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  • Ronna Hoglund 6:57 pm on July 29, 2012
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        Hello Everyone! My company is called Games 4.0 Education and has recently successfully launched its first (ficticious) game: Pharmville.  I can’t tell you just how excited I am about this venture and its future possibilities. Well, maybe I can:) Please view my Elevator Pitch and my Venture Pitch Regards, Ronna

    Continue reading     Hello Everyone! My company… Posted in: Venture Forum
     

    • shawn harris 7:59 pm on July 29, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      Hi Ronna,
      Both of your videos appear to be private. In voice thread, go to the “Publishing Options” found at the bottom of your voice video and make your selection for public view. Hope that helps!

      ~ Shawn

    • jtpatry 2:47 pm on July 30, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      Good day Ronna,

      Thanks for allowing me the opportunity to review your pitches. Games 4.0 Education sounds like an exciting way to integrate technology and game-based learning into the medical industry. The pitch was convincing and I wanted to hear more about what the company was all about. I agree that game-based learning is an effective way to engage learners and I think this method of learning has great potential to influence education. There is no time like the present to get companies such as this one into the market.

      My question would be, what are you going to do when “Farmville” challenges the game name? 🙂

      Thanks,

      Jon

    • Donna Forward 4:26 pm on July 30, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      Hello Ronna,

      You did a great job of covering all of the points such as who your target is, what kind of investment could be made and what your future goals are.

      I learned something new that there was a difference between simulated learning and game-based learning.

      Also, Good, colourful presentation on your slides, however, I would have prefered to have seen more of them. I thought that you’re “Pharmville” name was catchy but I agree with Jon that Farmville may want to challenge you and they may end up suing you for your millions down the road:) Maybe you could change the name to GAME PHARM!

      I hope that you’re having a good summer in Ontario!

      Donna

    • Ronna Hoglund 5:15 pm on July 30, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      Thank you for your feedback Jon and Donna! You are both right – I should have taken the name more seriously. Jon made me think of changing it to PharmAville or PharmvillA but I do like GamePharm Donna! Cheers!

    • Meggan Crawford 5:59 pm on July 30, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      Hi Ronna,

      I got a giggle out of your name, lawsuit or not! Pharmers is another option!

      I think that Games 4.0 Education has immense potential as a new venture. I was a bit uncertain about how the process works – do teachers submit content and then your company turns it into a game? Will teachers then be given part of the profit from that game?

      I think that your focus upon games is very viable, as more and more educators are looking at how they can engage students more with the content in a way that the students also enjoy. For this reason I think that there would be a lot of potential support for your venture! I also found your presentation to be visually appealing and very well put together.

      Very nice work!
      -Meggan

      • Ronna Hoglund 5:04 pm on July 31, 2012 | Log in to Reply

        Thank you Meggan – Pharmers 🙂 I like that too!
        Ronna

    • shawn harris 9:09 pm on July 30, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      Hi Ronna,
      I think you did a nice job with your presentation in the elevator pitch. You had my attention, the voice over was very clear and the graphics were good. Anything that has to do with enhancing learning, I am always willing to listen. I think games in education can very well serve useful purpose in an enjoyable and non-threatening manner contrary to many beliefs.

      The CEO speaking in person to me would show more credibility and would give the potential investor your commitment for your venture. You also did not make mention of the management team.

      However the venture concept is clear and a well explained pedagogical approach. I would really like to know what makes it different from Farmville as I have never used it.

      ~Shawn

      • Ronna Hoglund 5:12 pm on July 31, 2012 | Log in to Reply

        Hi Shawn,
        Thank you for your feedback. My Pharmville game (or whatever it ends up being named!) would be quite different from Farmville which basically involves building a farm by giving and receiving animals and objects from Facebook friends. It is reward based and nothing is really learned.whereas the games made by Games 4.0 Education would be educational.
        Ronna

    • Allan 4:07 pm on July 31, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      Hi Ronna,

      This is a terrific presentation. Excellent elevator and venture pitches. I especially liked your financial breakdown of the numbers. As an investor, I am impressed by the numbers you give me — $140,000 investment can evolve into a $70,000,000 profit!

      I also trust your background and knowledge as CEO. As someone knowledgeable in the field of pharmaceutical sciences, I especially think you have commitment and know the challenges facing the profession.

      Your discussion of gamification is also quite strong. I’m glad you discussed this as it was in Horizon Report 2012’s list of emerging trends. Well done!

      Allan

      –

    • Claire Burgoyne 4:45 pm on July 31, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      Hi Ronna,
      I appreciate your choice to present a game-based learning venture. Naturally, I began a review of your venture by viewing your elevator pitch. It was somewhat confusing though, as your introduction suggests that the target market is the elementary level but after the music there’s a switch to describing Pharmville, a game for student pharmacists. Later the pitch returns to describing games for the classroom. I’m guessing that the purpose of describing the pharmacy game is to show company credibility. All that said, game-based learning can be a powerful way to motivate and engage students plus it’s an area that I’m particularly interested in.

      After viewing your venture pitch it’s clear that your target market is college students. You describe the benefits of game-based learning and identify the pain point. It would be helpful if equal time was given to describing Games 4.0 Education. In your elevator pitch you mention that teachers provide the content. Does this mean that you develop games to meet each teacher’s requests? Without a clear description of this venture I am not prepared to invest. Your venture concept has potential; with some adjustments to presentation it is likely that there will be support for your proposal.

      Claire

      • Ronna Hoglund 5:21 pm on July 31, 2012 | Log in to Reply

        Thank you for your feedback Claire! This was a great exercise in finding out just how clear one needs to be in their pitches! Just to clarify a couple of things for your benefit: my college level pharmacy technician students, whether 18 or 45 y/o, have often been found on Facebook or playing Bedazzled in the lab – much to my chagrin. So, I was not intending to pitch to elementary teachers. And yes, the idea is to create games for college educators with their content and input. Darn, I missed out on your money – 🙂
        Ronna

    • gregcamp 4:51 pm on July 31, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      Great Job Ronna, your pitch was convincing and you sound like you have a clear target market. Game based learning is definitely on the rise and if marketed properly your venture could be quite successful.

      Greg

      • Ronna Hoglund 5:22 pm on July 31, 2012 | Log in to Reply

        Thanks for taking the time to watch and for your encouragement Greg!
        Ronna

    • Danielle Dubien 5:47 pm on August 1, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      Hi Ronna,

      I enjoyed both of your pitches very much. They’re very well put together! I LOVE that you broke up your presentation into sections with titles!! It made it very easy to search when I had to replay different sections. Please note that I’m treating your venture as if it were real.

      Did I understand correctly that some people spend up to 12 hours a day on their devices?

      I’m glad you distinguished gamification from game-based learning and simulations!

      Like some of the ladies above, I’m not sure I understand how teachers participate. If the teachers are providing you with content, are they also paying you? Who else would pay you? How much would it cost for a teacher to have a single game produced for their class or for a school? How many games would you make available for the mass market? In how much time? For what cost? Are there priority subjects you would address? Why not focus on health and science subjects, or a particular educational level? With college drop-out levels being so high, you could focus on that, and maybe offer additional services within your games, like career counselling or money management, to encourage students to stay in school.

      What types of games give a return on investment like the one you mentioned without saturating the market? How many games do you think you could produce with such high profits? Even Hollywood often gets it wrong with their movies.

      If you could deal with these issues, I would consider investing.

      It might have been worth simplifying the graph titled “Cognitive Tutor Technology…”. It’s got a lot of info, and I paused the audio to better understand it. What do the acronyms mean? (CBI, IMI) I understand that I can look up the reference myself to find out, but why not eliminate the need entirely by modifying the picture? Also, I’m concerned with whether it’s okay to present data from a research article through a video on the Net.

      I think your pitches are very well researched and planned out. They show that you have very strong organizational skills, and that in itself is pleasing to an investor!

      Cheers,
      Dan

    • HJDeW 3:54 pm on August 2, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      Ronna, You presented an interesting elevator and venture pitch. I was impressed with the return on investment, but even the dragons are skeptical when that much money is promised. With game based learning on the rise, you are right in saying it only takes one really great game to catch on and make your fortune. I’m not sure that Pharmville is that product, with such a limited niche market. If it was something wide open and targeted to many ages of learners, then you might have the right product for the right time. As I am not an expert in pharm-ing, I’m not sure this is the right venture for me.
      Helen

    • Denise 3:47 am on August 3, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      HI Ronna,

      Your elevator pitch was fast and well delivered. Like Claire I did get confused about what you were asking me to invest in Pharmville or the company and that was only clearer towards the end. If Pharmville was your example of what you can do I would have introduced yourself and the company first and then given the proof of what you are capable of.

      The venture pitch was really interesting. I enjoyed learning about games versus simulation and the impact of games etc. However I felt this was pitched at the educator in me rather than the investor. One suggestion – by just changing some of your wording and reducing slide content and adding a few extra slides you could have increased the interest and investor focus (rather than an educator focus).

      I really wanted to see what Pharmville was like – did it excite me as a game? Was it just that “lucky one” or was theer more to come?

      The figures seemed almost too good to be true. I wanted to know what Pharmville has made? How was it achieved? is this why Games4.0 Education is a 1.25 million dollar company?

      Is selling a 20% share in the company the best way to ask for investment, how much control would I have with a 20% share?

      I was interested in this for investment but I had no good understanding of the venture plan, so I was finding myslef uncertain about exploring further or not.

      Denise

  • Denise 6:08 pm on July 29, 2012
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    Tags: , learning analytics,   

    This is a hypothetical venture that combine PLE and learning analytics. It is based on developing a platform for the GP registrar training program, so it is a bit context specific. Hope I have given you all enough background.   Venture pitch – AnalyseLearning

    Continue reading AnalyseLearning Posted in: Venture Forum
     

    • jtpatry 6:22 pm on July 29, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      Hey Denise, your video is set to private FYI

    • Denise 6:35 pm on July 29, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      Thanks- youTube and I have been having a bit of a fight over this pitch! I hope it is fixed now.
      denise

    • jtpatry 6:43 pm on July 29, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      Good to go now!

    • jtpatry 3:19 pm on July 30, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      Good day Denise,

      Thank you for sharing your elevator and venture pitches. With the push for personalized learning environments, it seems to make sense to have one that is catered for the learning environment, and in this particular case the GP learning space. Your use of graphs provides a good visual for what the PLE would look like and how it will be incorporated. One suggestion maybe would be to compare (if there is any data) how similar PLE’s are effective in other marketplaces and how this specific venture PLE can utilize the current market and make it better.

      Thanks for sharing

      Jon

      • Denise 5:48 pm on August 1, 2012 | Log in to Reply

        HI Jon,
        Thanks for the advice. I think a good international search would be useful as there isn’t anything like it in vocational training or with unis here at pesent. Agree that including other success stories woudl have been good for the pitch, but also to inform the venture.

        Thanks
        Denise

    • janetb 10:57 am on July 31, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      Hi Denise,

      Personalized learning and analytics are certainly trends in the educational technology marketplace and I think you have presented a great idea in combining them. You have identified a market niche in GP training as well as identifying how your product is unique. Something that might add to your pitch is some information on dissatisfaction with the current system. Something that would indicate that your product is highly needed or can solve a problem in the way GP training is currently done.

      A really interesting idea – best luck on your venture.

      Janet

      • Denise 6:00 pm on August 1, 2012 | Log in to Reply

        HI Janet,
        Thanks. This was really a hypothetical but I found myself wondering if I could in fact roll something like this out, especially integrating actual patient data information.

        I thought about pain points and there really isn’t one – we could keep doing what we are doing for a while longer! But as an innovator I think the PLE and analytics would add real education value for the learner and then ultimately our RTPs. So i agree that I need to pitch more to why this prodiuct is needed than I did. Thanks for the feedback.

        Denise

    • gregcamp 4:44 pm on July 31, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      Great job Denise. PLEs are definitley growing in value and we are seeing more of them in the educational market. I enjoyed your pitches and venture idea.

      Greg

    • Claire Burgoyne 5:16 pm on July 31, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      Hi Denise,
      Analyze Learning is well described in your elevator pitch. While you’ve described the features and niche market you don’t identify the gap that Analyze Learning addresses. Who is the competition and what does Analyze Learning offer that is currently unavailable?

      Claire

      • Denise 6:10 pm on August 1, 2012 | Log in to Reply

        Hi Claire,

        Thanks for the feedback. I did try and indicate there was no competition in Australia at least. If it was missed this then my pitch didn’t highlight it well! I also agree that I may not have clearly articulated the benefits. Sometimes one gets embedded in an idea and doesn’t think about how others are seeing it.What is offers that isn’t anywhere yet in our market
        – increased learning and involvement of the registrar througha PLE integrated witht an LMS
        – visual analytics for the learner but ones that encompass all of learning and trianing ie the educaiton they do but also the actual patient exposure they have (and where the gaps would be).

        Thanks for identifying that I wasn’t as clear as I ahd hoped.

        Denise

    • lisamallen 10:53 am on August 2, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      Hi Denise,

      It’s clear that this is your area of specialty. Knowing that you’re experienced in this niche market, as an investor, it’s comforting that you’re so well vested here. I would invest for sure. The only weakness with your pitches, as other have already noted, is the comparables: What’s out there already? Who are your competitors?

      Well Done,

      Lisa

    • maybacon 11:13 am on August 2, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      Hi Denise,

      I like the idea of combining PLEs and Visual Analytics, especially in your area of expertise. I am certain that this venture would provide vital statistics and deepen understanding of a variety of elements in the medical arena. I also liked the examples of the interface, which really helped to clarify the venture for me. However, I would need to know a bit more about the existing competition to make a decision about investing in such a venture. It’s great to know, however, that you have the expertise to pull off this venture and have a good idea of your market.

      Best of luck!
      May

    • chrisaitken 12:13 am on August 3, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      The combination of learning analytics and PLEs got me very interested in your venture.

      The growing interest in PLEs typically presents a problem for educators in measuring and tracking learning for the purposes of assessment and ultimately granting a credential. A venture that is able to adequately address this issue is likely to find success albeit an ambitious one.

      Your venture pitch describes a very specific market group of vocational training in Australia – approximately 1100 positions. Initially I thought that an idea like this would have traction also in the general adult education and post secondary area. However, your paper details how AnalyseLearning will pull specific data from an LMS related to this specific training program. At this part, I begin to get confused. I think of a PLE as an open and often chaotic mix of digital learning tools and content existing largely outside of an institutional LMS and at times, outside of a standardized curriculum. For instance, a PLE could be comprised of annotated bookmarks, RSS feed, blog conversation, twitter feeds, etc which could all be very valuable to the overall continued learning of a student. AnalyseLearning appears to be specific to a particular learning program in pulling data from an LMS and presenting it in a tidy visual format.

      However, I do believe in your venture plan and you as an expert in your field. given the opportunity I would be interested in investing in this venture with the hopes that the intellectual property could spin off into further ventures in the analytics/PLE combination.

    • Denise 3:53 am on August 3, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      HI Chris,

      Yes I can see how the term PLE woudl cause confusion. As you identified this I wondered if I would have been better to call it a hybrid PLE. The idea being that some of the PLE links are predetermined within the setting that the PLE is integrated into and some are whatever the indivdiual wants. So in the GP training field there would be some organisation decided links, some individual decided links to education material/activities in the site and then totally random individualised linkages (like the classic PLE). If we developed this product well well then any industry could use the portal and link through to what they wanted the learner to focus on as well as what tools the learner wanted.

      Not sure I have stille xplained it well?!
      Denise

    • danishaw 7:42 am on August 4, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      Denise,
      I found your venture analysis to be quite thorough as it outlined the general learning structure for general probationers in Australia. In addition, I believe the concept of AnalyseLearning is well rooted in theory for you draw on both emerging technologies of personal learning environments and visual learning. The use of diagrams aided in the description and the plan of the venture for it enabled the viewer to see the need for such an en devour; well done! To enrich your venture more so, perhaps you could include potential barriers to the program and strengthen your pitch so that it is straightforward and to the point. I found it a tad bit confusing as to what the product was and why I should want to invest in it. Overall, your venture is well researched and seems to serve a real need. Good luck with the next steps!

      Danielle

    • Denise 4:23 am on August 5, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      HI Danielle,

      Thanks for the feedback esp that it wasn’t clear what the product was! Missed the pitch here then!

      Denise

  • gregcamp 2:49 pm on July 29, 2012
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    Finance For Life is a cloud based interactive learning management system that provides students in the K-12 system skills in finance, economics and business management. Finance For life was developed by teachers for teachers to help educated today’s youth in order for them to be successful in today’s turbulent market. 1 minute venture pitch: http://youtu.be/eKQdnb_MU0U 8 minute venture […]

    Continue reading Finance For Life Posted in: Venture Forum
     

    • vawells 6:26 am on July 31, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      Greg I really enjoyed your elevator pitch. Your personal delivery of your venture was professional and clearly delivered. As Founder and CEO of Finanace for Life, you exuded an air of confidence that gave weight to your pitch and inspired confidence in me as a potential investor. Your credentials and obvious commitment and passion for your venture also caught my attention and made me want to delve deeper into your venture by moving on to your venture pitch. Well done!

      I will be posting a more detailed analysis of your venture pitch.

      Valerie

    • vawells 6:28 am on July 31, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      Venture Pitch Analysis
      Pain Point:
      The problem that your company Finance for Life would be addressing is clearly defined and supported with sound research. The need for today’s youth to be prepared for financial obligations that they will face is a realistic problem.
      Solution:
      The development of a cloud based LMS for grades 1-12 incorporating support for teachers and students sounds like a realistic option. I am unclear as to which type of LMS you would be using but perhaps because it is cloud based this is not a concern.
      Differentiation:
      The gap in the school curriculum has been clearly identified and your product is all inclusive with support provided. A couple of questions that came to me as an EVA: Are there other products/companies out there that provide a similar service? Why would schools buy this service and not have government write a curriculum to meet the needs?
      Marketing:
      Clear marketing strategy with a small demonstrated measure of success. However, how much is your product? How many licences have been sold and how many do you need to sell to make the projected 50 000 dollars?
      Championship:
      Your commitment, credentials, confidence and passion about your product are clear and inspire confidence. However I would need to know more about your team.
      The Ask:
      1.5 million dollars
      The Return:
      I am unclear as an EVA how much return I can expect on my investment.

      Yes I would potentially be willing to invest in this venture at this time however I would need more financial information around my return on investment and some of the questions clarified before I fully commit. The pitch is credible, concept is feasible and the potential market is there for this venture to be successful.

      Well done
      Valerie

    • janetb 9:35 am on July 31, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      Hi Greg,

      Your credibility and competence came through loud and clear in your elevator pitch. It left me with the sense that you have the personal motivation, leadership ability and business sense to lead this venture forward successfully. I know time is very limited in the elevator pitch, but a comment or two on the uniqueness or differentiation of your product would have added to the overall impact of your already excellent pitch.

      All the best,
      Janet

    • Leonora Zefi 8:58 pm on July 31, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      Excellent pitch Greg.

      Your message is very clear and confident . You clearly outlined the need, the service, the market and the ask. Very well done.
      As the president and sole owner you exude passion and confidence.

      Concept
      The concept is explained clearly. I liked the idea of switching from videos presenting the questions/data and your introduction of the venture concept.

      Venture Plan and critical evaluation

      Great analysis of the strengths and weaknesses of the venture. Aware of and honest about budget restrictions despite the large market for financial literacy and employment preparation skills.
      Clear explanation of the business model and revenue projections.

      Thanks,
      Leonora

    • chrisaitken 12:29 am on August 1, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      Excellent presentation Greg. You convinced me that there is a need and market for educational content in finance. I am a little confused about the concept however from the elevator pitch. Aren’t Learning management Systems content neutral – a medium for the course? Or is this actually online courseware for finance courses?

    • ping 8:06 am on August 2, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      Hi Greg,

      Impressive pitch! I agree that finance training for children is very necessary, and therefore will open a considerable market for a venture like yours. Your elevator pitch is delivered lucidly and confidently, I guess you might have this idea in search for a long time. The beautiful child song in your venture pitch matches the theme perfectly, I can even feel that children are appealing for the kind of knowledge your venture will supply them.

      As an investor, I would like to know more about the competition you might confront. I remember I’ve heard of similar concepts somewhere; and there are books available addressing the same issue. I would need a clearer vision of your product, of what form it will show to the buyers and the users. Will it more likely to be a course, or a game? I know there is a popular-role-playing game just simulating the role of millionaire, and it’s popular among the young people. Another concern I need convinces is that if you can make your course in the cloud, while should you limited your buyers in the school system? Why not let people access it from home at anytime? There are many parents like me are looking for tools like yours to teach their children financial skills. There’s a huge market there to get money returned.

      Good luck to your venture!

      Ping

    • lisamallen 11:03 am on August 2, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      Hi Greg,

      I thought your elevator pitch and venture presentation was fantastic. By the end of your presentation, I found myself nodding and thinking, “this is definitely a worthwhile venture.” I thought you touched on everything that needed to be touched on and am definitely ready to invest and hand over the cash to make this succeed!

      Cheers,

      Lisa

    • maybacon 11:22 am on August 2, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      I really like how you have clearly defined every aspect of your pitch, which was interesting and complete. My only reservation in investing in this venture is that I am not familiar enough with the market to adequately assess the product for investment. What level of education is Finance for Life directed at? I think people with higher education but only a basic high school economics course, such as myself, could benefit from this venture as much as younger students – could this be a possible market for expansion?

      Greak work!
      May

    • Chelsea M Woods 9:37 am on August 3, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      Hi Greg, I enjoyed your idea and think it has great potential. I am interested in your your idea of developing a learning management system for the courses rather than running on an existing system (I assume that is what you meant). Understanding finance, economics, and business management is highly relevant to basic functioning in our society, yet many of us never take any relevant courses, and it is missing from the core requirements in many school districts, and it’s hard to find experts in the area who are also teachers (not surprising :)). Great idea! Chelsea

    • karonw 10:17 pm on August 3, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      Hi Greg,

      Excellent venture! I found your venture very appealing and it sounds like a great idea. In both your pitch and proposition you have been able to present the solution to what people are facing, the overview of your venture, the benefits of your venture and a detailed business plan that explains the revenue etc. As an EVA, I think your elevator pitch was fantastic, you gave a great introduction with a bit of your background information and this has definitely helped you gain creditability and accountability. Also, you have articulated your elevator pitch really well, you were able to hit all the main points yet deliver it in a full of confidence, calm and convincing tone throughout your pitch within 56 seconds. As an investor, I am attracted to your venture and would definitely consider investing in it.

      Best,
      Karon Wong

    • danishaw 8:43 am on August 4, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      By reviewing your pitch, I was able to gain insight into the basics of, Finance for Life. You outlined the need for such a product, the expertise of the team, and the current selling market well. To improve upon such, I would suggest providing the viewers with some screen shots or images of the features of the program so that they get a glimpse of the product and want to explore further within your venture analysis.

      With regards to your venture analysis, I believe the introduction , text, and musics provided the viewers with solid data/research that proves the need for your product as well as created interest. It was a great addition to your presentation! I would have liked to see what the product could potentially look like as well as some sort of graphic outlining how other business courses compare. Overall, however I really enjoyed the presentation, good job!

      All the best,
      Danielle

  • Allan Cho 2:18 pm on July 29, 2012
    0 votes
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    Welcome to Layar’s newest mobile app Layar to Educate.  As an augmented reality technology, Layar is the first company to focus exclusively on augmented reality for educators. Watch the elevator pitch and visit my venture pitch. Assignment 3 (Venture Pitch) – Allan Cho Enjoy!

