an astronomer when I was a boy. Now, I’m reflecting how fortunate I was to have been able to see all the wonders of the universe. So thank you for creating this for people who can’t see, the can still experience space. It looks like this project is being realized, so good luck! Looking forward to seeing what happens. -Mark