Hello and welcome to Speaking Visually, the online arts integrated modules that address the need for learners to develop 21st century literacy skills including: visual, critical thinking, and creativity skills. To learn more about this venture you can view the elevator pitch and review the venture pitch. Elevator Pitch Venture Pitch SpeakingVisually You’ll also find […]
Continue reading Speaking Visually Posted in: Venture Forum
I have put all of my work together at http://www.mrmckinnon.com/ossltonthego1. The elevator pitch is on the first page and the subsequent webpages flesh out the venture. For those of you that are not familiar with Ontario’s curriculum, all students in Grade 10 must write the Ontario Secondary School Literacy Test (OSSLT). It is written in […]
Continue reading I have put all of my work together at ht… Posted in: Venture Forum
Great job Jody!
I thought your pitches were clear, concise, engaging and realistic. Both appeared well researched very professional. I had some questions about “assigned teachers” to provide feedback. Is that something that already exists, or a service your company would provide?
At this point, I’d be a little on the fence, but might be willing to invest. Well done!
David McInnes
Hi there. Thanks for your comments. IN many schools, a teacher or group of teachers has the responsibility for preparing students for the test. In my school, it has been the core English teacher. So in this case, he/she would be the ‘assigned’ teacher. This way no teacher is responsible for no more than 22 students (the class size cap for Applied courses in my board). I hope this clarifies it for you. Thanks!
Yes, I would invest.
Your presentation was dynamic and engaging and pretty much grapped you by the eyeballs from the start. 🙂
I much enjoyed the format of your presentation – simple to navigate, concise and to the point. I would like to hear more about the market expectations and before actually signing on the dotted line, would like to hear more about motives behind the users (as it is the MEO that wants high grades in this case, and not necessarily the students, no?).
regardless, this holds potential for me.
well done.
errr, ‘grabbed’. 🙂
Jody,
Jody,
I really like the app and service but I would not invest under the current fee structure. If all approx. 900 Ontario High Schools purchased a licence for $50 you would have a total revenue of $45 000 minus app store and processing fees. You would have to bank that a major amount of parents would purchase this app at $5 price point.
I would be interested in this venture if the app could be sold directly to the Ministry to provide the services to all stakeholders free of costs. Otherwise, the market is too small to cover the overhead costs to properly deliver the services promised (staff, hardware, network, development, support ect.)
Thanks,
Brian Hotovy
Thanks for your comments. The purpose of this app was to not make money. The fee was nominal on purpose. If this were a real venture, my hope is that the government would have invested in it and provided the differences in costs.
Hi Jody,
Thank you for sharing your elevator pitch with me. I do think that you presented a compelling pitch, however, as a parent of a 17 y/o boy in the Ontario public school system, I would be very grumpy having to purchase “extra” help in any format for him to succeed. That said, my children (I also have a 19y/o daughter) were both successful with the test and I am sure there are other parents and teens who might appreciate it.
Ronna
I hear that Ronna. IN theory, if this were a real app and the province paid for it, parents would pay nothing. Because in theory, this app is free for the user…only more if the parents want to receive the reports and controls.. Thanks for your comments.
Hi Jody,
Great job on your pitch!
I think that your focus on this new educational app to help risk learners is very fitting for the current educational technology market! I would surely invest. This is certainly an area with potential for growth in the next several years not just in Ontario but in the Caribbean and other developing countries. I thought that the tone of your pitch was very professional, clear and to the point. This venture seems convincing compared to others I might add.
I think “No student should be left behind” could be your company’s slogan. What do you think?
Jody I notice you did not talk about the global market or did I missed that? Is this new app only for Ontario? Are you planning to go global? We have literacy exams here in the Caribbean too. Your team seems credibility and look highly spirited.
By the way, loved the video about you receiving the Olympic Torch in Dec 06. That must have been an awesome experience. Thanks for sharing with us!
Overall, I do think your venture has a good market that is increasingly growing overtime. You have provided a detailed venture pitch with information about the market and the product. The concept is a good one… again, thanks for sharing it with us and all the best!
~ Shawn
Thanks for your comments. My market is local and I have no interest in going global at this time. I don’t know much or anything about the structure of tests around the world, However, if this were a real venture and it worked well here, it could easily be adapted for export to other jurisdictions. Thanks!
Hi Jody. Your presentation was clear, concise, and captivating. I like the concept of this venture, using technology and motivation to engage at risk learners. However, I’m slightly concerned with your target market size: Of the 147,000 eligible students, 24,000 failed. 14,880 (62%) are at-risk boys. About only 11,160 are at-risk boys with technology. Not all of them will use the application even if the product is available for free. This is a small niche market. As a teacher, I would definitely purchase one for my school at this price point. However, as an investor, I think you undervalued your product and I recommend increasing the price. As a non-profit investor, why not provide the service for free (and get good tax breaks)?
Colin
Hi Colin. Thanks for your response. You are correct in that it is a niche market and that is what I wanted all along to begin. Should it prove worthwhile in the real world, it could easily be available for all learners preparing for the test. I had thought about the tax break thing for investing, but I wasn’t sure about how that would work or if it would be realistic or legal. I’m not a marketing expert, entrepreneur or a business person. I’m just an English teacher that wants to see boys be more successful on the literacy test. Thanks again!
Jody
Neat work! Everything was done nicely. I think your venture will find its place in the market easily especially you mentioned that you prefer it to be in the local market. With the statistics you provided in regard to failing percentage of the exam takers specifically among boys, I presume the market welcomes such education-oriented business initiative because it is simply needed. What helps here is the fact that it is a unique attempt.
However there is one thing that makes me a bit hesitant which is the profit. You are driving at moving the investors to put their capitals in such a project but you don’t promise them with a good financial repay. Jody, you are addressing and dealing with investors not philanthropists!
Good job!
Hussain
Hi Hussain. Thanks for your comments. The purpose of my venture was never to make a profit. You’ll notice that I’ve positioned this as a way to fit a corporate social responsibility model…i.e. a way for the company to give something back to the community. Thanks again!
Hi Jody
I thought this was a very well done venture both in presentation and in concept. You were very clear in you elevator pitch and I think that you have hit on a market which does exist. Working in a school with students who are often disengaged and who struggle to study I could see the use for a mobile review tool with extrinsic rewards. I know in BC there is a slow removal of some of the standardized testing and I wonder how this trend could affect the OSST?
As an investor I would be interested in seeing the full venture plan and implementation scheme, as even if the OSST were to be removed this tool could be adapted for other testing needs.
Very well done
Dave
Hello Jody,
I was impressed with both your elevator pitch and venture pitch. Both looked quite professional and offered a good balance of visuals and text. As CEO you inspired me confidence that you know your stuff.
Your venture pitch and entire website was well researched and you really covered all possible questions a possible investor might have. Just one little thing, some of your lines on your web site overlap near the bottom and make it difficult to decipher those last few lines. Otherwise the whole look of the web site is appealing and as an investor I would certainly consider investing in your venture!
Congrats on your hard work . . . it really paid off!