    Continue reading Layar to Educate Posted in: Venture Forum
     

    • jtpatry 1:43 pm on July 30, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      Good Day Allan,

      Thank you for sharing your pitches. I agree with you from an educators perspective and business end, that AR is going to be a game changer and now is the opportunity to get in on the game. Layar to Educate has great potential to provide educators an opportunity to create an AR experience without having to have any extensive programming experience. One advantage that I think that Layar to Educate has against other companies such as the ones you mentioned and also Aurasma, is that this offering of technology can be directly integrated into textbooks or other print media seamlessly. With the current format of the application Layar, allows users to upload images and links to interact with the application (in a selected format), would Layar to Educate allow for opportunity for users to create a magazine/textbook/poster layout to print directly from the site, which then could be distributed to students or other participants? The idea of providing lesson plan examples is also a really great selling feature, especially for new teachers or users. It would provide beneficial real stepping-stone for those leery users. Great pitch and idea to incorporate into the current Layar platform. Investment made!

      Thanks,
      Jon

    • janetb 9:17 am on July 31, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      Hi Allan,

      Great elevator pitch – it was engaging and appealing. You make a clear point as to the trend towards AR. As someone not very familiar with augmented reality, it would have helped me if you had included a line or two in your elevator pitch about how, specifically, AR could be used in the classroom. However, that could be a reflection of my lack of knowledge, rather than your pitch.

      All the best in your venture,
      Janet

    • chrisaitken 12:32 am on August 1, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      Great to see a pitch on augmented reality. Someone if the next few years will be very successful in an AR for education pitch. I would have to think the the development of this product would be extremely expensive. I am going to look into your venture pitch and respond shortly.

    • Leonora Zefi 8:58 pm on August 1, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      I really enjoyed your elevator pitch message Allan.
      Very clear and persuasive message . You succeeded in giving a clear and promising prospect for Layar in less than a minute. The future of Layar in education seems very promising.

      Concept and Marketability

      Your venture concept addresses an important need in education. Your analysis through questions and answers of what the app will address makes the venture credible and alleviates any issues related to risk in investing.
      You have done a great job in differentiating the app from other solutions that show thorough market research as well.

      Venture strengths and weaknesses

      The only strength you focused on is the team and their expertise – it would have been helpful to see other strengths that you have in fact identified in other sections, for example, under “benefits”I think you have a couple of strengths that could add value to promoting the venture. Also, I would suggest that you think about any weaknesses because that kind of critical reflection and honesty makes the venture pitch even stronger.
      I liked how you ended the venture pitch – reiterating The Ask and, that’s extremely important.

      Thank you for sharing your elevator and venture pitch Allan

      Leonora

    • ping 10:11 am on August 2, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      Hi Allan,

      I’m very interested by your pitch, because it’s the first time I’ve heard about AR on mobile. In my conception, AR or any other virtual reality technologies are very computing-intensive, that makes them too expensive from general use, no matter to be used on a battery-limited mobile phone. I also have a question: why people need AR on mobile, is the immersive feel of VR really shown on a small screen like this? I take these questions into your venture pitch, I think I’ve found many answers there. Now I know that Layer is a VR app already available on mobiles (sorry I never heard of it), it can be used as scanner + search engine. With this feature, I believe there is a good chance for it to be used in education. One thing I would like to know is that who will be your targeted user, the teacher or the learner? Does a teacher need this tool during his/her lessons? I would like to see more description in your pitch on how this tool works for Education specifically. What kind of change do you need to add on the existing Layer, so that the scan & search results will be suitable for education usage? From an investor’s position, I suggest you highlight more differentiation of your app to the alternatives, including map-apps on mobile, so that I could have a better sense of how many user would be attracted to ensure the return.

      Thank you for this great idea, and bringing me a new vision of augmented reality!

      Ping

    • lisamallen 11:01 am on August 2, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      Hi Allan,

      Great elevator pitch – really well done. I like the concept you’ve come up with for your venture, but perhaps I don’t understand the technology too well because I was left with a few questions about how, specifically virtual reality can be beneficial in the classroom. Keep in mind that I am not a teacher, but I would have appreciated a more detailed outline on how this technology could be used by teachers.

      I also would have like to see more on your competition. Are there similar technologies like this already available?

      Overall, well done,

      Lisa

    • maybacon 11:32 am on August 2, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      Hi Allan,

      This is a terrific idea! With the current commercial AR gaining momentum, it is good to know that your venture would cover the missing educational component. My main concern as an investor, though, is that I would like to have a better understanding of what the product does, as I felt a bit confused on this point. From what I could deduce, the product allows people to photograph objects/places and connects them with links to educational information (?), which would be a great way to learn about foreign countries, historical monuments, how devices function, and so on.

      Interesting idea and great pitch!
      May

    • chrisaitken 12:46 am on August 3, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      Hi Allan

      The possibilities of an AR app for education are immense. There is definitely a market in the education space and with the proliferation on mobile devices a schools could implement this project.

      As you mention in your venture pitch, Augmented Reality has been profiled in the Horizon Report in 2010 and 2011 but surprisingly absent in the 2012 edition. I believe this could be because of the size of investment needed to build an augmented reality application. There is no question in my mind that a product such as this would be a massive success, and I do think we will see something soon. However, given the complexity of augmented reality that is beyond the QR code type, I believe we are likely to see this product come from a company like Adobe or Google that employs hundreds of developers and can financially back such a project. I think if your team, as education specialists, were willing to team up with a strong software engineering team I would want to invest. Alone, however, I think the project might be too ambitious!

    • karonw 10:43 pm on August 3, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      Hi Allan,

      I think that this is a great venture especially with the growing mobile trend. Augmented reality can definitely change the perspective in education. As an EVA, I thought that your elevator pitch delivered the essentials for this product in a very timely manner. You tried to narrate the core points and allow your slides to elaborate on they key points which was a smart/great idea. However, I did feel that I was sitting through a presentation more than an elevator pitch. I think if you incorporated perhaps a few scenes of yourself I would have felt different about this. I would have liked you to be the protagonist for your venture/ elevator pitch as I believe that would not only add creditability but it would also convince me more. In your proposition, you mentioned that your venture is applicable to smartphones including iphone and android, will this AR application also be available to Blackberry? As an investor, I would need to ensure that the venture I invest in would guarantee me an increase in revenue and that what I have invested in was the best out of the best. Through your proposition, I know that your venture have outbeat Junaio and Google with the educational aspect, however Blackboard itself also have an AR application built for educational use, it is also capable for smartphones including iphones, androids, blackberry and also capable to be used on other mobile devices like iPads and with various lines of products that can be paired up with their AR application. What would Layar be able to offer me that Blackboard’s application wouldn’t?

      Regardless, this is a great concept.

      Best,
      Karon Wong

    • danishaw 9:09 am on August 4, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      Although you outlined the potential of Layer to Educate and who it would serve within your pitch, I was unable to grasp what exactly the product would consist of. I am totally aware that it is difficult to determine what to include/not include within the pitch, however because your product is unique, I believe the viewers might need a little additional information on how exactly it might work.

      With regards to your venture analysis, you have provided a thorough review of all of the features of the product. To improve upon such, however you could include research-based references and statistics to back up your venture. You have made very good points however as a potential investor I would be skeptical to invest in a product that was not based on sound research.

      Danielle

    • Chelsea M Woods 9:53 am on August 4, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      Allan,

      Your pitches had me at the edge of my seat! Augmented reality is definitely high on the agenda for education in the future, and you have clearly distinguished Layar from Google and Junaio. Your inclusion of sample lesson plans and support will provide pathways so that teachers can increase use and understanding of augmented reality. You have described the expertise of your team, and you have provided enough technical detail to clarify the purpose and application of augmented reality for people who are as yet unfamiliar. After watching and reading your information I suddenly have a previously undeveloped goal to introduce augmented reality in my school.

      There are some clarifications that would make your pitch more effective, although I understand that these are not always possible because of the need to be brief and concise. You could expand on your marketing plan: how will you reach educators? Which educators will you connect to first? You can also clarify how you will make a profit: is it from sale of the App (what is the cost?) or from other sources? How much will your team be paid? A screenshot of statistics on student reading would also be helpful.

      Overall an excellent pitch and well-worth further investigation! Thank you.
      Chelsea

  • Meggan Crawford 12:28 pm on July 29, 2012
    0 votes
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    The Pro-D Room is ready to bring personalized professional development to teachers.  With this new site, teachers have control over their pro-d courses and can access expert-run courses online.  Take a look at the elevator pitch to learn more about this exciting venture! For more detail, read the Venture Pitch! Thanks! -Meggan

    Continue reading The Pro-D Room Posted in: Venture Forum
     

    • jtpatry 4:49 pm on July 30, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      Good Day Meggan,

      Thank you for sharing your elevator and venture pitches. Your Pro-D pitch was very well done and one that I wanted to know more about. Professional development is key in any profession and many times enough the selection or offerings are not worth the time or are able to cater to the diverse teacher needs. Teachers, like students need to have different offerings and methods to engage. I think the idea to collaborate and work-within a site (yet remaining independent) is key to getting your viable Pro-D brand out to the masses.
      How flexible is Pro-D? If teachers weren’t able to join the live session for whatever reasons, would there be opportunity for a pre-recoded webinar to access and take part in? I think this is a great idea and one that would offer educators of all levels to take their own Pro-D into their own hands and hopefully take the initiative and challenges them.

      Great job and thanks for sharing!

      Cheers,

      Jon

    • janetb 8:52 pm on July 30, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      Hi Meggan,
      This is an excellent idea! Your elevator pitch was very convincing and got me hooked. The venture pitch was well organized and engaging. I felt it exhibited the following strengths:

      Pain Point – you accurately and clearly identified the pain point. As an educator in rural BC, I related very strongly to the difficulties involved in accessing meaningful pro-d.

      Solution – Moving pro-d to technology makes sense – and saves cents; personalizing it makes it meaningful.

      Differentiation/Competition – You very clearly laid out the existing competition, of lack thereof, and how The Pro-D Room is different. I felt the online options for accessing the pro-d provided a range of choices to individual or groups of teachers.

      Market – Your market was clear.

      The Team – Your personal expertise and the areas of experience listed in your team gave me confidence that you could deliver the product.

      I have two suggestions for making an excellent proposal even better.

      While you stated the instructors would be well vetted by your team, you did not include a plan for how you would find those instructors. As identifying and hiring those instructors would be a key component of the success of the business, I would have liked more information on how you would advertise or market for those instructors.

      You referred to “Start-up Costs” but did not identify how much those costs might be, nor when the investor might expect a return. I realize you plan to take a year to establish the initial course options, but you did not indicate how long after that you might expect to start making a profit.

      Overall, I would definitely be interested in investing in this venture. It identifies a need, a unique and innovative solution, a strong market, and a strong team. This is a very exciting proposal with a great deal of potential.

      Janet

    • Claire Burgoyne 4:29 pm on July 31, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      Hi Meggan,
      Your Pro-D Room pitch is well done. Early on in your presentation you describe pro-D as required and irrelevant to individual teachers. Isn’t school and district organized professional development meant to assist teachers in reaching goals established by administration in consultation with teachers? It’s my understanding that each school has a pro-D committee that works to define relevant topics and provide worthwhile workshops for teachers. Teachers currently have access to professional development of their choice although the opportunity to access funds for these options is limited. Pro-D Room’s low cost offerings are a plus and with them being offered online they can easily be accessed by teachers everywhere.

      Claire

    • Leonora Zefi 3:58 am on August 2, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      Hi Megan,
      Thank you for sharing your venture idea.
      The clarity and your enthusiasm make your pitch very effective Megan.

      Concept
      This is a great concept and I like how you have included selection criteria for the teachers showing that this is a quality offer. You have identified a unique need and a solution to address it effectively. The flexible delivery format makes Pro D Room a very marketable offering
      You have obviously thought about a variety of marketing the venture and judging by your analysis of the need and numbers of teachers who need Pro D either for personal/professional growth and/or to meet the regulatory professional organizations. While it sounds like an interesting idea to generate more business, I would have liked to see a bit more explanation about this idea that “For every course that an instructor teaches they will be given free access to another course of their choice, as well as a commission for every student who successfully completes the course.”
      Marketability
      Well supported and researched arguments for the future market opportunities for Pro D Room. You have also differentiated your venture from the competition quite clearly.

      Venture Plan
      Your plan is clearly outlined Megan, however, it would have been helpful to include a few more details about the financials.

      Great work.
      Thanks,
      Leonora

    • lisamallen 10:57 am on August 2, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      Well Done Megan,

      I enjoyed both your elevator and paper venture pitch. Clearly, your venture serves a need in the market and I think you’ve detailed it accurately and convincingly! I would for sure invest. The only weakness that I could see here is the details on the finances. What’s in it for the investor? How do I, as an investor make money on this? I know it’s hard to detail everything within the time/ word limits for this assignment, but touching on that information would have been helpful to investors (and made your pitch more thorough.)

      Well done,

      Lisa

    • maybacon 12:17 pm on August 2, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      Hi Meggan,

      Wonderful venture and pitches!

      The Elevator Pitch: The venture concept was clear, concise and interesting, making it evident that you are knowledgeable about the market, passionate about the field of education and willing to partner with people of expertise in order to deliver a useful service. Not only would I want to invest in The Pro-D Room, I would want to use the service!

      The Venture Pitch: The idea of working alongside potential competitors or fulfilling a niche they have left unexplored is a very useful idea. I was actually quite surprised that nothing similar to this venture exists, because this makes professional development both more valuable and interesting for the educator.

      One concern I have is with the payment for student completion method, as it implies that student failure is the educator’s “fault”. While a large percentage of failures most likely indicates a problem with the educator, it is normal that some students might not pass a course for a number of reasons unrelated to the teacher’s abilities, and this might be an interesting area to research before launching the service. Regardless, this is a very small point of contention in an otherwise stellar idea.

      I am also wondering where profits go… back into the company (as in a not-for-profit) or to shareholders? As an investor, I would like to know whether I am investing for social return (which there would be much of with such an idea) or for monetary gains.

      Excellent idea, great pitches!

      May

    • ping 12:28 pm on August 2, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      Hi Meggan,

      I like your pitch, it’s very lucid and passionate. You make your venture differentiated from others by focusing on the submarket of personalized learning for teachers, it’s very strategic! I like your description of solution and market in your venture pitch. You seem to be well prepared for this idea and ready for market challenges. One of my concern is that where your course modules will be created. Will you & your team create modules by yourselves (like a press house), or will you make a platform to host courses from other educational sources)? I think content creation is essential for a venture like Pro-D, so I would hope to know more about R&D aspects of your venture to be ensure your productivity and competition. What will distinguish your courses from training courses for general purpose? For the financial parts, the “Ask” is not quite clear to me, as well as the charging model for return. With these informations you could convince me to make an investment to this prospective venture. Good Luck Maggan!

      Ping

    • chrisaitken 1:10 am on August 3, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      Hi Megan

      Great idea. Your concept is a way of providing professional development that I would like to be a part of. I wonder how comfortable school administrators would be in allowing teachers to choose their own courses. Some would be, others may not. I think there is a lot of potential here.

    • Chelsea M Woods 9:40 am on August 3, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      Hi Meggan, I love your idea and your elevator pitch sells it effectively. I was interested in your statement that courses can be one day long, and would have liked to hear more about credits for teachers and course categorization (how do you deal with varying levels of content and interaction?). Great idea, thank you!
      Chelsea

    • danishaw 10:36 am on August 4, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      Meggan,
      You have provided a venture that has great potential and is very current as it seems that parts of it could follow the open educational movement. Depending on the geographical location of educators, professional development varies. What might be required within one province/country might differ considerably. This being said, I do believe that once you have a great deal of content ready to be delivered to educators, the potential to customize to find individual needs of districts might be a potential avenue. One aspect that could have supported your analysis or pitch would be to include a sample of what a course might look like. Furthermore, you do mention that educators request pd opportunities that vary in content however a graph of surveyed educators stating within certain areas could also narrow down such broad subject. Simply leaving it as “PD” might be too ambitious for a start-up company. Overall, I enjoyed watching and reading your ideas. All the best,
      Danielle

  • Dave Horn 10:51 pm on July 28, 2012
    0 votes
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    Tags: etec522, mobile learning, teacher-training   

    Hi and welcome to E3 Consulting. We specialize in building mobile e-Learning programs and training for educators, and are actively working to re-shape the mobile e-Learning market. Take a look at our introductory Elevator-pitch video to find out more. If you are interested in possible venture opportunities, read our Venture Pitch for further details. A […]

    Continue reading Hi and welcome to E3 Consulting. We spec… Posted in: Venture Forum
     

    • Meggan Crawford 6:06 pm on July 30, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      Hi Dave,

      I think that your focus on mobile devices is very fitting for the current educational technology market! This is certainly an area with potential for growth in the next several years. I thought that the tone of your pitch was very professional, though you spent quite a while explaining mobile learning, which was good information, but did not tell me specifically about your venture.

      I am interested in the venture itself, as the market is strong and there is interest in the area. I am curious how you plan to work around the built in teacher dislike of mobile devices – is there anything other than teacher training? As well, do teachers pay for the training or is it included with your company’s consultations?

      Nice work, thanks for sharing the ideas!
      -Meggan

      • Dave Horn 11:05 pm on July 30, 2012 | Log in to Reply

        One of the strategies I am taking with teachers and mobile devices is to actually have all of my teachers have one and we have provided several initial training sessions plus in school support teams. Training would involve not only the whole school, but also building up a team at each school to peer-mentor and then we could provided on going training and program development. The school/school board would pay for the training, though I do see potential in offering extra courses for teachers who were particularly keen, could be a great way to accumulate new staff and contacts.

        Dave

    • shawn harris 9:58 pm on July 30, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      Hi Dave,

      Thanks for sharing your pitches. Thought you did a great job like all of us. It was nice to see the man himself speaking about the venture as this adds some amount of credibility. The voice over was very clear and so too the lighting. I do agree with you that many of our youths own a device or two. I would say, too many! The concept was clear and its features.
      I do notice you did not mention your marketing team.

      You spoke about the potential investment, market share, I would certainly love to hear more about global market to make a decision on investment.

      ~ Shawn

      • Dave Horn 11:07 pm on July 30, 2012 | Log in to Reply

        Thanks for the feedback. I can’t actually tease my students about mobile devices as I border on owning too many as well. The trick is to find ways to make use of them and then they become less of a distraction.

        Dave

    • Donna Forward 11:48 pm on July 30, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      Hello Dave,

      I like how you presented a reflection along with your venture pitch. It gave me an idea of where you were coming from and how this idea could actually become a reality.

      I felt that your Elevator pitch was clear and genuine but a little “over the minute time limit”. I would liked to have received more details about the future of your venture and yearly goals.

      All in all a good venture and you have definitely found an investment area that hasn’t been tapped.

      Donna

      • Dave Horn 11:47 am on August 1, 2012 | Log in to Reply

        I know it was over the minute mark, I had practiced speech without filming and was around the 1:05 mark, but for some reason seemed to be slower on camera. Definitely something to work on.
        Thanks for the feedback.
        Dave

    • Kenton Hemsing 9:46 am on July 31, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      Hi Dave,

      As an investor I would have to say that I am interested in your initial proposition, however, I am wondering why there was no mention of the partnership with Mindstorms in your elevator pitch. That partnership with your company seems pretty important and as an investor, I worry when you say that Mindstorms can pull out of the agreement early. I think to rest my mind at ease, your company would need to secure a long term contract with Mindstorms to ensure that the venture is able to reach its full potential before having something devastating happen like Mindstorm withdrawing. Three years seems a little short to give your services time to reach their full potential.

      Also, I am a bit confused with the end product that your company is providing. Are you providing only mobile e-learning solutions and support or are you providing a BYOD learning support? Perhaps a combination of both? I think if I were to invest, I would like to see your company provide services specific to the institutions you are servicing, be it either an e-learning platform and support or BYOD. Also, I would like to see long term contracts signed with the institutions that you are providing your solutions to and services available to them once the contracts are completed at additional cost.

      All in all, your idea is good, but I would need to know more about the long term future of E^3 before signing over my $250,000.

      Thanks,
      Kenton Hemsing

      • Dave Horn 11:51 am on August 1, 2012 | Log in to Reply

        Hi Kenton

        I had originally made note of my partnership with Mindstorm, but then was trying to cut down word length, which still ended up being too long once on film, but should have found a way to keep it as the partnership is important.
        It was definitely a guess on how long a partnership with Mindstorm should/would reasonably make sense, and as I consider it now I think I would have mentioned the option to approach several other companies, which make similar products as a secondary option.
        The goal was to provide both plans,support, and training for mobile e-Learning so it appears I need to make that clearer.
        Thanks for the very useful feedback.

        Dave

    • Claire Burgoyne 6:20 pm on July 31, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      Hi Dave,
      The E3 Consulting venture with its focus on using mobile devices for quality educational purposes is certainly targeting a growing market in education. Personalized learning and the need for students to develop 21st century skills are also hot topics. You captured my attention but didn’t fully describe what you’re marketing and how E3 Consulting satisfies the challenge of assisting educators in allowing for personalized learning options or the development of skills.

      Claire

    • gregcamp 8:28 pm on July 31, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      Hi Dave, the market you are entering is very large and as an investor this is what I like to see. You appear to be a great fit for the role of CEO and I agree that mobile devives will become more common and accepted in the near future and it appears that your venture is well positioned to take advantage of this. I would have liked for you to mention your partnership in your elevator pitch as this would be very interesting for an investor to know. I am interested in investing in your venture but need some more information on what exactly your product is and how as an investor I make money.

      Cheers,

      Greg

      • Dave Horn 11:53 am on August 1, 2012 | Log in to Reply

        Thanks for the feedback, I will definitely be working on the clarity of the products/services and how investors can make money.

        Dave

    • Denise 10:44 am on August 1, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      HI Dave,

      I thought you came across as defintely good CEO material in your elevator pitch! It was punchy and passionate and I was ready to read on with the venture pitch.

      In reading the venture pitch I thoguht your clear and succinct approach was engagng. I also liked your personal signoff at the end like a letter. If I understood you correctly the company is offering services and product which is a bonus for the invevstor. The relationship with Mindstorms seemed to be a separate venture? and it was good you raised the risks of losing their partnership and involvement. I did start to feel like this was a significant risk, but your argument about the “vast potentials” won me back.

      I would certainly be considering investing and would want to know more.
      Great pitches!
      denise

      • Dave Horn 11:55 am on August 1, 2012 | Log in to Reply

        The partnership with Mindstorm was to allow us to provide schools the opportunity to create a more immersive and interactive environment along with the mobile-e-learning program.
        I think I would re-adjust the partnership issue, with a back up plan of seeking partnerships with other companies, which produced similar products.
        Thanks for the feedback.

        Dave

    • HJDeW 6:02 pm on August 2, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      Dave, I was impressed with your elevator pitch. You presented your product with clarity and passion. What it may have lacked in detail, it made up in your obvious commitment to the concept.

      I read in your responses that the actual ‘items’ that are being ‘sold’ are plans, support and training for educators to use mobile devices within their teaching practice. I can agree that this holds immense potential and would impact classrooms and teaching across the country. For that reason, I propose that you take your venture to the Colleges of teachers in each jurisdiction or even to the union leaders since there could be benefit from partnering with the organizations to whom you wish to market your product.
      Helen

    • Dave Horn 11:37 am on August 3, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      I really like that idea of the college of teachers and unions, thanks.

      Dave

    • Danielle Dubien 4:02 pm on August 3, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      Hi Dave,

      You mention that schools are currently not meeting the needs of students. I know that kids are generally not learning math properly, and from the research I’ve seen, it’s primary teachers’ lack of knowledge and confidence in math and educational psychology that leads kids, especially girls, to do poorly in math and science. Technology programs aren’t going to change that.

