Anshul Samar shows enthusiasm, passion and sincerity and his message seems complete. He knows how to describe his game and objective effectively. He’s got a trademarked pitch line: “Create, combat, and conquer!” which is great for marketing, I suppose, because such action words put life into the product. He also has clear goals, which makes it seem as though he has put a lot of thought and research into the marketing of his product. Samar needs to improve his speaking skills, as his pitch was a bit overwhelmed by his nerves and his delivery could be a bit more professional. He has already produced cards, which shows initiative and integrity.
• Pain Point: Apparently, learning chemistry is not fun. (Ridiculous!)
• Solution: The intention of the CEO of Elementeo is to inject fun into learning chemistry. I don’t get this though, given that chemistry is synonymous with fun to begin with. And I know with absolute certainty that EVERYONE is in TOTAL agreement with me!
• Differentiation: this product seems unique as it combines chemistry with highly stylized cards in an action/fantasy game.
• Marketing: to sell around the world using Elementeo’s website and Amazon.com
• Championship: —
• Competition: — (The pitch doesn’t mention it, but I know that there are other card games for teaching chemistry. In general, there aren’t a lot of games for teaching chemistry in any format, especially not with great fantasy design.)
• The Ask: $ 100 000 for printing more cards
• The Return: $ 1 000 000 by the next school year.
I would have to play this game and see that the rules make sense, that the level of difficulty is reasonable for the target audience and that it is truly educational. Any opportunity to competently promote chemistry is fantastic, so I would hope to have a reason to support this venture
Yes I would invest in this venture idea at this time. 13 year old CEO Anshul Samar is an energetic, confident individual, who has a passion for chemistry, and wants to share it with the world. Mr. Samar introduces Elementeo as a chemistry game that aims to make learning fun. The proposal has potential to be successful as it hones in on the educational gaming industry to make learning fun.
Credibility:
Mr. Samar’s delivers a convincing pitch that demonstrates confidence and passion in the Elementeo product. In the pitch, Mr. Samar specifies the need for fun “injected” into education.
Management Team:
There isn’t any mention of other team members, but there is frequent mention of “our and we” during the pitch.
Concept:
Although the idea of creating educational games isn’t new, the market isn’t a stagnant one, nor has it become over-saturated with ideas. The market is open for new and exciting ideas. The Elementeo concept is one that targets the concept of Chemistry, and would be appealing to the middle school market to supplement learning.
Opportunity & Competition:
According to more opportunity is needed to make learning fun, especially Chemistry. Mr. Samar doesn’t specifically mention any competition, but does reference that the desire is to be on Amazon.com top 10 educational games list by the following school year.
Marketability:
Elementeo’s potential to be ready for the market seems immediate, and has the potential to move into the digital realm of gaming.
Exit Strategy:
Mr. Samar, clearly has a passion for Science and understands that learning can have huge rewards when it is fun. Mr. Samar has a clear goal in mind, and is ready to “Create, Combat, and Conquer” the educational gaming industry.
As an EVA, I am ready to invest into this business venture.
I am also surprised to learn that chemistry isn’t fun, but at least Mr. Samar, has come up with a solution to this perceived problem. I’d agree that the speaker is affable and passionate about his venture, but he needs to practice presenting a few more times.
I agree that there is strength in having a product to see and ready to go out to market. In what form would you see it moving into a digital realm? Would the extra cost of creating digital versions make this venture less enticing? Could this concept be extended to other areas of learning?
I don’t have an iTunes account or an iPad, but I’m curious as to what this game is like, both in the digital form and the physical one. There’s an updated version of the card game coming out this summer and I’ll probably buy it.
I did a lot of research on this pitch earlier but I accidentally deleted my notes. Anyways, I had found a lot of reviews of the card game. They varied from “fun” to “confusing” with a fairly equal distribution and players ranged from 7-yr-old kids to grad students.
The one thing that I think this company needs is an attitude change. It needs to lighten up and show that it’s having fun. If you look at the website, there are writing mistakes all over the place, and the tone is pretty serious for a company that is promoting education infused with fun. The passion is there, sure, but this guy looks like he takes himself too seriously.
Elementeo has FB and Twitter pages, but they’re not active, and that’s a waste. On the elementeo site, there are a lot of links to articles and reviews, so I guess the game is getting promoted.
As for future directions, the game would have to be improved if it truly is confusing. The same goes for the app. I could see there being an online game where people become the element characters and even dress up like them for Cosplay events.