Marie-France
Hello Jody,
Just as an aside, I can see your care for your students through your venture, and I think that is a great thing as an instructor myself. Putting my investor cap back on, your OSSLT on the go has potential. Your elevator and venture pitches were effective. The elevator pitch was efficient and effective. One personal pet-peeve of mine is dragged on and slow-paced elevator pitches. I see them almost like a commercial for investors – too slow and you killed the budding interest. Your venture pitch was well presented, and has your elevator pitch nicely embedded in it for easy referral. Overall, it was a great job!
CEO & Team: You left the best till last. I think you had a great structure that you introduced what your product was attempting to address and how it brings value to investors before reinforcing that trust with the introduction of you as the CEO and your highly capable team. By doing so, you gave a reason for me to remember you and your team by!
Venture Concept: I think this is a plausible concept. Being very familiar with the tutoring industry, I know how product that is driven by a standardized exam could draw a lot of interest. This is not only interest coming from the students, but more so from the parents. And what’s better than an app that you can easily take anywhere with you. This definitely beat those phone-book size study guides!
Marketability: I like it that the users get to use this for free. It is often easier to manage by schools if the students don’t have to pay. That is a big draw in for this market. Do you have any plans on expanding your market beyond who you have identified? I see that the at risk and also the re-write as more of a niche market. Since this standardized exam is for Ontario, I can see that it is of your best interest to reach as much of Ontario as you can. Another suggestion would be a global market. Yes… although your product was created for a niche, it doesn’t need to stay in it. Again, from my tutoring experience, there are parents who are thinking of immigrating to Ontario who might be interested in this as well. This would, of course, be a great marketing feat to reach deeper into the immigration population. There’s lots of potential, so make sure you plan things out!
Venture Plan: I would like to know a bit more about your plans for kick-off. How are you going to promote this product? What is your plan for dominating the market and keeping your product unique?
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 the OSSLT on the go business model and marketing plans.
Thank you and great job!
Sherman
Hi Jody,
I would invest for the greater good of the students, the ask is not much and the outcome makes it worthy of an initial investment. However, I do have a concern and that is with the government’s reaction to more students being successful on the exams, will they respond by increasing the standards and making the exam harder if future sessions? I know that some provincial exams I have had experience in administering have a set expectation that a certain percentage of students fail.
I think that a venture like this could also be expanded to include apps for other provincial or standardized exams, (I am not very familiar with the Ontario system), but in Alberta something like this would be useful for all other provincial achievement and diploma exams.
You pitch is excellent and very well constructed. Great work.
Kenton
Greetings all from Iceland..I”m still up after 36 hours, so I apologize if this post isn’t that coherent. Thanks for all of your comments since yesterday. I appreciate the feedback and do see that something like this could work in not only Ontario, but abroad. Re: the test getting easier? I’m not sure I buy that, but there will always be kids that don’t pass. We just need to make that a lower number. Anyway thanks again for all the excellent feedback. I’m not likely to post again. A pleasure working with y’all!
Great job! You presented the problem well and introduced the solution clearly. Your visuals enhanced the message I was intrigued to know more about your product. I would not invest in your product since I am not a big believer in teaching to a test, sorry. Great presentation though.
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
Hey Denise, your video is set to private FYI
Thanks- youTube and I have been having a bit of a fight over this pitch! I hope it is fixed now.
denise
Good to go now!
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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.
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
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
HI Danielle,
Thanks for the feedback esp that it wasn’t clear what the product was! Missed the pitch here then!
Denise
Welcome to MotionMath, where math problems are transformed into multimedia situations. Created for math teachers by math teachers this program provides easy to use, affordable access to problems which come to life in the classroom. See our Elevator Pitch for a quick introduction or the Venture Pitch for more details. I am looking forward to […]
Continue reading MotionMath Posted in: Venture Forum
Hi there. As a mathphobic guy, I say yes yes yes to this venture. I love that it melds multimedia and math together. Maybe I would have done better at it had it existed 25 years ago when I was in grade 7! Wow. I just realized how old I was…anyway. I love the concept and I can this working very well. To extend this idea, what if you had students make their own videos too that could be added to a database of student exemplars.
Overall, I like the idea, although, I don’t recall learning about your CEO or team.
I’m all in!
Jody
Hi Jody,
Thank you for your comments. My goal has always been to show people that experiencing math can be fun and with technology it is getting easier.
I fell into the selling the product trap in my elevator pitch but after watching others I have a better feeling of how I need to hook the investor so that they will even consider looking at my venture pitch which holds more information. Yes, students making videos is excellent and part of my plan this year which I am very excited about.
Bridget
Bridget,
I really liked your pitches. I thought both were very clean, clear and succinct. You did an excellent job of presenting a clear vision that focuses on a very real problem. Very professional and believeable. I’d be interested in investing.
Well done!
David McInnes
David,
Thank you. I learned so much about editing in this one and have even more to learn. It has been great watching other people’s pitches for ideas.
Bridget
Bridget, you had me at ‘hello, errr, ‘demo’!
Your elevator pitch was excellent. Being a math head, I appreciated HOW you connected math to real-life and I think there is terrific potential with your concept.
I also very much liked that you are VERY pedagogical and that this aligns perfectly with the future of curriculum as per mandated by minsitries of education far and wide.
Before I invest, I would like to discuss a few items with you and the team:
– could we put more ‘pitch’ on the presentation and a tad less on ‘demo’ if we want to get more investors?
– What are the plans for key partnerships? I think of a company called ‘Explore Learning’ Gizmos that have a similar concept and I think there is great potential in exploring partnerships with these kinds of companies.
– Perhaps i need to go through the material again, but I would need to hear more about the market and competition (sorry if is there, I was perhaps still jumping up and down about the demo).
Well done! Where do I sign?
Hi Yves,
I am glad you liked the demo idea…..kids are all over the few I have made and used with my classes.
Thank you for the comments. Great point about the “more pitch” and something that I had realized when the final product was complete. Fitting it all into 1 minute was quite difficult but when I sit back after view so many others I can see how I could have presented more as a pitch.
I have used Gizmos and that would be a good partnership…nice thinking. The main competition in TedEd which came out in June/July this year. It’s different but still new so who knows where and how big it will go. I do plan to contribute directly to their repository though…why not.
Bridget
That’s a great attitude… I agree, ‘why not?’. However, I seriously do think you are on to something though… I would love to see the reaction from the group MoEd group that asked me to present this past year… they would eat this up.
🙂
-y
Bridget,
Your elevator pitch sold me on the product but didn’t hook me as an investor. As an investor I would love to see returns that would be higher that what is projected in your numbers.
However, your content could be valuable to one of the big text book companies. Have you considered selling your content to the highest bidder? Or are you the next company that will provide resources on a mass level?
Very compelling as an educator. Wary as an investor!
Thanks,
Brian Hotovy
Hi Brian,
Thank you for your comments.
Yes, I agree, got sucked in to selling the product. However, I have some ideas now that I have seen a few pitches. I missed that point a bit in hooking the investor so that they will have the interest to look at the longer pitch.
I am not sure where the text book companies will be going in the long run but it is good idea.
Bridget
Hi Bridget,
Nice elevator pitch! I love the idea.