      As for literacy problems, the best solution I’ve seen is to get kids to develop the habit of reading regularly on their own time in a way that they enjoy it. The kids who were by far the strongest in my classes in spelling, composition and general knowledge were those who had a thirst for reading.

      It’s easy to say that devices increase engagement, motivation, communication and creativity. However, this is a broad, sweeping statement that without proof and explanation is unconvincing to me. Supposing schools that use your services don’t show improvement in students’ results, your company could lose a lot of credibility. I understand that you’ll be doing research on the use of interactive surfaces in education. That’s great. For it to be convincing, I would have to be sure that the methodology used is sound and that you can explain in detail how different aspects of your e-learning programs improve learning. Specificity is important.

      If your venture is about helping schools to integrate the use of mobile devices into their programs, then I would have liked to hear specifics about well-designed implementation plans that take into account the needs of your various potential clients. I need to know how you would assess the needs of a rural public school with a small amount of students versus a college with enrollment in the thousands. That said, I’m glad your plan is to increase your market gradually while making revisions as necessary.

      You’ve presented a graph showing the number of students enrolled in online courses, but your venture seems to be about in-class use of technology which would be in competition for online courses. That graph could be an indication that the students who want to use technology are leaving face-to-face environments, and that those who are still in class are more the type who would prefer traditional teaching methods. Therefore, the use of that graph to support your venture is unclear.

      Good luck with your venture. I’m not interested in investing, but if you enhance your presentation, I’m confident that you’ll find someone else who will support you.

      Cheers,
      Dan

      • Dave Horn 8:14 pm on August 4, 2012 | Log in to Reply

        Hi Dan

        Thanks for the great feedback. I fully agree that Technology is no magic bullet that will suddenly make kids who were struggling have no problems. That’s why one of the main services was going to be teacher training and development, both on technology but embedded into that are pedagogical shifts. Clearly something I need to make more evident.
        Assessing the needs of the schools, would have been accomplished through our initial assessments of the current programs, infrastructure and goals for the school. One of the advantages to a flexible consulting company is the ability to customize to the needs of the user.

        Thanks again.

        Dave

  • troos 6:29 pm on July 28, 2012
    0 votes
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    Tags: educational technology, , professional development,   

    In Ed-Tech Pro-D, I provide an opportunity for teachers who may not wish to complete a degree in educational technology an opportunity to participate in some extended professional development within a community of practice.  Please find my venture pitch and elevator pitch embedded below. Tim Venture Pitch: Elevator Pitch:

    Continue reading Ed-Tech Pro-D: Professional Development for Educators in Educational Technology Posted in: Venture Forum
     

    • Jody McKinnon 4:49 pm on July 30, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      Hi Tim. I was very impressed with your presentation and the amount of detail that you have put into it. I am not in BC so I was a shocked to see that much investment in PD! I have no idea what it is here in Ontario, but my guess is that is less! You have tapped into a much needed area. PD is not that enjoyable anymore and you have identified those pain points so well. I think this idea has lots of potential. My only real criticism is the music in the longer pitch. I was not a fan of it. Otherwise, good job.

      Good luck

      Jody

      • troos 4:51 pm on August 3, 2012 | Log in to Reply

        Hi Jody:

        Thanks for your comments. I think you would be surprised at the amount spent on PD in Ontario. I suppose I chose the music based on personal taste but should have thought more about broader appeal.
        Tim

    • Yves Mainville 11:25 am on July 31, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      Hi Tim,

      I am very impressed with your presentation and I think it holds great value. The pitches were very slick and thorough. I think the team makeup is win-win and will prove to be a huge asset to this venture.
      I was sold at pain point #2!
      I thought there were many commonalities with the EduNexus pitch and I am sure they would like to explore partnership possibilities.
      The use of ‘pain points’ was clever and really helped sell the concept.
      I am comforted by the clear direction of the company, the thoroughness of the presentation and feel like my investment would be a solid one.

      Count me in.

      • troos 4:54 pm on August 3, 2012 | Log in to Reply

        Yves:

        Thanks for your support. I think there were several ventures in the area of professional development that had similar slants but individual strengths. They would all do well to amalgamate these strengths into one venture.

        Tim

    • dmcinnes 2:13 pm on July 31, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      Tim,
      Your pitches are thorough and clear. Seems like you have a good concept. Amongst my peer teachers, technology training is always the area that they seem to be missing or wanting. There is an attitude that teachers should go out and just get trained themselves (self-serve style) to teach in the 21st century, but for many technology training is very intimidating. That is why the individualized coaching and guidance would be helpful. I don’t think I am convinced to invest, but I might be on the fence.
      As Jody mentioned, the accordion music in the venture pitch was killing me! 😉
      Overall well done!
      David McInnes

      • troos 4:56 pm on August 3, 2012 | Log in to Reply

        David:

        Sorry about the music. I guess I am just not in touch with what would have a broader appeal. I was trying to find something that would make the listener relax to some extent but still stay engaged. Maybe lowering the volume would have helped.

        Tim

    • kimnoel 1:22 pm on August 1, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      Hi Tim,

      Well done! Your elevator pitch sounds great – have you considered a career in media? Ha!

      Professional development for teachers in technology is an area that is certainly lacking, and I think that you have a viable venture here. If only teachers could get a day for their online professional development!

      Smiles, Kim

      • troos 4:58 pm on August 3, 2012 | Log in to Reply

        Hi Kim:

        Thanks for your supportive words. With the amount of time it took me to put this together, I don’t think anybody is about to request my services in media. :-). Time would certainly be the limiting factor in getting teachers to participate in this venture.

        Tim

    • Dennis Pratt 8:08 pm on August 1, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      Tim;

      As the others have mentioned it iis obvious that you have put a great deal of thought and planning into this venture and it could be up and running in no time. Teachers are always looking for simple solutions with ready-made plans where they can implement what they learn as soon as they leave a professional development session. I see this working across BC and then into other provinces, as well. I would like to know more about the product itself and maybe see some examples of the professional development your team has planned for these teachers. Overall, great work and I hope to see the venture in full swing somewhere down the line.

      Dennnis

    • Danielle 5:58 am on August 2, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      Hi Tim,

      This is a fabulous venture and the thoroughness of your of your research and the professionalism of your presentation has me convined. I think the ProD issue is a global problem and I feel we face many of the same issues you mention where I live. I really like your advisory team and I think with a little market research among teachers and distracts, you have a winning venture! Well done!

      Danielle

    • jtpatry 11:15 am on August 2, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      Hey Tim,

      Very well done Elevator and Venture pitch, uber professional for sure! I truly believe that Professional Development offered in this particular manner would be something that teachers and other professionals would be wiling to commit to. You mention wikis and blogs for teachers to access, would ProD have a webinar data bank that could also be used to view for various PD opportunities?

      Thanks for sharing and good luck!

      Jon

      • troos 5:05 pm on August 3, 2012 | Log in to Reply

        Hey Jon:

        I believe you have suggested a great addition to the services offered by my venture. webinars would be an excellent way of connecting with many teachers and demonstrating methods and resources online. Thanks,
        Tim

    • sheza 11:35 am on August 2, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      Hi Tim!
      Very professional elevator and venture pitch. Your elevator picth was clearly designed with the investor in mind and you captured my interest by your very straight-forward display of diagrams and statements that related to the venture’s success. Even though I was slightly confused about how the venture would make its money (as usually online communities of practice are open-resources) I was still interested to move onto your venture pitch where I then got this answer. I especially see the need for your venture since you are right in stating that much of PD learning is reduced to flash-in-the-pan ideas.

      All the best!

      Sheza

      • troos 5:07 pm on August 3, 2012 | Log in to Reply

        Thanks Sheza. It is difficult to fit all you want to say into the one minute time slot for the elevator pitch. I guess the point is to choose what will most likely capture the attention of and convince an average investor.
        Tim

    • mackenzie 4:37 pm on August 2, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      Great job I loved the clarity. I was pleased with the visuals including the embedded video in your presentation, I wish the music was different but you can’t have everything. I was wondering how much money was necessary to achieve your goals and how long it would take to get my initial investment back. Are you an educator yourself or are you going to be a CEO full time. Professional development is a problem and I like your solution, I was I knew more about what types of resources you would offer.

      • troos 5:12 pm on August 3, 2012 | Log in to Reply

        Steve:

        You picked out my weak areas. 🙁 I had a hard time putting a monetary value on exactly what I would need. It would depend on a host of factors and would take significant market research to determine. You are the third person to comment on the music so I’m convinced I need to do a better job at selecting something more appealing. Thanks for your supportive comments.

        Tim

    • Bridget 5:56 pm on August 2, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      Hi Tim,

      Thank you for sharing your pitches and after reviewing your elevator pitch I have the follow comments.

      I like the way you stated your concern at the very beginning concerning the insufficiency of current PD. I enjoyed your presentation and the way that you had your picture beside the diagrams in the introduction. However, I sometimes did not know where to look and I had to go back and re-watch it a few times to get a clear of what you were proposing.

      Listing the fact that there are three other managers was great except I found myself wanting to know a name or see a face.

      I also found myself wondering why you were looking for an investor if there is $40 000 000 available from the BC government for education. I understand that they might be backing you in some way but I would suggest being more specific in how they are supporting you financially.

      Bridget

      • troos 5:18 pm on August 3, 2012 | Log in to Reply

        Thanks Bridget:

        I felt that depending on the type of listener, they could either focus on the animated graphics or on the video and get the same information. I undertand your concern regarding the distraction of trying to follow both. Regardig the management team, I guess I felt I had gone far enough in creating a fictitious venture with me as CEO with a management team. Creating personalities and faces for these team members certainly would have added to the presentation. I think my venture pitch at the end outlines my needs for the investment. I would have initial setup costs for webspace, hardware and software, marketing, technical expertise, and office space among other things. Thanks for your helpful comments,
        Tim

    • toddpowell 10:54 pm on August 5, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      Tim,
      The amount of effort and detail that you put into your pitch was amazing. Very well done. You had me at hello, as a fellow BC teacher!! I believe that a project such as this has so much validity, especially with the battle that we are facing today!!

      Cheers,
      Todd

  • karonw 5:48 pm on July 28, 2012
    0 votes
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    Welcome to Blackboard Virtual (Blackboard Virtual is the venture that was developed by Karon Wong) – a venture specifically designed to facilitate and develop skills and knowledge learners need in a virtual setting, Blackboard Virtual promotes better teacher‐student interaction through a real‐time, collaborative educational platform where users can post comments, initiate discussions, enter a chatroom, […]

    Continue reading Blackboard Virtual Posted in: Venture Forum
     

    • unclereg 10:35 pm on July 30, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      Hello Karon,

      I was a little unsure as to what this idea was designed to do. I’m out of the loop when it comes to smartphones (I don’t own a cell phone) so I’m guessing Blackboard is a pre-existing company and you’ve created a new mock additional program for it called ‘virtual’. I think this idea needs an accompanied picture or mock screen shot, or described scenario in which this program can be applied. I think the use of a phone app is smart because phones are everywhere and this could be a popular program….I’m just not sure of all the features it allows.

      Thanks.
      -Regen

      • karonw 12:26 pm on July 31, 2012 | Log in to Reply

        Hi Regen,

        Thank you for your feedback, Blackboard Virtual is a mobile application that performs virtual classrooms via a mobile device rather than through a computer as more people carry a cellular around in comparison to a laptop.

        More details in regards to my venture can be obtained through my venture proposition.

        Thank you for reviewing my venture.

        Best,
        Karon Wong

    • vawells 2:04 am on July 31, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      Hi Karon

      I really enjoyed viewing your elevator pitch. Neat idea using a smartphone as the delivery tool! Your idea of capitalizing on the mobile market and smartphones is a realistic venture that would certainly have a niche in the market. I am a little unclear as to what you are offering though. Would the features of Blackboard all be accessible and fully functional on the mobile device?

      Good luck with your future ventures

      Valerie

      • karonw 12:43 pm on July 31, 2012 | Log in to Reply

        Hi Valerie,

        Thank you for your feedback. As indicated in my venture proposition Blackboard Virtual was specifically designed to facilitate and develop skills and knowledge learners need in a virtual setting (just like virtual classrooms e.g. elluminate live but instead of via a computer it is accessible through a mobile device), Blackboard Virtual promotes better teacher‐student interaction through a real‐time, collaborative educational platform where users can post comments, initiate discussions, enter a
        chatroom, upload media files, pictures and files, perform mobile conferencing (like face time) with their mobile devices, and voice authorizing. All the other products that Blackboard have can be paired up with this mobile application as Blackboard’s products are all made web accessible so as long as the mobile device have a dataplan or has access to wifi it can access all its products.

        Karon

    • Deborah S 10:16 am on July 31, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      Hi Karon,
      I enjoyed your elevator pitch and thought it was great that you delivered your pitch from inside your device. Clever! I’m still a bit unclear as to what your product or service is.

      I thought your venture pitch was well laid out and liked the use of colour in the subheadings. I thought the description of the problem could have been a bit stronger as I wasn’t sure what need your company was filling. As an EVA, I would have also liked more detailed information on the services that your competition is currently providing to assess how your product or service is different from theirs.

      Good job!

      Deborah

      • karonw 12:36 pm on July 31, 2012 | Log in to Reply

        Hi Deborah,

        Thank you for taking the time to review my venture pitch. I tried to showcase how virtual applications would work for a mobile device, hence I have came up with the idea of using a mobile device as a frame for my venture pitch. It was very unfortunate that when I provided all the details to my venture pitch no matter how fast I spoke or how I tried to trim it down with the core details included it still went over 1 minute long. Hence, I had decided to provide a venture pitch that gives a general overview of the current problem, the solution and the main winning point it has compared to its competitors while trying to provide the details in my proposition. The idea was to move virtual classrooms into a mobile device as mobile devices are more common to be carried around, therefore it will be more convenient for learners to access their courses and collaborate with one another live.

        Thanks for your suggestions!
        Karon

    • gillian 9:20 pm on July 31, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      Hi Karon,
      What a great elevator pitch – presenting a mobile venture via a mobile device is genius – you should pitch it to Blackboard! I was impressed that you were able to maintain eye-contact throughout your pitch and although a little fast – you were able to communicate the important parts of your venture.
      As for your venture pitch, however, I am afraid I am in agreement with other comments – I am not sure what your venture is. My understanding from your pitch is that Blackboard Virtual already exists … what are you proposing that is new? Am I wrong in my understanding?
      gillian

    • karonw 10:05 pm on July 31, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      Hi Gillian,

      Thank you for your feedback. Blackboard Virtual is what I am proposing it is a mobile application that performs mobile conferencing which is like virtual classrooms done via the mobile device. And no, Blackboard Virtual does not exist it was a venture that I have came up with. Blackboard is a big corporation and have many products including Blackboard collaborate, blackboard transact, blackboard connect, blackboard analytics, blackboard engage and blackboard mobile. However, blackboard mobile is not the same as blackboard virtual as blackboard mobile is just accessing information via the mobile device which is no different than just loading webct on a browser through the mobile device while the venture that I came up with was virtual classrooms offered through a mobile device. My venture proposition attached to this post has more details, please feel free to review it.

      Thanks,
      Karon Wong

    • kimnoel 1:30 pm on August 1, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      Hi Karon,

      Nice pitch and I love your venture idea. To be able to use your smartphone would be fantastic, and I think most users would consider it a valuable purchase.

      My biggest concern would be using the small screen on the phone. It would seem that this would be used mostly to check for assignment, grades, comments etc., rather than actually working in discussion forums, etc.

      Well done!
      Smiles, Kim

      • karonw 10:48 pm on August 3, 2012 | Log in to Reply

        Hi Kim,

        Thank you for your feedback. The small screen on the phone was put into consideration for this venture, hence Blackboard Virtual was made available to smartphones, including Blackberries, Androids, iPhone OS and devices such as the iPod touch, iPad and webOS as well .

        Karon

    • Danielle 5:39 am on August 2, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      Hi Karon,

      I am impressed with the presentation of your pitches – very professional. I am also impressed with how your company has been working with “thousands” of organizations, etc, and in 70 countries. Investors are not going to feel as great of a risk with that kind of background. My only suggestion would be to differentiate your product. What is particularly novel and innovative about this venture compared to the wider market, what are some of the challenges, and how will I gain from this from an investor’s point of view? I think you have done an excellent job with this presention, though I think I would need a little more information before diving in.

      Danielle

      • karonw 10:58 pm on August 3, 2012 | Log in to Reply

        Hi Danielle,

        Thank you for the feedback. The main feature that Blackboard Virtual offers compared to its competitors is mobile conferencing. Although, all its competitors have similar educational mobile applications Blackboard Virtual is the first to have mobile conferencing, which is bringing a virtual classroom to a mobile device. Mobile conferencing for a course can bring people closer together. Although students do not attend the class by physically being there, they render more mutual support and develop better learning relationships. The virtual classroom is
        no different than a real classroom as students will be able to see and hear one another with face-to-face interaction. Yet, less progressive students do not have to feel intimated in front of a class but can comfortably pose their questions onto the discussion forum or in the chatroom. By investing in Blackboard Virtual, your institution will be recognized by its unparallelled success which would lead to higher rates of enrollment in the programs being offered by your institution and in return you will have an increase in your revenue.

        Karon

    • troos 2:03 pm on August 2, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      Hello Karon:

      The Blackboard Virtual venture you propose sounds like a viable and valuable proposition. Its too bad you couldn’t slow down your presentation somewhat to make it clearer. It may have helped to provide some graphics in your presentation that help focus the listener on all the different aspects you are addressing. Although I found your presentation through the smartphone a neat idea, it would be nice if it was a little larger, using more of the available screen space. I certainly appreciate what you are trying to do with your venture in making learing more mobile and accessible. Great job.

      Tim

      • karonw 11:01 pm on August 3, 2012 | Log in to Reply

        Hi Tim,

        Thank you for the feedback! Unfortunately, when I uploaded my elevator pitch to YouTube it got compressed pretty badly and the video turned out half the size it was supposed to be.

        Karon

    • Bridget 5:58 pm on August 2, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      Hi Karon,

      Thank you for sharing your pitches and after reviewing your elevator pitch I have the follow comments.

      You hooked me from the beginning with the video within the video and I was instantly curious about what you had to say. The iphone instantly told me that what your company was offering would most likely have to do with mobile technology. I think it would have been fun to make it go deeper with the video inside the video inside the video etc. but I am not sure how technologically challenging this might be.

      However, the quality of the audio made it difficult to hear and there were not any diagrams or flow charts to help with the explanation of your venture. I understand that it is an app to aid in online learning but it is not clear as to how it will help.

      Bridget

      • karonw 11:06 pm on August 3, 2012 | Log in to Reply

        Hi Bridget,

        Thank you for your feedback. Blackboard Virtual is the first to have mobile conferencing, which is bringing a virtual classroom to a mobile device. Mobile conferencing for a course can bring people closer together. Although students do not attend the class by physically being there, they render more mutual support and develop better learning relationships. The virtual classroom is no different than a real classroom as students will be able to see and hear one another with face-to-face interaction. Yet, less progressive students do not have to feel intimated in front of a class but can comfortably pose their questions onto the discussion forum or in the chatroom.

        Karon

    • Dennis Pratt 9:01 pm on August 2, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      Karon;

      I like the idea, especially as I have gone mobile over the last few years. I like to have all my favourite programs and web pages on mobile as well as on the computer. It just makes everything smoother and easier one it is set up for mobile devices. I can see Blackboard going this way in the near future. As others eluded to, I would like to know more about the issue you are trying to solve in the elevator pitch. Good work, though.

      Dennis

      • karonw 11:14 pm on August 3, 2012 | Log in to Reply

        Hi Dennis,

        Thank you for your feedback. Due to the unavailability of laptops and inaccessibility to internet connection, learners are more likely to be disengaged and unmotivated with their learning. Blackboard Virtual was designed to be available through any mobile device. While many mobile applications performs nothing more than just online learning where information is pulled off from the browser, Blackboard Virtual was designed to offer the benefits of synchronicity and engage interactivity, the mobile conferencing feature would support teacher-student and student-student relationships, enhancement on students’ motivation and interaction.

        Karon

    • toddpowell 10:59 pm on August 5, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      Karon,
      Your presentation was very well done, and kept my attention. A couple of issues that were brought to my mind was, what do you intend to do with the students in the class who can’t afford smartphones, parents won’t buy them smartphones, etc. I just have a fear that this is creating a little bit of a have-vs-have not situation.

      Cheers,
      Todd

  • Brian H 11:12 am on July 28, 2012
    0 votes
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    Tags: , , , ,   

    Electronic Classroom Solutions Welcome to ECS, a startup that provides retrofitting software and services to existing student management systems. We have a successful beta version of our platform that bypasses BCesis’s interface and that of other SMS’s. We pride ourselves on bringing aesthetics, usability and efficiency to existing platforms– all while saving education systems millions. Elevator Pitch […]

    Continue reading Electronic Classroom Solutions Welcome t… Posted in: Venture Forum
     

    • Meggan Crawford 6:32 pm on July 30, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      Hi Brian,

      As a potential investor I am very interested in your venture. There are often platforms that need adjustments made, rather than replacement, and I am curious to see how ECS would manage those daunting tasks.

      I think that the key to your venture is keeping the retrofits of the platforms simple – if these new tools require a great deal of training or cause a lot of frustration ECS is not likely to thrive. If, however, these retrofits improve access to and use of existing tools they are worthwhile. At the same time, there is likely to be some negative reaction to these retrofits, as some teachers will likely balk at the idea of having to learn a new interface. My key question about your venture is how a new ‘face’ for a program can make it into something that meets the needs of schools, governments, etc. For example, you give the example of BCesis and how it has not met the needs/goals of any party, but how will a retrofit make it suddenly work? This may be my lack of programming knowledge, but I am curious nonetheless!

      Other than that, it was great to see your short and long term goals as it clearly laid out the direction that ECS hopes to take. It might help to give a bit more context for how these goals will be met (i.e. how do you overcome competition to become the leader!).

      Great work – thanks for sharing the ideas!
      -Meggan
      p.s. You probably want to check the spelling of opportunity at the 15second mark of your venture pitch 🙂 (Now Fixed–Brian)

    • Donna Forward 11:04 pm on July 30, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      Hello Brian,

      You really have a great idea here. I know that BCesis is not well liked by many teachers and you offer a good money saving venture that is very convincing. I believe that you could actually make a go at this. You have really done your homework and researched this topic well. Your argument for the company is truly credible.

      If I had to be picky, there was one point during your presentation where the music was louder than your voice and I had to strain to follow but otherwise, a very professional presentation.

      I would invest in Electronic Classroom Solutions!

      Donna

      (Typo fixed in Video)

    • gregcamp 8:33 pm on July 31, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      Hi Brian, as an investor and teacher I am interested in learning more about your product as it sounds like you have a great idea that has real merit. The difficulty I see if having the ministry or school boards by into your idea. Great job

      Greg

    • Allan 11:50 pm on July 31, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      Hi Brian,

      As an investor, this is a very impressive presentation, and I am interested in investing in your product!

      I like the concept and business plan of ECS as a startup that provides retrofitting software and services to existing student management systems. Your elevator and venture pitches is really convincing in showing ECS as a successful platform that bypasses BCesis’s interface and that of other SMS’s.

      The presentations were very energetic presentation – music is important – and you brought out the best of your slides and statistics. Your argument is also convincing — the fact that you did some really hard good research on the BC Government is fantastic – I’m glad you touched on its need for an alternative – the government is a good buyer.

      Your technology is also a great validation — open source. It’s a low-cost effective technology, and efficient with low overhead costs. I especially am impressed by your 3-5 year picture. As an investor, knowing that ECS has a chance to prosper in a $7.5 million dollar market, as you pointed out, assures some of my hesitations and piques my curiosity as an investor.

