PL-Ease

janetbar 8:18 am on July 28, 2012
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Tags: personalized learning ( 5 ), venture pitch ( 9 )

PL-Ease

Welcome to PL-Ease – a service oriented venture designed to help educators shift from traditional classrooms to Personal Learning Environments.

Elevator Pitch for PL-Ease

Venture Pitch for PL-Ease

Thank-you,
Janet Barker
Posted in: Venture Forum

unclereg, gillian, janetb and 8 others are discussing. Toggle Comments
- unclereg 10:50 pm on July 30, 2012 Permalink | Log in to Reply
  
  Hey Janet,
  
  Very well delivered. Well organized and thought out. It’s great to see you reference the new BC education plan to give your pitch credibility and good timing. I would invest in this venture.
  Great job. I will read your view your entire venture pitch later on and comment more on your vision.
  -Regen
  - unclereg 9:30 pm on August 5, 2012 Permalink | Log in to Reply
    
    Hello again Janet,
    
    Sorry it took a while to get back to you……but again great pitch and great idea.
    I teach within BC and I guess this idea makes most sense and has the most value from a BC perspective as K-12 education is definitely going to be changing over the next few years. This is a resource that teachers will need to help create these personal learning plans as the bc government establishes their bc learning plan within the future. I think this idea would be best established on its own without any sort of support/control given to any school districts. This idea could easily be a stand-alone venture and does not need any decision making power given up to schools/districts/etc. That being said, it will be difficult to to get this program recognized prior to the BC educe plan being launched. This venture will need to wait until the expectations and learning outcomes are published for this idea to really the shape as a response to new BC Learning plans. All of these points considered, I still think this idea will be successful, and needed by many in the years to come. Nice work Janet. Good luck.
    -Regen
- vawells 8:34 am on July 31, 2012 Permalink | Log in to Reply
  
  Elevator Pitch:
  
  Hi Janet
  
  Well done! I really enjoyed your elevator pitch. The presentation of your elevator pitch was professional and clearly delivered. The images were informational and held my attention throughout the pitch. As Founder and CEO of PL-EASE, your voice exuded an air of confidence that gave weight to your pitch and inspired confidence in me as a potential investor. Overall your pitch caught and held my attention and made me want to delve deeper into your venture by moving on to your venture pitch.
  
  One suggestion to strengthen your pitch would be to include yourself delivering the pitch as you did in your venture. Your quiet confidence and obvious knowledge of your venture would serve to give your pitch even more appeal.
  
  Good luck with the venture
  
  Valerie
- vawells 8:39 am on July 31, 2012 Permalink | Log in to Reply
  
  hi janet
  
  Venture Pitch Analysis
  
  Pain Point
  The problem that your company PL-EASE would be addressing is clearly defined and supported with sound research.
  
  Solution:
  The development of a venture to custom design PL-EASE to meet the customers’ specific needs and support for teachers, schools and districts sounds realistic.
  
  Differentiation:
  Your company has the clear advantage of offering the whole suite of services that gives you an edge.
  
  Marketing:
  Marketing strategy is thoughtfully and clearly laid out. I believe that with the shift towards 21st century learning and the move towards differentiation that a strong market base is possible, not just in the field of education.
  
  Championship:
  Your commitment, credentials, confidence about your product are clear and inspire confidence.
  
  The Ask:
  $75 000, clear plan of how this money would be spent. I would like to have a breakdown of specific expenditures as I am unsure that the investment you are asking for will cover your expenditures.
  
  The Return:
  I am unclear as an EVA how much return I can expect on my investment, and would need to have negotiated the percentage before agreeing to invest.
  
  Yes I would potentially be willing to invest in this venture at this time however I would need more financial information around my investment and return on investment before I could fully commit. The pitch is credible, concept is feasible, founder is credible and knowledgeable and the potential market is there for this venture to be successful.
  
