Hi all,
I’m excited to introduce to you Growfolio. The future of student record keeping, digital portfolios, personalized and differentiated learning and assessment automation.
Enjoy exploring my venture pitch here:
https://sites.google.com/view/growfolio/home
Cheers,
Bradley
FEEDBACK
I really think there’s something in a portfolio that follows students around. I think it’s interesting that you envision this as a product for parents as well as teachers – that definitely increases the potential revenue stream. Personally, I would love to have access to students’ work from previous years. It would be help me provide more targeted instruction to that student. This venture has a “big idea” feel to it. The one area where I believe you could have added more is in identification of the pain point or the problem. I wonder how closely the following matches your idea: student work in the digital age proliferates, resulting in a glut, and this leads to a mindset of disposability. But Growfolio, which is a platform that serves as a curated repository of student work, challenges the idea that this is all just throwaway work – we need to revalue work by students as representing key points in their academic development, and Growfolio helps foster a more celebratory attitude in this regard.
Hi David,
Love that notion. So much of student work does feel often disposable. I like how you frame it and I think you’ve captured the essence really nicely.
Thanks for taking the time to check it out!
Bradley
REVIEW
Hello Bradley, I think this tool serves such a particular focus in the education industry and I believe it is a very valuable tool.
An idea that occurred to me whilst reading through your venture pitch was whether or not you had considered adding a “student-led” portfolio where if they want to upload images or projects that they are proud of throughout their educational experience then you will have a longitudinal collection of the work that the student is proud of. This could also translate into other forms of revenue like selling books of student artwork or images of projects they are proud of and this could even support applications to universities for the older students. I teach the youngest learners so this is one way I could see it benefitting the student even further.
This tool is fantastic and if I were investing in something I would definitely look into it even more. Thank you!
Thanks Nathalie,
Yes for sure, in my mind there would for sure be a student version of the app as well. This is a place they could submit work as well as curate their own collection of artifacts.
Thanks for taking the time!
Bradley
FEEDBACK – Very well put together pitch and presentation site. I agree that a long-term retention system for student work is a valuable idea. The business plan shows a great deal of attention to detail. As mentioned, there are already competing applications that offer at least some of the features mentioned. I think it may be a challenge to convince users to switch, especially if these are used on a schoolwide basis – the rollover of data and training for staff, students and teachers is significant. A strategy for these conversion clients would probably be very helpful, especially in the early stages when the product is not well known.
Hi Devon,
Thanks for your feedback! I think I would try to approach new students and parents of newly enrolled students, as well as teachers for the assessment collection aspect. A lot of the competitors out there are US based so there could be issues convincing institutions at a larger scale to get on board.
Appreciate you taking the time to look through it!
Thanks,
Bradley
I appreciate your venture pitch greatly – it’s not only a fantastic idea but also professional, easy to read, and well thought out.
Your product idea is feasible and it is clear the market is ready. Your market opportunity section is comprehensive, and there is an opportunity to highlight your point about Canadian servers more prominently. I have been waiting for a tool like this to be hosted in Canada because my board does not allow them yet.
Your business plan is thorough, especially for a concise pitch. It demonstrates your consideration of revenue streams, which is crucial for a larger investment ask like yours.
Your primary target audience is well-defined, and as a part time in-school support teacher, I believe there’s a unique opportunity to emphasize the impact on special education. In my school board, maintaining accurate student growth portfolios for special education is a significant challenge, impacting IEPs and our student review process. Your solution could be game-changing in this area. I am also looking forward to developments regarding your secondary audience. I imagine tailored professional development sessions for educators and specialized program funding opportunities based on insights from larger-scale adoptions of your product.
Thanks for a wonderfully thorough pitch Bradley. Looking forward to using your product in the near future 😉
REVIEW: (should be above)
Hi Bradley,
Very well put together enterprise. I can see you put a lot of thought into this, and it shows both through your proof of concept and your presentation. Through the use of Growfolio, I’m wondering what sort of milestones one might use that will help a student in their development. You also mention the use of AI to help guide people. Would the AI be providing tests or some form of assessment? Is this meant to guide people towards a specific path, or simply meant to catalogue what paths people are already on? Overall, very good concept. Trying to create a concept like this is very difficult, especially when trying to create from scratch. I think you may really be on to something here. Something that a lot of people have difficulty with is keeping track of certain accomplishments and steps taken along the way. Very good work on this. Thank you for sharing.