Would this work together with a specific set of objectives common to a particular province, or textbook publisher, or be largely generic ? I’m thinking of math IXL, which although not at all like your idea, is successful due largely to its concentration on math curricular objectives by Canadian province.
Well done!
Smiles, Kim
Hi Kim,
Thank you for your comments.
You ask an interesting question. I had originally thought about having the content be solely Canadian which is similar to what IXL does although they are more of an online quiz/tutorial system. All my examples would be Canadian content with topics being tagged appropriately. I would be Interested to know how well IXl does….an interesting thought for partnership.
Bridget
Hi Bridget,
I think you have done a fabulous job with your venture. Both your elevator pitch and your venture pitch are very clear and well laid out. The only thing is I thought your elevator pitch was more of a sales pitch then a message conveying the essence of your venture. However, I was captivated by the idea and I’m certainly interested!
I think the pilot idea is excellent. I think this is a very important for investors to see this and to get market research feedback from end users. I also think it would be useful to include current research on the effectiveness of authentic, meaningful, and relevant learning experiences.
Finally, I would suggest including the credentials of your management team.
Overall I think this is a fabulous venture and certainly one I would consider investing in!
Danielle
Hi Danielle,
Thank you, much appreciated and great point about the credentials.
Bridget
Hi Bridget,
I was really impressed by the professional quality of both your elevator pitch and venture pitch. The product is wonderful – I can definitely see it being used in classrooms and students learning a lot from it — I say this as an educator, but as an investor I wouldn’t have moved onto your venture pitch since your elevator pitch was more of a demo than an effort to convince me to open my wallet. I would have liked to see mention of the pilot schools and the revenue generated or projected in your elevator pitch so that I would have asked to hear out your venture pitch. The venture pitch was extremely well done and the demo was certainly thorough! I think again though, that an investor would like to see more emphasis on the “so what” rather than only see “the what”. Your information on the market and your projections for increasing that market share are believable and I also like the fact that you were able to show revenue projections in graphs. The comparison between competitors was also well done. Your team looks great, though I agree with Danielle in that it would be wise to tell us why these people are the best for the job.
Overall, as an EVA, after seeing your venture pitch I believe this is an impressive venture and I would be willing to invest! As an educator, I can’t wait to be able to use it in my classroom.
All the best!
Sheza
Hi Sheza,
Thank you for your comments. I do agree that I needed to pitch more and got sucked into the demo.
I appreciate the vote of confidence.
Bridget
To start great job with you pitches, they were easy to follow and they have made me interested in investigating further. I like the idea of taking textbook questions and making them more real world questions just like the tank question that Dan Meyer presented in his conference video. I love the idea of getting students to explore questions in a more hands on way, supported with multimedia support. As an investor I question the viability of the product since there are a ready several online sites that offer similar services like 101 questions and Dan’s own personal site. As an investor I would be concerned that once the product was used by one teacher in a school why wouldn’t that teacher just copy as many lessons as possible then give it to his colleagues or store them for future use. It also seems that this product would be easy to duplicate and your competition would increase.
Hi Steve,
Thank you for your comments.
My biggest worry was passing Dan Meyer’s video off as my own…..referenced it but not sure if it would stand in a real pitch. I am glad to hear that you are a fan and although this was his first 3-act problem (I think) it has remained a favourite of mine.
Dan focuses on the 3-acts which I think are great yet they are often not structured enough as a marketable product and they need a flexible teacher who knows the content very well in order to be successfully executed. I use his, and my own quite frequently in my classes. I am aiming to make more of a package out of the situations which can be more friendly for newer teachers and can be open or closed questions depending on the comfort of the teacher.
Great point about the duplicating and even with registrations teachers share passcodes so this is something to consider. Competition is good and I think that there are going to be many changes in the way in which math is taught in the near future and good fun to be part of the ride.
If you like Meyer you might also like Stadel http://mr-stadel.blogspot.ca/ who is also creating 3-act stories.
Bridget
Hi Bridget,
If I had more investment dollars, I would definitely commit money to your venture as well! It was actually a rather difficult because you did make an awesome pitch. I really liked it. The video and the showcasing make it authentic and easy to see your vision in action.
My biggest question for you is, how will you keep your product unique in the long run? Do you think that your product is easily replicable? How will your business model help prevent the market from diverging from your current dominance? I would also like to hear more about your team, to help me build trust in your venture.
Do pitch to me again when you are ready!
Sherman
Bridget
Nice venture and a clever pitch! I am not a math teacher but I remember I used to be a top student. I used to love it. I think this project is unique and not easy to make. But nothing is impossible as long as there is a will to do it. Such initiatives should be encouraged to take their proper space in the world of education.
One of the positive things about your project is that it could revive math teaching in general. You are starting a different method of teaching it, not the usual conventional style. And that is really unique in itself.
A subject can be hated if it is not taught properly. Here we are tackling a very sensitive point, which is creating the interest in the learner. The new format of math teaching might trigger this interest and keep it tuned.
Your project can get through the hearts of investor especially those who know how important math is for the whole system of education. The investors might get scared at first of the idea of teaching math through media tools but their reaction will not last long as soon as they understand that there is a huge market for it.
Bridget, you will get a lot of investors. I am one of them!
Good job
Hussain
Hi Bridget,
Amazing pitches! I think this venture has really good potential. The market size for math education is huge in North America alone, since it is a mandatory course. As a math educator, I think Motion Math will help those who struggle with abstract concept of math by using real-life, concrete examples. I particularly like the rate question that you posed in your elevator pitch, as it required students to think beyond what is required from a typical textbook question. I think the examples that you used help illustrate what your product is about. I would definitely consider investment if the asking the right. Well done.
Colin
P.S. You will probably need a good legal team since this product can be easily copied as pointed out by another potential investor.
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
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
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
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.
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
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
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
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
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
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
Thanks Dennis:
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
Thanks Danielle.
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
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
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
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
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.
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
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
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
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
Hi Everyone, For some time, I have been concerned that it is nearly impossible for teachers to find, share and discuss resources or initiatives with other teachers that are like-minded or that are simply constrained by the same learning outcomes. As a social venture that doesn’t make money, but more importantly saves time and money […]
Continue reading SHARED LESSONS Posted in: Venture Forum
Hello Steve,
Great opening with your Elevator pitch. It is visually attractive and I like your choice of pictures (like the one with the teacher and the stack of papers and marking). It was also interesting how you ended your introduction leaving the listener curious to hear more and that they should contact you if their interest had been tweaked.
The idea of Shared Lessons is good and you describe it well as a “cloning software that scaffolds and builds on the knowledge of the group”. It is almost a Google Doc’s type of concept that you are improving upon.
A few ideas to perhaps improve your Venture Pitch. I would have liked to have seen more slides to describe your venture as you were talking. Sometimes I was waiting for a new slide to appear but you remained on a previous one while you contined with your pitch. Also, it might have been a good idea to re-record your narrative as you spoke since there were several spots that you stumbled upon. By doing this you could have more of a professional, polished presentation.
The idea of your to help bring resources to reach all teachers is a excellent proposal. I’m not sure if you’ve quite convinced me to invest however, but the potential is there.
Donna
Donna
I agree the visuals could have been more powerful, and executed with greater effect.
