Mindtraction
A mobile mentoring venture:
Continue reading Mindtraction Posted in: Uncategorized
David Vogt
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David Vogt
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David Vogt
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Colin Kam
NO, I would not invest in SchoolManager. Lacking experience in administration, I don’t think I could add any value to this venture aside from capital. However, the product does differentiate itself from the rest of the market by combining a learning management system (e.g. Moodle, Blackboard) with a student management system (e.g. BCeSIS). From the administration’s point of view, this product reduces struck work by eliminating the need to re-enter data from one system to another. However, administrators (and accountants) would also need to consider annual costs of this product (including staff training, IT support, etc.) compared to the status quo before they make a decision. If costs outweigh benefits, administrators will not purchase the product and its market shares are reduced.
On the technical side, the product must be compatible with existing student management systems. For example, in B.C. secondary schools, the software would have to be compatible with BCeSIS. Its reliability is average at the very best and I am skeptical to have LMS features built on top of the foundation. They could replace BCeSIS, but I think the government and BCeSIS have a long-term contract that may be very expensive to buy out. Different provinces and states will have different existing SMS, and SchoolManager would need to be compatible (or replace) them. If SchoolManager cannot address these issues, its market shares will further be reduced.
Colin
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Denise
HI Colin,
I was interested in pitches for LMSs because of my previosus experience. I looked at the CloudConnect pitch and then also this one.
I would take the opposite view to you after this pitch. I would consider investing, but I would want a longer pitch to really delve into the issues you raise – which are all important. But I thought it was a sharp elavator pitch that identified the problem, provided a solution, differentiated itself, identified the potential market, and identified the “champion” as the CEO (who also had project management skills), and suggested an early return. This pitch made me want more information and I was interested.
However I wasn’t really convinced about the return within 1 year…. a bit quick so i was hesitant to tink it was realistic? So at the next pitch i think I would want more evidence about the return.Denise
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Leonora Zefi
Hi Denise,
Like you, I became keen on learning more about SchoolManager and found the initial pitch worth exploring. I am not sure whether the pitch differentiated the product from other LMS-s (at least not explicitly enough for me) but it certainly touched on “filling a gap/meeting a need” and the champion was presented as credible with her IT Project Management experience. As you pointed out, experience shows us that new systems and platforms are costly and I personally found the 1 year target return unrealistic but maybe more information on the existing market where the product may be launched may allow for it.
Leonora
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David Vogt
EduFire
An open marketplace for live video learning:
Continue reading EduFire Posted in: Uncategorized-
Meggan Crawford
Yes, I would invest in Edufire as I feel it presents an interesting opportunity to expand the area of online learning.
1. CEO & Team: In my mind this area is most likely to discourage potential investors as the presenter of the pitch failed to introduce himself, let alone discuss the leadership team of the site. He consistently refers to ‘we’, but never explains who these people are. Yes, with research this information can be found, but that would defeat the brevity of an elevator pitch. The man does, however, provide a calm and pleasant person to connect with edufire. The fact that he seems quite comfortable in front of the camera is encouraging given that edufire is promoting video based learning.
2. Venture Concept: Though the idea of online learning is not entirely new, the concept of learning from videos put on by various experts and/or teachers is adding to the already successful realm. The basic idea seems quite feasible – learning through a video online is much like learning through text, though it appeals to a different group of learners. As well, the pitch refers to already existing language learning through their site, which suggests that they have already found it to be a viable option. My concern with their concept is the potential lack of times that align between interested teachers and interested students, which is a potential limitation, but is not likely to prevent success at a high level.
3. Marketability: Based on the limitless possibilities for subjects and interests being taught the market is potentially quite large, but one must remember that for edufire to work teachers and students must want to work at the same time and the teachers must set reasonable prices. If teachers set their prices too high or if courses are only available at limited times their market share will be much lower than one would hope. At the same time, online learning is an expanding area and this may be the next logical progression of that option. To hold more of the market it is important that the site be profitable enough – if there is not enough income available then it will not become a mainstay for the teachers.
4. Venture Plan: Edufire’s plan is strong, as they are already successfully running a site which offers video learning for languages. This pitch is seeking to expand their business, meaning that the infrastructure is already in place. Due to this there is less of a chance that they will encounter difficulties with the technology. They are also planning to expand so that teachers can instruct multiple students at once, which will increase their profit/success. It is very clear that their goal is to expand into more subject areas and to increase their availability overall.
Overall, the fact that edufire is already set up for language learning is an encouraging element as it shows there is a market for online video learning. The biggest risk in my mind is ensuring that there is interest from the educators, rather than the students as without people to offer and run the courses the number of students is irrelevant. If nothing else, the pitch by edufire would lead me to look into more about the company as it seems that their idea has potential to fit into the existing market for education.
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chrisaitken
YES, I would invest in this venture.
EduFire is a simple concept that challenges the traditional notions of higher education. As the speaker puts it, “Learn whatever you like whenever you like from world class excerpts.” We need to look no further than the student protests in Quebec to realize that there is a dissatisfaction with the university learning model. Open education and crowd-sourced approaches like EduFire have the potential to address this problem globally. EduFire provides an open platform for teachers and students to connect over their chosen subject matter. It flattens the traditional hierarchy of the student/teacher relationship by allowing students to choose their own teacher and pay them according to their performance. I suppose it could be described as an Ebay for education system that obviously could be a controversial concept with faculty associations.
The speaker instill confidence in an venture analyst. Remember the instructors will come from the open community and be evaluated directly by the students – rather than EduFire recruiting and training instructors. EduFire then needs a strong team of developers to provide the technology platform for the classes, payment gateways, social features, and marketing. It will be very important to secure quality teachers to draw in students. The speaker, who I believe is EduFire founder and CEO Jon Bischke, is enthusiastic about his sector and delivers an elevator pitch that makes you want to find out more. EduFire has an original idea but competitors like WizIQ and now Udemy will challenge EduFire to offer compelling courses. There is a global market rather than a regional one that colleges fight over and this means there is probably room for a few companies in this space.
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mackenzie
When I watched the pitch the first and second time, I couldn’t quite wrap my mind around what this site would look like. So I went searching and found that it had a lot to offer. Problem was, so did its many competitors. This is why I would have liked to see what Edufire believed they were bringing to the market that these other sites couldn’t. Although I am convinced that there is a market for this product, I would need to know what differentiates it from its competitors, how they plan to market their product in a field already busy with other alternatives, what makes them a good champion of this technology, what kind of return they are expecting and how much money they need to grow to the next stage of online classes. Overall, I found the presenter engaging and passionate, but wondered why he was being so cryptic about where his company fit into the marketplace (red flag).
Interesting, their top rated Spanish tutor hadn’t worked since December despite having logged in recently. There was an even greater lag in activity within other areas such as math and science tutoring. Many of their top tutors hadn’t had a job since last year which makes me question the activity of the site and its competitive edge. Another issue that I perceive with this site is the ability for tutors to meet their clients on the site and then schedule successive sessions outside of Edufire thereby cheating them of their cut. Some competitors seem to get around this by having anonymous tutors (tutorvista) or offering a service for finding tutors (tutornation) by charging a yearly membership fee to advertise your name and profile. With the affordances of cloud computing, is this site just providing an expensive way for clients to meet teachers? If so, maybe they need to consider charging a yearly fee to advertise on their site, rather than providing the means for meeting.
The site was also annoying in taking a minute to load each page.-
chrisaitken
You make some really good points here – although I think it is still worthy of investment. I may be partial to EduFire because I actually used to teach on it! And you are right, I used to set up classes on EduFire or meet student there but often continuous classes would move outside of the EduFire platform. Because of Skype and others, there is nothing really there to keep you there.
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mackenzie
Hi Chris,
It’s funny, but I am getting that product investment is a very emotional endeavor. Although we could both share a similar logic, our visceral reactions to a pitch could be vastly different.
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mackenzie
As per my previous post, NO, I would not invest in this venture.
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Dave Horn
I was skeptical of how they would be judging the quality of the teacher/tutor that they would be using to work with students, and further skeptical by his point about teacher/tutor charging whatever price and then edufire took a percentage of that.
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chrisaitken
Hey Dave – EduFire has nothing to do with vetting teachers. In fact anyone can sign up to be a teacher (possibly good or bad). They then rely on the open market to establish reasonable prices.
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Meggan Crawford
Hi Dave,
You’ve got an interesting idea here – will the backgrounds of potential teachers/tutors dissuade potential investors or will they choose to view everyone as a potential expert in something? At the same time, I wondered if that was something that was simply outside of the realm of a brief elevator pitch and was instead something that I would discover later on? Yes, this may be an optimistic view, but it is possible!