      Well done!
      Allan

    • Denise 10:25 am on August 1, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      HI Brian,

      I too was impressed with your elevator and venture pitch. Both were punchy and the music really did generate a passion for the venture. I enjoyed “meeting” you in the elevator pitch and so felt really comforatable watching the venture pitch without seeing you again.

      I thought you answered painpoint, solution, differentiation and really provided a clear idea of ask and return as well as convincing about the team.

      I am not from Canada and so don’t know a lot about BCesis, but your pitches made me very keen to learn more and considering investing. You emphasised partnerships and opportunities that made the venure seem less risky too.

      Denise

    • Kenton Hemsing 12:30 pm on August 1, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      Hi Brian,

      You have put together a fantastic, effective and well researched pitch for your company. I am interested in learning more about how you are going to retrofit and make the student information systems more user friendly and intuitive for the end users. I thought that you did a great job in creating a rock solid reason, solution and expansion opportunity for your company. Well done.

      However, as this topic is a bit out of my expertise, I feel that I could not invest without doing a lot more research myself and totally understanding the market you are venturing into, nothing to do with any weaknesses in your pitches.

      Thanks,
      Kenton

    • Danielle Dubien 6:51 pm on August 1, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      Hi Brian,
      The quality of your pitches is amazing! Great use of music, pictures and narration!

      You’ve convinced me that there is a financial need for your service.

      You differentiated your own venture well from the others. How do you manage to keep your costs so much lower than those of Pearson? Is it all because of your use of open source products?

      Once your services are used by different clients, what ensures ongoing viability of the venture?

      I wish I knew more about your topic to be able to make more comments. All in all, I think your pitches are extremely done and definitely worth an investment! I would have little, if anything to contribute to your company because I know nothing about the topic, so the only contribution I could make would be financial. It would better serve you to have someone else invest.

      Cheers,
      Dan

      • Brian H 8:00 am on August 3, 2012 | Log in to Reply

        Danielle wrote “How do you manage to keep your costs so much lower than those of Pearson? Is it all because of your use of open source products?”

        Thank you for your questions. We can keep our costs low as our interface is open source and the retrofit software is a simple program that logs the new interface into school’s existing management system. Schools really only pay for a small adapter between the old and new systems rather than a complete overhaul. Training costs are less as the new system is based on web 2.0 standards with the usability consistent to social networking sites.

        Great question!

        Brian

    • mariefrancehetu 3:54 pm on August 2, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      Hello Brian,

      Well done! I think your elevator pitch was well done, you chose your words carefully and rendered your message clearly. Your use of images, video and screen captures was very well-balanced and well-suited to your subject matter.

      Your venture pitch was equally well done, it looked quite professional. The only improvement I could note was the soiund quality, sometimes it sounded as if your recordings were of lower quality, thus providing a less homogenous presentation.

      Your message was clear, your subject well researched. If I were an administrator within a school board I would certainly consider investing in your venture. You cleverly outlined the need and solution and convincingly outlined the gap left by competition.
      I would definetely be interested in meeting with you for further discussions and possible partnerships.

      Cheers!

      Marie-France

    • HJDeW 8:16 am on August 3, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      David, this venture has merit and potential within a BC educational environment, with growth into other SMS locations (eg. Ontario). The look and feel of the product appeared user friendly and intuitive, but I wondered if market research or beta-testing on the ECS environment was conducted?

      Within the elevator pitch, your passion and commitment to the product was evident and compelling. It was good to have your visible presence as a lead-in to the venture information. Nicely done.
      Helen

  • jtpatry 9:44 am on July 28, 2012
    0 votes
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    Tags: , , ,   

    Welcome to KidTweet, a mobile and web-based platform for elementary and middle school teachers and students. Elevator Pitch “KidTweet” The Venture Pitch can be found and read here: JPatryA3VP(KidTweet) Thank you! Jon

    Continue reading KidTweet Posted in: Venture Forum
     

    • vawells 3:01 pm on July 30, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      Hi Jon
      Thank you for sharing such an original useful idea for teachers and students. I can see the uses for this tool in and out of school. I enjoyed viewing your elevator pitch and venture pitch. The visual in the background of your elevator pitch was a good idea and your pitch was delivered with conviction. As you state in your venture pitch more research into startup costs would be needed to establish how much of an investment you would be looking for.
      One suggestion I would make would be to include how this service would make money for me, the investor.
      Again thanks for sharing
      Valerie

      • jtpatry 12:49 pm on July 31, 2012 | Log in to Reply

        Hi Valerie,

        Thanks for the feedback! After viewing many others EP I noticed that they included the money bit. I know I should have included it in my pitch, or something to give it a more profitable boost. I think I got really tied up in the concept itself and how I see the potentials to be an effective tool in education.

        But for sure, I know it missed that bit!

        Thanks again!

        Jon

    • unclereg 10:44 pm on July 30, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      Hello Jon,

      Creative name and application. I do not use twitter and didn’t know of its age restriction. This would be great to implement/offer at the elementary level. I liked the idea you made about students being given a chance to use a more kid-orientated version of twitter to build up social responsibility at a younger age. I would invest in this. Great job. Great delivery.

      -Regen

      • jtpatry 12:53 pm on July 31, 2012 | Log in to Reply

        Regen,

        Thanks for taking a look and throwing your support to the venture. I would really encourage you to take a closer look into joining the Twitterverse. It is a world of 24/7 PD and an expansion of ones current PLN. You don’t have to be contributor to use the tool, you have the flexibility to “follow” those that are worthwhile and have substance. Give it a go, I think you will be pleasantly surprised. You can always set up an account and follow my name @jtpatry and take a look at the educators and professionals that I follow and see what they have to say.

        Cheers,

        Jon

      • unclereg 9:56 pm on August 5, 2012 | Log in to Reply

        Hey Jon,

        In response to my initial posting, here is some more for your idea. Again, I love the idea because I’ve seen a similar twitter page work successfully in the Surrey School district regarding the topic of technology. Thanks for the recommendation to join twitter verse, I’ll be sure to join.

        Prior to your presentation I was not aware that students under 13 were not marketed for twitter use and were also not allowed to use the program. I think this is a great way to get younger students integrated into using these sorts of social media as a way to give them practice and responsibility to appropriately post to a site such as kidtweet. If students are not given proper access then they cannot truly practice concepts as ‘netiquette’. This idea will also give students access to communicate with students from within their district and beyond. So many times students do not get a chance to meet other students in the k-7 years prior to attending secondary school. I think this venture is a great way to build relationships between similar age students from different schools. Great idea Jon. Would like to see this idea up and running. Good luck.
        -Regen

    • karonw 7:43 pm on August 1, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      Hi Jon,

      I think that you have came up with a great venture and concept and it sure fills in the gaps for the elementary/middle school level students and teachers. As an EVA, I think you did very well in articulating your elevator pitch, it was very convincing and you have provided all the details that would motivate and engage one to invest in your product. Also, you sounded very confident which added bonus points to your pitch! I have reviewed your venture proposition and see the benefits and gains for the educators and students but not so much as an investor. If I was to invest in this product what are my gains in revenue? Would it be increasing the registrations at my institution as this product will help my school prepare students who would be responsible individuals in the real/digital world and engage in the global community or would it help me make a profit in another way? I think if you can provide me with this detail then I would definitely be more convinced to invest in KidTweet.

      Regardless, excellent effort and work on your venture.

      Karon

      • jtpatry 4:23 pm on August 2, 2012 | Log in to Reply

        Hi Karen,

        Thanks for the feedback and questions. I know I really didn’t have much for the investor, I got really excited about the possibilities of the idea, and left that to the side. Probably not the smartest move in the Dragons Den. More thinking that I was going to invest the capital then anything. Some folks haven mentioned the idea of advertising, which I never really thought of, and the idea of licensing/subscriptions would be something valuable to include too.

        Again, thanks for the feedback and questions. Really appreciate it!

        Jon

    • lisamallen 10:48 am on August 2, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      Hi Jon,

      What a great idea and I thought your elevator pitch was fantastic – completely engaging and well done.

      My only suggestions here, as has been noted by other peers is more details on how the venture can make money for the investor. Also, since I am not a teacher myself, it’s a little unclear how twitter can be integrated into the classroom – what are the benefits of having it incorporated in teaching with younger kinds. Maybe I missed this but it wasn’t really clear.

      Cheers,
      Lisa

      • jtpatry 4:21 pm on August 2, 2012 | Log in to Reply

        Hi Lisa,

        Thanks for the feedback and questions. I know I missed the boat on the “how I’m I going to make money” piece. I got really excited about the possibilities of the idea, and left that to the side. More thinking that I was going to invest the capital then anything. Some folks haven mentioned the idea of advertising, which I never really thought of, and the idea of licensing/subscriptions would be something valuable to include too.

        The idea of KidTweet (or Twitter) being incorporated in the classroom would be to connect with other classes or students, post questions, share/summarizing learning in 140 characters or less. Pretty much the same way many of us utilize twitter now. Its all about connecting, communicating, and
        sharing.

        Thanks again,

        Jon

    • maybacon 12:47 pm on August 2, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      Hi Jon,

      Elevator Pitch: Strong elevator pitch. You present yourself very well, clearly and concisely. This appears to be a very useful product in terms of education, adaptation to social media and Internet safety for minors.

      Venture Pitch: This pitch is compelling and well researched. I like the product as an educator and a parent, the concept is excellent for the contemporary social and educational arenas and having a service such as KidTweet could encourage schools to be more open to social media applications and BYOD programs.

      Your market research was thorough, though I would have liked to know more about the competition (apps or Twitter extensions that could potentially supplant KidTweet by operating under the Twitter umbrella). I also wonder how KidTweet will make money – will schools purchase a license to use KidTweet? Will KidTweet include ads? Could children also get a KidTweet account under parent supervision at home, or is this service exclusively for schools? Is there a possibility of following existing Twitter accounts but filtering tweets through the teacher for moderation first?

      I hope you move forward with this venture, as it is a brilliant idea and full of potential! I love the idea of allowing children to practice being good citizens online while protecting them and their future reputations from potential harm during the learning process. Excellent work!!

      May

      • jtpatry 4:13 pm on August 2, 2012 | Log in to Reply

        Hi May,

        Thanks for some great feedback! The “idea” of KidTweet from what I searched out is one of a kind other than its older counterpart of Twitter. What I think takes this idea to the next level is that the concept is self-contained under its own umbrella, and you don’t have to worry about the security settings such as Twitter, and presently, if I wanted to use twitter in the classroom, the paper work needs to be completed and it would most likely get kiboshed for the potentials of inappropriate material from other postings. Twitter doesn’t provide the option for the filtering of tweets (teachers in the beginning would need to approve tweets and if there are inappropriate ones, it becomes a teachable moment. As for advertising, never thought about that. I know with many educational sites out there, half the time they dont’ even know what is being shown, and I have come across some pretty hefty religion promotions even in some of the sites my students use. If i know what is being advertised or promoted, can’t see why not.

        If parents are wanting to take on the supervision of their own children’s accounts, heck yes they can sign-up. But again, teachers who are providing this service with their classes might not necessarily “follow” the student.

        Never thought about the idea of following existing twitter feeds, I have no idea if that would work, would be something to look into as their are some really great teachers, educators and professionals to converse with.

        If I had the payroll to take this seriously, I wouldn’t hesitate in getting the ball rolling. I know there is more to it, but the idea is there.

        Thanks again May.

        Jon

    • ping 1:34 pm on August 2, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      Hi Jon,

      Impressive elevator pitch, and thorough venture plan! I like your idea, and the funny logo too. For students with mobile devices, the KidTweer is a good solution to link them together in a learning community. I mostly like your idea of experts online as consultants. I’ve thought about that myself. It would be a great learner-centered learning style to have students surrounded by experts anywhere and anytime.

      My question is that how do you identify those experts in the virtual society, by their professional category or others? And how do you redirect questioning students to these experts? Will the students post questions on their own KidTweer pages, or will they find easy connection to the expert right have knowledge in his interest. I might need more market analysis as for how many partition of kids under 13 will be allowed to have a mobile daily, that would help me to ensure a market size and potential return.

      Ping

      • jtpatry 4:17 pm on August 2, 2012 | Log in to Reply

        Hi Ping,

        Those are really great questions. I think to establish those experts its by doing research before hand. Similar to showing any links to students, teachers must insure that the material is appropriate and kid-friendly.

        Yes indeed it would be great to have more market analysis of how many kids do indeed use the mobile devices. I know from what I discovered, the number keeps going up. This particular service would be offered in a web-based platform as well, allowing for all to contribute somehow (in or outside of the school environment)

        Thanks for the questions and feedback,

        Jon

    • Leonora Zefi 8:09 pm on August 2, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      Your elevator pitch message is very clear and to the point Jon. You touched on all the key elements pertaining to this venture. By posing questions and providing answers to them, you kept me engaged.
      You did an excellent job in differentiating between kidtweet and tweeter.
      Your vision for the venture was clearly conveyed

      Concept and Marketability
      Kidtweet is a very original concept and your research shows the growth potential due to the large market for kidtweet. Capitalizing on strategic partnerships with ScuttlePad gives the venture a competitive edge.

      Venture Plan
      You have given a lot of thought to the implementation plan. I like your approach to appealing to the investor highlighting the economic and social benefit of the venture.

      Thank you for sharing Jon.

      Leonora

    • chrisaitken 1:14 am on August 3, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      This is a very good idea. Twitter is an excellent place to learn but most schools block Twitter and sites like it. I think KidTweet would give students an opportunity to connect with other students and teachers around the world – exciting! I actually quite surprised there isn’t already something like this out there. If there isn’t I’m sure there will be soon.

      • jtpatry 10:13 am on August 3, 2012 | Log in to Reply

        Thanks Chris for taking the time to view the pitch! I have had my eye on the social media market for a platform like Twitter for kids, but no dice. You never know, KidTweet might just be it 🙂

        Thanks,

        Jon

    • Chelsea M Woods 9:44 am on August 3, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      Terrific idea, Jon! I like the idea of giving students a Tweeting practice ground to explore what makes an appropriate tweet, and develop their understanding of follower, following, and mundane vs. relevant. I’ve heard of a few versions of Facebook for schools, but not of kid versions of Twitter. Thank you! Chelsea

      • jtpatry 10:14 am on August 3, 2012 | Log in to Reply

        Thanks Chelsea! I think at some point very soon there will be a platform like Twitter for kids, maybe this is the one 😉

        Thanks for taking the time to view the pitch!

        Jon

    • gillian 9:16 am on August 4, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      Hi Jon.
      What a great idea – despite some of the risks you so openly identify, I think you would have a fairly easy time of it getting this idea off the ground!
      I thought your venture pitch was perfect. It was simple and straightforward, allowing the viewer to focus (visually and aurally) on what is important, you and your message and the venture itself. I found the pitch and the presenter to be very professional and definitely would get me to want to know more as an investor.

      Your venture pitch was equally impressive and what’s more … honest. I thought the overall presentation was well researched and logical. The focus on security measures was important to sell this venture to both teachers and parents of your target age group. You also demonstrated some practical uses for the product in a classroom setting which is also important for the buyers of this product – who is not the user.
      Finally, I appreciated your honesty in your self-evaluation. I think many of us circled around the cost factor – I know I did!
      gillian

  • janetbar 8:18 am on July 28, 2012
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    Tags: ,   

    Welcome to PL-Ease – a service oriented venture designed to help educators shift from traditional classrooms to Personal Learning Environments. Elevator Pitch for PL-Ease Venture Pitch for PL-Ease   Thank-you, Janet Barker

    Continue reading PL-Ease Posted in: Venture Forum
     

    • unclereg 10:50 pm on July 30, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      Hey Janet,

      Very well delivered. Well organized and thought out. It’s great to see you reference the new BC education plan to give your pitch credibility and good timing. I would invest in this venture.
      Great job. I will read your view your entire venture pitch later on and comment more on your vision.
      -Regen

      • unclereg 9:30 pm on August 5, 2012 | Log in to Reply

        Hello again Janet,

        Sorry it took a while to get back to you……but again great pitch and great idea.
        I teach within BC and I guess this idea makes most sense and has the most value from a BC perspective as K-12 education is definitely going to be changing over the next few years. This is a resource that teachers will need to help create these personal learning plans as the bc government establishes their bc learning plan within the future. I think this idea would be best established on its own without any sort of support/control given to any school districts. This idea could easily be a stand-alone venture and does not need any decision making power given up to schools/districts/etc. That being said, it will be difficult to to get this program recognized prior to the BC educe plan being launched. This venture will need to wait until the expectations and learning outcomes are published for this idea to really the shape as a response to new BC Learning plans. All of these points considered, I still think this idea will be successful, and needed by many in the years to come. Nice work Janet. Good luck.
        -Regen

    • vawells 8:34 am on July 31, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      Elevator Pitch:

      Hi Janet

      Well done! I really enjoyed your elevator pitch. The presentation of your elevator pitch was professional and clearly delivered. The images were informational and held my attention throughout the pitch. As Founder and CEO of PL-EASE, your voice exuded an air of confidence that gave weight to your pitch and inspired confidence in me as a potential investor. Overall your pitch caught and held my attention and made me want to delve deeper into your venture by moving on to your venture pitch.

      One suggestion to strengthen your pitch would be to include yourself delivering the pitch as you did in your venture. Your quiet confidence and obvious knowledge of your venture would serve to give your pitch even more appeal.

      Good luck with the venture

      Valerie

    • vawells 8:39 am on July 31, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      hi janet

      Venture Pitch Analysis

      Pain Point
      The problem that your company PL-EASE would be addressing is clearly defined and supported with sound research.

      Solution:
      The development of a venture to custom design PL-EASE to meet the customers’ specific needs and support for teachers, schools and districts sounds realistic.

      Differentiation:
      Your company has the clear advantage of offering the whole suite of services that gives you an edge.

      Marketing:
      Marketing strategy is thoughtfully and clearly laid out. I believe that with the shift towards 21st century learning and the move towards differentiation that a strong market base is possible, not just in the field of education.

      Championship:
      Your commitment, credentials, confidence about your product are clear and inspire confidence.

      The Ask:
      $75 000, clear plan of how this money would be spent. I would like to have a breakdown of specific expenditures as I am unsure that the investment you are asking for will cover your expenditures.

      The Return:
      I am unclear as an EVA how much return I can expect on my investment, and would need to have negotiated the percentage before agreeing to invest.

      Yes I would potentially be willing to invest in this venture at this time however I would need more financial information around my investment and return on investment before I could fully commit. The pitch is credible, concept is feasible, founder is credible and knowledgeable and the potential market is there for this venture to be successful.

      Valerie

    • janetb 10:08 am on July 31, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      Thank you for your thoughtful analysis, Valerie. I agree with all of your suggestions for improvement – I should have included video of myself in the elevator pitch and the Ask/Return in the venture pitch were weak, which reflects my lack of business experience. I should probably have factored in business advice to the Ask!

      Thanks again,
      Janet

    • Deborah S 10:33 am on July 31, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      Hi Janet,
      Great use of graphics in your elevator pitch. I thought you did a great job explaining your service and the benefits of it but it would have been a bit more personal if you had delivered some of the content yourself.

      I thought your venture pitch clearly articulated your service and you effectively explained the problem that your service was addressing. I liked the fact that you are offering three levels of service for your customers; a great example of differentiation! You did a great job establishing your credibility as the CEO of the venture.

      Although you mentioned your venture had competition, I would have liked more information on who they were, what services they provide and their cost structure. In addition, as an EVA, I would need more detailed information on exactly how large the potential market is and what portion of it you were targeting.

      Good job!

      Deborah

      • janetb 8:04 pm on August 1, 2012 | Log in to Reply

        Thank you for your comments, Deborah. I agree that I needed to spend a little more time on competition and your comment about including video of myself in the elevator pitch is a common theme. I was worried that there would be too much of me between the elevator pitch and the venture pitch, but in retrospect, I should have added video instead of the picture.

        As to your question about market, the end-users would be teachers/administrators, but the buyers might be school districts. The intent would be that individual subscriptions could be inexpensive enough for individual teachers, but districts coudl buy at a bulk rate. I found the marketing and finance part of it hard to work out as I have no real frame of reference or experience in that area. Definitely something I would seek advice/help on if I ever decided to move the venture from hypothetical to real.

        Thanks again,
        Janet

    • karonw 6:58 pm on August 1, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      Hi Janet,

      Great venture! Your elevator pitch was well articulated and you have showcased the current problem, the solution, what you have to offer, and the future market growth all in a short well-organized pitch. As an EVA, in reviewing your elevator pitch I thought that you have did an excellent job in narrating it, you have kept it short and simple yet getting to the point and hitting all the specifics. Throughout the elevator pitch you also remained calm and kept a confident and convincing voice which really persuades your investors to invest in your venture. However, I felt a bit disengaged in viewing your elevator pitch, I think if there were a bit more motion over a slide show style would have really made it a lot more lively and engaging. I think that your venture pitch itself was fantastic and I think if you kept your elevator pitch in the same format would have been excellent. Regardless, you did a great job and as an investor, I would love to invest in this venture of yours.

      Karon

      • janetb 8:14 pm on August 1, 2012 | Log in to Reply

        Thanks for your comments, Karon. I agree that the elevator pitch (and the venture pitch, for that matter) could have used a little more pizzazz. Definitely something to remember for next time! These were my first attempts at movie making (and first ever uploads to YouTube) so the learning curve was pretty steep. I think I was so focussed on making it work that I lost some of the focus on making it catchy. The artistic, marketing aspect is a whole other learning curve I haven’t conquered yet – something to work on in the future 🙂

        Thanks again,
        Janet

    • troos 12:45 pm on August 2, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      Hello Janet:

      You have developed a great venture that would fill a desired service for teachers. The group presentation on Personall Learning Environments convinced me of the value and reality of PLEs. Your company provides the needed support in implementing them. You speak with a clear voice throughout your elevator pitch and present a defined purpose and offering for your company. You come across as a competent CEO who is confident that PL-Ease is a viable product. Great job. After viewing your elevator pitch, the questions I come away with are:
      1. Who are your clients? Will you sell directly to educators or will you market to institutions?
      2. What is your target market area? Is it BC? Other provinces?
      It is possible your venture pitch answers these questions.

      Tim

    • Leonora Zefi 7:21 pm on August 2, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      Hi Janet.
      What a carefully crafted and well delivered message for your venture. The stats and statements between your pitch were very impactful.

      CEO and Team
      As the CEO you represented yourself extremely well as an expert in the area of PLE and an entrepreneur.

      Concept and Marketability
      Effective use of PLE-s in the education sector is an excellent concept with a very promising market reach. You have obviously done your research and identified your target market.

      Venture Plan
      Your plan is very well thought out and your willingness to work for free quite a refreshing concept. You made your plan sound more credible by supporting it with not just clear financial requirements but also with clear and promising ROI for the investor.

      Great work Janet.

      Thanks,
      Leonora

    • chrisaitken 1:04 am on August 3, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      Hi Janet

      With consideration to the PLE movement now, I believe your venture concept is at the scale to be profitable. When I was involved in professional development, I found that faculty were completely mystified and intimidated by the practical use of PLEs. In many schools and college, the investment in professional development has not been enough to keep pace with the developments in the digital world. Now we are at a state where students are learning constantly in these chaotic environments without the qualified mentorship of a teacher. As school administrators begin to realize this, there will likely be a rush to invest in professional development giving a consultancy like yours with your strong background in PLE-based education a wonderful opportunity.

      Your proposed three levels of support offers the flexibility to capture a larger market share. I am interested however, in the consulting fees and subscription fees, that will provide the return you outline.