Being a social enterprise aimed at one particular district definitely made it difficult for the average investor to grasp what I have intended. I tailored the pitch to such a specific client’s actual needs based on actual meetings with district personal that the audience(classmates) has joined the process part way through.
Hi Steve
As a teacher who has definitely been under the gun to develop lessons, the idea to collaborate and share lessons definitely appeals. As an investor, I wondered how I could contribute and how any monetary gain could happen. I may have missed it, but what about having a small cost for joining and sharing on the site? Who would be running and managing the site so as to update and organize materials?
Great effort though and I always like the idea of collaboration.
Dave
Dave
This project will not make money. Every teacher that I have approached has liked the idea. But if asked to pay money to join, they said it would drive them away from the site, or any similar venture site. Some colleagues said that they may consider joining this site for a small window of time to reap the resources but would not keep a continuing membership. Essentially, the idea of profiting in any way from their sharing of resources was unpalatable to them, and seemed to set an adversarial tone and not a collaborative one.
I can see your point about membership creating an adversarial tone, or one where people have temporary accounts to access content, but then don’t really contribute in return. What about moving it to a larger scale, where the school boards/districts paid a small fee to allow their teachers access, this could at least cover the costs of maintenance and such.
Hello Steve
Great efforts can be seen in your work. You explained things in a natural way which gives more credibility to the whole project.
As a teacher, I think sharing materials is great. But that can be done through many free software these days. The i-cloud and the drop-boxes can be a product killer. With the tight-fisted school budgets , many school these days would prefer to use free drop-box to do the same job. Besides, you mentioned that profit is not a priority here. How would you expect to entice the profit-oriented investors?
I think the idea is generally good but it won’t last long in the light of the flourishing market of information sharing.
Great presentation, Steve.
Hussain
Hussain
This is definitely not profit investors dream come true, but that was not my intention. I was targeting my own school district to allocate some resources to back my social enterprise. It was never my intention to appeal to investors that had monetary goals, but instead to reach an investor that shared my vision for a cultural paradigm switch from isolation to inclusion.
Hi Steve ,
Thanks for sharing your presentation of pitches with us!
As an educator the market concept appealed to me and I was more than willing to listen in to hear what you had to offer the market and to potential investors. The idea for sharing lesson plans is one which I give praises to as last year the education department had to fly specialist teachers from one island to the next for meetings and planning of lessons for the new academic year. In this technological era, that should not be done as it is too costly.
With that said, the concept about online space for teachers to collaborate, share resources and their best practices was clear to me as you gave some valid reasons and examples why this market is needed. You sounded passionate about the solution you are bringing to the table. However, for both pitches you did not introduce yourself nor did you make mention of the management team behind this as this would add some credibility to the potential investor.
I think you should have taken the time to re-record parts of your pitches for a smoother and a more professional work.
As others mentioned there are other spaces for shared lessons and collaboration. You mentioned that the product is not about profit, so what’s in it for the potential investor?
Overall Investment Status: I like your idea about helping educators to collaborate in a shared space however, I don’t see the CEO or the team, I don’t know the financial details about the market as little is mentioned about the marketing aspect or specifics about revenue and I didn’t hear much about the global market. I consider this extremely high risk and would not pursue.
Good effort!
~ Shawn
Shawn
As this is a venture aimed at my district, and since I am already a well-known member of its professional development initiative program amongst district leaders, a formal introduction didn’t seem necessary. Essentially, I was aiming my presentation at my target audience, an audience that already knows and trusts me, rather than providing a cold sell to angel investors. And since I was having trouble conveying all the things I wanted to in the time I had, I streamlined the parts that were less necessary. I know that I could easily present a paper that conveys most if not all of the information necessary, but I have an actual meeting scheduled with district members in the fall and believed I could double dip so to speak by creating a dual purpose pitch. I obviously need to work on my pitch so this was an excellent opportunity to test the waters. Thanks so much for your input.
Hi Steve,
I like the choice of visuals to complement your oral presentation. I think that collaboration between teachers is sometimes lacking in this profession. You identified the problem and offered a solution. However, the main issue is the amount of existing competition out there. I think if you can differentiate your product from your competitors (i.e. why is your product better than the existing ones), you will capture more interests from potential investors. I would not invest at this time but may reconsider if your elevator pitch showed some product differentiation or competitive advantage.
Good effort.
Colin
Hi Steve,
You pitched your product well with great visuals and with a personal touch. You certainly made the “pain point” clear – we ARE overworked!! I like the idea of collaboration but I am not quite clear on how this will make $$$$. Thanks for sharing.
Ronna
Hi Steve,
As an educator I thought your idea was an interesting solution,..
As an investor I was taken with your written introduction it really captured my imagination. When I listened to the elevator pitch I was disappointed. You presented well, the slides were clean and good visuals, but I didn’t meet you either visually or in any introduction nor get an idea of your competency. I would have been wowed with an elevator pitch that highlighted what you had written.
The venture pitch I felt suffered again for me by not meeting you here either,and having a personalised approach. You did sell the team well – but too late. While you did stumble in the audio I think this would have been less noticeable if Ii had been seeing you – or had seen you.
As Donna commented i would have liked more visuals. it became quite hard to keep listening to your voice when the visuals didn’t match and weren’t changing. One clasic example was the numbers of teachers across BC – I got lost and the information would have been better reinforced with a slide.
While the venture wasn’t about money I wasn’t sure what you did want from the investor.
Unfortuantely i would have turned off the venture pitch half way through (for the reasons above) So while a good solution you didn’t keep and increase my excitement/imagination with this. I don’t know, but your initial written intro was so enticing I wonder if a written venture pitch woudl have kept me engaged?
Good luck with it if you are going to try and implement it though! Difference between a user’s enthusiasm and an investment analysis.
Denise
Hi Steve,
The idea is good, many teachers will be very interested in an easy to use site that allows them to gather lesson ideas and resources. However, as an investor, I do not feel that this would be a venture for myself. The target market is great, but for a service that does not generate any income directly it is too much of a risk for myself. I think if you were willing to sell advertising space within the site I would be more inclined to invest as there is some potential to generate a vast amount of money.
Collaboration is lacking in our profession, and I feel that it is directly related to time constraints. Your solution seems to be useful for some in that they can gain resources and lesson ideas directly, but it too could suffer in that there will not be many contributors to the site. I appreciate that you are honest in that critical mass is 100 contributors to the site and 5000 users, but it seems that is a small amount of contributors in the grand scheme of things. If the site was able to make uploading lesson ideas as simple as filling in a form or check boxes with an area for a quick description of how to implement the lesson, I think more people would contribute. More contributions are key to the success of the site.
Also, what is going to be done when there have not been any new contributions for a while? I know with initiatives like this there is always a rush at the start, then nothing new added for a long time. Will there be PD sessions offered and release time given to teachers to contribute ideas and lessons, or will this be expected to be done on their own time?
Great idea and pitch as well as the venture plan. I am just not convinced it would be an investment for myself.
Thanks,
Kenton
Hello Steve,
I thought your elevator pitch was well rendered with a good choice of pictures to accompany your presentation.