Before I would invest a great deal I would be seeking out answers to these questions and considering the impact that might have upon the venture. I think that most elevator pitches would leave me with unanswered questions, the decision is whether or not those questions are big enough to keep you from investing.
Just curious: would you invest in edufire despite this potential lack of quality?
-Meggan-
Sherman Lee
Hi Meggan and David,
Sorry for just hopping onto the train like this but I was thinking of the same issue the entire time I was watching the video. Would they quality check?! This would actually be a tipping point for me once I find out more. From the elevator pitch, I said ‘yes’ I would invest more TIME on reading further on EduFire but I think making a solid decision on this venture just from the 2 minute speech is a bit too hasty.
Sherman
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Dave Horn
I would be very hesitant to invest in edufire based upon what I saw from this brief elevator pitch. Having hired teachers and then had to deal with the fallout of them not being able to teach effectively leading to parent complaints. I have reservations about edufire not vetting their “teachers” and this leading to poor outcomes and thus a loss of potential clients.
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Denise
HI,
Thanks for all your comments. I enjoyed reading them after reviewing the pitch. Must say I would say No. I thought the pitch was low key, and they really didn’t draw on their strength re the established language programs.
Went on to the site as I I felt I was trying to find out more because it sounded interesting but the pitch had not given me anything. The site just reinforced my perception especially given the number of topics on there with no actual teaching sessions.As I explore these pitches I think it is a real challenge to get the enthusiasm and the message across succinctly.
Denise
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sheza
Yes, I would invest in this venture based on what I’ve seen in this 2 minute elevator pitch. I wasn’t actually too interested in the idea when I read the short description of it, but after watching the video pitch I became more intrigued by it.
CEO & Team: Assuming that the presenter may be the CEO, I thought that he was confident and I genuinely wanted to listen to what he had to say. His hook into the pitch was an effective one and he certainly did exhibit the capability requieed to achieve success in this venture.
Venture Concept: The concept of the venture is not completely original, as I have certainly heard of Skype one-on-one language learning instruction before, and this seems to be a project of a similar nature. The CEO does allude to this being a fast-growing multibillion dollar industry, which makes you think they have done their homework.
Marketability: The target market here is not only students who want to learn from the comfort of their own homes at whatever pace they want, but also teachers who want to work from the comfort of their own homes. The competitive edge that this company seems to offer is that it is an open marketplace for live video learning which means that the teachers have the freedom to teach what and how they teach which seems to differ from the prescribed video learning sites out there.
Venture Plan: The pitch states that they are currently looking at one on one language learning which will then expand into multi-learner classrooms through a virtual classroom product that is under development. It seems that they are ready for the market and have an exit strategy. The proposition does not seem to be too risky, except for the fact that the teachers who teach off the site are described as the “best in the world” but how can they control, measure or ensure that? And with teachers coming up with their own curriculum, how can they monitor the quality of the teaching? These are the concerns that I would hope to have addressed in a 12 minute pitch but I would give this venture the opportunity to give me their 12 minute pitch.
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Sherman Lee
Yes, I would invest in this venture based on this elevator pitch. However, I have to clarify that my investment would be in terms of time to listen / read further details on EduFire, so this is by no mean my final decision on my financial investment.
CEO & Team
It is a shame that the presenter did not identify himself as to what role he plays in EduFire, however, from the confidence and passion that he speaks with when introducing the EduFire program, I have a gut level feeling of being able to trust this person’s initiative. He effectively summarized the key features and benefit of EduFire in his phrase “learn whatever you like whenever you like from world class excerpts,” which provide at least a ground for me to be confident in their team and leadership. They have ‘talked the talk’ per se.
Venture Concept
As Megan and Sheza stated, this venture concept is hardly new. eLearning on its own promise the same portability as EduFire. Although YouTube does not market themselves as the place to learn through videos, many individuals do pick up a few tips and tricks from fellow YouTubers. Furthermore, sites such as ExpertVille is already huge pitching online learning on just about anything under the sun. However, I am particularly interested in their concept as the presenter seems to lay more structure in EduFire. He explained that they have already launched EduFire as a language learning platform, which is more specifically focused than the other examples I have mentioned just now. Hence, giving me more confidence in their results as they are more focused.
Marketability
They are pitching this idea to both teachers and students. I think the key is to stress on the expertise of the presenters (that is if EduFire regulates the quality of the video lectures). The presenter did not mention rather these lessons would be quick and to the point. I think one of the potential strength of EduFire would be its speed of delivering knowledge to the learner. It is just my pure guess that this speed is the Fire in the name.
Venture Plan
It seems like EduFire is currently looking for ways to expand its horizon. By not defining which direction in particular they are venturing into actually gives them more space to grow in my view. That is, which ever subject matter seems to be the ‘hot topic’ at the moment could possibly be the next exploration. Not to mention that the ‘hot topic’ would probably draw more learner and teacher interests at a particular time frame. This makes EduFire always up to date and trend.As I have mentioned in my introduction, I am going for this venture ONLY to spend more time learning about it. Until I learn of how the team is structured, how they regulate their videos and what their solid plans are, I would hold off on any financial commitments. They have to reel me in now with more juicy details!
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David Vogt
Evernote
An application for storing everything in your digital world:
Continue reading Evernote Posted in: Uncategorized-
Dave Horn
Yes, I would invest in this venture. As the Director of Educational Technology I am in charge of developing and e-Learning plan and evaluating potential tools to support the learning process. As our current plan involves having all students on iPads for the coming year one large issue in need of resolving is collecting and coordinating various pieces of information across several different platforms.
Thus a web-based storage tools with multi-device/platform capability would address this issue. Knowing that mobile computing/learning will continue to grow this results in fairly high marketability for this product. Beyond simply storing content on the web for access, the information can be sorted/filtered and streamlined enabling users to use the information effectively thus there is strength in the venture concept and provide reasons for users to select this product over another.The CEO seems genuine and personable while presenting his pitch and his relaxed pace and examples indicate someone who has thought about what they are saying and has confidence in the product. Though more information is needed about the rest of the management team and resources in place to support this venture.
The Venture concept while not new in terms of cloud storage is unique in that it can hold numerous types of data and filter/sort content
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Dave Horn
Sorry everyone, I accidently hit the “Reply” button before finished. Please continue reading from here.
The Venture concept while not new in terms of cloud storage is unique in that it can old numerous types of data which can be indexed and accessed immediately. As mentioned earlier the growth in mobile learning and computing means that there is strong marketability and room for growth. The low user cost (free level and 5$/month) means that the product is accessible not only to working professionals, but also to students.
From the Venture plan standpoint in the pitch, this was the weakest area in terms of knowing the project trajectory of this venture and the risk/return to the investor. As the Director of Educational Technology I know that I could bring our new program and student/teacher population to the table as a testing ground for developing and improving the viability of the product. This would provide me with first hand knowledge of the effectiveness of the venture and build capacity for returns in the venture.
Dave
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vawells
Yes I would invest in this venture at this time. The pitch is credible, concept is feasible and the potential market is there for this venture to be successful.
Credibility:
The pitch given by Phil Libin for Evernote, “your external brain’, is delivered confidently and with conviction. Phil Libin, the CEO of Evernote, exudes an air of confidence that gives weight to his pitch. During the 51 second pitch Libin presents detailed, factual information and clearly exudes the confidence, commitment and capability necessary to achieve success.
Management Team:
Although Libin makes no mention of his team, Evernote clearly has the resources, servers necessary to store, index, and allow users to search and retrieve the information. Taking the time to provide information about the team responsible for implementing/maintaining Evernote would further strengthen his pitch.
Concept:
The idea is feasible and Evernote’s versatility and ability to be used on multiple devices, web browsers, and in either Mac or windows environments makes it an original venture. The story is credible and his pitch compelling and believable.
Opportunity:
Evernote’s adaptability makes the target market virtually unlimited. The cost for a premium account is low, and the service usefulness should give this product a competitive in the world market.
Competition:
Libin does not reference competitors to his product. However I believe that Evernote’s ability to be used on Macs, in Windows, with a variety of web browsers, cameras and phones gives this product the competitive edge it needs to be successful.
Market Readiness:
I think the proposition is realistic and has the potential to be successful due to its versatility.
Exit Strategy:
Phil Libin is likable and confident. The proposition has the potential to be successful and I believe the risk for failure is very low. As an EVA I am ready to invest in this proposition.-
Dennis Pratt
Valerie;
I agree that this might be a good investment as we all struggle at times remembering things and if technology can help us so much the better. I would like to see a quick demonstration of the software while the pitch is going on. I think it would pique my interest even more.
Dennis
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Chelsea M Woods
Yes, I would invest in this venture! Evernote helps with the most basic of needs, remembering things! By allowing storage of information across platforms, with downloadable and web-based versions, all synced and stored on Evernote servers, Evernote provides an effective option for saving and finding information. Evernote is introduced as an ‘external brain’ and able to store links, websites, text, images, and video. Information is tagged and stored in notebooks, which can be shared, allowing for an easy option for sharing projects and information.