  Valerie
- janetb 10:08 am on July 31, 2012 Permalink | Log in to Reply
  
  Thank you for your thoughtful analysis, Valerie. I agree with all of your suggestions for improvement – I should have included video of myself in the elevator pitch and the Ask/Return in the venture pitch were weak, which reflects my lack of business experience. I should probably have factored in business advice to the Ask!
  
  Thanks again,
  Janet
- Deborah S 10:33 am on July 31, 2012 Permalink | Log in to Reply
  
  Hi Janet,
  Great use of graphics in your elevator pitch. I thought you did a great job explaining your service and the benefits of it but it would have been a bit more personal if you had delivered some of the content yourself.
  
  I thought your venture pitch clearly articulated your service and you effectively explained the problem that your service was addressing. I liked the fact that you are offering three levels of service for your customers; a great example of differentiation! You did a great job establishing your credibility as the CEO of the venture.
  
  Although you mentioned your venture had competition, I would have liked more information on who they were, what services they provide and their cost structure. In addition, as an EVA, I would need more detailed information on exactly how large the potential market is and what portion of it you were targeting.
  
  Good job!
  
  Deborah
  - janetb 8:04 pm on August 1, 2012 Permalink | Log in to Reply
    
    Thank you for your comments, Deborah. I agree that I needed to spend a little more time on competition and your comment about including video of myself in the elevator pitch is a common theme. I was worried that there would be too much of me between the elevator pitch and the venture pitch, but in retrospect, I should have added video instead of the picture.
    
    As to your question about market, the end-users would be teachers/administrators, but the buyers might be school districts. The intent would be that individual subscriptions could be inexpensive enough for individual teachers, but districts coudl buy at a bulk rate. I found the marketing and finance part of it hard to work out as I have no real frame of reference or experience in that area. Definitely something I would seek advice/help on if I ever decided to move the venture from hypothetical to real.
    
    Thanks again,
    Janet
- karonw 6:58 pm on August 1, 2012 Permalink | Log in to Reply
  
  Hi Janet,
  
  Great venture! Your elevator pitch was well articulated and you have showcased the current problem, the solution, what you have to offer, and the future market growth all in a short well-organized pitch. As an EVA, in reviewing your elevator pitch I thought that you have did an excellent job in narrating it, you have kept it short and simple yet getting to the point and hitting all the specifics. Throughout the elevator pitch you also remained calm and kept a confident and convincing voice which really persuades your investors to invest in your venture. However, I felt a bit disengaged in viewing your elevator pitch, I think if there were a bit more motion over a slide show style would have really made it a lot more lively and engaging. I think that your venture pitch itself was fantastic and I think if you kept your elevator pitch in the same format would have been excellent. Regardless, you did a great job and as an investor, I would love to invest in this venture of yours.
  
  Karon
  - janetb 8:14 pm on August 1, 2012 Permalink | Log in to Reply
    
    Thanks for your comments, Karon. I agree that the elevator pitch (and the venture pitch, for that matter) could have used a little more pizzazz. Definitely something to remember for next time! These were my first attempts at movie making (and first ever uploads to YouTube) so the learning curve was pretty steep. I think I was so focussed on making it work that I lost some of the focus on making it catchy. The artistic, marketing aspect is a whole other learning curve I haven’t conquered yet – something to work on in the future 🙂
    
    Thanks again,
    Janet
- troos 12:45 pm on August 2, 2012 Permalink | Log in to Reply
  
  Hello Janet:
  
  You have developed a great venture that would fill a desired service for teachers. The group presentation on Personall Learning Environments convinced me of the value and reality of PLEs. Your company provides the needed support in implementing them. You speak with a clear voice throughout your elevator pitch and present a defined purpose and offering for your company. You come across as a competent CEO who is confident that PL-Ease is a viable product. Great job. After viewing your elevator pitch, the questions I come away with are:
  1. Who are your clients? Will you sell directly to educators or will you market to institutions?
  2. What is your target market area? Is it BC? Other provinces?
  It is possible your venture pitch answers these questions.
  