First of all the idea behind ‘Shared Lesson’ is an innovative one. I can see how this type of sharing online platform could work as a great teaching tool within my own work environment where I teach adults. At work we do share projects, and collaborate on lesson planning, but it seems to always be the same people who do so. You obviously well researched this potential venture and I do like the idea that it is a social venture. The vocabulary you used to explain your venture was general and accessible to a large audience.
Suggestions for improvement:
– Segmenting your venture pitch into shorter periods where you speak, with perhaps more slides and especially titles that let the listener focus on the next category introduced. This would also have permitted you to record shorter segments and thus record again if necessary.
– Increasing the volume when recording, because I had difficulty hearing you even with the volume up high
– The first minute of your venture pitch had little to do with your elevator pitch, so I was left wondering what your project was about until later. Perhaps you could have summed up your project and then provided details about the problem and solution.
As an investor, I may want to invest in this type of project, because I have a social conscience and know projects like these can help foster technology within the classrooms, but I found that if the presentation had been a bit more dynamic I might more readily have embarked in your venture wholeheartedly.
Cheers!
Marie-France
Hi Steve,
Good effort in your pitches. I think “Shared Lesson” is a great concept from a teacher’s point of view. I can see how this tool can promote better instructional design as well, so as a teacher, I support your effort in this regards.
As an investor, I have a couple of questions in mind that were not quite clarified. First and foremost is how would “Shared Lesson” know the lessons are contributed by teachers? If you go by teaching license, there would be a lot of great educators that would be ruled out. Are those lessons reviewed individually? If that is the case, how much expenses would it cost in a month? a year?
Furthermore, I think you would need an immense amount of money in order to jump start the marketing of this product. How would you build popularity? Organization such as TEDed would invest in many revenues to get their publicity to draw in sufficient attention. I would like to know more about your marketing plans.
Lastly, I think it would be a great idea to make your speeches a bit smoother. I find it difficult to keep focus without seeing your face but keep hearing a bit of hesitation in your tone.
Good job though! Let me know if you are going to do a re-pitching!
Sherman
Hi Steve,
I’m from Ontario, so I won’t be investing in your venture. Nonetheless, I found your idea interesting and wrote down a few things…
The main concern I have with this venture is the search method. It seems that even if you separate the material by topic, there still would be loads of material to go through to find just the right lesson plan. If your venture contained a classification system that is quick and easy for teachers to use, it would have a lot of value!
Now, even though some lessons are voted higher because of “repins”, this does not mean that they are pedagogically sound. Most primary teachers don’t have a background in science or math so misconceptions in these topics could propagate through your system. As well, lessons that are newly pinned will definitely have less pins even if they are better lessons. That fact alone can mean that newer lessons are unfairly skewed towards the bottom and have less of a chance to even get seen, let alone voted positively.
Being that this venture is limited to BC is great because it means that there is only one set of provincial goals that are in play. That said, I believe your math curriculum is shared with many other provinces and territories. How would you feel about having a separate site like that of your venture dedicated to that common math curriculum?
Around the 6:00 minute mark, you talk about spreading to other provinces. I don’t think that’s a good idea because everything will get very complex, what with the different curricula everywhere else. I would suggest creating separate, customized programs like yours for each province and territory. That said, you could still enable some sort of function that makes it possible for people to copy and paste an art lesson from grade 5 in BC that corresponds to and is relabeled to match a goal in grade 4 in Nova Scotia, for example.
You say that this site will contain lessons that are of professional quality, in comparison to what is on Pinterest. What will you do to ensure quality control? Up and down votes by repinning still requires teachers to take the time to look at lesson plans that may be poorly created.
I’m glad you’re starting with a pilot project. Hopefully, you would have a simple questionnaire for teachers to fill out so that it would be easy to sort through the feedback.
Much luck with your venture!
Dan
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
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)
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)
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
Thanks Leonora for the comments!
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.
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
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
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
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
Imagine earning your gold level digital learning badge for your personal educational efforts in ETEC 522! Learn more about this disruptive, game changing technology and how learning badges will revolutionize open, online learning environments. See how LB4U will connect learners with opportunity. The ELEVATOR PITCH is here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pBbyzDwaEDc The VENTURE PITCH is found HERE.
Continue reading LB4U – get your learning badge for 522 here! Posted in: Venture Forum
Good Day Helen,
Thank you for your pitches, you can hear and feel the excitement in the elevator pitch for this possible venture. Despite my own pedagogical and philosophical perspectives on “earning” badges to represent learning (are the learners learning, or just wanting to get that badge, what about those students who are aren’t able to achieve, etc) you are absolutely correct in stating that more demand is being voiced in regards to accountability. With social media becoming almost intertwined in daily life, I think your venture has great potential to be woven into this type of learning market. I haven’t joined the fourSquare world, but I do see how people become “hooked” into this type of activity and enjoy having the recognition for his/her accomplishments or achievements. Parents would also benefit from seeing what levels students have achieved and can follow along with their child’s learning development. From a business standpoint, I would be willing to invest in this company as I can see a dollar value potential (and return and profit from the original investment). Schools/boards I’m sure can’t wait to jump in and get in on this opportunity.
Thanks,
Jon
Thanks for the feedback Jon. I too have some issues on philosophical levels, but so many learners within ‘standard’ learning environments will work for extrinsic motivations as a step to gaining internal motivations. With social learning environments so tightly tied to student success, it is the disenfranchised and disengaged that need this type of support to succeed. Helen
Hi Helen,
Your elevator pitch is engaging and thoughtfully laid out. You made a good argument for the need for celebrating our successes and providing us with a visual reminder of what collecting badges used to be like. I think you are right that having a way to “display” one’s badges online could be trend that catches on.
Good luck with your venture!
Janet
Thanks Janet…. as a former special education teacher who worked with students who just needed to be able to show off some accomplishments, this product caught my attention.
Helen
Hi Helen,
Your pitch for LB4U is well done. You sound excited about this venture and clearly explain its features and why you believe it’s beneficial. As I understand it LB4U supports extrinsic motivation which isn’t the trend in educational reform efforts. That said, some people do like to collect stuff and having the option to accumulate badges may appeal to some. I’m just not convinced that the opportunity to participate in LB4U will contribute to student engagement and lead to meaningful learning.
Claire
Claire, I respect that on philosophical grounds there may be many who would not invest or purchase this product. It provides and external symbol for something that should be internal and intrinsic. The mechanism for creating something that explicitly demonstrates what others have achieved, especially those whom a learner may respect and look up to, will give some students the goal and learning path to achieve more than they would otherwise. Just look at what is happening at the Olympics! I watched young divers watching the bronze medal winners today and aspiring to follow their path. Learning badges are just another way for ‘expert’ learners to model and show the way.
Helen
Hi Helen, you can hear in your pitch that you are passionate about your venture and believe in it. I like the idea of the badges that can be displayed online to celebrate success. I think this is likely a market more targeted towards elementary school students and as an investor I need to know how I am going to make money and I need convincing that this product wouldn’t just be a fad and disappear within a short timeframe.