Evernote can be used for free, or for 5$/month you can get “virtually unlimited storage and all sorts of other goodies”
I recommend trying this option with a few teachers and classes and then developing a plan for increasing use based on experience. The opportunities for collaboration, effective record keeping, and ease of access make this a perfect option for portfolios, class notebooks, project planners and more.
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shawn harris
Yes I would invest. This is another growing dynamic improvement. The presenter which is the CEO of Evernote seems quite passionate as he tried humbly to inform the audience of the merits of the Evernote. I am definitely drawn by the idea; “an external brain” is what we need!
There seems to be potential viability of the proposed learning technology initiative. As a department head, this elevator pitch grabs my interest as this venture has its place in the learning institution. The many benefits far outweigh any shortcomings.
In this fast-paced incredibly diverse world, the Evernote as a technological development has its place and holds a firm position as it will almost always reduce carbon footprint which is highly beneficially to any economy.
This venture is largely unique to the education marketplace at which I am apart of and to that end it is highly recommended. Evernote stores everything as readily accessible information allowing for searching via metadata as well as the data itself.
The CEO seemed convincing and did not attempt the venture with uncertain outcomes. I can see where this type of venture can be deployed into schools and businesses. Due to its benefits, potential investors would gravitate to it.
Although the pitch seemed credible, the presenter could have mentioned other members of the team to bring forth more credit to the product. However, I would still invest in this viable initiative due to my further research on the product. Therefore Eva for Evernote!~ Shawn
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Dave Horn
Shawn,
I agree that it would have been advantageous for Phil to mention other team members and behind the supporting framework. As potential investor I would also liked to have had some idea of the potential returns.Dave
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Brian H
Yes, I would invest in Evernote.
Evernote’s CEO exhibited the leadership qualities that is congruent to a successful management team. He indicates that the infrastructure is already present to view the service.
The concept is original because of its cross platform ability allows the user to change and upgrade devices offering the prospect of long term viability.The market is effectually anyone who uses an electronic device. The product offers a free service that generates a large client base to advertise the paid service to. They have the advantage of being cross platform making proprietary note-taking software to appear to be redundant to most users.
The market is ready and people are accustom to low cost apps for devices. I see the destination being an eventual take over by a large Corp. such as Google.
There is risk in the fact that if an existing service Google, Facebook ect. rolls out a similar product so that a small venture could not compete. A legal team would need to be consulted to see how enforceable patents of this type of service could actually be.
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Jody McKinnon
Yes I would invest in this venture. I can see so many applications for use, most especially with my forgetful high school students. Since they all have smartphones, this would be an excellent app and one that they, no doubt, would access daily, if not hourly. I am simply basing my observation on this short video.
He seems very personable and genuinely enthusiastic about his product. His tone is somewhat relaxed and is evident especially when he says it’s ‘only five bucks a month’. This is a reasonable price that even teens could afford. The product sounds attractive and user friendly, but I would like to know a little bit more about how it works prior to actually investing in the idea.
As for the market, I do believe that the market might be very large for this product. It could be pitched to busy moms, forgetful students, pressed-for-time college/university students, the on-the-go business person and so forth. I can see it having applications for the government as well.
Overall, the idea seems promising and I would consider it in a heartbeat
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Yves Mainville
Yes I would invest in this venture. The presenter seems very credible and to the point without coming off as a ‘used care salesman’. He appears to have a very firm grasp of the technology and how it works, to the point of being able to explain it simply yet effectively.
He does not mention any other par tof the team, however the listener ‘knows’ there has to be a significant team in place based on the sophistication of the service and what he claims it is capable of doing.
The concept is original (‘your external brain’) and they appear to have effectively done their homework as they are addressing two common problem with technology today : 1 – easy storage and retrieval of information in an otherwise unruly information-overload world; 2 – access to the information ‘anytime, anywhere, from any device’.
Marketability is strong for this venture as it targets anyone managing information – this can go from the student, to the businessperson to the stay at home mother- the need is a ‘common’ one, thus representing an extremely large market size. They appear to have a very innovative approach as they, unlike similar products, have chosen to focus on the actual information being stored (text, audio, images) as opposed to the storage ‘space’, speed, etc. Furthermore, they have made use of the service hardware independent – users simply install to their device (smartphone, tablet, computer, etc) and are not looked into a proprietary device to use the service.
In this particular pitch, key elements to the venture plan are missing, but based on what has been presented, certain assumptions can be made. He does outline the standard service offering and the premium service offering, the cost is not significant not does it requires expensive hardware. The fact that the user can use the standard service without financial commitment is key to propping up the users to want to purchase the premium version once hooked. The destination seems clear as they simply want to provide an easier way to manage information and give concrete ways it can be used (ie: picture of a biz card, whiteboard, leave yourself a note, etc.).
I like this CEO, I like the simplicity of the explanation, and I feel there is significant potential with this service. -
shawn harris
In reading your post Yves, I was under the impression that you are the one pitching this venture. Are you using Evernote? Cause you sure sound quite experienced with the product. I will agree with you that the venture targets anyone handling data. It is easy to install and the cost is low according to the CEO. As I have pointed out in my post, I would invest!
~ Shawn
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David Vogt
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vawells
Yes I would invest in this venture at this time. Sue Heilbroner, the CEO, is likable and confident. The proposition has the potential to be successful and I believe the risk for failure is very low. The pitch is credible, concept is feasible and the potential market is there for this venture to be successful.
Credibility:
The pitch given by Sue Heilbronner for WeBook, a digital publishing platform for user generated books, is delivered confidently and with conviction. In the pitch she compares WeBook to well known, successful ventures such as Wikipedia, eBay and Linux and in so doing portrays the sense that this is a venture capable of success. During the 56 second pitch Heilbronner presents much factual information and clearly exudes the confidence and capability necessary to achieve success.
Management Team:
Other than the frequent use of the word “we” and a quick reference to a project leader there is little actual evidence of a team. However Heilbronner clearly references the digital publishing platform necessary to access WeBook and references their current book projects base.
Concept:
The idea is feasible and probably original in 2008. Heilbronner appears to have done the research necessary to be knowledgeable about market share and WeBook’s growth potential. The story is credible and her pitch compelling.
Opportunity:
According to Heilbronner, WeBooks is tapping into millions of aspiring writers who do not have access to the closed publishing market. I believe that there is a realistic market for this service, (although I’m not sure millions of aspiring writers is realistic) and that it has the potential to corner a piece of the 50 billion dollar publishing market.
Competition:
Heilbronner does not identify any competitors in the pitch. However the idea of user generated books, opportunity for collaboration, immediate feedback, participation by the community writers and the 50 / 50 profit share of book sales for writers/contributors and WeBook of published WeBooks gives this company a competitive edge.
Market Readiness:
I think the proposition is realistic and has the potential to be successful over time.
Exit Strategy:
Heilbronner clearly defines the destination and what the success of WeBook looks like. As an EVA I am ready to invest in this proposition. -
Meggan Crawford
No, as an EVA I am not willing to invest in this proposition without further information.
CEO & Team: Although the woman giving the presentation, Sue Heilbronner, appears confident, knowledgeable and likable, she is also giving irrelevant information that makes it seem as though her company has accomplished more than it has. By saying that WeBooks wants to do for publishing what ebay did for commerce, etc. she is planting the idea that her company is at the same level as those, which it is not yet. This information suggests her company has done more than it has in reality, which can be misleading. As well, apart from using “we” in the presentation she does not identify a leadership team that will be supporting the venture.
Venture Concept:The idea of online publishing in general is not new – there are some people who believe that everything shared online is a form of publication. Perhaps WeBooks is formalizing this idea, but the general concept is not new. As well, the phrasing of Sue’s pitch could be misleading as it suggests publication as “webooks”, which are, presumably, like ebooks. Some people may be confused by this unexplained term – does it mean publication in a ‘real’ book or a virtual one? If it is a virtual book, what makes this site different from other peer edited sites?
Marketability: A lot of people believe themselves to be writers worthy of publication. This does not mean, however, that their writing is automatically of high enough quality. Sue explains that the works will be voted on by the community – does this mean that anyone can vote or are their requirements for who may vote/edit? As well, where does the revenue come from – she says that Authors and Major Contributors will get a 50/50 share of the profits – what is the base cost of this publication – is that where WeBooks will make its money?
Venture Plan: My largest concern with Sue’s venture plan was her end goal. The idea of overthrowing the entire publishing industry with one site is extremely ambitious and is not likely to be achievable anytime in the near future, particularly when there is competition from larger established companies like amazon and Barnes and Noble.