      I would invest in this venture.

      Chris

      • janetb 1:04 pm on August 4, 2012 | Log in to Reply

        Hi Chris,

        Thank you for your comments. I thought different levels of support would be useful as teachers range so widely in their technology expertise and comfort level. I didn’t include fees because, quite frankly, I had no idea what would be appropriate! I think that is where an investor with some business savvy could be very helpful.

        Thanks again,
        Janet

    • ping 7:45 pm on August 3, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      Hi Janet,

      Love your pitch! It’s a great idea to help teacher with their PLEs. Knowing the market with your own experience of pain points, you pitch give a through plan of solution, market and finance for your venture. You deliver the venture pitch with passion and confidence, that impress me deeply, and make me believe that you are the right person to lead this venture, and you’ll do a great job to make it successful in the targeted market.

      As for suggestion, I’d like to know more strategy of your services. You proposed 3 levels of services, ranging from free website and paid mentorship. Do your plan to help teacher at the beginning of the PLE, i.e. to establish it, or do you plan to continuously serve them in the life cycle of their PLEs? I think that makes different scope of your venture, and will make a different business model as well as revenue at the end. Personally I think the life-span services will ensure a more stable subscription and will monetize your research of the market to a wider extent.

      In addition, I would have asked for more analysis of the cost & gain services, especially the face-to-face ones. How much will you charge for a f2f workshop or mentorship? In my impression, that would be costly, both for your venture (the flight travelling maybe) and your clients. I would suggest you think about online workshops, or just base them on the available social community platforms.

      I would invest in this venture with these enhancements. You’ve done a great job, Janet!

      Ping

      • janetb 1:09 pm on August 4, 2012 | Log in to Reply

        Hi Ping,

        Thank you for bringing up a few issues – I definitely think the plan would be to support teachers past the initial start up of the PLE phase and continue on through the life cycle of the PLE. With the ever evolving role and capabilities of technology, I would think that having someone do the research, find new things and provide some solid evaluation of them would be worthwhile to many teachers, so I think the venture could continue to grow and support over time.

        I don’t know how much to charge for the various levels of service. Currently, our rural district often pays a small fortune to bring in specialists for pro-d events, so I think the money is out there for f2f workshops. Certainly, there could be a tiered plan though, so a workshop via elluminate or something similar could be arranged at far less cost than a f2f workshop that would involve travel costs. I do think that part of my plan is to reach those teachers who are not actively involved in technology, so the f2f option would be important to include, though.

        Thanks again for your great questions!
        Janet

    • gillian 9:32 am on August 4, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      Hi Janet,
      Very well done – and I’m not just saying that because I was part of the PLE team! Both pitches were clear, straightforward and honest in their approach.
      Your explanation of the market and the pain point speak to me on a professional and personal level as a teacher in BC who is currently facing the implementation of the BC Ed Plan.
      I was most impressed by your approach or rather your commitment to meeting teachers at their level with three offers of support. In doing so, I believe you hit on one of the key resistance factors to implementation of new technologies and new ideas into practice.
      My only criticism is in your cost analysis. I think you have undervalued your start-up costs even if you don’t pay yourself. I also think it’s important to show your value to your investors and should therefore include your salary in your “ask”. I would give you more!
      gillian

      • janetb 1:12 pm on August 4, 2012 | Log in to Reply

        Thanks, Gillian – I definitely struggled with “the Ask”. I estimated two part time salaries at about $20,000 each and then another $35,000 for marketing and site design advice/support. Estimate might be too strong a word … more like wild guessed 🙂 Definitely an area to work on and/or get help on for a real venture!

        Janet

        • gillian 2:16 pm on August 4, 2012 | Log in to Reply

          This was an area I would have liked more information and/or resources on as well. Maybe an activity that involved the whole cohort would have been beneficial – or at least something to cut our teeth on.
          gillian

    • Chelsea M Woods 9:35 am on August 4, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      Wow, I love your idea, it is timely and relevant! You have made clear the pain point, particularly the BC education plan, but also the general evolution of education as well as the challenge of time and overwhelmed teachers. Your ideas about potential markets are solid. Starting ‘small’ with BC will provide time to develop the program and systems for your venture. You sold yourself well as a champion, although I wondered why you offered to work for free: perhaps instead you could delay payment until the venture becomes financially stable. It seemed from your ‘ask’ that you want to start with Humanities and Elementary, but I would add Science, Math, and an integration specialist because as PLEs take off I think we will see single subject studies fading out because they aren’t practical in a real world context.

      You did not go into depth on competition: were you able to find companies that are providing similar support? Another area to search would be developments in the IB Programmes: are they addressing PLEs? Would IB schools be a potential market?

      You seem to be planning on being the sole support employee in the beginning: what is your plan for providing the support you are offering considering the size of your market?

      Overall I would support your venture after you thoroughly review the competition, develop your organizational structure to include more specialists, place the CEO (yourself) in a more executive position, and clarify training and expertise of your staff.
      Chelsea

      • janetb 1:18 pm on August 4, 2012 | Log in to Reply

        Hi Chelsea,

        Your question about including science/math brought up a pretty big miss in my venture pitch … my teaching area is math/science, so I would be that specialist! Totally should have included that – yikes. I didn’t even notice it was missing until you mentioned it. Oops.

        I couldn’t find any competition that directly related to helping classroom teachers. There were lots of sites about setting up your own ple, or specific courses that were offered that incorporated ple’s, or tools that could help organize a ple, but none that provided help to classroom teachers, used to a f2f environment, who didn’t need a ‘canned’ course, but help reorganizing their own courses towards PLEs. Well, none that I could find – it doesn’t mean they don’t exist. I found a few inspiration speakers that would come and do key note addresses about PLEs, but not any that provided personalized support.

        Thank you for your helpful questions – if I were to move ahead with this, they would be very valuable.

        Janet

  • Colin 3:51 am on July 28, 2012
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    Tags: , , , ,   

    Welcome to MobileCMS–a classroom management suite for mobile devices that helps teachers monitor students, show demos, and more! This product is ideal for blended-learning classrooms with tablets–both class sets and BYODs. The 1-minute video will introduce you to MobileCMS: its features, benefits, and opportunities. Click here if the video is not properly displayed. More information […]

    Continue reading MobileCMS Posted in: Venture Forum
     

    • Meggan Crawford 6:48 pm on July 30, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      Hi Colin,

      I think that your venture is presenting something that would make BYOD more attainable in a lot of classrooms, but it is not an easy venture to get started! Your presentation explains your goals and theory well, though it moves a bit quickly at a few points. As a teacher who allows student use of personal devices you definitely had my interest.

      I am curious though, about potential privacy issues this may bring about – to run, I assume that your venture would need a high level of access to the student devices, which some students and/or parents may object to. If the teacher has access to a classroom set of devices this is, of course, a non-issue. As with desktop versions of this venture I would be concerned that some teachers might become absorbed with watching their screen to keep everyone on task at every moment and that the teaching itself might suffer a bit, but that is more about individual educators, rather than your venture!

      I would be interested to see this venture in reality!
      Thanks for sharing!
      -Meggan

    • shawn harris 9:34 pm on July 30, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      Hi Colin,

      Your elevator pitch is one which caught my attention. I rocked straight through and just loved the music. I listened to it over and over.
      The mobile CMS venture definitely has potential in the education market. The market was clear stating who it is designed for. You also gave a nice overview on the product features.
      I liked the fact that you had a contact slide at the end in case the potential investor needed more information to make a decision.

      On another note Colin, you did not mention who created this product nor was the management team mentioned. It would have been nice to see and hear the CEO somewhere in between the presentation to add some credibility. Something to look at in the future.
      The classroom management suit has its place in this fast growing market and has the potential to do well!

      ~ Shawn

    • Donna Forward 11:34 pm on July 30, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      Hello Colin,

      Great, catchy Elevator Pitch. However, I think that I’m getting old because I felt rushed trying to read some of the slides before they moved on.

      When you mentioned that your product could be used for assessment and surveying the class, I immediately thought of clickers and that you were taking this concept 10 steps future will a great, innovative idea with Mobile CMS.

      I really liked your Venture presentation and the way it was put up on the WordPress site, very professional. You used humour which was great. I especially laughed at the comment “yes, this is the link you want to click on”. Your humour continued on as a CEO and I’m glad to know that you’re a very nice person, that you’re very generous and that you are going to donate all of your net proceeds back to education.

      As a business venture, your application is very well priced at $2.99 which makes it a realistic. You have really done your homework to research this idea and crunch the numbers.

      Definite investment!

      Donna

    • Ronna Hoglund 12:05 pm on July 31, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      Hi Colin,
      I completely understand about not liking your own voice! The only way to get over it, I have found, is to jump in there, do lots of recording and listen! It works! Now I have to get used to looking at myself on video – ick, lol. Anyway, to the point. I think your venture idea is a good one. To entice future investors, however, I think putting yourself out there as a commanding leader would do it. Thank you for sharing your work!
      Ronna

    • HJDeW 6:34 pm on July 31, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      Colin, you present a novel and interesting venture that has a vision for global reach in the niche of mobile classroom management. It certainly is one area that dominates teachers’ attention and time. Would teachers be purchasing the product themselves or would you licence to school districts?

      Your comment about teachers ‘using technology to overcome their fear of technology’ is certainly hopeful, but it takes more than using it to overcome the inherent issues of tech in classrooms. Since you plan to reinvest profits into education, perhaps supporting communities of practice rather than individual grants to teachers would be a better way to create change with your unique product.

      I was looking for the ‘ask’ for the investors, but there was no specific target amount that you were looking for from your investors. You do provide some interesting numbers for return on investment – just for markets in the US.
      Helen

    • Denise 8:47 am on August 1, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      Hi Colin,
      I thought your elevator pitch was very professional and highlighted the pain points and solution and differentiation. As Shawn commented the one thing as an EVO I felt was missing was an intro to the CEO and thus the competency behind the venture. One possibility would have been a slide with your picture and a few lines eg on the WordPress blog the CEO page worked really well and could have been modified (no need for video or voice)

      The venture pitch was again really professional and I too like the clean blog you produced. i enjoyed the humour and you backed up your claims with a lot of good references. As an EVO looking to invest though I actually had to go through the site to find the investment pitch itself and while I was reading all the other material I found myself thinking it was focused on sales. I wondered, if I were unsure about whether to invest or not, whether this need to try and find the info might havebeen seen as too time consuming. One suggestion would be to lead straight to the investment venture pitch and then when hooked all the other material becomes important to explore – (and is really engaging).

      I too wondered what you wanted from the investor – it wasn’t clear, but the possible returns were exciting!

      I believe I would have wanted to know more about investing.
      Denise

    • Kenton Hemsing 12:52 pm on August 1, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      Hi Colin,

      You have put together an effective elevator pitch, even without using your own voice. The website that you created for your company is also very effective and informative for investors. It appears that you have also done a lot of research on the potential market for your product.

      As someone who is extremely interested in mobile technology in the classroom and BYOD solutions for educators I am keenly interested in learning more about your product. I have just a few questions:
      1) Obviously this product will be aimed at schools that have good and reliable access to the internet in wifi connections within. Will there be any need for schools to upgrade their existing infrastructure to accommodate so many learners and teachers accessing the wifi simultaneously?
      2) How will support be given to educators for using the product?
      3) How will updates to the program be rolled out to the users? Is it possible that one day it might take 10-15 minutes of class time to allow all users to update the program?

      Other than those questions, I am ready to invest. I think that you have a lot of knowledge about the area and the market is primed and ready for going mobile.

      Well done,
      Kenton

    • Danielle Dubien 8:13 pm on August 1, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      Hi Colin,

      The basic idea of your venture is very interesting. I agree that a lot of the features offered by Mobile CMS would be helpful to teachers, particularly the Remote Control, Demonstration Mode and Polling functions. However, the issue of class management may be solved by better training and school/district policies with regards to behaviour management.

      Also, if the teacher’s lessons are not sufficiently engaging, kids’ minds will wander. A teacher who is able to see which students are viewing inappropriate or irrelevant sites still has to deal with the underlying problem leading the kids to visit these sites. A teacher who is able to gain the trust and respect of their students is less likely to need the monitoring services like those of MobileCMS because the kids will be focused on the course content. On the other side of the same coin, a teacher who uses punitive or controlling software might cause kids to want to rebel more.

      It might be worth looking into the psychological effects of using different technologies and management approaches. In the hands of an excellent teacher, Mobile CMS would certainly enhance education. However, in the hands of a teacher who is poorly trained or poorly skilled for whatever reason, it could be a false promise. For me to invest in your venture, I would need to see consistent research results using sound methods that prove that MobileCMS significantly helps to improves students’ results and behaviour.

      On another subject, if you are going to work on apps for mobile devices for teachers, I suggest forming a partnership with companies who produce gadgets that allow teachers to hold onto devices easily. Since the teachers would be working with these devices more often, there are much greater chances that they’ll drop them, so a glove-gripper of sorts for tablets would be useful.

      Cheers,
      Dan

    • Allan 1:23 pm on August 2, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      Hi Colin,

      This is an impressive elevator pitch. I think Mobile CMS is an excellent and the product is a sound investment. There is a lot of energy in your venture pitch, and I can see you’ve covered a great deal – competitors, target audiences, drawbacks. Your website in particular is a great engagement tool with your investors. I especially appreciated your FAQ section. I see that your approach centres on the presentation and not so much on your team. I think that is fine, although it would’ve been interesting to see who built this product.

      Well done!
      Allan

    • mariefrancehetu 4:14 pm on August 2, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      Hello Colin,

      Your elevator pitch was a good combination of music and visual element, but I found the wording went by much too quickly, I had to stop the slides to read the material. I know that you were trying to squeeze in as much as possible in 1 minute . . . Perhaps putting your ideas in point form instead of short sentences might have helped with the timing.

      Venture Pitch
      I felt the web site looked professional and thought your FAQ section was innovative and very pertinent, trying to lure investors.

      As an investor however, I would not have been convinced about your venture after watching your pitch, because I did not feel there was anyone really behind the venture. The team and CEO were not presented and because of that I felt the pitch was impersonal. Perhaps a short video introducing the venture and the team might have been appropriate – your website needs a touch of warmth to give the public a sense that you are talking to them.

      I can see how MOBILE CMS would work well in an adult learning environment, helping teachers foster technology in the classroom – with a worthwhile message I can relate to: pedagogy before technology!

      Cheers!

      Marie-France

  • chrisaitken 11:23 pm on July 29, 2012
    -1 votes
    |      

    ID Network brings together elearning specialist contractors and prospective employers in a professional network. People are recruited and contracted for elearning development projects and the project is fully managed in a virtual work space. View the elevator pitch at https://vimeo.com/46539653 Read the venture pitch at: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Qc73POT9_EwM39WLrPU2EEnLFaf2XzIleETU5wiYEmU/edit

    Continue reading ID Network – A Professional Network and Marketplace for eLearning Service Providers Posted in: Venture Forum
     

    • unclereg 8:39 pm on July 30, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      Hey Chris,

      This is a neat idea. I never realized that a business looking to incorporate forms of e-learning could cost it so much. This idea reminds me of an ‘ebay’ style idea of shopping for the best, most beneficial company to build another company an e-learning platform. This sounds like it would work, but to be honest, I’m not educated enough within this field to say yeah or nay. I can’t even really generate proper questions to ask. I’m therefore still on the fence for this one. I’ll be thinking of this idea later though, and will comment again in the near future.
      I like the artwork in the elevator pitch!
      -Regen

    • vawells 1:36 am on July 31, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      Hi Chris
      Thank you for sharing elevator pitch. Your idea is original and certainly would have a potential market. Your pitch was very well spoken, however, as an EVA, I would have liked to have seen you deliver the pitch to give me a sense of the person behind the venture. Giving investors a chance to see firsthand your commitment and passion for your venture might entice them to investigate your venture further.

      Good luck with your future ventures

      Valerie

    • Deborah S 8:24 am on July 31, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      Hi Chris,
      This is an interesting concept. Your video clearly communicated the nature of your venture, and while it was engaging, I have to agree with Valerie. It would have been helpful for you to appear in the video so I could see who was pitching the idea.

      The use of statistics in the opening of your venture plan clearly establishes the need for your service. As an EVA, I would have liked more information on who you were marketing to, e.g. would it be K-12 schools, post-secondary or corporate? Also, it would have been helpful to provide some subheadings in the report. I always like to jump to the financials (it must be the accountant in me : ) and they were difficult to locate without subheadings.

      Good luck!

      Deborah

      • chrisaitken 11:58 pm on July 31, 2012 | Log in to Reply

        Thanks Deborah. This venture would target the corporate learning world. There may be a market in post-secondary as well, but to begin with we would focus on private corporations.

    • karonw 6:19 pm on July 31, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      Hi Chris,

      Good job on your elevator pitch, you have proposed the problem, the solution and the specifics of what ID Network does in a less than 1 minute long pitch! You maintained a calm and convincing tone throughout your pitch, personally I really liked the way you illustrated your pitch. However, as an EVA I believe first impression matters and if I was to invest in your venture I would like to see the CEO do this presentation as I think this would convince me better and strengthen the confidence you have in your venture which would make me buy into your venture. The impression that your pitch gave me was that this venture is marketed to people in the workforce such as employees in a corporation and after reviewing your detailed venture pitch where most of your information and statistics was based on USA and as you indicated in your paper that ID Network is a global trend, will this venture also be marketed to the general public including students globally?

      Once again, excellent elevator pitch and thanks for sharing!

      Karon

      • chrisaitken 11:56 pm on July 31, 2012 | Log in to Reply

        Thanks for the feedback Karon. I just wanted to address your questions. Yes, although half of the worldwide elearning market is based in the U.S, this service would be open globally. We would charge the fee to employers (free for contractors).

    • gillian 6:43 pm on July 31, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      Hi Chris,
      Great job – I can tell you have done this before. Very professional – your pitch had a very convincing array of stats and other research to support your venture approach and give insight into the product your are selling. I was personally very intrigued by the costs and hours required to turn out a one hour module (I should be more accountable of my own time).

      I was a little confused by the 5% fee. Am I right in assuming that the 5% is charged to the hiring company? For example if a contractor is hired for $100.00 the company that hired them is charged an additional $5.00? (pardon for my simple math, but I am an English/Humanities teacher). Did I get that right?

      I can see some potential pitfalls with underbidding and undercutting on behalf of the contractors, but that’s capitalism right? Your self-reflection also noted the possibility of both contractors and companies going outside of the system once a relationship is established – I hadn’t thought of that – hopefully your platform will be enough to keep everyone on board.

      Thank you for such a professional and enlightening presentation.

      • chrisaitken 11:53 pm on July 31, 2012 | Log in to Reply

        Hi Gillian. Thanks for the kind words. Yes, you understanding for the 5% fee is correct. An employer awarding a contract to a bidding elearning service charge you pay ID Network 5% of the total project. Perhaps it is low, but we would need to attract corporations to post their projects to get off the ground.

    • troos 1:18 pm on August 2, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      Chris:

      I think you’ve developed a great concept. If you can develop your venture as a trustworthy middleman as you propose, I think that you can maintain a necessary buffering capacity that holds the two sides ogether that you wish to connect. Your elevator pitch is a clear presentation where you identify the pain points and relevant solutions. Your relaxed voice indicates your confidence in your venture but personal/facial presence would have helped to convince me of your authenticity. As others have stated, I am unclear on the 5% transaction fee and how that will generate revenue for your company. I’m also not clear on your target market. Is it global, continental or restricted to some local level? This is based on your elevator pitch and you may have answered this in your venture pitch. Great work.

      Tim

    • Bridget 5:49 pm on August 2, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      Hi Chris,

      Thank you for sharing your pitches and after reviewing your elevator pitch I have the follow comments.

      I like the way that you set the stage with the concept that elearning is an integral part of education and you follow with the fact that it is a costly endeavor to maintain a department with all of the facilities necessary to operate. You had me interested at this point and continued to do so by then posing the question “What if corporations had access to a global network of learning design professionals on a project basis?” then answering it by introducing IDNetwork. I thought this was well done. However, when I look at this a practical venture it seems that it would take a lot of time and effort to match the training specific to a company. I can also see that companies might be concerned about information regarding their projects might be leaked by the elearning trainers who do not work directly for the company.

      On the technical side, I thought that the visuals were great and the description was straightforward. One small adjustment would be to make sure that words on the screen match the words in the audio (example: staff training vs employee training).

      Bridget

      • chrisaitken 12:21 am on August 3, 2012 | Log in to Reply

        Hi Bridget

        Thank you very much for the feedback. When I read your concern about companies wanting to protect their information from leaking it to elearning providers, I instantly kicked myself for not including a part in the venture pitch about the legalities of contracting through IDNetwork. I would include a non-disclosure agreement in the contract between employers and contractor.

        I also believe that this concept would save people time in money. An employer could scan several portfolios and bids and make an appropriate match themselves. IDNetwork only provides the platform.

        Thanks – wish I could have read your comments before I finished the paper!

    • Dennis Pratt 9:32 pm on August 2, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      Chris;

      This is a great idea and I can see the corporate world heading this way as they want to know what they are getting for their money and still want a voice in how their products/education gets delivered. Many companies would like professionally produced training but do not want to front the cost of creating it themselves, or even know where to begin. They can now shop around for what they are looking for and contract someone to do it. Easy. I might be calling you up for some help on my venture. As others mentioned I would use your own voice as it brings out your passion and shows your competence as CEO.

      Dennis

    • Chelsea M Woods 9:25 am on August 3, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      HI Chris, I found your pitch clear and appreciated the illustrations because they helped me visualize the somewhat foreign to me concepts you were discussing. I think the idea of outsourcing e-learning development is a fabulous idea, and love your idea of developers bidding for projects. I can see a lot of creative people flourishing in that context, rather than being assigned projects based on the needs of their employer. An interesting model that I will keep in mind as I think about how to make the best progress and bring the best out of people in the workforce. Thank you!
      Chelsea

    • Leonora Zefi 6:19 am on August 4, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      This is such a creative idea Chris,
      You are absolutely right that e-learning is costly. My experience has definitely proven that.
      I can see the potential for this venture as employers try to incorporate e-learning more and more in their workplaces while trying to save costs. Going to a pool of experienced individuals who can develop the content certainly makes sense and is appealing to corporations. I really like the idea of the portfolio – experts can showcase their work and make it easy for clients to decide.

      Thanks.

      Leonora

    • toddpowell 10:30 pm on August 5, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      Chris,
      As a visual person, I really appreciated your pitch, as I could visualize much clearer. I appreciate that you haven’t sugar-coated and recognized the opportunities for outsourcing and the incorporation of elearning into the business sector. Ah, money is what makes the world go ’round, doesn’t it?!

      Thanks,
      Todd

  • ping 9:28 pm on July 29, 2012
    -1 votes
    |
    Tags:   

    Welcome to ThinkLand, an in-cloud space for collaborative and creative thinking. This solution is made up of three products: FreeThinker, FreeProject and FreeGroup. It is developed to facilitate quick think, quick work, and quick reflection, by natural input, output, construction and collaboration. We understand that thinking is the original power to push our world forward. […]

    Continue reading Welcome to ThinkLand ! Posted in: Venture Forum
     

    • unclereg 8:59 pm on July 30, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      Hey Ping,

      Again, I couldn’t access the elevator pitch so I just read your venture pitch. The graphics were amazing and made your presentation look very professional. I wasn’t surprised when you stated that you have experience in graphic design. As for the idea, it would be a great idea for an iPad so the user can use their hands/fingers for input to create a mind map, but I feel there is way too much competition in iPad apps to differentiate this idea enough. On a desktop computer, I’m unsure how this program will actually be faster than using any other mind mapping software. As for suggestions, I would suggest video clips of these 3 programs working unison to truly sell the idea, and forgive me if they are contained within your elevator pitch. Short video clips of these programs working together will sell this product for you. Since this idea is so visually dependent, any type of video visuals will do it a great service.