Greg
Greg, the market would not be limited to elementary students, but that would be part of the potential market. It would be marketed to individual learners at the adult, higher ed level first, and move cautiously into younger learners (with research and design being done to ensure that it is the right move, of course !!). I see this as being ‘sold’ to individuals just as the ‘certificate’ or ‘transcript’ are currently ‘sold’ to learners by their learning organizations. It would be a value-added to the ‘award’ for achievements gained. So, once I receive my certificate from MET, I can migrated my info to the secure LB4U site and there receive the digital images of my courses and achievements which I can then show and share to the world…. does that make sense?
It can also them be embedded into my resume when I go out job hunting for those elusive ed/tech jobs OR be incorporated into my CEO blog/web presence for all to view. Bragging a little, yes! Sharing my path of success for others to emulate, perhaps!
Four square is not a fad and look how people are flocking to earn badges and share their social activities with others. This is the leading edge of a potential tsunami! Jump in before you get swept away.
Have I convinced you to invest! Hope your funds are in transit! 🙂
Helen
I think that with the increase of PLE style learning badges will become mainstream. The market probably won’t be for courses like ETEC 522 which are part of a credentialing program, but for learning that takes place through social participation on the web. There is the potential for people to learn anything they want on the web without the help of teachers and courses and this valid learning should be recognized somehow.
However, with Mozilla Foundation already establish an open framework for badges I wonder where the revenue stream would come from. Is funding possible through a Canadian government agency? Perhaps. But without detailed information on the business model I might wait and see what transpires with badges through the open source movement.
Chris, waiting could potentially leave you out of the windfall once this product hits mainstream. LB4U is positioned to make the most of the OBI by working in partnership with learning organizations (such as UBC) and with learners to provide secure, transfer of data and achievements -rather than each individual applying to UBC for their learning badges on completion, this will be streamlined and design of the badges would be done by LB4U (with approval and control of brand by the learning organization). We are the ‘go-between’ just as Facebook is social media. OBI is the mechanism, hence the proposed partnership with Mozilla in R&D, but our proprietary work in display and design would be where the actual money to be made resides. Hope you don’t miss this ‘boat’. Invest in learners today!
Helen
Hi Helen,
It’s clear that you are passionate about your venture and you have really backed up the ideas presented with theory (which is comforting as an investor). I would have liked to have seen more information on your competition and what sets you apart from them.
Overall, great pitch!
Lisa
Thanks Lisa, your feedback is appreciated. There are a few competitors in this ‘business’ in the US, but none in the Canadian marketplace, that I discovered. But cross-boarder, internet based businesses are not uncommon so it is worth investigating further.
I guess what really sets LB4U apart is our knowledge and experience in the Canadian education field. Hope that is enough to keep Canadians buying and supporting Canadian ventures.
Helen
Hi Helen,
You make an excellent presentation and exude enthusiasm for your venture. Although some may have philosophical reservations about this type of venture, several people could benefit from having markers for signaling and commemorating their achievements. As an investor, I would be concerned with the philosophical issue, which has already been cause for criticism among existing reward systems (such as the one available through Khan Academy). Nevertheless, I believe that this kind of motivation will play an important role in the future of education.
Excellent pitch and good luck with this venture!
May
Thanks for the feedback May. I appreciate your honest opinion.
Helen
Your enthusiasm and confidence in this venture came through your pitch Helen. You clearly articulate what B4U plans to do and what it needs to be successful.
Concept and Marketability
I think the concept of B4U to validate and celebrate learner success is a good one. I can see market opportunities for this venture in being incorporated in electronic portfolio applications and as you have pointed out, strategic partnerships are absolutely crucial for venture success.
Venture plan and financials
Your plan is well thought out and your venture analysis is very thorough.
Thanks,
Leonora
Thanks Leonora, your feedback is helpful. I’ll look forward to our continued venture relationship when we meet to ‘share the funds’. 🙂
Helen
Sounds good to me Helen 🙂
Leonora
Hi Helen,
Great pitch! Your idea is totally innovative to me, for I’ve never heard about such kind of service in my country, but I believe there is a sure market waiting there. Online badge service could be provided cross-country depending on their international reputation, therefore I believe your venture has a prospective potential in global market, with global competitors as well as you have pointed out.
You elevator pitch is very engaging, which instantly catch my attention. I can’t help imaging how much children and other learners will like these lovely badges shown on their websites. Your venture plan is very informative, with professional demonstration of your solution, marketing strategy and financial consideration. I like the “For Profit” chart in the financial overview section, only with a little confusion of what the numbers represents: do they mean the number or users, or the number of badge you plan to release, or the estimated revenue in $million?
From an investor’s point of view, I think your early awareness of Canadian DLB market is a great advantage, but for a long-term competition, I would hope to find more differential advantages on both technical and marketing level. The use of Mozilla OBI platform can be copied by other ventures, what will make yours different relies on your post-developed innovations upon the platform. The postion of LB4U in the DLB ecosystem is somewhat not anchored a little bit.
I think you have an excellent awareness of partnership, that shows how you qualified to lead this venture. I just wonder how you will weave these partners within your framework. Your services are 2-sided, both to badge issuers and to badge displayers. That give you double chances of profit. But how about the 2 sides connect directly? I know many universities hold a system of their own to serve degree badge (and other details) inquiry. You need to make more differences to intercept in these services and redirect both sides to the LB4U platform.
Excellent job for a hopeful venture!
Ping
Helen,
I found the idea behind your venture to be unique and interesting. You provided a great deal of content based on sound research. As is evident from most of our peer’s presentations, this can be a difficult feat; well done!
Good luck with your venture,
Danielle
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
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
Hi Meggan,
Thank you for your constructive feedback. I think I put too much time synchronizing the background music with the slides that some of them went too fast.
Re: level of access. Without going into full details, MobileCMS creates a local VPN and can only communicate with other tablets within the same Wi-Fi network (similar to a hotel hotspot). That means, teachers will not be able to monitor BYOD devices once students go home. Secondly, students are warned about being monitor in the Terms of Service agreement when they connect via Wi-Fi.
I hope this clarifies a bit of your security/privacy concerns.
Colin
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
Hi Shawn,
Good point about not mentioning the CEO or creator of MobileCMS. To be honest, I initially wanted to drive the elevator pitch with a good product. In hindsight, it is probably a good idea just to mention.
As for speaking, I don’t have a functioning mic jack–there’s a paper ball in that jack. Not going to ask how it got inside. Besides, I’m one of those people who hate hearing my own voice. It would have driven me insane just to listen to my pitch over and over! 🙂
Colin
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
Hi Donna,
Thank you for your watching my elevator pitch and visiting the product website. I was worried that nobody would go forward with my venture plan since marketing is not my forte, as indicated in my venture plan! 🙂
Colin
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
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
Even though the product is affordable for teachers, I think most teachers will ask for an reimbursement from the school. The product is uniquely licensed to the tablet. The product is affordable enough that a district license is not planned at this time.
Colin
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
Hi Helen and Denise,
Thank you for your feedback. I will keep them in mind moving forward.