Overall, I like the idea of an online publication company that is more accessible to your ‘average’ writer, but I am left with too many questions after viewing the pitch to feel comfortable joining the venture.
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Kenton Hemsing
No, I would not invest in WeBook. I feel that there are too many questions left unanswered about how I, as an investor, would make money on this investment.
Although there is a niche in the market for an alternative publishing source, I feel that there are too many underlying costs to the user of the product that will in fact deter many from using the system to publish their work.
• Pain Point: It is true that it is very difficult for people to work their way into the publishing market and this organization will aim at helping the average writer to make the jump into the published author realm.
• Solution: The organization allows writer to create, edit and review works in order to help them increase their chances of being published.
• Differentiation: Hobbyist writers might want to use this service to help publish their own material.
• Marketing: Users will need to seek out the company and no mention of advertising was mentioned.
• The Return: it seems that investors will not be making money until the books become sellers, even then, there is no mention of what this projected amount per published book will be. Also, there is no mention of what the overhead that will be for the company.1. CEO & Team:
• CEO Credibility: The CEO is passionate, but provides little information about how the company was started and what her role will be onward, and why this venture is important to her.
• Management Team: No mention of any other management systems that are in place to help ensure success in the company.2. Venture Concept:
• Venture Concept: The concept is good, but a little research shows that the service is not free for authors, as the initial elevator pitch made me think. This causes some issues for me as authors are charged nearly $10 to submit their initial first page of the manuscript. Many people will do this and never get their books written or published. This may lead to limited use of the service and therefore limited returns for myself as an investor.3. Marketability:
• Opportunity Space: The possible market share is quite possibly large, however, worry can be though up that the company will become another large publishing company, or in the reverse, become a novelty and never really gain industry respect for the work that they do.
• Competitive Edge: Searching the internet you are able to find several websites that are dedicated to helping would be authors to create and submit their work to publishers or journals. WeBook may have had an advantage when it was founded in 2008, but since has began charging clients to use AgentInBox, which was a free service, to receive feedback about their writing. Again, this is another deterrent to would be customers and could have a negative effect on profitability.4. Venture Plan:
• Market Readiness: To compete with large publishing companies will be difficult and the task set out by the company is no small feat. Many companies have tried for a very long time to carve themselves a market share and WeBook will need not only a long term plan, but also a little luck to make it happen.
• Exit Strategy: Their destination is not really clear. From the pitch, they want to offer their service and have the large publishing companies topple as their company prospers. In reality, many have tried and many have failed to compete with the large publishing companies. I feel that WeBooks would be better off if their goal was to gain market credibility and increase their market share rather than think of themselves as revolutionary.
• Investor Affinity: For me, this investment will be too risky. I don’t feel that there is a sure fire way that the company will make millions of dollars and I will be able to make money on this investment.• Looking at a breakdown of profits and costs for books in the traditional publishing market an author makes about 3 dollars profit. That means for me as an investor I too would receive about 3 dollars a book. Printing, storage and shipping works out to another 3 to 4 dollars per book, while advertising and marketing will run about 1 – 2 dollars per book, editing and typesetting will run about 1 dollar per book, and the publishing company will make about 4 dollars for each book. (Source: http://p.printingchoice.com/e-books-vs-real-books/)
• This will give a grand total of: $17 before the book sellers add on any markup to make their profit. Assuming a mild 50% markup, the total for each book would have to be about $25.50. Not underselling the major publishing companies prices for books.
• It seems that WeBook.com passes these extra costs onto the authors by charging for their services, which means the authors are paying more to get themselves published. Perhaps, WeBook would be better off to attempt to break into eBook publishing to cut the cost of production and the amount that its users are charged and minimizing overhead cost for production.
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karonw
Hi Kenton,
Wow, good job on the analysis! It is really well laid out and detailed! Your profit breakdown really helped me in visualizing this venture even better.I agree with you and I won’t be interested in investing in this venture as well. I do like the venture concept itself however like you said it seems like they lacked in presenting the exit strategy. You stated ” I feel that WeBooks would be better off if their goal was to gain market credibility and increase their market share rather than think of themselves as revolutionary”, and I couldn’t agree more on this I think when new products come out they should always test their marketability and try to gain credibility before anything else otherwise they might just lead themselves to a big deficit at the end.
Keep up the good work.
Karon
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Jody McKinnon
Upon viewing this pitch, no I would not invest in this venture. While she appeared very confident about her product, and she established the goals of the company (we want to what…did…for…) seemed very lofty, I fear that the publishing industry is one that is undergoing rapid change to the point where I’d be weary about buying into anything at this time (tough words from someone who is working on a new text and e-text!).
She makes it seem like there is a giant group of people out there dying to be writers and that somehow her site will make them more successful if they work together. She claims the publishing industry is worth $50 billion. This seems quite high. She makes it sound like a guarantee that by using her site, that you will someone get a piece of that pie. It seems like a pipe dream to me. Like I said earlier, I would weary about using a site like this. The publishing industry is undergoing drastic changes, and when this came out, the iPad or other tablets and e-readers were barely cracking the market place. Also, I’m not sure that if I were a writer, that I would trust my work in the hands of thousands of people that I do not know. Who are these people and what makes them experts? If the people were actually from major publishing companies, then maybe I would want to participate as a writer, but without the credentials, how do I know that this isn’t an operation running off one computer in someone’s basement?
In the end, while the pitch seemed credible, the woman likable, and the concept somewhat believable, i wouldn’t invest in this one at a time when publishing is so complicated and unstable.
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David Vogt
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mackenzie
Overall, this pitch for Smugmug was energetic and fun despite its lack of visuals, which is interesting since it is promoting a site for photosharing. Although the CEO does provide a definition of the service, what differentiates it from other sites, and its profitability, it fails to present a pain point or how it resolves the pain, its marketing strategies, the competition, or how much money they need to grow. Although I didn’t mention championship, I could assume that since they already have over 100,000 customers that they must be producing a reasonably successful product to which they are already attracting customers. Profitability is somewhat in question since I don’t know how much they are charging for the service. Potentially, they could be charging only one dollar for a yearly subscription which devalues many previous assumptions in regards to value, attraction and competitiveness of the service. Having more holes than a sieve in the presentation, I would not consider this opportunity for investment even with more information. Based on my knowledge of photosharing and contrary to the claims of the CEO, picture quality is based on resolution; greater Giga Byte storage provides the client with two possibilities, fewer pictures at better quality or more pictures at lower quality. Photoquality is at the discretion of the client, not the photosharing site.
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Colin Kam
NO, I would not invest in this venture. After watching the video, I kept asking myself “why would I want to invest in this company?” When I think of photo sharing websites, I think of the big-name competitors: Flickr, Photobucket, and maybe even SkyDrive and Facebook. Even though they may have limitations (upload size, storage size, ads, etc.), these services are free!!! (… and have more registered users than Smugmug). More registered users typically mean those companies pop-up first when people type “photo sharing” on a search engine.
Aside from lack of ads and ability to upload high-quality photos, Smugmug did not provide good reasons to invest in their company. As a novice photographer, I would still use Flickr despite a 300MB upload limit, since I could upload 15MB photos (which would translate to high-quality images). If I needed more space, I could always create another free account. If Smugmug had acknowledged its competitors and provided a clear competitive advantage (in terms of either cost or differentiation) instead, I might have been more open-minded and listened to the longer venture pitch.
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chrisaitken
I agree Colin. Too many competitors offering the freemium model. I’m not sure how Smugmug could attract customers without any kind of free service to trial.
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David Vogt
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dubiend
Arial McNichol shows enthusiasm, passion and sincerity and her message seems complete. She showed good judgment by indicating MEgo has already achieved and that she’s been self-sufficient and competent enough to bring the company to its current level.
• Pain Point: Currently, one needs to fill out a new profile and add different content each time they want to use social media.
• Solution: Filling out profiles on social media in one place.
• Differentiation: MEgo offers the convenience of filling in your social media content in one place and it is mobile.
• Marketing: where and how buyers/users will be reached;
• Championship: the competency of the venture’s leaders and advisors; There is a patent pending, marketers have approached MEgo, a major sports equipment company has already launched a global contest in partnership with MEgo, and MEgo has begun making money.
• Competition: —
• The Ask: —
• The Return: —MEgo seems to be to web 2.0 applications what readers are to blogs. It offers convenience and time-saving with respect to social media use. It seems to offer more than this, though, and I would have liked to see at least a shot of the UI, if not a brief demo of the app. One concern I have is that there are new web 2.0 tools being created all the time, and some of them will either disappear or become acquired by other companies while only a few will be popular with the majority of social media users. How will MEgo deal with these changes?
If these questions could be answered positively, and with justifications, I would invest in this company.