Moving beyond Elementeo, the company could make games about different aspects of chemistry, like experimentation, industrial processes and commercial applications. Or maybe I will…
If I were in Mr. Samar’s postion, and if the Elmenteo was brinigin in the $$, I think this product would have potential in the hand-held device market….(application creation, Nintendo DS, PSP, etc. Depending on the application or device cost will vary. I am not sure if students would find electronic versions more enticing or not. But, from personal observations with the iPads and BYOD policy in our school, students are actively engaged with the apps and programs that are curricular approved, and enjoy sharing the learning experience with teachers and others.
I think Mr. Samar (whom is/was only13 years of age) spoke well for someone presenting to a group of unknowns. Nerves are always going to make people jumpy, but he spoke much better than some of the pitches on the DD.
NO, I would not invest in this venture. Anshul Samar, the CEO of Elementeo, pitches his chemistry card game with enthusiasm and belief that his game would “inject fun into education”.
As a venture capitalist, I do not believe that there is a demand for this type of game outside the population who already finds chemistry interesting. In short, Samar and his team have created a solution for a problem that does not exist at a high enough level to create a demand. I can see the game being purchased by teachers, parents whose kids have difficulty in chemistry, and also in the gift shops of science museums. However, I cannot see the demand being great.
The game seems to be aimed at middle school students, which is interesting since, from my experience, is not eh level at which chemistry is usually taught. I wonder if his audience is the academically gifted child.
I do applaud his efforts to make learning about compounds and elements possible in a gaming type situation. It would have been useful if he mentioned similar games and their successes.
Ansul had two goals which I thought were interesting: one was financial and the other to do with the quality and popularity of his product. I felt that his financial goal was really is priority yet as a budding entrepreneur he is very aware of the bottom line. He states that he wants to use the $100 000 he is asking for to print more cards but I would have liked it if he had expanded a bit more on the marketing plan. Selling all over the world is a great goal but where will they start?
He spoke well and his points were clearly thought out. I especially liked his slogan Create, Combat and Conquer and the concept of reducing the opponents IQ to zero. These are original ideas with an element of fun.
Ansul is the CEO of the company but there is no mention of how many other people are involved and to what level they have committed. It appears that he IS the company but further reading indicates otherwise.
dubiend 6:17 pm on May 21, 2012 Permalink | Log in to Reply
Anshul Samar shows enthusiasm, passion and sincerity and his message seems complete. He knows how to describe his game and objective effectively. He’s got a trademarked pitch line: “Create, combat, and conquer!” which is great for marketing, I suppose, because such action words put life into the product. He also has clear goals, which makes it seem as though he has put a lot of thought and research into the marketing of his product. Samar needs to improve his speaking skills, as his pitch was a bit overwhelmed by his nerves and his delivery could be a bit more professional. He has already produced cards, which shows initiative and integrity.
• Pain Point: Apparently, learning chemistry is not fun. (Ridiculous!)
• Solution: The intention of the CEO of Elementeo is to inject fun into learning chemistry. I don’t get this though, given that chemistry is synonymous with fun to begin with. And I know with absolute certainty that EVERYONE is in TOTAL agreement with me!
• Differentiation: this product seems unique as it combines chemistry with highly stylized cards in an action/fantasy game.
• Marketing: to sell around the world using Elementeo’s website and Amazon.com
• Championship: —
• Competition: — (The pitch doesn’t mention it, but I know that there are other card games for teaching chemistry. In general, there aren’t a lot of games for teaching chemistry in any format, especially not with great fantasy design.)
• The Ask: $ 100 000 for printing more cards
• The Return: $ 1 000 000 by the next school year.
I would have to play this game and see that the rules make sense, that the level of difficulty is reasonable for the target audience and that it is truly educational. Any opportunity to competently promote chemistry is fantastic, so I would hope to have a reason to support this venture
jtpatry 6:35 pm on May 21, 2012 Permalink | Log in to Reply
Yes I would invest in this venture idea at this time. 13 year old CEO Anshul Samar is an energetic, confident individual, who has a passion for chemistry, and wants to share it with the world. Mr. Samar introduces Elementeo as a chemistry game that aims to make learning fun. The proposal has potential to be successful as it hones in on the educational gaming industry to make learning fun.
Credibility:
Mr. Samar’s delivers a convincing pitch that demonstrates confidence and passion in the Elementeo product. In the pitch, Mr. Samar specifies the need for fun “injected” into education.
Management Team:
There isn’t any mention of other team members, but there is frequent mention of “our and we” during the pitch.
Concept:
Although the idea of creating educational games isn’t new, the market isn’t a stagnant one, nor has it become over-saturated with ideas. The market is open for new and exciting ideas. The Elementeo concept is one that targets the concept of Chemistry, and would be appealing to the middle school market to supplement learning.
Opportunity & Competition:
According to more opportunity is needed to make learning fun, especially Chemistry. Mr. Samar doesn’t specifically mention any competition, but does reference that the desire is to be on Amazon.com top 10 educational games list by the following school year.