Adam Turpin
Sorry, that should have included: FEEDBACK
FEEDBACK:
Hi Bradley,
This is a very well produced Venture Pitch. Each section is packed with details and it is evident that you’ve put a lot of thought into it. I particularly appreciate the level of care you put into the style of writing in your Venture Pitch.
I agree that students do lose a lot of their work throughout the years. It is also hard to see the evidence of their progress from one grade level to the next. This portfolio style approach is great for seeing improvement in work such as in writing or the visual arts. This area is also where your initiative needs to focus on. There’s so much work that a student does in one grade level. When compiled, it can be quite challenging to see the trends and levels of improvement. Is there a way to harness work that falls under the same category or skill? As the prototype gets developed, the investor needs to see examples of how work can be harnessed and compared as well as how a teacher would use it to make a profile for a specific student.
The portfolio style is very useful for students who are in an educational institution for years like in elementary and high school. This is a good way to chart their work. However, if students move and their new school doesn’t use this kind of platform, the compilation would be stopped. Would Growfolio be open to opening the product for parents to compile their children’s work themselves on the platform?
Hi Bradley,
I like your take on a digital portfolio and past experiences make me think there is great potential here. Our school was an early adopter of Freshgrade and took a shot at using that innovative portfolio and assessment tool.
I’m intrigued by the role that AI may play in your product. Our experience with Freshgrade revealed challenges for teachers in maintaining portfolios effectively. Despite Freshgrade’s supposed high usability and ease of use, teachers grumbled at the time invested in maintaining it. Will your use of AI mean that using growthfolio will not require much teacher time, as in demand as that time already is?
I wonder if your projection of the sale of 10000 print products may be ambitious? It seems likely that digital products will be your greatest revenue generator as I think people are as likely to obtain print copies as they are to print the photos they’ve taken with their phone.
Those two thoughts aside, I think this is a great idea with enormous potential, and I’d like to see it take shape. I’d love to have heard you speak about Growthfolio in your elevator pitch, and I think that the personalization of the product with your voice will do a long way.
I would try using this product, and I will cast my vote for investing! Great work!
REVIEW
I am enthusiastic about Growfolio as a venture and view it as a solid investment opportunity. Bradley, you have recognized that for instruction to be truly personalized, teachers need a comprehensive view of a student’s academic history–not just report cards. Understanding a student’s past performance is essential for tailoring instruction to their individual capabilities and needs. The use of AI to provide analytics and manage what could become an overwhelming amount of work is a valuable features of Growfolio.
I’d like to raise a few questions that may already have solutions I’m not aware of, or that may more relevant at later stages in Growfolio’s expansion:
The question of ownership: Who owns the students activities recorded in the portfolio? Presumably the student owns them. Therefore, Growfolio might have to navigate potential conflicts regarding the academic portfolio. While educators would prefer access to the most comprehensive data possible, parents and students might wish to conceal certain aspects of the student’s the academic history in order to present the most favourable image.
There is also the question of data portability: If a student moves to a new school within the same district that uses Growfolio, I imagine the transition would be seamless. However, in the context of international schools — where I teach — I often don’t have access to any information about new students, not even report cards. It seems that widespread adoption by international schools would be necessary for Growfolio to fulfill its purpose of keeping educators up to date on students. And I think it’s important again to consider that some parents and students may be looking for a fresh start, where information from previous schools does not follow the student.
Will students be able to curate the content of their portfolio when applying to universities?
All these questions, in one way or another, relate to the idea: How do you find the right balance between creating a comprehensive educational profile and maintaining the individual’s control over educational milestones?
Overall, I believe this venture has enormous potential.
FEEDBACK:
Hi Bradley,
Bravo on this one! I think you’ve covered a lot of bases here. I think I have two wonderings that may enhance your venture. How much space will one have at the start? You mention it is a cloud-based application, but I wonder how much space do you get with the free account? I also wonder if this will expire when the student graduates. Is there a plan for this to be available after they graduate? If I missed that, I apologize, but I guess how long can a parent hold on to these things? Thanks for putting this together! Great work!
Jeremiah