The ProDev Planner

I like the choices of media that you used for both of your pitches. Your elevator pitch put a face to the business and I liked how you embedded video in your Uberflip Mag (the 70-20-10 video was quite informative). It was a good idea to integrate your product with Outlook as this is something that most investors would already be familiar with, and showing the number of people that already use the program was a good idea. I did not notice how much you were seeking in terms of the ask. Overall, you did a great job on both of your pitches.

Excellent use of a online tools to present your face to face pitch of your product in a very interactive way! You portrayed the required knowledge and understanding of this commonly overlooked problem, with a viable solution that could also be a very compelling business to invest in. I would invest in your idea since you were able to highlight and outline all the different aspects clearly that would be required to make an impact in this area. As an investor, finding someone who knows the market, and has a clear sense of what the customer requires, has a tremendous advantage when entering an emerging market as business partners together.

Bravo Ariane! The technology aspect of your pitch is outstanding. Using the different presentation mediums, especially Touchcast is bold and impressive. The personal face/voice connection is clearly an important feature of any venture pitch. Unfortunately, my connectivity failed so I wasn’t able to view it but your ProDev presentation explained your concept very well. You identified key elements of your venture: Problem, Solution, Market, Value Prop, and Personal Bio. Did I miss the ask/financials? Anyway, Uberflip is also new to me. I love it! Thanks for venturing out of cartoon land (been there, done that) and sharing this presentation format with those of us still exploring new technologies.

I thought your selection of media that you used for your elevator pitch was spot-on. You really put a face to your company, and I liked how you combined text and video to highlight your pitch’s major points. You clearly outline your pain point and solution, and you came off confident and knowledgeable in your field. Your venture pitch was also very thorough; clearly laying-out why your product was needed, how it worked, its marketability and competition (or lack of). The one area that was a little lacking was in the ask. As an investor, I’m not sure exactly what you needed to get to the next step, or how I may help you. However, my overall feedback is that you came up with a unique and original idea, and constructed two pitches that showcased it effectively. Well-done.

ProDev Planner Feedback - I thought that this presentation did a really good job of outlining the pain point and the solution as well as how it can work in various situations. As an outlook user who understands exactly the problems with PD planning you've mentioned, I fully appreciate the need for this plugin. I liked the touchcast video format in that I loved being able to see you which helped to establish a relationship and credibility and in that it provided for a little bit of interactivity. I thought it added an interesting and professional component. On my computer at work at least, the video lagged and glitched along which was very distracting. The audio and the video didn't sync and it cut out at times. I would find it difficult to follow. I'm not sure if this was the quality of streaming from my computer or something else. I also found the inability to scroll once I zoomed in in the UberFlip presentation annoying, but I understand that is a limitation of the tool. I thought your graphics and charts added a really professional look to your presentation that added credibility again to your pitch. The big part that was missing for me as an investor was the ask. How much are you looking for? What will it pay for? What can I expect in return? How will the product be marketed? I'm interested in investing and feel that this is a worthwhile venture, but I don't have enough information to decide if I'm willing to move to the next step. It felt a little bit like 2 elevator pitches to me.

FEEDBACK: Your venture found a problem in education and business and offers a solution. Every small to big business wants to encourage professional development but seems to fall short of meeting their employees needs. My only hesitation in investing in your venture is that that the budget for professional development is always an after thought for most companies. Companies see the importance in professional development; however, other elements of their business become more of a priority.

Hi Ariane, first and foremost - I really like this idea! When you explained that most goal setting is done once a year and then not looked at again, I immediately thought about when I was teaching in the K-12 school system. My faculty heads weren't equipped with the skills needed to assist me in developing SMART training goals, resulting in poor execution overall. I see potential for ProDev Planner in both the business and education sectors; you do a good job of highlighting the vast size of the market. I liked your use of TouchCast - the voting option in particular kept me engaged. This was my first time seeing UberFlip and I thought your design was polished and professional - nice work! As an investor, I am interested in your product and believe that you have a strong enough background in training and development to see this through. What are you asking from me financially, and what is the projected timeline?

Hi Ariane,

First, nice use of TouchCast in your Elevator Pitch. I really like that app. You did a nice job technically in using its features such as the vote and benefits overlays. In regards to content, I though you gave just enough information about ProDev Planner to gain interest. I liked how you brought familiarity to your new product by linking it with such a ubiquitous one like MS Outlook.

I liked the choice of UberFlip to display your Venture Pitch. It gives the virtual experience of flipping through the magazine style layout. I think your layout in general is great. It made the volume of text easier to read an navigate and gave a more polished and professional impression. In regards to content, I like how your product has applicability to many markets and consumer groups. Being able to cite 1.2 billion possible consumers is nice as well as the products possible integration into other system. One thing that could have been added was where you were or how you were going to develop the product to give the investor a sense of time until reaching market. Overall great job.

Mark

FEEDBACK: This is a great idea and I agree that there is a real problem in the area of professional development. Every company wants to develop their employees, but often do not find the time to do it. Organization and logistical issues seem to get in the way. As you have a solid idea and product, as an investor I would like to see some information on a revenue model, projections, and what kind of investment you are seeking.

This is a great and novel approach to professional development. I work with a very large organization, and we definitely struggle with education and professional development processes, and the dreaded annual compulsory learning modules. Your solution does have merit if it is easy to institute and track learning activities on a daily or weekly basis. You did a great job of covering your bases in the venture pitch. The only piece that was missing for me was a rudimentary demo so I could “see” how the plug in will work – the table on page 4 was the next best thing. This was also a really great pitch format with the links to supporting media and resources. Very well done.