On a side note, I did not include an ‘ask’ purposely. As a hard-nosed number cruncher, I would need to back up my valuation of the company, using a test market or sales figures. (I’m actually using feedback from EVAs to test the market acceptance to see what I should address or whether I should pursue this further). Since I have no proof of concept at this moment, I didn’t include a numerical ‘ask’. I did, however, hint that marketing is not my strength. In an ideal world, I would find an investor who has the knowledge and experience to market this product to the next level. If not, I could use the extra money to hire a marketing firm.
In hindsight, I should have included an ‘ask’–at least from an assignment standpoint–since this was a common thing people had mentioned. 🙂
Colin
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
These are excellent questions that I will definitely include in future FAQ updates!
1) If the school does not have school-wide wireless internet (like mine), I recommend setting up a wireless router in the classroom (or setting one up on a iPad/tablet cart).
2) Setup instructions (PDF) will be included when the app is installed. There will be an FAQ and a user community (similar to Moodle). I may hire
3) Best question. I thought of giving the admin a “one-button update” that updates all the tablets. However, because of BYOD (tablets not belonging to the admin), this can become an issue with violation of privacy/security. Unfortunately, at this time, updates must be done manually and individually. If you have a better idea to work around this, I would love to hear it! 🙂
Colin
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
Hi Danielle,
You bring up a fantastic point: pedagogy before technology. I totally agree with you! My pitches emphasized too much on classroom management rather than classroom enhancement. The tools, after all, are intended to enhance teaching with mobile technology.
There is also some research regarding its effectiveness of my competitors’ tools in school environments. http://library.iated.org/view/HERNANDEZMORA2011ANA. The research was done on workstations (computer labs) rather mobile devices (classrooms).
Colin
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
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
Although I find the idea presented in this elevator pitch intriguing and feasible, I find the pitch lacks certain elements that would convince me to invest. Credibility and Management: Although mention is made of a strong management team with years of experience, the presenter never provides his own name or position. In addition, the presenter’s […]
Continue reading EVA Analysis of CloudConnect Posted in: Week 03: Analyst Bootcamp
Hi Tim,
You raised a good point about being able to see the person making the pitch. There is a great deal of information that is delivered non-verbally and being able to see the person making the pitch would probably have enhanced the presentation. It’s difficult to provide all the information a potential investor would be looking for in an elevator pitch. I think there’s a balancing act between trying to be engaging and communicating critical information. I guess we’ll have an opportunity to figure this one out for ourselves in our final assignment!
Deborah
Before you publish your posting, please make sure that you select a category (eg. Introductions) as well as assign some meaningful tags (keywords).
vawells 4:14 pm on July 30, 2012 Permalink | Log in to Reply
Hi Claire
I really enjoyed viewing your elevator pitch. The images and music were beautiful and held my attention throughout the pitch. Your idea is original and certainly would have a niche in our education system. 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
Claire Burgoyne 11:25 am on August 3, 2012 Permalink | Log in to Reply
Thanks for your suggestion Valerie.
There’s much to consider in preparing a presentation. After viewing many of the presentations in the venture forum I have to say having video of the CEO does add credibility. To improve my pitch a blending of images and video of me presenting might be a good solution.
Claire
janetb 8:14 am on July 31, 2012 Permalink | Log in to Reply
Hi Claire,
Your elevator pitch worked. Your proposal is so far out of my area of expertise, that I watched the elevator pitch three times before I caught on to what the venture was about (not because you didn’t explain it well, but because I am so unfamiliar with art education). That speaks volumes about your elevator pitch because even though I didn’t understand at first, it made me want to watch again and figure it out. In fact, it really worked because I went on to read your venture pitch.
Your venture clearly outlines a need in the art education market and identifies why your solution will meet that need in a unique way. You have a well laid out plan for marketing and the personal credentials you have outlined give me confidence that you can lead this venture. Your overall plan for development was comprehensive – I appreciated how you explained the proposed teacher to student ratio and at which points you would need additional teachers, admin and tech support. It is clear that your venture is well thought out and extremely organized. It was a pleasure to read.
I think this venture has real merit. After reading your proposal, you have me convinced that there is a need in the education system, but I am somewhat concerned that it might be a hard sell to school districts or students who may not see that need. Finding the right angle and venue for marketing it would be key to its success.
Overall, an impressive proposal.
Janet
Claire Burgoyne 11:49 am on August 3, 2012 Permalink | Log in to Reply
Hi Janet,
I agree that generally speaking districts don’t pay a great deal of attention to art education. However, with the current trend toward personalized learning and the push for educational reforms, they are paying attention to options that contribute to students developing 21st century skills. I can see that a marketing goal needs to be to very quickly communicate that this venture goes well beyond offering art instruction and describe how modules are designed to aid students in gaining the skills they need for success in the conceptual age.
Claire
Leonora Zefi 7:07 pm on July 31, 2012 Permalink | Log in to Reply
What a unique idea Claire!!! The stats you provided added “weight” and made the venture concept more appealing.
An in-person pitch would have been even more impactful. I myself filmed two versions, one just voice and then another one with video but finally decided to use the video version.
Concept and team
The venture concept “a solution to enhance visual literacy” is very clearly articulated.
The detailed information about team roles and the thinking behind supporting the future growth convey confidence and competence in carrying out the plan successfully.
Marketability
I like the idea of tying this to essential skills because that to me sounds promising in terms of market opportunities. The competition is well researched – my only suggestion would be to probably elaborate a bit more on what differentiates Speaking Visually from the competition.
Venture Plan
A very well thought-out plan Claire. As an investor I would have liked to see a larger profit share and if not possible then maybe a rationale would be helpful.
Great work.
Leonora
Claire Burgoyne 11:57 am on August 3, 2012 Permalink | Log in to Reply
Hi Leonora,
I appreciate your comments and agree that some in-person segments would improve my pitch. I actually began by creating a video of myself but it didn’t seem to fit my venture idea so I switched to presenting images and me speaking. Now that I’ve had more opportunity to reflect I think a combination of in-person video and visuals would have worked well.
As I understand it an investor is looking for a return equal to or greater than the initial investment. I might not be clear on that though. It would be helpful for me to participate in discussion regarding expectations in that area.
Claire
chrisaitken 12:12 am on August 1, 2012 Permalink | Log in to Reply
Hi Claire
I really like this idea. I have always thought, that with the recent improvements to web-based digital media, that high quality education in fine arts would become possible. I got the sense from your elevator pitch that a quality learning experience would be offered.
My hesitation regarding this venture and other tuition based ventures surrounds facing the emerging competition from Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCS). There are some major university partnerships in the US such as the $60 million dollar edX partnership of MIT and Harvard. I would need to know more about how this service would be differentiated from existing MOOCs and platforms like Udemy and Coursera which are attracting the big universities.
Claire Burgoyne 12:11 pm on August 3, 2012 Permalink | Log in to Reply
Hi Chris,
Whenever the idea of selling online courses comes up so too does the fact that some of the major universities offer open online courses. It’s my understanding that what these courses offer is content. While they include video instruction and demonstration, they are in fact the equivalent of online texts. The modules I’m marketing are designed for learning communities and the construction of knowledge. My approach is to encourage learners to pull content rather than having content pushed at them. Each module encourages students to be creative as they define problems and work collaboratively to find logical solutions. Once they’ve arrived at a solution or solutions the next task is to go beyond spoken or written forms of communication and use visual forms to articulate their findings.