      Good luck, and I look forward to seeing the eventual youtube video.
      Thanks Pin.
      -Regen

      • ping 10:10 pm on July 30, 2012 | Log in to Reply

        Hi Regen,

        Thank you! I hope I heard your suggestion before I made the pitch. You are right, I should tell the story with a demo on how these 3 programs work together. I should sell the idea first before selling the product or the venture plan. Sorry I didn’t realize this earlier. Your suggestion will be a big help if I really run for this idea someday.

        Ping

    • vawells 1:48 am on July 31, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      Hi Ping

      I really enjoyed viewing your elevator pitch. The idea is original and I love the name of your venture. The images and music were beautiful and well matched to your venture concept. The pitch itself is a little long and perhaps could be shortened, just enough to get the attention of investors. One suggestion that I think would improve your elevator pitch would be delivering your pitch in person on the video. This would, I think lend more credibility to the CEO, and give investors a chance to see firsthand your commitment and passion for your venture.

      Good luck with your future ventures

      Valerie

      • ping 4:06 am on August 4, 2012 | Log in to Reply

        Hi Valerie,

        Thank you for your comments. I also think my elevator pitch is too long, but I was not familiar with video editing to make it shorter when I realized that. I also hoped to deliver the pitch by myself if I had enough time to improve my oral English 🙂 . I’m grateful for this practice, as well as your appreciation. Thanks again!

        Ping

    • Deborah S 8:38 am on July 31, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      HI Ping,
      This is an interesting concept. I really enjoyed the graphics in the pitch, but I would have liked to have seen you in the video as well. I think it would have personalized the pitch a bit and secured more buy-in from your potential investors.

      Your venture pitch contained great diagrams that helped put the venture in perspective. You mentioned the size of the potential market and then quantified the K-12 market. I wasn’t sure if you were planning to target the K-12 market first? As an EVA, I would have liked more information on how you are planning to market your venture to differentiate yourself from the competition.

      Good luck!

      Deborah

      • ping 4:38 am on August 4, 2012 | Log in to Reply

        Hi Deborah,

        Thanks for comments! You are right that I was planning to target the K-12 market, but I know it would be difficult to start it at first. The children are not buyers themselves, so I would rather start from their parents and teachers. When they realize that many features of ThinkLand are better designed for natural thinking, they will recommend it to kids. The 3 parts of ThinkLand can be used as virtual learning environment, and also integrated to other learning environment. I should certainly think more about the marketing strategy as you noted. I’m not good at marketing things, but I think it’s a very interesting area to explore further. Thanks for your encouragement.

        Ping

    • karonw 12:56 pm on July 31, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      Hi Ping,

      Good job on the elevator pitch, it was very detailed and the slideshow including diagrams have helped in clarifying your pitch. However, I think as the CEO it would have been great to have you infront of the camera to present this pitch to show us how confident and optimistic you are with this product. As an EVA I have enjoyed your elevator pitch but for most cases elevator pitches normally are 1 minute maximum having that your elevator pitch was 3 minutes and 12 seconds long, in the future you may want to see how you can trim it down in time and yet ensuring that all the full details are there. For myself, I find that this is the greatest challenge for the elevator pitch.

      You’re on a great start, keep up the good work!

      Karon

      • ping 4:22 am on August 4, 2012 | Log in to Reply

        Hi Karon,

        Thank you for your comments. I definitely should cut the pitch shorter. And if I could do it again, I would change the style of the pitch and make a more appealing story instead of speaking behind the slide. As you point out, it’s a big challenge to trim it down yet ensure all the details lossless. After reviewing many pitches in this forum, I am sure I will do better in the next time. Thanks!

        Ping

    • gillian 8:44 pm on July 31, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      Hi Ping,
      I think your idea is great and very original. I envisioned myself drawing with my finger on a tablet screen and it magically becoming a neatly drawn mind map and then I could follow it up with real time collaboration – what a fantastic thought.
      Although your elevator pitch was on the long side, it was very comprehensive and as many others have stated your graphics in both pitches is a great strength for you.

      • ping 4:57 am on August 4, 2012 | Log in to Reply

        Hi Gillian,

        Thanks for envisioning as a ThinkLand user! You share the same feeling as mine. I believe someday we could have such kind of support on a real platform. I now realize the shortage of my elevator pitch. If I could just visualize it from your envisioning point, it would be more engaging and more credible. Thanks for reviewing my both pitches! Thanks for encouragement!

        Ping

    • Danielle 1:36 pm on August 1, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      Hi Ping,

      Wow! This is an excellent venture idea and is certainly one that I’m interested in, especially as a new iPad user and someone who truly appreciates mind mapping. What is especially attractive about your venture is its compatibility with other platforms, and its cloud capabilities. I also think you have done an excellent job of outlining the investment return in a clear way that even those who are not business savvy make sense of the costs and potential growth.

      My only suggestion would be to keep the elevator pitch short and simple. You have done your research, and the visuals are fantastic. Well done.

      Danielle

      • ping 5:13 am on August 4, 2012 | Log in to Reply

        Hi Dani,

        Thanks for so much encouragement! I hope we could really have such kind of mind mapping tools someday in the future. The elevator pitch is a very big challenge for me, since I never did a pitch, or record a video for myself. It is already a big step for me to record my voice in a ppt slide, and turn it into a video file. I’ll make the elevator short and simple as you suggested. After reviewing pitches of our peers, I am aware that an elevator pitch are not necessary to convey too much details, but to tell a good story. I’m grateful for what I have learnt from this course. Thank you very much!

        Ping

    • troos 1:27 pm on August 2, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      Hi Ping:

      Your elevator pitch, though a little long, clearly presents the pain points in the area of education your are addressing. You have provided some great software solutions that, if packaged, would provide your clients with useful tools. Your visuals are very helpful in understanding your products. A heightened personal presence in your elevator pitch would enhance its authenticity. You mention that you will out-perform the competition but it is not clear to me exactly how that is occuring. It would have been helpful to know a little more specifics regarding your target market to analyze how effective your venture would be in the longer term. Overall, great work and nice presentation.

      Tim

      • ping 5:41 am on August 4, 2012 | Log in to Reply

        Hi Tim,

        Thank for suggestions & questions! I believe there are competitive advantages in this venture as it compared with those representative competitors like Inspiration and Cacoo. I should address these differences with more details in my pitch, maybe from the user’s point of view. The long-term aspects is not very clear as you point out, I’ll think it more thoroughly, but I’m confident in myself that this kind of platforms for thinkers will have a future growth space. Thanks for your advices!

        Ping

    • Bridget 5:51 pm on August 2, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      Hi Ping,

      Thank you for sharing your pitches and after reviewing your elevator pitch I have the follow comments.

      I like the way that you stated the purpose of your company (InCloud space for creative and collaborative thinking) and the problem, which your company solves
      (with mind mapping tools our mind are faster than the tool). You offer a solution to the problem in a very clear manner with concise diagrams. The presentation flowed well and the audio matched the video very well in both timing and feel.

      However, the pitch was much longer than required for the elevator pitch allowing deeper explanation of the venture. This made it difficult to compare it fairly with the other elevator pitches requiring me to eliminate it from my final three. I would be interested in viewing a one-minute pitch in order to see if my curiosity is peaked in the short time period.

      It sounds like an interesting and possible venture.

      Bridget

      • ping 5:59 am on August 4, 2012 | Log in to Reply

        Hi Bridget,

        Thanks for comments. I agree with you that my elevator pitch is too long. I’m lack of experience to make a presentation in audio or video. I’ve learnt a lot in this week from all of you. If I would come to a real circumstance to pitch this idea, I’ll do better as you suggest. Thanks!

        Ping

    • Dennis Pratt 9:24 pm on August 2, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      Ping;

      I like your pain points. If I can make my like more efficient I am better off, right? There is a huge online market for production and efficiency tools, especially as more and more people get online or go mobile. Your pitch reminded me or Evernote and I am just getting familiar with that program. It is supposed to help keep us organized. I do like the collaborative aspect to your venture, as well as the organizational aspects. I am sure that if you keep working on it you could have a real venture on your hands.

      Dennis

      • ping 6:11 am on August 4, 2012 | Log in to Reply

        Hi Dennis,

        You encourage me greatly! I do hope I could have this venture at hand someday. The feeling of freely drawing, organizing and collaborating was appealing to me. I like you comments that “there is a huge online market for efficiency tools”. We’ve already been in an era when human-computer-interaction is about to revolute tremendously. Thanks for sharing your vision with me, and thanks for encouragement so much.

        Ping

    • toddpowell 10:38 pm on August 5, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      Ping, I don’t want to reiterate what my colleagues have said about the length of the pitch…. 🙂 It was beautifully done but I, too, would have appreciated seeing the face behind the pitch. You have also made a statement about outdoing the competition. How exactly are you going to be doing this? That being said, the world is truly focused on efficiency and productivity, and your ideas have fit right into that motion!

      Todd

  • toddpowell 8:50 pm on July 29, 2012
    -1 votes
    |      

    Webcasting is one of the premier communication technologies in the world, which is primarily used in business applications.  Educational webcasting is a platform which hasn’t truly been touched on yet, and I intend to change that!  Please watch my Elevator and full Venture Pitch below.  

    Continue reading Webcasting – School Announcements with a TWIST Posted in: Venture Forum
     

    • Jody McKinnon 3:28 pm on July 30, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      Hi Todd. I completely agree with the premise of your idea – school announcements are boring! Our school does something very similar but it is run, as you stated, on television within the building.

      I hear your concerns about the cost of webcasting and hosting. My concern with the venture is this: what exactly are you suggesting? I found the elevator pitch intriguing and I wanted to know more, so then I watched the venture pitch. I feel like I had more questions after. Much of your video explains the drawbacks of the other options and the costs involved. You have explained some about why webcasting is beneficial, but I guess what I’m getting at here is, what product are you offering? Are you offering a hosting service that is inexpensive and no frills as suggest? I wasn’t sure in the end. I’m also not clear on who your CEO and Team is (my assumption is that it is you). I don’t recall any information about how you will market this, but you did do a good job of comparing the various existing options out there.The concept makes sense and I do believe that there would be a market for cheap webcasting/hosting (if that is what you’re offering?).

      Overall, appreciate the quality of the videos. I love your image selection, music, editing and the fact you used some student work to complement your own. In the end, I feel like I don’t really know enough to make a decision about investing at this time.

      Thanks.

      Jody

    • dmcinnes 11:58 pm on July 30, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      Todd,
      Great job on your pitches. Professional, engaging and a great concept. I see your arguments clearly to move from the traditional, boring droning voice over the PA to digital podcasts created by students. I can really get behind the idea of all the skills the students would learn by being hands on in the podcast production. What I am not very clear on, is what you are attempting to sell or create. You effectively describe the need to move this direction, but I don’t really see you providing a cost-affective alternative. I get lost a little bit, wondering where the pitch is. I think if you could find a way to give some focus to your real proposed alternative, I’d be much more eager to jump on the bandwagon. Otherwise, I thought you did a great job.
      David McInnes

      Well done.

    • Brian H 10:25 am on July 31, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      Todd,

      Great job on the pitches. You have clearly defined a market for changing school needs. Your company seems to really hit the area of Social Enterprise and the inherent social benefits and could help me leave a positive legacy as an investor.

      A very exciting proposition!

      Brian

    • Yves Mainville 11:16 am on July 31, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      Hi Todd
      Creative pitch and a good concept. I would like to hear more about the team and how you will position your product in the market – my concern is with the uniqueness of what you are selling… I think the concept is good but will need a stronger ‘hook’. Before signing up, I would like to see a bit more focus.

      Good job.

    • kimnoel 12:29 pm on August 1, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      Hi Todd,
      Fantastic job with your pitches – very concise and professional. I love your idea about webcasting, as morning announcements certainly are tired!

      After watching your venture pitch, I have several areas where I would need clarification/additional information prior to investing. While you did a fantastic job of giving the details, as well as the strengths and challenges presented by webcasting and the cost of, I was unsure what product you were advocating. Are you asking me to invest in a company that provides webcast services to schools at a reasonable price? In the end, I wasn’t really sure what I was being asked to consider (pls forgive me if I missed something obvious!)

      Have you formed a company with you as founder and CEO? I didn’t hear any info about the foundation/management of the company/venture. As well, there was nothing about what your ideal client base would be, nor how you would attract them and what you would be offering them.

      I think that you have done some strong foundation work, but would need to work on the framework a little more before presenting your venture. With some more information, it would definitely be a venture that I would consider.

      Smiles, Kim

    • Danielle 1:52 pm on August 1, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      Hi Todd,

      I think this is an interesting idea for a venture. I think there is great educational value in webcasting, though I’m not sure that school announcements alone are worthy of such an extensive venture. I think it is a great idea and could be part of more than just school announcements, such as communications and media courses. It could even be a part of language courses.

      I think the presentation is very clear and I like the fact that you use local examples. I think it is important for investors to see the potential being put into practice.

      I also think you make the same point several times, and I would have liked to have seen more about the CEO and team, and your venture plan as well as the marketability of the venture. I think this is an intriguing idea and certainly one I would be interested in if I had more information.

      Danielle

    • mackenzie 4:53 pm on August 2, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      I like your initial question about announcements and the fact that they need to change. My problem with your proposal is that I am not sure what you are asking for. You seem very passionate about your webcasting idea but how is the high cost of hosting being solved? Where are schools going to get this money and how are you going to make money doing it.

    • Sherman Lee 11:13 pm on August 2, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      Hi Todd,

      I like your idea as an instructor and a tutor who works with youth on a daily basis. I think what you proposed would be great for developments in many ways aside from the obvious fact that school PA systems are boring. Giving children tools to do a professional announcement boost confidence and of course engage interest of those who are listening.

      I like that your presentation was visually clean and you mentioned a lot of educational value but I really wish that I have learned more about you and your team so I would know what I am putting my investments into. As well, from an investor point of view, I am not quite sure what you would like from me to help you improve or carry out your ideas.

      Sherman

    • Bridget 6:11 am on August 3, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      Hi Todd,

      Thank you for sharing your elevator and venture pitches, which I thoroughly enjoyed watching. Your elevator pitch caught my attention immediately and I was impressed with the way in which you very efficiently demonstrated the need for schools to move to a mobile method of transferring their daily information. The fact that most programs and packages available are set up with businesses in mind is a very real problem and one often faced in schools with technology integration/implementation.

      Technically, both of your pitches moved at a pace, which kept my interest and your use of pictures, diagrams and voice over made for a complete flowing presentation. I felt though that at one point it went a little long concerning the needs of schools and you did not summarize what you would be offering as a solution.
      As an investor I feel that this is the way that schools need to move yet they need to be able to do it using a platform that is financially viable in the future. There are a couple of questions, which come to mind regarding the specifics of your venture and the actual cost to schools. I did not see any pricing information or proposals so I am wondering what the cost to schools would actually be? Also, are there any competitors in this field who are doing the same thing?

      I have seen some in house productions at a school in Montreal http://www.lcc.ca/page.cfm?p=835 where the time and commitment from the students is extraordinary. Providing youth with this opportunity is incredible and if your venture facilitates this process then I would be happy to back you financially after some clarification on your direction and pricing.

      You are a yes for me!

      Bridget

    • sheza 7:05 pm on August 4, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      Hi Todd,

      You have an interesting venture concept here but I think it is not well-defined enough as yet. Your elevator pitch was captivating and made me want to move onto hearing your Venture Pitch but I was confused as to why you were only discussing the drawbacks of the venture. And then I thought I understood that what you wanted was not a studio suite produced type of morning announcement but rather a podcast type — but I wasn’t clear on what exactly the product/service was that you wanted the investor to put money into.

      I think it is an exceptional idea however, that students create productions in school to captivate student interest – I believe this is an excellent learning opportunity for students, but I agree with a lot of what you were saying in your venture pitch which was how can we make this affordable?

      If you can clarify your venture and come up with a solid plan as to how to make this marketable and an investment that we could see some return out of it would be a viable venture.

      Good luck!

      Sheza

    • Hussain Luaibi 12:42 pm on August 5, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      Really nice work! I like the swift pace in your venture and pitch. There was no information about the team which will run such a project and how they will sell it in our current “relentless” market.
      This venture tackles a point which is an uncultivated aspect in the market. The idea of webcasting is not new and there is always a chance of introducing creative ideas to it. I don’t know how your project will compete with the similar existing project. But there is something that I can see in your project which is focus on increasing the students’ self-confidence and this comes through a solid program that can make all learners participate in broadcasting.
      your presentation is clear but its position in the market is still vague.
      I would wait to see how the market looks at it before investing in it. I need more information, market information!
      Good luck with your project
      Hussain

  • Danielle 3:55 am on July 29, 2012
    -1 votes
    |      

    Welcome to SUSTAINABLeLEARNING.com, a free social networking and learning enterprise aimed at bringing together like-minded educators and learners from around the world to socialize, network, play games and share ideas and resources on sustainable development.  For more detailed information on this amazing investment opportunity, please click here. We also invite you to meet the founder […]

    Continue reading Welcome to SUSTAINABLeLEARNING.com Posted in: Venture Forum
     

    • Jody McKinnon 2:57 pm on July 30, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      Hi Danielle. First and foremost, I want to commend you on the quality of your video and the attention to detail in the presentation of your longer venture pitch. The editing and framing of the video are very impressive. In your report, I was particularly impressed with the visual appeal, the structure, and the themes that you have used to present it. I love the water related theme and your CEO team seems top notch 😉

      As for the venture itself, in a world filled with social networking options, I am impressed by your idea in that it is different and does stand out to a degree. I agree with your assessment when you state that it might be difficult to launch among other weaknesses and threats you have identified in your SWOT analysis. Hopefully with enough investors and an excellent marketing campaign (sustainable of course!), you would get enough users. I think that if you targeted teachers of social sciences, geography, environmental studies, science and green industries, you might have a natural group to begin with. Also, if you target existing green industries and companies, your audience will build quickly. Perhaps if you used a celebrity endorsement from someone like David Suzuki, your product could grow in leaps and bounds with little to no effort.

      Overall, if I were an investor, I would certainly consider providing some assistance to this venture. It is not only a great way to connect with like-minded individuals and groups from around the world, but it is also a great way to help save our planet. Well done!

      • Danielle 7:14 pm on August 2, 2012 | Log in to Reply

        Hi Jody,

        Thank you very much for your feedback. And your ideas are great! I’d like you to consider applying for a job at SUSTAINABLeLEARNING.com! We need your talent and expertise!

        Danielle

    • Ronna Hoglund 5:48 pm on July 30, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      Hi Danielle,
      Your personal elevator pitch was the clincher for me. Putting yourself “out there” is very effective. Besides that, you have a great idea and one that is close to my heart which, I think, can make a difference with investors. So, all in all you were very clear and concise in your elevator pitch and filled in all the necessary blanks in your venture pitch. I would invest in sustainableelearning.com.
      Regards,
      Ronna

      • Danielle 7:40 pm on August 2, 2012 | Log in to Reply

        Thanks Ronna! As a platinum level investor, you are entitled to a preferential rate on our “Class A” shares! 😀 Thanks for your feedback, I appreciate it!

    • Dave Horn 10:36 pm on July 30, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      Hi Danielle

      I thought that your elevator pitch was simple, but professional and you had very clear voice and conveyed a genuine characteristic, which does I believe, give investors confidence. I could see a small niche market existing for the sustainable approach, but I questioned how much room for growth there was in the long run. While I wouldn’t invest right away, it would definitely be a venture that I kept an eye on.

      Dave

    • dmcinnes 9:49 am on July 31, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      Danielle,
      I thought your elevator pitch was really well done. It was clear, simple and professional. I also really liked your venture pitch. I thought the format was professional looking and visually appealing. I really liked your metaphors (confluence, rapids, tributaries, etc.). I think there is a niche here that you have tapped into. Social Networking is great, but they don’t have focus and are too overwhelming. Your proposition for an idea that is focussed and based on “social purpose” has some potential. It might be a small market though. I’d be interested as an investor for the greater good, but not as one looking to make a great deal of money.
      Well done!
      David McInnes

      • Danielle 8:43 pm on August 2, 2012 | Log in to Reply

        Hi David, you have an interesting point. You would invest for the greater good but not to make money? Then perhaps you are suggesting that the venture attract donations rather than venture capital. Something for me to think about, thanks very much! Danielle

    • Yves Mainville 11:03 am on July 31, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      Hi Danielle

      Very impressive pitch. The presentation was very pro-like and quite complete. I also likes the team member’s names. 🙂
      The concept seems viable, but perhaps a little trendy – I would would like to know more about the long term viability of the concept, but this is more a case of this being outside my comfort zone and I am most likely ignorant on these particular facts.

      My concern is with the competition / market. There seems to be a fair bit of it and large well established to boot. That being said however, there seems to be a definite niche and you cater to it well.

      Excellent presentation.
      thank you.

      • Danielle 8:54 pm on August 2, 2012 | Log in to Reply

        Hi Yves,

        Thanks for your feedback and ideas. I agree that the investment would be a risk given the competition. It would require a stellar marketing campaign at the least. Thanks again for the comments.

        Danielle

    • Brian H 11:43 am on July 31, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      Danielle,

      Outstanding elevator pitch. You had me engaged and ready to write a cheque.

      However, I looked for my 250% return and as an investor, was not confident in the venture’s ability to generate revenue.

      Your project however could hit a niche market and could secure government and non-profit funding without the need for private investors.

      Very intriguing!

      Brian

    • sheza 11:39 am on August 1, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      Hi Danielle!

      I was really impressed by the professional wuality of your elevator pitch and the overall look of your venture pitch. Obviously, when I read the content I became even more impressed! You have clearly crossed all your Ts and dotted your Is! The idea is an interesting one and while I admire its roots and vision, I don’t think that it would be a viable venture due to the untangible nature of the concept. I think that many schools and teachers have adopted eco-friendly ideals and values in their teaching and learning and I think that it is a neat idea to have a place to come together and combine these, I think that it is a little too optimistic. Social networking takes up so much of our time today, and I just don’t think that you will generate so much interest from the people to add this to their plates as well. Perhaps the venture could be developed into an add-on feature to another already popular social networking site? Perhaps a pitch to Facebook to have a Sustainable eLearning or Green Networking division as part of their platform?

      I really admire the hard work that you have put into your work though and even though I wouldn’t be ready to put the money into this particular venture, I would certainly be interested in working with you and your team in the future.

      All the best!

      Sheza Naqi

      • Danielle 10:37 pm on August 2, 2012 | Log in to Reply

        Hi Sheza,

        I chuckled at your feedback. I am often criticized for being too optimistic! 😀 I appreciate the time you took to assess my venture. Your feedback is helpful!

        Cheers,

        Danielle

    • kimnoel 1:11 pm on August 1, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      Hi Danielle,

      Nicely done! Your pitch looked and sounded professional, and I think your venture idea has merit. It certainly plays into the “green” culture.

      I do wonder about the market however. While I am sure there would be a moderate market, I wonder if the market is there to become a true financial success.

      Smiles, Kim

      • Danielle 10:42 pm on August 2, 2012 | Log in to Reply

        Hi Kim,

        This venture does not target people who want to make a difference but those who take the take the necessary steps to do so. I agree that these individuals are few and far between. A lot of work needs to be done to create an active culture of change. Thank you for your feedback, I appreciate it!

        Danielle

    • mackenzie 4:59 pm on August 2, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      The elevator pitch was well done, I really got to connect with you personally and see what you are about. The idea of that kind of return on my investment was captivating since most companies usually only hope to break even by year 5. I was impressed that you did SWOT and ROI analysis that connected the future growth to government and corporate opportunities. I wish more was said about competition and how you are dealing with their interest in you investors.