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jtpatry
Arial McNichol demonstrates confidence, energy and a passion for her MEgo business venture. Ms. McNichol understands and shares the pain of filling out online profiles for any site that requires one. With a simple one-stop profile creation on MEgo, online profile creation couldn’t sound any simpler.
Credibility:
Ms. McNichol delivers a convincing pitch that demonstrates confidence and passion in the MEgo product. Ms. McNichol mentions in her pitch, that MEgo has already brought investors into the product, along with corporate sponsorships.Management Team:
There isn’t any mention of other team members specifically, but there must be the behind the scenes individuals in the design and maintenance of the widget.Concept:
The idea of portable profile is a concept that I haven’t heard much of until this pitch. As one who uses various social media sites, this concept is intriguing, as it becomes the one place where information is housed and than updated to the various sites that are used. The market is open for new and exciting ideas, and MEgo seems to be tackling an area that is new and filled with opportunity.Opportunity & Competition:
There isn’t any mention of competition in the pitch, but in a realm of web 2.0 tools that is ever changing, how will MEgo keep up, or continue to appeal to the user?Marketability:
MEgo claims to have investors and sponsorships already, and is ready to continue the push forward. It would have been valuable somewhere in the pitch if Ms. McNichol provided a demonstration, or even an image or two of what MEgo does/looks like.Exit Strategy:
Ms. McNichol clearly demonstrates a passion for the product. Besides informing the viewer of how investors and partnerships exist, there is little mention of any future projection of where this concept is going. With the ever-changing market of web 2.0 tools, how will this company/idea continue to keep up with the competition and stay ahead of the technological world?As an EVA, I have great interest in this pitch, but I am not comfortable investing any capital into this project until there is some evidence of where this company sees itself in the future.
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vawells
Hi Jon
I also viewed this pitch and had the same doubts that you share. While Arial McNichol was passionate about the venture looking at the ever changing web 2.0 tools, how quickly they rise and fall I would be hesitant to invest in the venture.
Valerie -
jtpatry
Hi Valerie,
I agree 100%! With the ebb and flow of the web 2.0 market, you never know what will be successful or not. I guess that’s why there is the market research conducted, but even then, by the time that is all completed, things have changed again.
JOn -
Denise
I really liked both your analyses of the pitch and the descriptions of the how it fits the pitch criteria. For a 1 minute pitch it peaked my interest to hear more and explore andswers to questions you have both raised.
I found it interesting that you both decided the opposite re funding the venture. I think I woudl have opted to fund the vnture – at least to hearing about it in more depth. Jon do you think you lcosed that option a bit too soon?Denise
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jtpatry
Good Morning Denise,
I think the concept and the MEgo pitch has some great value, but as an EVA with capital to invest, I felt that the evolution of this growing, dynamic company in terms of revenues, expenses and growth was not clearly voiced (aside from mentioning current investors and a sponsor). It would have been valuable to hear Ms. McNichol express the financial projections of MEgo in 3-5 years. Lastly, there wasn’t any mention of and financial expectation/requirements the company is seeking from new investors. If those areas where explained a in a bit more detail, along with the concerns mentioned in the previous post. If MEgo successfully convinces me, as an EVA I will gladly.
Thanks for the question Denise.
Jon
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David Vogt
Future Learning Finland
A national-scaled intrapreneurial venture:
Continue reading Future Learning Finland Posted in: Uncategorized-
Danielle
Future Learning Finland
No, I would not invest in Future Learning Finland based solely on this elevator pitch and without doing market research as well as seeing their business plan.
CEO and Team
While it is difficult to catch what the presenter is saying as the sound quality is not great, and while the presenter lacks passion and enthusiasm, the involvement of the private and public sector makes the venture attractive. There are also also 72 member organizations connected to this venture which adds to its credibility.Venture and Concept
I was not 100% sure what was being marketed but my initial guess was that they were offering a learning management system that specializes in ICT learning, learning environments, vocational training, teacher training, and results management. After having Googled the company, it seems they are a national education export programme aimed at gathering Finnish expertise in the fields mentioned above. I am not sure how original this is as many education consultancy companies offer all of these services that are marketed to international educational clients. They will need to create more interest and awareness of the importance of involving both the public and private sector (of Finland) in order to capture the interest of potential clients.Marketability
I lack expertise in the edtech marketplace but I do not think it would be unfair to say that Finland is not an education technology hotspot. In their pitch, they would need to clearly indicate how learning technologies and expertise from Finland are unique and therefore give them the competitive edge.Venture Plan
As this is an elevator pitch, it is difficult to say whether Future Learning Finland knows what success looks like. As there are already 72 member organizations that would have most likely already invested in Future Learning Finland’s plan, they have obviously been able to convince the local market. While I quite like the plan, I am not sure how I feel about the CEO and I am not sure how ready the world is for Finland. It would be too risky at this time and II would need more time to investigate this venture. -
Claire Burgoyne
No, I would not invest in Future Learning Finland at this point. Very simply put, this pitch lacks passion and a concise overview of what is being pitched. The presentation is dull as the presenter displays no enthusiasm. That, coupled with an overwhelming amount of content in the background powerpoint presentation, led to a presentation that was uncomfortable to watch. While the pitch describes a high level of competency and clearly states what Future Learning Finland is looking for, it is not clear what is being marketed.
An enthusiastic presentation of the level of competency and a statement of what is being sought combined with a concise definition of what is being marketed, what gap or problem was presented that initiated this venture, who the competition is, and what Future Learning Finland has to offer that the competitors do not would be more likely to gain support from an EVA.
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Danielle
Hi Claire,
Nice analysis! I agree that it was uncomfortable to watch. The presenter seemed nervous, perhaps at having to give the pitch in English. A “stellar” pitch takes practice unless one has a knack for it.
It is difficult to judge this particular pitch out of context. It appears to take place at a conference where perhaps similar venture concepts were being presented. This could be the reason for the lack of detail on what exactly she is trying to pitch.
Danielle
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Claire Burgoyne
Hi Danielle,
(I posted this earlier but in the wrong place)
I agree that the presenter seemed uncomfortable. I got the impression that the PowerPoint in the background was meant to do the job of filling in the gaps of the spoken presentation. It’s hard to know if my assumption is correct though as the text was small and blurry.As you said in your initial post, time to investigate this venture more thoroughly is needed. That’s not the position to leave an EVA in.
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Claire Burgoyne
Hi Danielle,
I agree that the presenter seemed uncomfortable. I got the impression that the PowerPoint in the background was meant to do the job of filling in the gaps of the spoken presentation. It’s hard to know if my assumption is correct though as the text was small and blurry.As you said in your initial post, time to investigate this venture more thoroughly is needed. That’s not the position to leave an EVA in.
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David Vogt
Learning Unlimited
A university-school workshop program:
Continue reading Learning Unlimited Posted in: Uncategorized-
Chelsea M Woods
I highly recommend investment in this venture! It offers a beginning to the transformation in learning we’ve been looking for by enabling student leadership, student driven learning, and putting the passion for learning where it belongs: with the students. Through this program, students in 6 major universities are running free and almost free classes for high school students in a wide range of subjects from the artistic to the scientific and everything in between. While quality of the actual classes would vary based on participation and leadership, the possibility of tapping into the passion and energy of college students and enabling them to share with high school students has the possibility of making learning more meaningful for everyone involved. i can even see this project developing in high schools whereby high school students may get inspired to lead learning projects for middle or elementary students in the summers.
This project has the capacity to make learning more meaningful and to increase student opportunities to make a positive difference in society. It also has the added advantage of running largely on volunteer labour.
One issue to watch will be the cost to the campus in terms of security and facilities use, and administrative fees such as managing registration and class supplies. To manage this some schools are charging nominal fees (5$ per class). Schools can also consider the advantage of bringing potential students onto campus, and need to be wary of the kind of impression and culture these classes create.
Overall an excellent venture that needs to be watched and supported to ensure effective and responsible delivery, and which has the potential to greatly increase the passion for learning in all those involved.
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Donna Forward
No, I would not invest in this venture. To begin with, the CEO, Dan Zaharopol didn’t present a problem, or pain point. He just offered a solution that leads a movement of college students who teach high school students to love learning. If there is a problem of students not wanting to learn, why didn’t he mention it? He did however present his reasons why students would choose his product. It’s because they can explore anything and everything through a program called “Splash”. This is where Mr. Zaharapol lost me however. He presented his volunteer based program as if it were a business venture. Why would anyone be interested in wasting their time investing into a program like this if the students are donating their time and the universities are offering free classroom space? There is no mention of marketing, competitors and profits to be made. He did provide a 5 year projection in that he would like to expand from 6 universities to 50 across the US. Unless you’re a high school student, why would you care about a venture like this?