Claire
ping 11:52 am on August 1, 2012 Permalink | Log in to Reply
Hi Claire,
I really like your elevator pitch, which is so engrossing and passionate. It does work to lead me into your venture proposition, though I wish there could be a few key words in the pictures to give me a quick idea of the story behind (forgive my poor hearing).
I love the cover of your venture pitch. That shows a great sense of art. I have no doubt that your credit and capability can make you a qualified leader for this venture. I would hope to see a clearer story for how the “visual” and “speaking” parts work together. Do students orally speak out opinions for presented pictures, or do they “speak” in the form of visual pieces? What kind of arts can be considered as “ill-defined”? Does the “illness” mean in art sense or in social sense? In my understanding (not professional), art is perceptual which values creativity and innovation, how to associate it with very rational “problem solving” and “critical thinking”? I think you have a very thorough plan for operating the venture, including human resources, but I would like to see a more detail description of your potential users. In the competition paragraph, a brief comparison could help to clarify the differentiation advantages of your venture to the others.
Well done, Claire!
Ping
Claire Burgoyne 12:23 pm on August 3, 2012 Permalink | Log in to Reply
Hi Ping,
You offer something for me to consider when you suggest that I use text as well as images and audio to communicate my idea. My idea highlights the fact that visuals offer a language of their own. We’re so accustomed to communicating through spoken and written language that we easily overlook the power of the visual language that is everywhere.
In my competition paragraph I don’t compare my idea with the art options listed as these options teach technique and aren’t offering arts integrated education. Perhaps I should add a sentence to that section to make it clear that to my knowledge there currently are no online arts integrated options.
Claire
maybacon 9:15 am on August 2, 2012 Permalink | Log in to Reply
Hi Claire,
This is a very interesting idea, as I think it is very challenging to get school-aged students to reflect on art in more ways than saying that they “like” or “dislike” it. I believe this venture would be quite beneficial to art education curriculums. I was wondering, however, whether the learners are working collaboratively on problem-solving through art, on understanding problems represented through art or on creating art that represents current problems … or a bit of all of those. I also wonder how you might market this course as superior or different from existing art education courses, or art-centric blogs.
Great work!
May
Claire Burgoyne 12:47 pm on August 3, 2012 Permalink | Log in to Reply
Hi May,
As you suggest students are problem-solving, gaining understanding of problems, and representing solutions to problems through art. The difference between existing face-to-face art education courses and my proposal is that the students go beyond a focus that is personal in nature to explore issues that are relevant to their cultures and communities. This means that modules offer arts integrated options to students at the grade 10-12 level. Students learn to communicate through a range of art forms but also earn credit for disciplines other than visual art. When comparing Speaking Visually to online art options the differences are greater as the online options’ primary goal is to teach technique. With an increasing number of students at the grade 10-12 level electing to learn from home and seeking online courses there is a need for quality online art options.
Claire
lisamallen 11:14 am on August 2, 2012 Permalink | Log in to Reply
Hi Claire,
I thought your elevator pitch was excellent and I really like your venture concept. After reading your full pitch, it’s clear that this venture is needed and different than many other products out there on the market today. I wonder how you would gain entrance into schools with this product tough – and would you target school districts – or ?
Overall, great pitch,
Lisa
Claire Burgoyne 12:58 pm on August 3, 2012 Permalink | Log in to Reply
Hi Lisa,
I think that endorsement from national, provincial, and state organizations such as the Canadian Society for Education through Art (CSEA) and the National Art Education Association (NAEA) in the US would prove valuable in marketing to schools and districts. In the public system the decision to purchase Speaking Visually might be made at the district level but I would also market to school administrators and art educators. Marketing to Independent schools should be primarily to administration and art educators.
Claire
gillian 8:20 am on August 3, 2012 Permalink | Log in to Reply
Hi Claire,
Your elevator pitch was visually intriguing which of course is perfect for the venture you are proposing. However, I must admit that I found myself distracted from your words by the imagery – perhaps, as Ping suggested, a few key words of text for emphasis may help to keep your viewers focused.
Your venture pitch was well laid out and I was especially impressed by how clearly you communicated the need to expend visual communication and its oft overlooked benefits of critical, collaborative and critical thinking skills. I was also impressed by the structure of the service from an educator standpoint. I have seen many students fail to complete self-paced courses due to lack of structure and isolation – your plan seems to resolve these issues. Your proposed orientation process is very comprehensive and it appears your team is more than capable of implementing it.
On the money side, I was somewhat confused. I found your start-up costs very low – it seems to me that you are under-valuing yourself and your team. It was also unclear to me how you are actually ‘selling’ your product to your customers – what is the cost to them?
Overall an idea worth investigating. Well done
gillian
Claire Burgoyne 1:11 pm on August 3, 2012 Permalink | Log in to Reply
Hi Gillian,
Thanks for offering your thoughts concerning my pitch. I have some things to consider if I choose to move forward with this venture. I agree that I could be more courageous when it comes to launching this venture. While I’m trying to be practical and keep things manageable, and therefore small scale, I hadn’t considered how this might be perceived as communicating a lack of confidence or under-valuing the idea and the team’s capabilities.
Costs to customers varies depending on whether it’s an individual or a group signing up and the level of the students participating. You’re right a summary of student fees should be included with my proposal.
Claire
Chelsea M Woods 9:31 am on August 3, 2012 Permalink | Log in to Reply
Hi Claire, I found your elevator pitch highly effective, engaging, and clear. I would have liked to see more about how the courses would be designed: I liked the idea that students would engage in visuals relevant to their communities: how will connections with people from other communities be moderated? Great idea with excellent potential. Thanks, Chelsea
Claire Burgoyne 1:27 pm on August 3, 2012 Permalink | Log in to Reply
Hi Chelsea,
If I had a few more weeks to prepare for this presentation I’d create at least one module and include a preview of it in my proposal. The opportunity to see how modules are organized and presented would certainly help to convince investors that this is a worthwhile venture.
Students participate in a placement interview prior to beginning a module. The purpose of the interview is to ensure that learners with similar interests and skill level are placed together. While learners will have the opportunity to address issues of relevance to their culture and community this does not mean that cross-cultural groups will not occur. Many topics will lend themselves well to contributions from learners from varying backgrounds.
Claire
karonw 6:40 pm on August 3, 2012 Permalink | Log in to Reply
Hi Claire,
Good job on your venture pitch and proposition. Your elevator pitch was very well-designed as you tried to use pictures to reflect your venture and the opening phrase “a picture represents a thousand words”. You did a very good job in articulating the core benefits and what your venture does, although in your elevator pitch you didn’t quite state what is the current challenges that people are facing but your detailed proposition has presented that information which made up for that and it acts quite nice as a follow-up document to your elevator pitch. As an EVA, I would suggest that you incorporate a brief introduction for your elevator pitch and perhaps having a scene or two with yourself leading the elevator pitch would have been more convincing as that would help you gain credibility and accountability, I think it is important to the investor in knowing who is actually presenting the venture to them.
Karon