    • Sherman Lee 10:48 pm on August 2, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      Hello Danielle,

      Congratulations, I think you have done a great job on your pitch. As many have complimented already that your pitch was very professional. If I had to be super picky, the only thing I would mention is your voice. It was strong, well paced but the microphone you had didn’t do you justice. It was a bit too far away so it picked up a lot of background, but that is strictly picking bones out of an egg of me. As an investor, your venture drew in my interest, but not from the standpoint that I would make money off of direct. However, I do see that my company could invest in something that would give back to the community. It will build a better outlook as my company is launching an eco-conscious program to our employees. Overall, you did a marvelous job!

      CEO & Team: Danielle, you looked so professional in the elevator pitch. Without even looking at further references, you have received my buy in with your gestures. I think that is a very important part of a venture pitch. In a short minute, a list of reference would do peanuts, but a professional and strong speech carries you miles ahead. Your team was equally professional looking. It would be great if I get to meet them later on.

      Venture Concept: I like your concept of making a social network of sustainable development educators. Like I have mentioned before, your concept may not draw in direct money but it will end up benefiting in many other ways, such as creating a more positive outlook for your investors. I would like to see you play on more of that to draw in more investment interests. Please let me know of your plans of how you would accomplish that.

      Marketability: Unfortunately, I don’t think this product is very marketable on its own. However you may consider building publicity through any giants that are already in the sustainability campaign for years. Connect with your local groups to help draw in the crowd.

      Venture Plan: I would like to know a bit more about your plans for kick-off. How are you going to promote this product?

      With such a great pitch, I would like to invest in your venture. Prior to committing a solid amount, I would like to further discuss with you in regards to your business model and marketing plans.

      Thank you and great job!

      Sherman

      • Danielle 11:12 pm on August 2, 2012 | Log in to Reply

        Wow, Sherman!

        Thank you! What a phenomenal set of feedback! Can I hire you?? I’d pay you well! Your questions are excellent as they raise important issues about the pitch. I really appreciate it! Too bad we can’t go back and adjust our pitches.

        Thanks again for taking such care in your analysis,

        Danielle

        • Sherman Lee 8:30 am on August 3, 2012 | Log in to Reply

          Hi Danielle,

          You know, I wish this was due about 3 weeks earlier. That would have given us the time to revise and show improvement and progress. Although I also understand how that would make our schedule super jam packed with all the group presentation etc. I am glad that what I have shared is of value to you, Danielle. Again great job!

          Sherman

    • Hussain Luaibi 9:44 pm on August 3, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      Danielle
      Great work! Your venture is really interesting and what makes it so is the fact that it gathers people who have the same concerns or expectations. Your pitch is done professionally. As for the venture itself, well I personally prefer to make the venture more interactive or more pictorial These things pave the way to the invesors’ hearts. But that is not really a big thing. The great thing about your venture is that I feel as an investor that it can get a place in the market . There are many sites that offer the same service but yours is more organized and engaging.
      As an investor, I believe I want to slow down before I start .
      Great job
      Hussain

    • Danielle 8:41 am on August 5, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      Hi Hussain,

      Thank you for the feedback, and great idea on interactivity. If I had the time and expertise, I would have built a sample site for “potential investors” to view. Of course if this were a real venture, the site would already be in place. I appreciate your comments and the fact that you see the potential in this site. Thanks again!

      Danielle

  • Dennis Pratt 9:53 pm on July 28, 2012
    -1 votes
    |
    Tags: ,   

    Welcome to SAFETY TRAINING FOR YOUTH. As a construction teacher and MET student I am in the right position to help digitalize construction teaching. Watch the elevator pitch and visit my venture pitch and reflection in Google Docs. I think you will see my passion and desire to see safety improved in construction classes. *photos […]

    Continue reading Welcome to SAFETY TRAINING FOR YOUTH. As… Posted in: Uncategorized, Venture Forum
     

    • Jody McKinnon 4:17 pm on July 30, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      HI Dennis. I think you are on to something here. Your idea is a great one and I would hope that it would be developed and implemented immediately. Safety is our number one goal and I think that by putting in a digital form, you could probably catch your audience’s attention even more so. In fact, it might be fun to make safety videos with your students to add to your collection of legit safety videos. The idea seems very solid and could easily be sold or given to other jurisdictions as you have stated, it’s a not for profit idea. I didn’t see or hear anything about your CEO and Team so I couldn’t comment on that. Overall, I think it is a great idea that should be pursued immediately, if not sooner.

      Jody

      • Dennis Pratt 2:34 pm on July 31, 2012 | Log in to Reply

        Jody;

        I can’t wait to get going on the project and plan to initiate it this year over my last two courses. I had a hard time thinking of myself as a CEO for this venture as I do plan on organizing it but don’t know what kind of money will be involved to get it off the ground or see it through until the end. I tried to just mention my credentials and leave it at that. I think many people find it difficult to talk about themselves or sell themselves to others.

        I appreciate the feedback as it is sometimes hard to come by, even amongst your colleagues.

        Thanks,

        Dennis

    • Yves Mainville 11:21 am on July 31, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      Hi Dennis,

      Solid elevator pitch and quite relevant. I think it is very ‘à propos’ in current educational circles and the ministry’s push into trades.
      I like the mobile accessibility of the product.
      I would like to hear more about the competition and the market before investing however. Being somewhat familiar with this area, I think strategic partnerships will be key as well.

      Well done.

      • Dennis Pratt 2:28 pm on July 31, 2012 | Log in to Reply

        Yves;

        I like your idea of strategic partnerships as the initial networking would be more work but it would pay off quickly. As for the competition, I did not touch on it as much as I could have, mostly because there is not much available for youth specific training. There are a few websites put out by the government but they are mostly text and aimed at older youth. I can see this project aligning with Occupational Health and Safety at the provincial level and maybe even getting some government funding through them to develop quality resources.

        Thanks,

        Dennis

    • dmcinnes 1:59 pm on July 31, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      Dennis,
      It sounds like a good concept. I can imagine how difficult it is to get all the students on the “same page” when many are absent on days that proper operation of tools, or safety demonstrations are conducted. What I wonder about though is how relevant will the videos/apps be when different shops use different tools, and various brands of tools? Also, is there a convention of set standards across Canada or does it vary province to province? Are the differences slight enough that it wouldn’t matter? I wonder if it might become a bit of a hodge podge with some manufacturers videos, some of your own. Would your identity/branding get lost in the shuffle?
      Overall well done.
      David McInnes

      • Dennis Pratt 2:24 pm on July 31, 2012 | Log in to Reply

        David;

        Thanks for the feedback and I have the same concerns myself. Most of the construction labs have a basic set of tools and that is where I will start with the simulations and videos. After that set is done I would branch off and specialize into tools that are less common. I can see the library growing and evolving with time. I really like what the Khan Academy has done with their library of videos and would try to do something similar over the years that I am teaching. Eventually I would like to get others involved, maybe through a contest so I am not the only one producing professional quality videos and simulations. For the most part there are similarities between most machinery and that is a great starting point.

        Thanks,

        Dennis

    • dmcinnes 2:00 pm on July 31, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      p.s. I forgot to add that I think Workers Compensation Board might really get behind a project like this. Maybe some funding would be available.

    • kimnoel 1:16 pm on August 1, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      Hi Dennis,

      Nice pitch and a very relevant venture idea. I love the app idea and I think that this could be something other than a “not-for-profit”! Didn’t hear anything about the company or team, but I think you should run with this (hopefully all the way to the bank!) 🙂

      Great job – Good Luck!
      Smiles, Kim

    • Danielle 2:32 pm on August 1, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      Hi Dennis,

      Great idea for a venture! I also like your elevator pitch. How you personally introduce the idea and follow up with examples is quite effective . As an investor, I would probably want to see more information about your marketing strategy, championship, and the competition. However, I think the venture speaks for itself and certainly has the potential of taking off. Well done!

      Danielle

    • jtpatry 11:06 am on August 2, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      Hi Dennis,

      Great idea for a venture concept in the hands on construction learning environment. Safety is always key in these types of environments and by having a mobile app with video data banks to refer back to or engage with prior to using machinery is a great idea. Getting the students involved with the venture would be a great idea as that someone mentioned above!

      Thanks for sharing!

      Jon

    • mackenzie 4:31 pm on August 2, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      I liked the elevator pitch it showed your problem and your solution. It caused me to look at you venture pitch more thoroughly. I liked the simulation idea but wonder if simulations are the way to go with such a hands on topic. I like the PHET simulations for physics and find them very useful and they save me large amounts of time with lab set up and take down. I would love to actually see one of these simulations since PHET was set up with nobel peach prize money.

      • Dennis Pratt 8:51 pm on August 2, 2012 | Log in to Reply

        Yes, the simulations and videos will be where most of the money goes. I would have a laptop or iPad set up like a kiosk where students can go to reference the machines they are supposed to know before they operate them. They would have to complete the simulations successfully a few times before getting on the actual equipment.

        Thanks for the response.

        Dennis

    • Bridget 5:53 pm on August 2, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      Hi Dennis,

      Thank you for sharing your pitches and after reviewing your elevator pitch I have the follow comments.

      I like the way that you video-taped yourself in front of the tool bench since this immediately gave me an idea of what you would be talking about. I also found the pictures to be effective especially the x-ray.

      As a time saver, videos are a great idea and work well within the realm of a flipped-classroom concept but I am not certain that they need to be recreated since a selection of safety videos already exist on the internet. I would have to weigh the value of the time and money spent reproducing these videos. If there is a reason for them to be specific it was not evident in the elevator pitch.

      Bridget

      • Dennis Pratt 8:55 pm on August 2, 2012 | Log in to Reply

        Bridget;

        I struggled getting everything into the elevator pitch as time seemed to go way to fast. I would have to produce new videos, for the most part, that target youth specifically. The safety videos that are available are mostly created for industry and adults. Youth need more focus and reminders about what the main points are.

        The best example I can think of is Bill Nye. He creates amazing video about science that are created specifically for kids. If you have ever seen him speak to adults he is not so animated or exciting as he does not have to be.

        Dennis

    • sheza 7:54 pm on August 4, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      Hi Dennis,

      I think you have a great idea here. There is a huge push in all districts, provinces and many workplaces that deal with the trades to hire people who are well-trained on the safety of working with machinery. I liked the simple and straight-forward nature of your elevator pitch, though it would have been good to see some more aggressive marketing to an investor in there. I think you could effectively pitch this venture to the WHIMS Board or as you mention in your venture pitch, the Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety because your product could fill in the gaps left by their guidelines.

      I especially like the fact that your product will consist of simulations that students go through to learn about the machinery and the safety precautions to take in using it – this is a feature that will give you a competitive edge over other safety resources available online. Launching this product as an app is also a great way to reach youth.

      I think that their is viability in this venture and that you should pursue it! I would be interested in investing after seeing a more clearly worked out business plan.

      All the best,

      Sheza

    • Hussain Luaibi 12:21 pm on August 5, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      Hello Dennis
      Your project has potential success in it. What makes it so is the fact that you are highlighting an important factor in the field training and education: safety. In spite of the fact that you didn’t refer to the CEO and the team working with him, your project is still outstanding in terms of potential profitability. I think your idea can be a great haven for a lot of vocational institutes and schools due to the practicality of the project.
      As for investing in your project, well, I would love to do it of course after considering the rivals of such idea.
      You need to keep on to make it a real one and not only a 522 assignment.
      Great job
      Hussain

    • toddpowell 10:51 pm on August 5, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      Dennis,
      I have had many conversations with my school’s shop teacher about many of the same issues that you are highlighting. There is a great need for your project, and I would love to see this available in the future!

      Cheers,
      Todd

  • unclereg 11:43 pm on July 29, 2012
    -2 votes
    |      

    Hey all,   Lets try this again. I accidentally posted the original to the ‘uncategorized’ section. I also just added a googledoc feature for my paper instead of embedding the whole thing in this message. Anyways, the youtube link to my elevator pitch is as follows:   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fXBKx-t77n4 And the googledoc link to my written […]

    Continue reading Hey all,   Lets try this again. I a… Posted in: Venture Forum
     

    • Jody McKinnon 3:47 pm on July 30, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      Hi. I tried to watch your video but it was listed as private 🙁

    • Deborah S 6:36 pm on July 30, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      Hi Regen,
      I enjoyed your video and thought you communicated the benefits of the venture very clearly.

      This is an interesting concept, but I have some reservations about how successful it might be. As you identified, there is no doubt that more tutors would be required in your venture as tutoring will now be individual. Before making an investment, I would like more specific information on the current amount charged per student, and how you envision this would change when the new model is implemented. I presume the cost would have to increase. I also wonder how receptive the tutors would be to taking on additional responsibilities such as scheduling, and how they would react to being idle for periods of time without being paid. I think you might lose many of your current tutors.

      In terms of marketing, you did a good job of identifying how you would spread the word within your current client base, but I would have liked some information as to how you plan to advertise to attract new clients.

      Deborah

    • unclereg 8:40 pm on July 30, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      Hey Jody and company,

      I just changed the video to be public. Sorry about this.
      It’s viewable now. Thanks for your patience.
      -Regen

    • dmcinnes 11:26 pm on July 30, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      Regen,

      Thanks for sharing your pitches. Your Elevator Pitch was clear and concise. I liked your concept. Obviously it makes a lot of sense in terms of the benefits to the kids. I have my doubts about the viability though. I imagine Sylvan would have crunched the numbers. If they are going from groups of 3/tutor down to 1:1 they are going to loose significant revenue. I know that your argument suggested that would be short-term, but I wonder also about how many good tutors might find themselves out of work because they are too challenging, or don’t fit the image that the student was looking for. As a teacher, I know it is easy to become well liked, but that doesn’t make you a good educator. In a perfect world, where money is no object it would be great to see one on one, were the tutors are well liked and respected, but I am too skeptical.
      I’m going to reserve my investment at this point to see the numbers on perhaps another tutoring service that does one to one.

      David

    • Danielle 4:23 am on August 1, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      Hi Regen,

      I think you have some excellent ideas on how to better serve the needs of students requiring additional support outside of the classroom. This is a great market to tap into because there are always going to be students who need this kind of support.

      Before I would invest in a such a venture, I would like a few more details about the platform being used and how Sylvan differentiates itself from the competition. I think it is also important for investors to know more about who in behind the success of a company. Confidence in a company’s management credentials and experience will improve chances of investment. I would also require a little more information on the return on investment. It might be an idea to offer the choice of tutors for premium account users in order to determine the viability of such a fundamental change in how Sylvan offers its services. This may also help prevent losses upfront.

      Overall, this is a great pitch and a very worthwhile venture. But I would require more information before making an investment.

      Danielle

    • kimnoel 12:00 pm on August 1, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      Hi Regen,

      I enjoyed your pitch – thought is was very smooth, concise, and your concept is certainly one which many students (and parents) would be very drawn to.

      There would be a number of areas which I, as an investor, would require more information. I would like to know a little more about the foundation/management of the company, as well as what the pricing structure would be should this be implemented. Would this be more of a premium service, for which student/parents would pay? or would there still be a 3:1 students to tutor package available?

      Overall, I think your idea is great, as there will always be students who require extra support, and the idea of 1:1 certainly falls within the whole concept of differentiated instruction.
      Well done!

      Smiles, Kim

    • Dennis Pratt 8:40 pm on August 1, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      Regen;

      As one who knows very little about the tutoring world I think you have a good idea here. My main concern, however, is the cost and if it will make the company more money. I am sure it would benefit students but will it make money? I don’t know the Sylvan Learning system but I assume these small groups are ideal in that students can learn from each other and a tutor is not just watching one student complete their assignments. For some reason in my mind a one-on-one situation would usually be best, especially if is with a tutor you get along with and can learn from.

      I am interested to hear what management from Sylvan Learning would say about the venture and if they are open to it being an option for their students.

      Dennis

    • unclereg 7:33 am on August 2, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      Hey all,

      Thanks for the responses thus far.
      David – It is true that a well-liked teacher does not make that teacher good. Well said. I wasn’t thinking at the time about this, and now agree that this notion could become problematic.
      Danielle – For the future I was thinking that if Sylvan could recruits teachers from local schools to become tutors then that aspect could differentiate themselves from other tutoring services. But looked at in general, there is really nothing differentiating it from other services besides the change to make the tutoring more personal by allowing students more choice as to how their experience will unfold.
      Kim – You bring up some good questions for thought. Yes, there would still be 1:3 tutoring available, 1:1 just gives students more options on the way to making their learning experience more enjoyable/educational.
      Dennis – Yes Sylvan would probably initially be hesitant with this idea, though it could stand to help them differentiate themselves from the competition and create a more lucrative business plan for the future. Differentiating, and personalizing the experience is the only justification for eventually charging more for tutoring rates and therefore making more money over time.

      Thanks again all for the responses.
      -Regen

    • troos 12:56 pm on August 2, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      Hello Regan:

      You present a venture as an addition to an existing company and this makes it difficult to define the various aspects of the venture as they are mainly tied to this existing company. This also makes it difficult to convince new investors to believe you need funding for your proposal. You do a great job explaining and justifying the value and usefulness of this venture. You speak clearly and provide personal presence in your elevator pitch. I would like to know a little more about the number of clients you expect to add to Sylvan through this proposal as well as some revenue projections of existing and predicted new business.

      Tim

    • Bridget 5:45 pm on August 2, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      Hi Regen,

      Thank you for sharing your pitches and after reviewing your elevator pitch I have the follow comments.

      I do not know much about Sylvan Tutoring but I assume that it is a face-to-face tutoring system since that is what the pictures indicate. You make a solid case for enabling students to hand select their tutors but it is not clear from the elevator pitch as to why this would require extra monetary investment. I wonder why they do not have a 1:1 system at the present and could it be that they want to promote small group learning? I think that it would be interesting for Sylvan to offer an on online tutoring service, which can work with the busy and varied schedules of youths today.

      Technically speaking there are a couple of items in the presentation which I find distracting. First, the Ken Burns effect of zooming and panning often cut off parts of the pictures, Secondly, while wearing the shirt/tie was a great professional looking idea, I would have liked to have seen the buttons fastened etc. I work in a school where the students wear ties and button-down shirts so I might be more attuned to this.

      Bridget

    • sheza 7:08 pm on August 4, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      Hi Regen,

      Your Elevator Pitch was more of a sales pitch for why someone should be interested in this service from Sylvan rather than a pitch directed to investors. It was also quite difficult to hear as the volume on your video was quite low.
      Also, I don’t see the educational technology edge to your venture? As an investor I wouldn’t have been compelled to read onto your Venture Pitch, and even though I did I did not find answers to such questions as the ask, market share, ROI, or information on your CEO and Team. I understand that this venture would be an offshoot of the Sylvan chain but some consideration should have been given to these points to successfully complete the requirements of your Venture Pitch.

    • toddpowell 10:23 pm on August 5, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      Regan,
      This is a very interesting venture, and one that you did a very good job in introducing and developing. Interestingly enough, I am actually a past Sylvan tutor, so your ideas have highlighted many of the issues that I had with the program (even while I was sitting there working with students). Also, my brother-in-law is a sylvan kid (from many years ago), so I also know how much money is crammed into that system. My hesitancy is that, if the ratio was to drop to 1:1, or even 2:1, then the bottom line for financial income will decrease. Also, I worked with some good tutors who the kids didn’t necessarily like, and others who were horrible and the kids loved. Another fear is the favourite card!

      You have a great idea, but I think that it could be much stronger is hashed out a little more.

      Cheers,
      Todd

  • Donna Forward 9:11 pm on July 29, 2012
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    Rendez-vous is an on-line French Learning Management System and live communication company that is available 24/7 from any handheld device.  Rendez-vous is an emerging market venture that will be the first of its kind, allowing French students access to mother tongue speakers around the clock. Here is the link for the Elevator Pitch included with my Venture […]

    Continue reading RENDEZ-VOUS – The Company For You Posted in: Venture Forum
     

    • jtpatry 12:22 pm on July 30, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      Good day Donna.

      Great job on your pitches, they were both engaging and well presented. I think your idea has potential not just in the education market but also in the private sector. There are any folks who are now not in the work-force anymore and are looking for things to do to occupy time. I know my mother has began taking second language coures and has really enjoyed them, but something like this takes it to the next level! By actually having real-time conversations with other French speakers just makes the experience that much more engaging and meaningful! When French becomes a success with this program, the potential to target other languages is endless! Investment made!

      Thanks,
      Jon

      • Donna Forward 12:02 pm on August 1, 2012 | Log in to Reply

        Hello Jon,

        Thank you very much for your comments on my Venture Pitch.
        I hadn’t thought of the private sector as an option for Rendez-vous, so that’s worth looking into.
        I hope that your mother is enjoying learning her second language.

        Have a good week,

        Donna

    • Meggan Crawford 4:24 pm on July 30, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      Hi Donna,

      I really like the idea behind Rendez-Vous, but there were a few questions that came to mind that would keep me from investing at this point. I really like the focus on mobile devices, as this is a strong approach to encouraging youth to become active language learners and there is no doubt that learning from native speakers is the best approach! I did wonder, however, about the student teacher ratio, as you mentioned aiming for 25,000 students, but hiring only 16 instructors…is each instructor really going to be able to have meaningful conversations with over 1500 students? As well, what does Rendez-vous do that makes writing in the target language on Facebook or Twitter any different? I can sign in and write in any language I choose without a program – does it have specific pages or links where conversations are going on? I wasn’t sure about that part, but you’ve definitely got my interest!

      My only other comment is that I felt somewhat disconnected from your elevator pitch as the static image of an elevator seemed unrelated and lacked excitement. I understand why you chose it, but some variation might spark more interest!

      Nice work, I would love to see where this idea takes you!
      -Meggan

      • Donna Forward 12:18 pm on August 1, 2012 | Log in to Reply

        Hello Meggan,

        Thanks so much for your comments.

        I had thought about the teacher-student ratio at first and came to the conclusion that at first, the novelty of phoning would probably put the strain on the teachers but would then peter out later on and eventually, only those really eager students would call more often which would balance out for the instructors. It would definitely by something to seriously plan if the company is to take off.

        For Facebook and Twitter, I know that my students don’t choose now to write in French. However, if the francophone instructors from Rendez-vous and the other students in their cohort are on special groups on Facebook, they will only be writing in French. Also, the teachers can recommend people to follow on Twitter as well.

        For my elevator pitch, I was trying to set up the atmosphere of stepping into an elevator and having to listen to what was being said. However it didn’t come across as I had hoped. Next time I will definitely do things differently.

        Thanks again and have a good week.

        Donna

    • Allan 7:07 pm on July 30, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      Great idea, Donna. I really like this pitch. Even the name of the company, Rendez-vous strikes me as very catchy. I like that this company is a French on-line Learning Management System and live communication company that is available 24/7 from any handheld device.

      It’s also unique that Rendez-Vous that will be the first of its kind, allowing French students access to mother tongue speakers around the clock. I don’t think there’s quite a product like this.

      As a mobile user myself, I think what catches my attention is your thorough analysis about the telecommunications media companies involved. I find your analysis of Telus as an example of thinking ahead and allaying my concerns about how this intensive use of mobile technology will cost for those who will require larger smartphone/cell phone data plans since there will be constant use of text and data. Great job over all, and I look forward to seeing how this venture will progress!

      Allan

      • Donna Forward 12:31 pm on August 1, 2012 | Log in to Reply

        Hello Allan,

        Thank you so much for your comments.

        My analysis for the telecommunications media companies involved may only work for B.C. However, I would need to do more of an investigation with other companies such as Bell Canada in order to see about package deals with the rest of Canada.