I found the delivery of this CEO’s pitch quite dry and it looked like he was reading which didn’t convince me when watching for sincerity and enthusiasm. Passion for his venture was also lacking and the message was incomplete since he never had a problem to begin with.
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Claire Burgoyne
Hi Donna,
I agree that by not identifying a pain point this pitch is weak. It almost seems like the presenter is pitching an idea as opposed to a well thought out and developed plan.
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Denise
HI Donna and Chelsea,
I have noticed a few of us have had polar opposite views of whether to invest or not from the same pitch and using the same criteria. Makes me wonder what it is about us the EVA (or catchers as Elsbach calls them) that also influences the decision. It could be the impact of the three stereotypes Elsbach identifies on us as individuals, or it could be our own personal interest or experiences that makes us more interested.
While I agree there was no clear articulation of the problem it was assumed that it was need to enthuse learners, and it had a good track record so far. It seemed an exciting venture – but I wasn’t sure what I was being asked to do.
It did make me go onto their site to learn more and then to either think about investing $s or think about volunteering or offer the “campus” I hypothetically might be working on.
Denise
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Sherman Lee
Hi Denise,
I think I am in the same boat as you. I was not quite sure what this ‘investment’ really refer to. From an investor perspective, I don’t see a market readily available for Education Unlimited. However, from a personal perspective, I would actually want to invest my time and money into supporting this program as I see, as an educator, how this program could benefit some intellectual growth in the younger generation.
I think it is who we identify ourselves as that would result in those polar opposite views.
Sherman
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Donna Forward
Hello Chelsea,
I noticed the polar opposite views too. Chelsea took the educative angle and my view was that of an invester in an educational company that wants to make money:) Maybe I’m totally missing something here in left field!
Curious,
Donna
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Donna Forward
Sorry, I meant to address that to Denise. I apologize!
Donna
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Claire Burgoyne
No, I would not invest in this venture. The principal reason for this decision is that Learning Unlimited has not presented a complete overview of their venture. There is no indication as to how an investment in Learning Unlimited would be of benefit. The gap or problem they seek to fill has not been identified and a target audience of all students and campuses is too broad. While growth is mentioned how this growth is being accomplished is not presented. Also of concern is that the competitors have not been identified. How does Learning Unlimited compare to similar ventures and what is it that sets their venture apart from the others? Who are Learning Unlimited’s leaders and advisors? There is no assurance of quality or accuracy making it impossible for the learner or educator to know that the workshops are of value.
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Sherman Lee
No, I would not invest in this venture as an investor (but I would as a volunteer educator). This is because the CEO has only identify what this program does but failed to identify any marketability and venturing plans.
CEO & Team
Just from a gut feeling view, I find that how the CEO speaks seems very rehearsed and thus it lacks passion to me. At that point I stopped thinking about how the rest of the team really function. It is safe to say that is a elevator pitch fail to me.Venture Concept
I see a vision of making a weekend interest group type of thing but it is hardly a venture concept. I see it more like a community centre type of concept but run by university instead. The venue is different, but the concept seems the same. It also reminds me of the Alumni weekend that just passed on the UBC campus. I cannot see this as a venture though. I see it more as a marketing tool that the university could use.Marketability
As I do not see this as a venture, I do not see a marketability in this program. Would we be able to draw parental attention into investing in this program?Venture Plan
I am not quite certain as to what direction this venture would take further down the road. Sure there might be expansion of interest group but how are these organized? Is there a way to measure the success of the program? If this program is successful, what would we expect to see? What kind of issues has this program addressed?There are a lot of unanswered questions that would drive the investor in me away from investing in this program. However, from an educator point of view, I would love to volunteer for them to see what kind of dynamics does this program drive and what kind of students we could reach.
Sherman
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David Vogt
Elementeo
Have some fun while learning chemistry:
Continue reading Elementeo Posted in: Uncategorized-
dubiend
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
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jtpatry
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.
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Dave Horn
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
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dubiend
Hi Dave,
This pitch is several years old and Elementeo now has an app:
http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/elementeo/id516575515?mt=8I 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…
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jtpatry
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
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.
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David Vogt
Empowered Learning
A better way to teach high school math:
Continue reading Empowered Learning Posted in: Uncategorized-
Dave Horn
As the Director of Educational Technology I would not invest in this venture.
The CEO and Team appear to come from a solid background in software development, providing credibility to their web-based software program and the speaker is passionate about why such a program is needed and works to champion this product and the potential benefits it can provide.
The Venture concept is not new (I actually had individual demo a similar looking program a few months back) and it appears too idyllic. One small advantage this program does hold is that it is web-based, meaning increased accessibility for students, parents, and teachers. The speaker does illustrate real areas of concern: student frustration, inadequate communication, and high administrative time for teachers. As a user of technology both in and out of the classroom red flags are raised when the speaker claims that there is “seamless” integration of technology into the learning process, as I have never seen this occur.
In terms of Marketability, the venture has a focused market and projected areas of growth. The math market is about 175 million dollars, but I do not see this venture capturing a large portion of the market as there are already a number of such programs out there and many school districts are facing budget cuts, which means the number of potential clients could decrease. I do not see a real cutting edge advantage that would allow this venture to grab a foothold and keep a place in a competitive market.
The venture plan at least indicated the steps they were currently undertaking for development and revision before releasing the product. However, they were seeking 250K dollars for cycles of development, with no delineation of how long the cycles would be and when an actual product would hit the market and thus no timeline to see returns on investments.
Once again as the Director of Educational Technology I could potentially bring our small school to the table as a testing ground. However, I feel that my teachers are already almost overwhelmed with our new technology program and this would be just another program that they had to learn, manage, and coordinate; providing another reason not to invest in this venture.Dave
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janetb
NO, I would not invest in this venture. I thought the pitch was very good but I felt that it was unlikely that program could deliver what it promised and that it oversimplified how mathematics is taught and learned.
The presenter stated his credentials and seemed to have the background knowledge to create and maintain this venture. He clearly explained the frustration that parents and students sometimes feel with mathematics and how his program would help alleviate those issues. He also described how it might reduce the administrative task load for teachers. He did a credible job of indicating who the market was, how much money was needed and what their plan of action for the near future was (pilot, get feedback, update). However, he did not give a timeline for the research cycle or when the investor might expect the product to be finished.
I felt that he did a good job of presenting his pitch persuasively and succinctly. However, I felt that his initial target market of mathematics education in the United States, and then other countries, was too broad and unrealistic for the assumptions made in his program. One of the major functions of his product appeared to be providing immediate feedback to students as they did homework. This makes the assumption that all students will have daily access to a computer and that all students do homework at home. It also implies that all teachers assign homework in such a way that a program can mark it – that both the type of homework and their approach to it would fit “seamlessly” with his program. With the current trend in mathematics towards problem solving, problem based learning and deeper learning of concepts over rote learning, I feel that it is unlikely that one program will be a great panacea to all mathematics teachers in international settings. He also claimed that this could all be done with no teacher training. I felt that statement was completely unrealistic.
Overall, I thought the pitch was good but that the product was lacking. It could not possibly be as flexible as it claimed and I felt that it missed a basic understanding of where mathematics education is going.
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Brian H
No, I would not invest in this venture.
The CEO raises excellent problems but does not provide any confidence that he has the platform that will deliver as viable solutions.
The concept is flawed as is promises to be adaptable to any content. No teacher has the time to re-publish the content they have created. A venture like this would need to include the resources to allow teachers to implement resources: learning media, practice tests ect.
There may be a school district or two that would fall for such a ploy but it would need to be a get paid and run scheme.
There is no room in this market for a resource that requires teachers of face to face full time classes to have to publish an entire courses content on their own.
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David Vogt
Bybuster
A neural technologies approach to dyslexia:
Continue reading Bybuster Posted in: Uncategorized-
HJDeW
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.
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Bridget
Hi Helen,
I agree, this pitch answered the questions that I wanted. There is a need that they can fill and I like the way they talked about their future program for dyscalculia. It shows that they have a focus on certain learning disabilities and are not a stagnant company. I enjoyed the pitch and felt that I learned something from it and was inspired by their desire to help kids.
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David Vogt
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karonw
No, I will not invest in this venture. The selling point of Myngle is that it will allow students to take lessons anywhere and anytime so it is like a multi-language online school. However, the elevator pitch lacks clarification it mentions that Myngle can be used globally but it does not provide a realistic market size or target audience in the pitch itself. It states that it is more competitive compared to other ventures because it brings the traditional language to an online platform yet it lacks clarification as to how it outbeats the other language learning ventures that’s out there as many of them can be accessed globally and can teach traditional language online as well. In my perspective the innovative advantages presented in the pitch were too general and do not really have a winning point.
The pitch was a very brief summary about the product including personal connections; I felt that minimal information was really provided.