  Tim
- Leonora Zefi 7:21 pm on August 2, 2012 Permalink | Log in to Reply
  
  Hi Janet.
  What a carefully crafted and well delivered message for your venture. The stats and statements between your pitch were very impactful.
  
  CEO and Team
  As the CEO you represented yourself extremely well as an expert in the area of PLE and an entrepreneur.
  
  Concept and Marketability
  Effective use of PLE-s in the education sector is an excellent concept with a very promising market reach. You have obviously done your research and identified your target market.
  
  Venture Plan
  Your plan is very well thought out and your willingness to work for free quite a refreshing concept. You made your plan sound more credible by supporting it with not just clear financial requirements but also with clear and promising ROI for the investor.
  
  Great work Janet.
  
  Thanks,
  Leonora
- chrisaitken 1:04 am on August 3, 2012 Permalink | Log in to Reply
  
  Hi Janet
  
  With consideration to the PLE movement now, I believe your venture concept is at the scale to be profitable. When I was involved in professional development, I found that faculty were completely mystified and intimidated by the practical use of PLEs. In many schools and college, the investment in professional development has not been enough to keep pace with the developments in the digital world. Now we are at a state where students are learning constantly in these chaotic environments without the qualified mentorship of a teacher. As school administrators begin to realize this, there will likely be a rush to invest in professional development giving a consultancy like yours with your strong background in PLE-based education a wonderful opportunity.
  
  Your proposed three levels of support offers the flexibility to capture a larger market share. I am interested however, in the consulting fees and subscription fees, that will provide the return you outline.
  
  I would invest in this venture.
  
  Chris
  - janetb 1:04 pm on August 4, 2012 Permalink | Log in to Reply
    
    Hi Chris,
    
    Thank you for your comments. I thought different levels of support would be useful as teachers range so widely in their technology expertise and comfort level. I didn’t include fees because, quite frankly, I had no idea what would be appropriate! I think that is where an investor with some business savvy could be very helpful.
    
    Thanks again,
    Janet
- ping 7:45 pm on August 3, 2012 Permalink | Log in to Reply
  
  Hi Janet,
  
  Love your pitch! It’s a great idea to help teacher with their PLEs. Knowing the market with your own experience of pain points, you pitch give a through plan of solution, market and finance for your venture. You deliver the venture pitch with passion and confidence, that impress me deeply, and make me believe that you are the right person to lead this venture, and you’ll do a great job to make it successful in the targeted market.
  
  As for suggestion, I’d like to know more strategy of your services. You proposed 3 levels of services, ranging from free website and paid mentorship. Do your plan to help teacher at the beginning of the PLE, i.e. to establish it, or do you plan to continuously serve them in the life cycle of their PLEs? I think that makes different scope of your venture, and will make a different business model as well as revenue at the end. Personally I think the life-span services will ensure a more stable subscription and will monetize your research of the market to a wider extent.
  
  In addition, I would have asked for more analysis of the cost & gain services, especially the face-to-face ones. How much will you charge for a f2f workshop or mentorship? In my impression, that would be costly, both for your venture (the flight travelling maybe) and your clients. I would suggest you think about online workshops, or just base them on the available social community platforms.
  
  I would invest in this venture with these enhancements. You’ve done a great job, Janet!
  
  Ping
  - janetb 1:09 pm on August 4, 2012 Permalink | Log in to Reply
    
    Hi Ping,
    
    Thank you for bringing up a few issues – I definitely think the plan would be to support teachers past the initial start up of the PLE phase and continue on through the life cycle of the PLE. With the ever evolving role and capabilities of technology, I would think that having someone do the research, find new things and provide some solid evaluation of them would be worthwhile to many teachers, so I think the venture could continue to grow and support over time.
    