Marketability:
Elementeo’s potential to be ready for the market seems immediate, and has the potential to move into the digital realm of gaming.
Exit Strategy:
Mr. Samar, clearly has a passion for Science and understands that learning can have huge rewards when it is fun. Mr. Samar has a clear goal in mind, and is ready to “Create, Combat, and Conquer” the educational gaming industry.
As an EVA, I am ready to invest into this business venture.
Dave Horn 9:11 pm on May 23, 2012 Permalink | Log in to Reply
Danielle & JT
I am also surprised to learn that chemistry isn’t fun, but at least Mr. Samar, has come up with a solution to this perceived problem. I’d agree that the speaker is affable and passionate about his venture, but he needs to practice presenting a few more times.
I agree that there is strength in having a product to see and ready to go out to market. In what form would you see it moving into a digital realm? Would the extra cost of creating digital versions make this venture less enticing? Could this concept be extended to other areas of learning?
Dave
dubiend 12:11 pm on May 24, 2012 Permalink | Log in to Reply
Hi Dave,
This pitch is several years old and Elementeo now has an app:
http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/elementeo/id516575515?mt=8
I don’t have an iTunes account or an iPad, but I’m curious as to what this game is like, both in the digital form and the physical one. There’s an updated version of the card game coming out this summer and I’ll probably buy it.
I did a lot of research on this pitch earlier but I accidentally deleted my notes. Anyways, I had found a lot of reviews of the card game. They varied from “fun” to “confusing” with a fairly equal distribution and players ranged from 7-yr-old kids to grad students.
The game has several levels and the simplest one is explained here: http://www.elementeo.com/videotutorial
The one thing that I think this company needs is an attitude change. It needs to lighten up and show that it’s having fun. If you look at the website, there are writing mistakes all over the place, and the tone is pretty serious for a company that is promoting education infused with fun. The passion is there, sure, but this guy looks like he takes himself too seriously.
Elementeo has FB and Twitter pages, but they’re not active, and that’s a waste. On the elementeo site, there are a lot of links to articles and reviews, so I guess the game is getting promoted.
As for future directions, the game would have to be improved if it truly is confusing. The same goes for the app. I could see there being an online game where people become the element characters and even dress up like them for Cosplay events.
Moving beyond Elementeo, the company could make games about different aspects of chemistry, like experimentation, industrial processes and commercial applications. Or maybe I will…
jtpatry 11:34 am on May 24, 2012 Permalink | Log in to Reply
Hi Dave,
If I were in Mr. Samar’s postion, and if the Elmenteo was brinigin in the $$, I think this product would have potential in the hand-held device market….(application creation, Nintendo DS, PSP, etc. Depending on the application or device cost will vary. I am not sure if students would find electronic versions more enticing or not. But, from personal observations with the iPads and BYOD policy in our school, students are actively engaged with the apps and programs that are curricular approved, and enjoy sharing the learning experience with teachers and others.
I think Mr. Samar (whom is/was only13 years of age) spoke well for someone presenting to a group of unknowns. Nerves are always going to make people jumpy, but he spoke much better than some of the pitches on the DD.
Bridget 6:43 pm on May 24, 2012 Permalink | Log in to Reply
NO, I would not invest in this venture. Anshul Samar, the CEO of Elementeo, pitches his chemistry card game with enthusiasm and belief that his game would “inject fun into education”.
As a venture capitalist, I do not believe that there is a demand for this type of game outside the population who already finds chemistry interesting. In short, Samar and his team have created a solution for a problem that does not exist at a high enough level to create a demand. I can see the game being purchased by teachers, parents whose kids have difficulty in chemistry, and also in the gift shops of science museums. However, I cannot see the demand being great.
The game seems to be aimed at middle school students, which is interesting since, from my experience, is not eh level at which chemistry is usually taught. I wonder if his audience is the academically gifted child.
I do applaud his efforts to make learning about compounds and elements possible in a gaming type situation. It would have been useful if he mentioned similar games and their successes.
Ansul had two goals which I thought were interesting: one was financial and the other to do with the quality and popularity of his product. I felt that his financial goal was really is priority yet as a budding entrepreneur he is very aware of the bottom line. He states that he wants to use the $100 000 he is asking for to print more cards but I would have liked it if he had expanded a bit more on the marketing plan. Selling all over the world is a great goal but where will they start?
He spoke well and his points were clearly thought out. I especially liked his slogan Create, Combat and Conquer and the concept of reducing the opponents IQ to zero. These are original ideas with an element of fun.
Ansul is the CEO of the company but there is no mention of how many other people are involved and to what level they have committed. It appears that he IS the company but further reading indicates otherwise.