        I do think that this is a unique product that provides acces to native speakers 24/7, so I believe that there is a market for Rendez-vous!

        Thanks again,

        Donna

    • gregcamp 9:41 pm on July 30, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      Hi Donna,

      Great job with your pitches. I think this is an incredible completive market you are entering and if you are successful the reward could be immense. Outside of the public education system there are many individuals who are interested in learning French from native speakers and so there is the opportunity to expand into other markets which I like as an investor. Additionally, if you are successful you could consider expanding to include other languages (spanish, chinese, etc) I am concerned about the ratio of students to teachers (25,000 to 16?) and not sure how that will work especially if you are operating 24/7. Your management team seems to have the necessary background to make this venture work, however, after much consideration I am going to pass on the investment.

      Greg

      • Donna Forward 12:41 pm on August 1, 2012 | Log in to Reply

        Hello Greg,

        Thank you very much for your feedback. I also questioned myself about the student-teacher ratio. Meggan also had the same concerns so if you read my comments to her above, then it will explain a little about how I was thinking out my plan.

        I believe that this company could work and also expand to other languages such as Chinese and Spanish as you mentioned. When I was learning my second, third and fourth languages, I discovered that the hardest thing to do was to talk on the phone, since you don’t have the face or lips of the person speaking in front of you.

        I’m sorry that I can’t count on your $500,000. A bit of a disappointment:)

        Cheers,

        Donna

    • janetb 8:55 am on July 31, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      Hi Donna,

      I think you have a great idea for a venture. There is certainly a huge market for second language learning and providing students with an opportunity to converse in another language outside of class would be a huge selling point.

      One suggestion for your elevator pitch, though. The enthusiasm in your voice is compelling, but a few images other than the elevator would have made it a little more engaging. Something like VoiceThread where your narration could have been accompanied by changing images might work well.

      All the best on your venture,
      Janet

      • Donna Forward 12:46 pm on August 1, 2012 | Log in to Reply

        Hello Janet,

        Thank you so much for your feedback.

        I agree that my elevator pitch was weak. I had originally wanted to give the listener the impression that they were riding the elevator and listening to my pitch. However, it does need some more images and a bit more pizzazz!

        Thanks again and have a great week.

        Donn

    • Claire Burgoyne 4:38 pm on July 31, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      Hi Donna,
      Your venture certainly addresses a need for French language learners to use the language they’re learning. The ability to access French speakers 24/7 is a definite bonus. I’m not clear on how options to converse on Facebook and Twitter are unique to Rendez-vous. My main concern though is the teacher to student ratio of 1:1562. This ratio means that in a 40 hour work week each teacher will have approximately 1.5 minutes to speak with each student. In order to be of value there should be sufficient time for teachers to get to know the students and encourage meaningful dialogue. A ratio of 1:80 would allow for 30 minute weekly conversations.

      Claire

      • Donna Forward 12:52 pm on August 1, 2012 | Log in to Reply

        Hello Claire,

        Thank you so much for your feedback,

        The teacher-student ratio has been a common concern of others too. I agree that 30 minutes weekly would be best. I first planned that at the beginning, many students would phone teachers but then when the novelty wore off, things would settle down and there would be less students calling in general. It is definitely a major point in my venture that would have to be re-visited if it is to come to fruition!

        Thanks again and have a great week.

        Donna

    • HJDeW 8:04 pm on July 31, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      Donna, I love the connection and thought of ‘teachers without borders’. Perhaps, in this time of fiscal restraint and union unrest, it’s an idea that will take off. Second language learning is certainly on the upswing, but the demand for French would be a limiting factor to the potential growth of your venture. I struggled to see how you would make money on this venture, but then saw the data on the slides, outlining potential return on investments.

      You outlined a plan for moving from the BC environment into other provinces, but since education is a provincial mandate, did you consider how you would make contacts and customer base in provincial environments that may not be as open to the opportunities you would provide to their students? I know that Ontario has a program of instruction for french language learning that may close the door for potential profits in this province.

      Your elevator pitch provides passion in your tone but this is lost in the absence of engaging images or personal ‘presence’ of the CEO. The details in your venture pitch are extensive and compelling. There is potential in the concept, but the market potential beyond BC borders (for teachers without borders) may hamper the business goals.
      Helen

      • Donna Forward 1:02 pm on August 1, 2012 | Log in to Reply

        Hello Helen,

        Thank you so much for your comments.

        Yes, moving into the other provinces would be a challenge and I would need to do more homework to see if other programs of instruction such as in Ontario would be open to a program like this. Maybe I would need to takes Jon’s advice and move to the private sector.

        I agree that my elevator pitch needs my presence and a few more engaging images. My first plan of giving the listener the impression that they were riding an elevator didn’t come across as I had planned.

        Thanks again for your comments and have a great week.

        Donna

    • mariefrancehetu 6:01 am on August 1, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      Hello Donna,

      Indeed our two ventures are similar . . . it never occurred to me anyone would have anything close to the same idea as my Converse-A-Long idea. The type of enterprise you propose however is more ‘course’ oriented, offering clients the possibility to learn French through your program, focussing on writing and speaking.

      I found that you covered all the important point san investor would want to know concerning your venture. You elaborated your plan for short-term and long-term goals well, but felt that for investors they might think the endeavour a bit risky at an international level. Perhaps once your enterprise is well established in B.C. and can show some steady growth, then it might be a good idea to propose to future investors the idea of extending it to Europe.

      The information you provided for your venture pitch was quite complete, but perhaps your powerpoint presentation could have been a bit more engaging visually, it felt more like a slide show.

      Does this enterprise really exist or like me is it fictive? It certainly shows that you have researched the idea very well, thinking of every last detail. If it doesn’t exist yet, perhaps this is something you are truly thinking of starting up?

      Marie-France

      • Donna Forward 1:08 pm on August 1, 2012 | Log in to Reply

        Bonjour Marie-France,

        Thanks you so much for your comments,

        Rendez-vous is indeed fictive. However, the idea of running a company is fun so it will be an idea at the back of my mind. There are so many things to think about in order to make a venture become a reality, it’s crazy!

        I agree that my presentation came off as a slide show. That was my biggest challenge with this project, choosing the best type of media to use. I need to work on this aspect in the future.

        Hope that you have a great summer.

        Donna

    • lisamallen 11:19 am on August 2, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      Hi Donna,

      I really like the concept of your venture, I think its a great idea and very practical. It’s clear that you’re an expert in this field, which is attractive as an investor – you “know what you’re doing” here.

      I wonder though, because there are so many language learning products on the market, how does render-vous compare? Is this technology more expensive than what is currently used today – or ? More information on the competition and how you plan to dissolve the competition would have been good to include in your pitch.

      Cheers,

      Lisa

    • Donna Forward 11:33 am on August 2, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      Hello Lisa,

      Thank you for your comments.

      You asked a very pertinent question about how Rendez-vous would compare to other language learning products in price. I would have to do some further research on this since when I was originally looking up the competition, I was concentrating on the quality of the products and not the $$$.

      Have a great week.

      Yours,

      Donna

    • maybacon 1:15 pm on August 2, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      Elevator Pitch: Wonderful idea, compelling elevator pitch and I love your slogan! I love how you’ve covered all elements in this brief pitch. As a bilingual student and teacher, I’ve always found languages, accents and language learning to be very interesting. Your venture provides a real and useful service and you present it well. Having more than one image to depict the venture might have enhanced the presentation, but since the narration was excellent, it was not an issue for me. My only concern is that the venture is in its incubation/idea stage and already the valuation is $2M. While this valuation might be reasonable after the business has made some sales, it is a gamble for investors at this point. However, because of the usefulness of the product, especially in Canada, I would still consider investing in this venture.

      Venture Pitch: The Rendez-Vous concept is impressive, comprehensive and the proposed language learning tools are excellent and interesting. I particularly like the idea of allowing students to recognize accents, as I have met many FSL students who attempt to speak Parisian French in Quebec, or students who disregard the need to work on accent altogether. One of the points that is somewhat concerning, however, is the idea that instructors must be available 7 days a week. While being “on call” 6 hours a day might not be incredibly demanding (since these instructors arguably wouldn’t be interacting with learners during those 42 hours a week), routinely working without a single day off would most likely be problematic for most individuals.

      I really appreciated your inclusion of the Telus package, since it gives a good idea of how much the technological costs might be (though it might be possible for Rendez-Vous to negotiate a deal with a service provider because of high volume). An honest description of Rendez-Vous’ potential obstacles was also an excellent addition to your pitch, as well as an idea of the return on investment.

      I did wonder, however, about the statement that Quebec does not have French Immersion, as I have worked as a student teacher in a French Immersion classroom (see http://www.rsb.qc.ca/?C61913D1-512F-4C81-B3EA-94B479D68D81) in the Montreal area a few years ago, though perhaps the schooling structure has changed since Bill 104 and national French Immersion and Quebec French Immersion are not equivalent programs.

      Overall I love this idea, and with a bit of restructuring for employees’ sake, I believe this would be a very useful and potentially lucrative venture. Great work!

      May

      • Donna Forward 4:42 pm on August 2, 2012 | Log in to Reply

        Hello May,

        I’m glad to see that you would be interested in investing in Rendez-vous.

        It is interesting your comment about French Immersion in Quebec. I had questioned it when I first read it on a site which told me that there wasn’t any in Quebec. However, I realized that I should have done further research because after you mentioned it, I looked it up and found the same “incorrect” site but also found out that it does, indeed exist on other sites. Shame on me for not researching into more depth! That’s what happens when I live in lotus land for so long and Eastern Canada seems far and disconnected.

        I appreciate all of your comments, thank you.

        Cheers,

        Donna

    • danishaw 2:56 pm on August 2, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      As french is not my forte, I do appreciate your potential venture as a unique and worthy en-devour. I liked how you narrated the presentation for it added a degree of authenticity. To make this more powerful, I would have liked to see more of the dialogue included in point form, for I am a highly visual learner. At times, I found myself pausing and replaying the video so that I was able to gain an understanding of the details. Features such as a table to outline the features of the competition would have been of benefit. In addition, the inclusion of theory on achievement and social interaction in language learning would have persuaded potential investors. Also, referencing the BYOD movement and increases in access to mobile technologies would help support the need for your creation. Overall, a very good, engaging presentation!
      All the best,
      Danielle

      • Donna Forward 4:47 pm on August 2, 2012 | Log in to Reply

        Hello Danielle,

        I appreciate your comments.

        I agree that now when I look back at my Venture Pitch, I should have put some more dialogue in my slides. However, I was trying to avoid the typical Point Point presentations of reading exactly what was on the slides. Maybe I went a bit too far the other way:

        I also could have incorporated more of the BYOD movement into my presentation, especially since I was involved in the BYOD week 10 group presentation!

        Thanks again and have a great week.

        Donna

  • Hussain Luaibi 6:23 pm on July 28, 2012
    -2 votes
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    Hello everybody and welcome to our new product the Digital Writing Pad ( or DWP). The new product ( hardware and software ) will help many educational centres, that use smartboards as learning platforms, to overcome the hurdles that students face when using the smartboards. What the Digital Writing Pad does is really magic. Go […]

    Continue reading Digital Writing Pad Posted in: Venture Forum
     

    • Donna Forward 9:59 pm on July 30, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      Hello Hussain,

      It was interesting how you presented your Elevator Pitch with no sound. However, It was easy to follow and the concept of your digital writing pad was well presented.

      I like how you compared the digital writing pad with Smartboarts and you gave some good examples of the differences, such as kids not being tall enough to reach the topic functions on the Smartboard screen.

      Your look at the potential markets was good and you came across as a geniune CEO. It didn’t look like you were reading, so it made your presentation more personable.

      I like your idea because it is bringing a hand writing option back into the classroom while keeping up with the latest trends of technology. Also, the writing pad is a great idea to create an electronic, communal chalkboard.

      The only problems you could face with a product like this is that people might rather use iPads instead of writing pads, since typing is much more common than printing or writing by hand these days.

      Donna

      • Hussain Luaibi 12:34 am on July 31, 2012 | Log in to Reply

        Hello Donna
        Thank you very much for your constructive review. With the feedback I am getting from my classmates I feel I am really enriched with valuable information about my work.
        You mentioned that there is a potential rival to my product which is the iPads. Well, yes, the iPad could be a rival here but it doesn’t offer what the writing pad does. The latter is connected to the smartboards. Technocally we can’t do that with the iPad which is limited in terms of hardware and software. The Writing Pad doesn’t have the ability of the iPad and it is not meant to be like a tablet. It is a pad for writing on the board, I mean the smartboard. The iPad encourages individualistic learning style whereas the writing pad is meant to be communal.
        Thank you for review.
        Hussain

    • shawn harris 10:23 pm on July 30, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      Hi Hussain,
      Thanks for sharing your pitch! The digital writing pad has it place in the market as I am interested in any tool which enhances learning! Love the examples you gave, they are convincing and depicts the reason for someone to invest in this product. Why is your elevator pitch without sound? It would have been felt by potential investors if the CEO was actually reading the slides or appearing in between slides.

      I do believe this product has some potential on the market though it has some strong competitions such as the iPad. It has to be affordable to survive in the educational market.
      I notice that you did not introduce yourself in the pitch and for the future you could look at making mention of your management team as this would add some credibility.

      Good effort Hussain !

      ~ Shawn

      • Hussain Luaibi 12:49 am on July 31, 2012 | Log in to Reply

        Hello Shawn
        Thanks a lot for your review. I appreciate the honest way of talking about my “product”. The examples I chose are to elevate the main idea behind my product. So it took me sometime to choose such examples. As for why my elevator pitch was silent, well, I didn’t think I needed to add comments or music to. I thought that it was informative and engaging. But all the same you are right I should have put at least some music or just some comments. I was also deterred from do so because of the technical side. I am good at playing with powerpoint files and I could have added a lot of things but I didn’t want to have a large size file that will not be uploaded easily.
        I didn’t introduce myself in the pitch but I did mention the name of the company, I mean my company and I thought that would create a logical link.
        Shawn this product is much cheaper than the iPad which can’t be hooked to the smartboard easily. The pad I presented is not meant to be a tablet but simply a pad for writing.
        Thanks a lot
        Hussain

    • Dave Horn 10:43 pm on July 30, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      Hi Hussain,
      I agree that the presentation format was novel and it had a good use of images and text, though I felt like the pace was too slow. I saw problems with students using the tablets in terms of who was writing on the board and preventing others from “being difficult” during a lesson. It was mentioned before too, but I see tools like iPads and tablets providing greater overall functionality when paired with something like Apple TV. Given that it was going to be mounted on the desk, what work space would be left for the students when not using the pad?

      Dave

      • Hussain Luaibi 1:00 am on July 31, 2012 | Log in to Reply

        Hello Dave
        Thanks a lot for your constructive review. Yes, you might be right about the slow pace of the presentation. But that is how things are when you want to make things look credible.
        The writing pad I presented is meant to be looked at a tablet at all. It is simply a writing pad hooked to the smartboard. The iPads and tablets you mentioned can’t do the same job. I think the iPad encourages individualistic learning behaviour whereas the writing pad is simply a platform for writing where everybody can see. Besides, if we think about the cost of the iPads and the Apple TVs, we will be shocked. The writing pad is more realistic in terms of cost and function. The writing pad was mentioned before but not exactly the same it is presented this time.
        I appreciate your review.
        Thank you
        Hussain

    • Ronna Hoglund 11:58 am on July 31, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      Hi Hussain,
      Thank you for sharing your venture idea. I do think your idea has potential and call me old-fashioned but I would like to see printing & cursive to be considered valuable life skills. My 17 y/o cannot write! I do think your elevator pitch would have been more effective in video format like your venture pitch. I am not sure potential investors would be “sold” as it is.
      Ronna

      • Hussain Luaibi 1:51 pm on July 31, 2012 | Log in to Reply

        Hello Ronna
        I totally agree with that writing is an essential part in the sphere of learning. With the high technology we are having these days, people have become dependent completely on ready made cliches. I was hoping with products like the one I presented I could re-address the issue of writing again in schools. As for the format of the pitch I thought doing it as a powerpoint will add some strength to the whole project. I just thought that it would highlight the theory of the venture. It would be very easy to transfer it into a youtube video. Do you think doing the pitch via powerpoint program is not very positive when it comes to winning the hearts of investors?
        Thank you for the support
        Hussain

    • Brian H 6:56 pm on July 31, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      Hussain,

      Elevator Pitch Review

      You have an interesting venture especially if the cost of the writing pads could be kept to a minimum. The writing pads would really be beneficial in traditional schools as the technology is not disruptive to standard lessons but is a natural analogue to digital process. The writing pads would not require major classroom changes and be appealing to many teachers whom are satisfied with tested pedology and practice.

      There is a market for digitizing traditional practices and I would be interested in this particular venture even though I would not use it in my own classroom.

      Thanks,
      Brian Hotovy

    • Hussain Luaibi 11:09 pm on July 31, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      Hello Brian
      Thank you for the support. I think the writing pad will not only facilitate the class activities but also will enhance teaching writing as an important aspect of education where writing hasn’t been given much attention.
      Thank you
      Hussain

    • Denise 10:05 am on August 1, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      HI Hussain,

      I liked the idea and could see the benefit. Also liked that you saw opportunities beyond schools.

      As with others, the silent powerpoint elevator pitch was different. Personally if I were looking to invest I would have been more engaged if I had met you, as with your venture pitch. I found the powperpoint slow and there were too many interactivies – which I found distracted from your pitch. I also didn’t get a sense of your background and competency as CEO. I have to say I probably wouldn’t have gone on to oyur venture pitch.

      The venture pitch did give good demonstrations of the advantages of the writing pad and I found it easy to listen to you.However the pitch seemd more vague than your elevator pitch, it could have been more punchy – one suggestion would be to use the video and the powperpoint together. There were times where the way you presented the venture was not convincing eg “sign of potential succes” i think you could have been much more confident with a product like this.

      You asked for $300,000 but I wasn’t sure how that investment would roll out, and the return seemed to have no actual figures to back it and you didn’t identify a time line for the return of investment.

      Loved the concept, but I wasn’t convicned as an investor with your pitches.
      Denise

    • mariefrancehetu 4:00 pm on August 1, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      Hello Hussain,

      Great job! Here is my feedback for your elevator pitch and venture pitch.

      I thought the use of words and images with no voice in your elevator pitch were quite effective! However, I did think that the tempo was a bit slow and you could have used the time saved on your one-minute presentation to add more information for example. Your elevator pitch did prick my curiosity as an investor . . . as a second-language teacher I could really see using these writing pads in my classroom!

      Venture Pitch

      Your venture pitch really covered all of the important points and convinced me this gadget could be of interest to me as an investor. However, if you need 300,000$ I would have liked to know what for and how you intend to spend it. Also you say you think the company would make X number of millions over the next year, and it would have been nice to see a graph that showed where the money would be coming from in percentages (from schools – K-12, private sector, universities etc.)

      If this product really existed I really would like to promote it to my superiors, so that shows you were able to demonstrate the need and propose a solution quite well. Where your presentation could have been improved is the video clips of yourself. Perhaps pinning the main points you wanted to discuss on sheets of paper on the wall in front of you might have helped you sound more convincing so you did not have to think of your ideas as you spoke. Otherwise, great job integrating video, slides and wording in your presentation, I know how much work that can be.

      Congrats Hussain!

      Marie-France

    • Danielle Dubien 10:49 pm on August 2, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      Hi Hussain,

      Your pad would be great for some of the applications you mention, as well as saving paper, being a great way for students to improve their calligraphy and providing great opportunities for collaborative drawing projects. However, considering the amount of time that teachers get students to write at the board, I’m not sure the increase in convenience makes the purchase worthwhile. In addition, it’s already possible to write on tablets, although they are very expensive and the technology still seems to be in need of development.

      There may be a great number of SmartBoards in classrooms, but I would need hard facts to show just how much they are actually being used. There is just too much anecdotal evidence indicating that a lot of Smartboards are not used often or at all, and that this technology may be on its way out. Therefore, the link with the digital pad is not convincingly strong.

      If the pad is attached to the desk, it would take away space for doing other things. There are high chances of the pad being damaged during a normal day’s activities, especially considering that a lot of kids eat at their desks.

      If you want to provide students with the chance to write on the board while sitting at their desks, why not make your venture about an app for mobile devcices? Teachers could have the students select different templates like straight or round grids, diagrams or anything else and kids could write on selected spots. They could label a diagram, write out words in a grid to keep the writing neat, they could circle parts of a picture in an art history course… whatever!

      I wish you luck in developing other ideas for use in educational technology!

      Cheers,
      Dan

    • Sherman Lee 11:01 pm on August 2, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      Hello Hussain,

      Great effort there, Hussain. I hope you do not mind as I am going to be quite critical here, since you have presented on something that I am personally quite passionate about. Or at least hit quite close to home for me because I work with a writing pad (or tablet) all the time and had done quite a bit of research prior to making my purchase. I wish to help you push your idea further.

      Overall, you presented yourself as quite a confident CEO. It is just a personal preference, but it would be great if you could speed up your speech a little. Other than that, your presentation methodology was good.

      In regards to the concept, I think the biggest drawback from my point of view is the uniqueness of this product. I think there is quite a bit of competition for what you have. Aside from the iPad that someone else mentioned in their comment, a closer cousin to what you have would be the Wacom tablets. Out of all the writing input devices, Wacom has the best imitation that gives the closest feel to writing / drawing on paper. It is also a single USB line powered device that would input directly onto a computer, which means, with a USB hub and 30 of these tablets, your product’s functionality can be duplicated. Furthermore, I recall that you have mentioned the Smart Podium device as a competition either. I see that one as a valid competition for your product as it is geared directly to interact as a handheld or desktop friendly device to input onto the Smartboard. Regardless of rather current competition replicate your product directly, I think the most important thing is that there are similar product that can be tweaked to do what yours does. Should a school be looking at common inputting device, Microsoft Mouse Mischief also offer a very cost effective solution. Of course, my biggest question is, how will you solve that and show me the value proposition and sustainment of that value in the long run.

      I wish you luck in developing this idea further and hopefully I have provided value to you in my comments.

      Cheers,

      Sherman

      • Hussain Luaibi 1:11 pm on August 5, 2012 | Log in to Reply

        Sherman
        Thank you very much for the nice input about the market and the competition my project will face. Yes, I agree with you that the competition is (will be ) relentless. Probably what will help my product is the simplicity and this means the low-cost of the pad which is meant to be fixed on the desk. The wireless connection is another great option but we have to prepare ourselves for the high increase in the cost.
        Yes, Sherman, the pad market is very competitive and it is not easy to break into it.
        Thank you
        Hussain

    • HJDeW 7:49 am on August 3, 2012 | Log in to Reply

      Hussain, you have presented a unique product that will solve a ‘pain’ in the classroom. It has a compelling need (coming from a short person who can’t reach the top of most smartboards) with a strong potential for growth in the educational and corporate marketplaces.

      Your presentation is short on lots of details that are needed for potential investors (differentiation of your product, return on investment, costs of delivery and distribution, client base, strengths of your management team) but your commitment and interest in this product are compelling.

      As others have already noted, your ‘silent’ elevator pitch had some interesting elements, but was not as engaging or enticing as it could have been with such a venture. Your venture pitch contained all the essential elements and provided details about the product itself and how it resolves the need. I wondered if you were including support or training with the sales of the DWP?
      Good luck with your venture!
      Helen

      • Hussain Luaibi 12:52 pm on August 5, 2012 | Log in to Reply

        Hello Helen
        Thank you very much for your constructive notions in regard to my pitch and venture. I will definitely take them into consideration because they are really valuable.
        Thank you
        Hussain

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