The Planetary Academy is a very exciting project for young people with immense passion for science.
Here’s the link to their Kickstarter video:
From Bill Nye, the Science Guy!
3 responses to “From Bill Nye, the Science Guy!”
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As an EVA, I would not likely invest in this kickstarter. Despite it’s credible source with Bill Nye the Science Guy the concept itself is not compelling or original enough. There are numerous other subscription science/ STEM kits that are on the market with a wider age range, an example of this being KiwiCo (https://www.kiwico.com/monthly-science-kits-for-kids) and Lovevery (https://lovevery.com/). The Planetary Academy adventure pack, though specialized for astronomy lovers, is too specific and the age range too narrow. Though the pitch itself contained interesting facts such as “ten is the age by which a child will discover their so-called life-long passion for science”, it lacked the competitive edge to differentiate itself in an already saturated market. Looking a bit more into each adventure pack, the content seems a bit dense in terms of how the information is provided. There is quite a bit of written material and less hands-on activities- a key features that I would personally be looking for as a parent to engage my child. I really wanted to back this venture because of my love for Bill Nye, but there was not enough substance behind the face of the presenter.
Hi Safaa,
As an “EVA” I have to review Bill Nye’s content from a variety of angles, first, the CEO credibility. As someone who grew up with Bill Nye videos every year in Science Class, Bill Nye has incredible name recognition. Seeing his voice and name behind this project as the CEO of Planetary Society, gave me an incredible amount of confidence in this venture. The management team includes Bruce Betts, Ph. D., Chief Scientist – author, who although I do not recognize has the credentials to aid in the projects success.
Secondly the venture concept is original and compelling. There are many resources and tools for kids to become passionate about science . But space exploration projects led by industry-leading scientists is rare and exciting!
Finally, Marketability, this Kickstarter project appears to be treated as a non-profit. It rewards investors with memberships for children, stickers, buttons, patches, and personalized gifts from Bill Nye. I am intrigued by this venture and although I will not be investing today is something I am pinning to look back on later, it may be a great gift for my nephews and worth the investment.
I personally would not invest in this kickstarter. Having “The Science Guy”, Bill Nye as the face of this video pitch was an excellent advertising move as it resonated with me as both an educator and student who learned with his science videos as a child. That’s as far as my interest in this particular pitch went. I believe the topic is too narrow to allow for a large audience reach. Subscription packages for learning are readily available with a more diverse approach to Science education. Jocelyn mentions KiwiCo which is a product that I currently use with my students and find to be much more hands on and engaging for children. As an investor, I am looking for areas of growth and the pitch only mentions the expansion of extending this product to more age levels. These limitations don’t excite me in it’s potential for growth and the financial growth of my investment.