The presenter lacked some excitement and enthusiasm which did not successfully capture my interest nor attention.
The elevator pitch was done by the founder of Myngle which I believe did have some credibility.
Reference:
Myngle elevator pitch – 2008 accenture innovation awards( myngle 1.0 ) (2008). [Video podcast]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mpCIcy4W0ec&feature=player_embedded
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ping
No, I will not invest in this venture. The pitch was performed by the founder of Mingle, who introduced herself as an qualified language education businesswoman, but she mentioned nothing about her team, neither instructors to design and deliver the online language lessons, nor managers help her to run the venture. As we know those people are crucial for the success of an educational venture. Her venture concept was unclear, with little information about the online platform and no information about courses. I’ve got no idea of how this venture is different and competitive compared to existing online language schools. Their marketability is not credible too with unclear target customers, unstated market size, no share or revenue estimation. She did point out the pain point that people need to learn languages for communication, but there was not persuasive solution to solve the pain. There was not venture plan, no roadmap to show where the venture would go, and no word about the Ask and Return of an investor. In a word, I will not put my money in a venture only run on a dream.
Yes Karon, I also think the presenter was not enthusiastic enough. It seems she’s not very optimistic or confident about the venture’s prospects herself.
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janetb
Hi,
I agreed with both your and Karon’s critique – a personal approach to a pitch but not enough hard information. I had said that the presenter was “enthusiastic and sincere” but after reading your critiques, I think I agree with you. I do think she seemed sincere and somewhat enthusiastic about making a difference in the world, but not particularly enthusiastic about the venture.
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karonw
Hi Ping,
I felt that the presenter tried to use the personal connection to grab the audience’s attention but really too little information was provided. I find that this venture pitch to be relatively short as well, 8-10 mins would be the ideal timeframe perhaps the pitch should have been a couple mins longer and cover the additional information that it is missing.
Karon
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janetb
NO, I would not invest in this venture. Overall, I felt that this pitch lacked information and left me wondering exactly what Mingle is, but without the hook or inspiration to make me want to find out.
I gathered that Mingle is an online language program that came about because the creator wanted to “make a difference…loved languages…and knew enough about eCommerce”. While wanting to make a difference in the world is certainly laudable, there was nothing in that opening statement that made me feel like the creator had the knowledge or background to make this venture work. I would have preferred more concrete information about the presenter’s skill with languages and her training or background in eCommerce. The phrase “knew enough about eCommerce” left me skeptical and uncomfortable from the start of the pitch. Does that mean she knows just enough? Or knows enough to get by, but is not really proficient?
The presenter did an adequate job of explaining why learning a different language is a valuable goal. She stated that languages help us understand other cultures and that learning another language might help people find employment in some countries where employment opportunities are limited. However, she failed to indicate any of the reasons that Mingle might be better than existing online language programs, or how it might fill a niche that the others do not. She did indicate that the program could bring language education to the general public, but did not explain how that public would be reached.
The presenter seemed very enthusiastic and sincere, but the pitch left me with the impression that there was little concrete knowledge to back up that enthusiasm. I support the idea of someone wanting to make a difference in the world, but it is not enough for me to stake money on the venture.
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karonw
Hi Janet,
Great critique! I felt the same, it seems like this venture is only providing us the basic information about Mingle but not really in depth as to why it is more competitive compared to the rest of the other online software out there.
Karon
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ping
Hi Janet and Karon,
I totally agree with you that the pitch provides no in-depth information, and the presenter is trying to draw in audiences by her enthusiasm but not for the venture. I find the EVA criteria are very helpful for us to see through the coverage of a pitch and find its true value for investment.
Ping
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maybacon
No, I would not invest in this venture. While Ms. Tognetti appears congenial and professional as a presenter, she did not explain what the product was in enough detail for me to know what I might be investing in. She describes Mingle as something that would allows students to take lessons anywhere or at any time – but how? Is Mingle an on-line service? A global language program? I did not know. In terms of marketability, the product sounds somewhat similar to asynchronous distance education, but without a clearer understanding of what the product is, it is not possible to assess its marketability. Finally, the pitch did not really delineate the direction of the venture, making it hard for me to calculate the benefits and risks involved.
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Kenton Hemsing
I agree completely with you on these points. She doesn’t provide much, if any, information about what the service is they provide and how they plan to achieve their goals. Or even, what is their goals.
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Kenton Hemsing
Based on the elevator pitch supplied, I would not invest in Myngle. But not based my personal research of the company, I am more intrigued and interested and would possibly invest. The elevator pitch does little to provide the necessary information about the company and how I, as an investor in the company, would be able to make money, or even how the business works.
Language learning is a globally wide education market, but the CEO, even though passionate, failed to make me confident in investing in the company.
• Pain Point: Language learning can be difficult on one’s own, which is where Myngle helps out, even if you are wanting to learn a language that there are no courses for in your own area, you can use Myngle to learn.
• Solution: The organization allows learners to connect with real native speaking teachers from around the world in an effort to learn the language.
• Differentiation: Many people would be interested in using a language learning system that connected them with real people to help them learn a language, a personal tutor is the best way to gain knowledge of a language.
• There is no mention of how an investor would be able to make money on their investment in the company,
1. CEO & Team:
• CEO Credibility: The CEO is passionate, but provides little information about how the company was started and what her role will be onward, and why this venture is important to her.2. Venture Concept:
• Venture Concept: The concept is good, but the presentation of the CEO lacks information and further information of what the company doe and how it plans to accomplish its goals.3. Marketability:
• Opportunity Space: Language learning has a very large number of possible customers, however, with the presentation of the CEO this information is lacking about the company.
• Competitive Edge: The service is an excellent one, but this was not conveyed in the initial elevator pitch. The product provides individual tutors and lessons to learners with real people and native speakers, however, this information was not mentioned in the pitch.4. Venture Plan:
• Market Readiness: Again, the product is good but the pitch is not. There is no mention as to how this product will be met in the marketplace or how it has already been doing in the market.
• Exit Strategy: There really is no mention of the future goals of the company and any idea of how the company will look in 2, 5, or even 10 years.
• Investor Affinity: For me, this would be a possible investment but the pitch would not get the organization through the door to discuss further. This is a good example of how a product could be excellent, but the pitch fails get the proper attention from investors.
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David Vogt
Real Simple Edu
A venture about apps for education:
Continue reading Real Simple Edu Posted in: Uncategorized-
ping
No I will not invest in this venture. Psychologically, the pitch was not engaging for its lack of human face. It said nothing about the CEO & team. The venture concept was on a slide titled as On-The-Go Learning for a Lifetime, targeted from school to college and job, ranging from language, math/science, medicine to law. I can’t help wondering: what a really big range they’ve covered! How many employees they need to provide apps in all these areas? Or, maybe it’s not a venture to develop educational apps, but to distribute them. That made it a weak challenger against Apple, Google and other channel giants. The pitcher highlighted their technical advantage — a patent pending technology that enables apps to be published on all in-market smartphones & tablets. What’s his point? The major effort needed for an app is not in publishing, but in developing its software and content. And the effort is just multiplied when trying to cover so many mobile OS. So I don’t think their “technical advantage” stand itself actually. In the last slide, the pitcher lay out their business success including fund, cash-flow, revenue strategy and a good number of paid customers, that is interesting to me. But, what’s the ARPU (Average Revenue Per User)? What’s the profit ratio for investors? Will the apps be paid per purchase or be paid during its lifecycle? A last question: What’s my relationship with the existing Angel funds? I’ll not think about invest when so many questions are open there.
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HJDeW
You bring up some interesting questions in relation to this venture pitch. After viewing and re-viewing, I tried to make sense of what is being proposed. There are few details to elaborate what the end user will be receiving for money spent. The information is big on buzz words and hype with few details on product, requirements or returns on investment. Some elaboration about the patent pending would at least present a ‘tease’ to catch investors’ interest. – Helen
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Dennis Pratt
It was clear to me that I would not invest in this venture. The ideas was very general, giving no specifics as to how the operation works or who is involved and to what degree. As mentioned, they tried to show they had a corner on educational app making when that clearly is not the case, especially when there are so many quality and free educational apps available.
Dennis
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Dennis Pratt
s Real Simple EDU Too Simple?
Based on the pitch given I could NOT invest in this venture. There was just not enough information to get a firm understanding of what the product does or how it works. There are many free apps that seem to do the exact same thing offered by Real Simple EDU.
CEO & Team
There was not much information given either in the narrative or in the few slides presented. The pitch was very general in nature, poor in quality and short on information.
Venture Concept
I don’t see anything compelling from this presentation. Teachers can now create their own apps for their classroom, which have all the capabilities talked about in the pitch.
