Dybuster – answer to dyslexia challenge
YES I would invest in Dybuster. The ‘apple-pie’ plea at the end of the elevator pitch gave me the psychological hook to add my money to this endeavour.
The pitch presentation, done by Christian Vogeli, CEO and founder, is done in a compelling, confident and convincing manner. His angled standing position, eye contact with the audience, minimal hand movements and facial expressions add to his convincing story line. He fails to mention a management or technical team, but corporate connections and university research partners are evident in the presentation. Including a sample piece of writing done by a student with dyslexia provides an additional compelling visual of the need for this product.
The venture concept presents a unique and effective product that responds to a challenging need for parents and educators worldwide, that of dyslexia. The fact that the product is not age or language dependent and allows for self study in any location enhances the opportunities for educators, therapists and parents to use this product. Although not shown in the presentation, the short sample video (found at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yeVNXXZyzG0) provides additional information about this proprietary product. With patents protected and current investments, grants and clients in place, this is an enticing entry point for this venture.
This product has market potential for global clients with competition identified as being cost and labour intensive. Current profits at 1 million Swiss francs (equivalent to 1.042 US or 1.75 Can) along with identified corporate and grant partners, makes this a company already achieving profitability. Indication that some of the current 20,000 clients are returning customers makes this solid market bet. The entry into the global marketplace will only increase the potential return on investment.
The venture plan includes an identified next product already in the prototype phase ready for research along with potential products relating to a potentially large target market dealing with dementia in old age. Although the ‘ask’ is somewhat vague in details, the intention to leverage support, publicity and contacts was evident. The intended destination of global markets was stated but time frames or financials were not explained. This venture, based on the pitch presented, appears to be a safe investment and a value added (helping learning disabled children) proposition.
Reference:
Dybuster. (2011). YouTube . Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ty_Wh3iCjig&feature=endscreen&NR=1
Posted in: Week 03: Analyst Bootcamp
troos 11:22 am on May 25, 2012 Permalink | Log in to Reply
Helen:
Great analysis. I, too, found this to be an intriguing and very necessary product as it relates to the disability of dyslexia. This specialized niche target market gives this product a distinct advantage. Before investing, the only thing I would like to see is a set of academic reviews showing the success of this product.
lisamallen 2:13 pm on May 25, 2012 Permalink | Log in to Reply
Of all the pitches I sifted though, this was the only one that had a really clear, “this is what we do next” in the pitch – which I really appreciated. I think a lot of the pitches lacked the message or “ask” behind the pitch.
-Lisa