Venture Analysis of Cloud Connect
NO, I would not invest in this venture.
People:
I preferred a graphical, visual presentation over a talking head. I enjoyed the slides and they gave me a good understanding of what Cloud Connect is about. I don`t know what position the author is responsible for – is he a sales person, owner, manager – the voice and enthusiasm of the speaker does not quite convey. As venture analyst, I want to be convinced by not only a clear enthusiastic voice, but also someone who knows what he`s talking about.
Idea:
I had trouble being convinced that the author had enough information about cloud computing. There is great opportunity in cloud computing, and in fact, a number of commercial for profit companies are heavily invested in its capabilities, such as Microsoft, Apple, and DropBox. My concern with this presentation is that there is a lack of insight into the `why`of Cloud Connect. I don`t quite see the connection of how a cloud computing LMS could effectively enhance a student`s learning experience. There is good coverage of some of the LMS`features such as blogging, mobile, grading, and learning analytics, but not enough about how cloud computing can benefit my investment of money into this venture.
Opportunity
With so many LMS competitors in the market, what does cloud computing bring that can outweigh its competitors. The author doesn`t seem to offer any solutions to an already overcrowded market. The pitch did not sway me one way or another about the current landscape of the LMS market – there are many open source and many commercial products that can do just the same, or even better, than Cloud Connect. I wish the pitch used a few examples of why it would blow me out of the water with its unique features or learning capabilities in a cloud environment.
Plan
Unfortunately, the pitch is too short to really have an exit strategy or a market readiness report. That`s more appropriate probably for a longer business plan. However, what the author could have done is perhaps give some statistics regarding the riskiness of the proposition.
Posted in: Week 03: Analyst Bootcamp
Deborah S 9:09 am on May 26, 2012 Permalink | Log in to Reply
Hi,
I enjoyed reading your post. It’s interesting that you noted that you prefer “a graphical, visual presentation over a talking head”. It seems the presentation preference depends on the listener. I prefer a mix of both; I need to see who is pitching the product or service, but the number-cruncher in me needs some detail. I’m beginning to appreciate that it’s a pretty tall order to deliver both in a brief elevator pitch!
I also think you raised a great point about needing to see how the product fits in. I know it’s critical for me to be able to “connect the dots” to evaluate the need for the product or service.
Deborah
mariefrancehetu 11:11 am on May 26, 2012 Permalink | Log in to Reply
Hello Deborah,
I too have come to the conclusion that it must be difficult to creare an elevator pitch that has all the neceesary details and visuals to convince an investor. It will be a challenge when I work on my own elevator pitch, and at the moment critiquing them and also reading other’s critique helps me realize what appears to be important – but also that you can’t possibly appeal to everyone with one’s pitch.