Marketability
I cannot tell if the presented did their homework and if they did it is not presented in the 62 second 4-slide show. I even looked them up on YouTube to watch a longer version of the video but came across nothing more to offer in their 3-minute pitch. Any competitive advantage they may have had is now gone with the ease of app creation that has evolved over the last couple of years.
Venture Plan
I don’t like the plan that is presented as it does not seem to be well researched or presented. After watching the pitch I know nothing about the product or the company behind it. I could not find a website for further information.
Dennis
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sheza
No I would not invest in this venture based on what I’ve seen in this 5 minute elevator pitch. I was actually really excited at the venture idea when I read the short description, but after watching the video pitch I was highly disappointed.
CEO & Team: Firstly, there was no face to the venture. The lack of personality and the monotone voice of the presenter completely deterred my interest in the idea. I was bored by the CEO, even though his concept has the potential to be quite exciting.
2. Venture Concept: Though the concept is not original per se, given that there are a number of apps out on the market that do the things which the venture describes it can do. It is definitely a feasible venture, however perhaps it tries to take on too large a market.
Marketability: It is trying to enter the school, college and workplace markets which is perhaps too much. Although the pitch presents that it is constantly learning and responding to customer feedback, it seems slightly unrealistic if they are putting out so many apps. The slide says that the apps are easy to use with bookmarks which looks like it might be some kind of an innovative advantage, however the presenter does not address this point in their presentation.
Venture Plan: There is no clear cut plan outlined in the pitch that would help the investor discover the path to success. I definitely don’t like the person presenting and even though I like the concept, I see no plan outlined that supports it well. I do have a lot of expertise that I could add to this venture to ensure its success but I fear that I would then be the one doing all this work – the presenter/CEO doesn’t sounds like a very dependable person who could be trusted to use my investment well. -
Denise
HI,
All great venture analyses. This really is an example of a very poor pitch, from the presenters tone, the actual content delivered (ie lack of it) to the fact that he read the slides (needs to be encouraged to listen to the vimeo video with New Ventures BC!). It might be a great idea and good company but it would go nowhere with this pitch.
Denise
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Allan
No, I would not invest in this venture. This video really does “On the Go” an injustice based on its poor sound quality, low engagement level and energy, and lack of useful information. The presenter doesn’t provide much useful information other than the generalities of its business plan and the basic outline of the product’s technology. It doesn’t go into the specifics of how it can improve the learning of students or why institutions can benefit from it over other similar products (which it never outlines). There are some flaws in this pitch from beginning to end.
CEO & Team:
As others have mentioned, the faceless presentation really is an obstacle for this venture pitch. It’s a challenge to understand his passion for his own product with the monotone stillness of the presenter’s voice.Venture Concept:
There is little discussion about the concept. It seems to be just basing its app on the assumption the investor knows what it is, that it helps students, and can be easily installed on mobiles and tables as an app.Marketability
I don’t see too much marketability with this presentation pitch. Without any presentation or demonstration on how this app works, especially in a learning environment such as a school, I don’t know how useful this product is, or as an investor, whether I want to invest in this technology — regardless of how potentially cutting edge it may be.Venture Plan
What’s not clear in this pitch is how it will be implemented to the K-12 sector. It talks about “listen, respond, and learn” but beyond that there is little indication it has user feedback or any real statistics regarding its improvement of a students’ grade.Allan
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karonw 8:59 pm on May 22, 2012 Permalink | Log in to Reply
Yes, I will invest in Mindtraction. The elevator pitch was presented by the founder of Mindtraction which showed some credibility. The pitch included background information as to what Mindtraction is for and what is its main purpose. The elevator pitch also states clearly the target audience for Mindtraction. The pitch gives us information as to what benefits and advantages it has if it was to be invested in. The presenter first listed the gaps for students and then quickly introduces Mindtraction and lists the features of it to reinforce how it can make a difference.
Although, the elevator pitch was pretty comprehensive it did lack an overview of its competitors and what they have to offer and in what ways Mind traction is better than its competitors.
The presenter was quite enthusiastic and confident which did capture my attention and I was able to follow along with some excitement over this mobile venture.
Reference:
Mind traction elevator pitch. (2011). YouTube. [Video podcast]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4AmhbODxd2k&feature=player_embedded
HJDeW 8:58 am on May 24, 2012 Permalink | Log in to Reply
NO, I would not invest in Mindtraction.
Despite the compelling story presented, the apparent ease and comfort of the presenter while sharing the story, or the marketable response to an evident need, this company is not for me. The simplistic view of a mentor in your pocket conflicts with my experience and understanding of what an effective mentor can provide. This product, more of a personal assistant in your pocket, may provide the supports that struggling higher education students need, but will certainly not help them do the hard work necessary to be a successful student.
The CEO appears creditable, knowledgeable and qualified yet no mention is made of a supporting management or technical team.
The Venture Concept appears to target a real problem with an original, simple solution within an American context. The educational implications of anxiety for millions of university and college students is very real but the solution offered is less than compelling. The mentoring concept is more personal assistant in nature. The logic connecting a cell phone app to less anxiety, better thinking, higher grades or fewer dropouts is not convincing.
The Marketability within the US context would be over 20 million potential customers based on self phone ownership, with potential bulk sales to campuses across the country. It is not evident if the company is currently in the market or still in a design phase, leaving the time to realize profits indeterminate. There is no mention of a competitive product or company. There is no indication of potential application to a global marketplace.
The Venture Plan outlines an exit strategy of $1 million in the first 5 years on an investment of $100,000 for product development. There is no compelling vision, financial positioning or deployment plan. The total cost of ownership in getting students to buy into a ‘mentor-in-your-pocket’ is not explained.
Reference: Mind Traction elevator pitch. (2011). YouTube. [Video podcast] Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4AmhbODxd2k
mackenzie 4:41 pm on May 24, 2012 Permalink | Log in to Reply
Hi Helen,
I understand why you think it is a cheap fix that isn’t going to fix much. And you might be right, but university students are green, they fail to recognize the obvious and make poor decisions that could have been avoided with some simple advice and insight. Insight like how many students fail first year Calculus and how you should be happy that you are passing with 67%. Or that many students feel depressed at various times in their university programs and think about dropping out…you are not alone. I tell my students these types of things all the time and it helps make them happier, more satisfied and relaxed…I really see a difference.
This app may be a cheap and quick fix but they are the equivalent of inspirational posters and quick pep talks from your professor all rolled into one. They may not be personal or uniquely adapted to their needs, but they help and people feel good afterwards which leads me to believe that there is a potential market. Not to say that I wouldn’t prefer that this information was delivered in a more customized and personal manner, I do believe it may be better than nothing.
Cheers, Steve
HJDeW 5:22 pm on May 24, 2012 Permalink | Log in to Reply
I am not denying that there is a need for this type of service, but this particular venture does not necessarily present the information needed, in the format that is needed, to the depth and responsiveness that is essential for university/college students. As a mother of university/college students, I am very aware of the challenges they face. They need a mother, father, sister, friend, police officer, guide, etc…. rolled up in one who can manage their daily lives, until they can handle or take on the responsibility themselves.
This venture pitch did not present that solution, for me. Despite the comfortable demeanour of the presenter and his credibility (corporate law, ed. tech graduate), the package of goods being presented is not the solution – perhaps a bandaid when a stretcher may be needed. There is no consideration for the ‘total cost of ownership’ or who will manage training and management of the app – just one more thing for course instructors? These are serious shortfalls in the presentation.
karonw 9:24 pm on May 24, 2012 Permalink | Log in to Reply
Hi Helen,
You made a good point here, I actually missed this when I was critiquing the pitch, the venture did lacked the information re: training and management for the app. Having that it will be an app expected to be used campus-wide, it is true that training may be needed.
Karon
Meggan Crawford 1:58 pm on May 26, 2012 Permalink | Log in to Reply
Hi Helen,
I think that you are raising a good point – that choosing to invest or not is a personal choice, feeling, and reaction. Although this presentation didn’t inspire you, it may inspire someone else. I suppose that is what elevator pitches rely on, but it is interesting to see it playing out within this realm. For example, two people’s initial reviews of the same pitch are often resulting in different responses about investment.
No, this is not specific just to this pitch or concept, but it does make me wonder whether or not there is ever such a thing as a perfect or a horrible investment – will most pitches find disagreement in whether they are worth investment or not?
-Meggan
Hussain Luaibi 1:15 am on May 28, 2012 Permalink | Log in to Reply
Hello Meggan
You are right about our feelings and reactions towards certain pitches. Yes, we are different in perceiving the concepts presented. But there is a big possibility that we have the same feelings and reactions when it come to certain real shortcomings in the project presented especially if we are collectively approaching or studying what is needed in a venture presentation. This is just my personal opinion.
take care
Hussain