    I don’t know how much to charge for the various levels of service. Currently, our rural district often pays a small fortune to bring in specialists for pro-d events, so I think the money is out there for f2f workshops. Certainly, there could be a tiered plan though, so a workshop via elluminate or something similar could be arranged at far less cost than a f2f workshop that would involve travel costs. I do think that part of my plan is to reach those teachers who are not actively involved in technology, so the f2f option would be important to include, though.
    
    Thanks again for your great questions!
    Janet
- gillian 9:32 am on August 4, 2012 Permalink | Log in to Reply
  
  Hi Janet,
  Very well done – and I’m not just saying that because I was part of the PLE team! Both pitches were clear, straightforward and honest in their approach.
  Your explanation of the market and the pain point speak to me on a professional and personal level as a teacher in BC who is currently facing the implementation of the BC Ed Plan.
  I was most impressed by your approach or rather your commitment to meeting teachers at their level with three offers of support. In doing so, I believe you hit on one of the key resistance factors to implementation of new technologies and new ideas into practice.
  My only criticism is in your cost analysis. I think you have undervalued your start-up costs even if you don’t pay yourself. I also think it’s important to show your value to your investors and should therefore include your salary in your “ask”. I would give you more!
  gillian
  - janetb 1:12 pm on August 4, 2012 Permalink | Log in to Reply
    
    Thanks, Gillian – I definitely struggled with “the Ask”. I estimated two part time salaries at about $20,000 each and then another $35,000 for marketing and site design advice/support. Estimate might be too strong a word … more like wild guessed 🙂 Definitely an area to work on and/or get help on for a real venture!
    
    Janet
    - gillian 2:16 pm on August 4, 2012 Permalink | Log in to Reply
      
      This was an area I would have liked more information and/or resources on as well. Maybe an activity that involved the whole cohort would have been beneficial – or at least something to cut our teeth on.
      gillian
- Chelsea M Woods 9:35 am on August 4, 2012 Permalink | Log in to Reply
  
  Wow, I love your idea, it is timely and relevant! You have made clear the pain point, particularly the BC education plan, but also the general evolution of education as well as the challenge of time and overwhelmed teachers. Your ideas about potential markets are solid. Starting ‘small’ with BC will provide time to develop the program and systems for your venture. You sold yourself well as a champion, although I wondered why you offered to work for free: perhaps instead you could delay payment until the venture becomes financially stable. It seemed from your ‘ask’ that you want to start with Humanities and Elementary, but I would add Science, Math, and an integration specialist because as PLEs take off I think we will see single subject studies fading out because they aren’t practical in a real world context.
  
  You did not go into depth on competition: were you able to find companies that are providing similar support? Another area to search would be developments in the IB Programmes: are they addressing PLEs? Would IB schools be a potential market?
  
  You seem to be planning on being the sole support employee in the beginning: what is your plan for providing the support you are offering considering the size of your market?
  
  Overall I would support your venture after you thoroughly review the competition, develop your organizational structure to include more specialists, place the CEO (yourself) in a more executive position, and clarify training and expertise of your staff.
  Chelsea
  - janetb 1:18 pm on August 4, 2012 Permalink | Log in to Reply
    
    Hi Chelsea,
    
    Your question about including science/math brought up a pretty big miss in my venture pitch … my teaching area is math/science, so I would be that specialist! Totally should have included that – yikes. I didn’t even notice it was missing until you mentioned it. Oops.
    
    I couldn’t find any competition that directly related to helping classroom teachers. There were lots of sites about setting up your own ple, or specific courses that were offered that incorporated ple’s, or tools that could help organize a ple, but none that provided help to classroom teachers, used to a f2f environment, who didn’t need a ‘canned’ course, but help reorganizing their own courses towards PLEs. Well, none that I could find – it doesn’t mean they don’t exist. I found a few inspiration speakers that would come and do key note addresses about PLEs, but not any that provided personalized support.
    
    Thank you for your helpful questions – if I were to move ahead with this, they would be very valuable.
    
    Janet
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