Ken Write
Ken Write is a fictitious bluetooth device that allows multiple users to collaborate in real time with a SMART Board from their desk. It offers Multi-touch and multi-user collaboration which promotes inclusion and engagement.
Here you will find my Venture Pitch:
Reflection:
I must admit that this is one of the assignments that I have struggled with the most during the MET courses. I have no business experience, even though my father and sister are both entrepreneurs. I have a much greater respect for what they do.
Weakness:
When I first saw this assignment I didn’t think it was so bad. I enjoyed viewing the pitches that we critiqued early on in the semester. Then it came time to create my own venture…I struggled for a long time thinking of my venture. Once I decided on my product I was at a loss for where to begin. I searched out possible options in the area I was thinking of, sought out advise from others, and ran my ideas by anyone that would listen. The biggest struggle I had was knowing where to begin in my negotiations. I feel like I have a good concept but was not able to present the argument for it as I would have liked. I think that the Venture Pitch was not as strong as my elevator pitch.
Strengths:
I think my presentation skills (pitching and producing multi-media work) were a strong point on this assignment. Where I lacked in practical experience and knowledge of the business world I was able to put a presentation together that I am proud of.
The product idea I created is a good solution to the collaboration limits that are presented when trying to use a SMART board with a large group of people. There is often only a few engaged and the rest are not participating and many not even following along with the work on the display.
Overall:
While I struggled with this assignment I am glad to have had the experience. I have enjoyed hearing about the ideas of others and I look forward to seeing their work.
Posted in: Venture Forum
jkotler 7:18 am on November 28, 2012 Permalink | Log in to Reply
Hi Ken,
I really like your Ken Write venture and thought that you did a great job in putting together a professional elevator pitch. As well, I think the concept behind such a product could have a lot of potential and wonder if this is something you are actually going to (or already are) pursuing?
Julie
kstackhouse 8:07 pm on November 28, 2012 Permalink | Log in to Reply
Thank you Julie. I think it is a great concept. I am not sure about the technical aspects of it though. I know that there are bluetooth dongles that can support 7 devices, I am not sure if the technology for more users and multi-touch is actually available at this time or not. I could see issues with lag if there were too many people at one time trying to use the problem. I guess that is where someone that is capable of building the product would have to answer.
Ken
Lisa Nevoral 8:17 pm on November 28, 2012 Permalink | Log in to Reply
Hi Ken,
Great job on your elevator and venture pitch! In your elevator pitch, I got a sense of who you were and what you were pitching. As well, you had an “Ask”. I think that there is a need for this product because of the reasons you have stated. Too many times I have seen only one or two students come to a SMART board to work on a problem or answer a question while the rest of the class sit there watching, not engaged. Good idea to use Bluetooth to connect SMART boards to individual devices. I am assuming that “Ken Write” can be used on other interactive whiteboards as well. Or is this just a SMART board product?
Here is some constructive feedback on your venture pitch:
• I liked that you had a “Ken Write” logo and website (that’s something that I did not do myself).
• The Prezi was easy to follow and included videos.
o Instead of the links to the Inclusion report by McKay or the SMART board information, I think you should have maybe done a summary of these facts.
• You included the pain point – 2 million SMART boards in use with limited abilities for multiple users and network issues (WiFi or restricted WiFi).
• You included the solution – “Ken Write” a Bluetooth device which allows for multi-use, multi-touch, and collaboration.
• You did include the competition, but I think you could have stated why your product was better than these other products. You may have wanted to do a little blurb at the end of your “What are Some Other Options” section to state this.
• Marketing – You did state the market size for SMART boards (2 million boards with 6 million users in 175 countries), but I would have also liked to know how the buyers were going to be reached. PR, ads, commercials, social media, etc…
o As well, who will your major market push be towards?
o Will you target schools or school districts that have established BYOD programs? I know that in my school district we have SMART boards, but I don’t think any of the schools are utilizing mobile devices; therefore, I’m not sure my district would invest in “Ken Write”.
• Will students be able to project any of the work they do on their mobile devices onto the SMART board screen using “Ken Write” or is it just to get whatever is on the SMART board onto their devices?
• I’m not sure if I got a strong sense of the strengths and weaknesses of “Ken Write”. What are some of the issues that may arise?
You did a great job on your elevator and venture pitch. Depending on who you were targeting, I could see a need for this product.
Lisa
kstackhouse 8:43 pm on November 28, 2012 Permalink | Log in to Reply
Thank you for your feedback. You are right, providing a summary of the reports might have been beneficial for an EVA. I was worried that an EVA might not be in Education but rather an investor and they might not want to hear about the reports but know that they the push was there. As I admit in my reflection, I am not a business person, so when you mention some points and even after I started looking at other venture pitches I do see areas where I could have made my case stronger. Thank you for the feedback. I appreciate the constructive criticism.
Ken
Lisa Nevoral 11:28 pm on November 29, 2012 Permalink | Log in to Reply
Hi Ken,
After watching other people’s pitches, I also saw where I could have done better. I didn’t do a very good job at the ask and return. Also, like you, many people added a logo or showed their product which I didn’t do. I also found this assignment quite challenging, but after reviewing everyone’s work this week, feel I actually have learned from this experience. Good luck next semester.
Lisa
lullings 3:49 pm on November 29, 2012 Permalink | Log in to Reply
Love it – great idea, I would definitely engage with you to discuss funding.
One of the best prezis I have seen. I have more questions but all are a positive and exciting reflection of your idea and a want to explore more.
A major question I would ask would be how do you limit the confusion on the smart board if everyone was engaging with it, all at the same time. Also the health implications of having so many bluetooth connections in one room. But these are further exploring questions – you have already gotten my attention for investment.
Nicely done –
Stuart
kstackhouse 9:56 pm on November 29, 2012 Permalink | Log in to Reply
Thank you Stuart. I am not sure what the health implications would be. I think that the Bluetooth signals being sent are all around us most of the time anyway. In a regular school, mall, or home there is Wi-Fi and bluetooth being used all the time. Maybe it would be an issue in a such a confined space. Great question, because I hadn’t even considered that. Your point about confusion at the board is also valid. One way to do this would be to have a user tag hover above the cursor, such as is done in a Google Doc. At least this way it could be seen by all who has making changes or accessing the screen.
I think having a team working on this would help raise questions such as these before trying to take the idea to investors. I appreciate the feedback.
Ken
Peggy Lawson 9:56 pm on November 29, 2012 Permalink | Log in to Reply
Thanks for the interesting pitches Ken. I was quite intrigued and your passion for your product came through – good points for CO credibility. Very nice production values, especially with your venture pitch. It’s clear you’ve worked through the key details of your venture. I liked that your elevator pitch focused on a few key aspects, notably identifying the pain point and the solution. I have some questions about the viability of parts of the solution – how would it work to have a classroom full of children simultaneously collaborating via their personal device on one smart board and the technical realities of that. However I’m willing, during only 12 weeks of development time, to give some leeway to some specifics and actual viability.
I liked your information on marketing and your advantage and distinctions from the competition. You provided the ask but not the return, but David had mentioned some forebearance with money aspects.
So despite some minor reservations about the product, I liked your pitches. I’ve some other pitches to ponder, but I did enjoy your venture.
manny 5:29 pm on November 30, 2012 Permalink | Log in to Reply
Hi Ken,
Your pitches were very clear and concise. The Ken write is a product that seem viable in the educational market. My only concern as an investor was the reliance on bluetooth versus Wifi. It seems as though your venture emphasized the advantages of having global collaboration via smart boards but didn’t quite explain what this feature that already exists ties in with your product. I like the fact that all the students are engaged with your device as a student is working on the whiteboard. If students are connected to the whiteboard via bluetooth, can you have multiple users on at the same time? There are a few things that need to be ironed out but overall, I enjoyed the pitch and would consider investing.
jhodi 1:36 am on December 1, 2012 Permalink | Log in to Reply
I think that this is a great idea and a great product! Both of your pitches are highly engaging and informative. You were able to gain my attention initially through the elevator pitch, which made me want to read the venture pitch.
Your venture pitch does a good job of stating the pain point of inclusive education and how your device will help provide a solution. With current trends in education pushing inclusive education, I think that your device is very marketable. I think that I would have liked to know more about how your device compares with others in the market and what makes yours superior to the others. I also do wonder which part of your CEO team would take care of the marketing aspect of the company. It seems as though you have plenty of experience to cover the educational aspect and the applicability, but the marketing and selling may be a little more difficult. I also appreciated that you provided an ‘ask’ and informed me what you would do with that investment and what your future plans are for the company.
Overall, I really liked the concept and the pitches. I would invest in this device because I think that there is a definite market and demand for such a technology.
Jhodi