StickyNotes

Feedback: As an elementary teacher, we use a large number of graphic organizers to help students out. I see this as a very viable product, as it could be a web-based graphic organizer for older students. As an investor I really would have liked to see a mock-up of what the interface looks like, or what a finished color-coded product is like. I was wondering how it would look throughout, and my curiosity was never truly satisfied.

Feedback: Essay writing is certainly a skill that students can use assistance with improving. I especially like the split screen idea and the use of color coding. I am wondering if apps such as Google Docs can essentially create a similar effect? Having a visual example of what the program would look like would increase engagement and understanding. The stats and layout of your elevator pitch were of interest. Adding a voice over in some areas or student testimonials may break up the slides and add authenticity. I think the Stickynotes program could also support other areas of education which would increase the potential market.

Brittany, I enjoyed your simple approach to both your elevator and venture pitch. Although the elevator pitch was visually pleasing I think a narration would provide a nice "personal" touch for any potential investors. I for one like to hear the interest and engagement of the person "behind" the venture. I think it's important to make that connection with your audience. That being said, you did a fine job of outlining the pain point and illustrating the solution to essay organization and writing support for high school students. However, I'm not convinced that your product is unique. Although you did mention Evernote as a competitor, I would suggest rather your competition to be literacy software solutions Kurzweil 3000 and Solo 6. Both software application provide the same solutions you are proposing with StickyNotes. As an investor I would need you to convince me as to why teachers would use your product instead of the two I previously mentioned. It's unclear to me how your product is superior. As an investor I would have to decline.

Feedback: Brittany, I really enjoyed your website! It's fun and interactive, yet simple enough to navigate through with ease. Being an elementary school teacher, I was drawn by the colours and the movement. I like how you've included discounts for schools and how you've projected revenue. I think the number may be a little high, as you probably won't get half of the schools signing up, especially in the first year. The product itself is a great app, which I think would help a lot of students organize their thoughts to be as clear and concise as possible. The only hesitation I have is that students no longer have to have that skill on their own, and with the internet, they could look up templates and use readily accessible ones that are already out there. I do like that this app is a one-stop-shop for all of their essay writing skills and I think if it was standardized throughout a school district or state, it may be easier for teachers to connect with other schools through their English language classes (maybe even through the app to give feedback to other students).

FEEDBACK: As as venture analyst I see the value in the simplicity of your product and therefore its potential reach to learners on a global basis. You have presented a strong case for the need to improve essay writing and the organizational reasons that hinders students from doing so. I am particularly impressed with the tutorials and referencing tools build directly into the system while maintaining a clean, visually pleasing interface. Your presentation also leverages the difficult memories that most people have with writing essays in their past. I found myself having flashbacks to scenes of despair and frustration. Stickynotes allows stakeholders to envision a simpler path from personal experience. The freemium upsell model will also provide investors with more concrete revenue projections over the initial investment period. How could your product evolve in the future? For example, could it be specialized for post-secondary and corporate environment in a less school-like version. This would have the effect of extending your market beyond the education sector to those who must write in their jobs.

Sorry meant to say Review in my comment below.

Review – Essays are one of the more difficult skills to master. The idea behind sticky notes is sound and has a lot of positive aspects behind it. Strengths: This is a more economical version of existing software, such as Scrivener, that have a proven track record of success. Visually the pitch is well laid out and I really enjoyed how well developed and clearly the ideas were presented. Even on a personal level the way the product is described appeals to me as a potential user. This is something that could easily reach beyond the intended use as well. There could be several additions in future updates that could pivot this venture into a powerful collaboration tool. The Weaknesses: The market is larger than identified in the pitch. Which makes me a little nervous as middle schools and post-secondary schools should have been obvious targets for the CEO. I also question the scope of the marketing scheme. Relying on individuals and school administrators might work, but I don’t think it will get you half the schools in North America. There may be a better way by negotiating deals with school districts, or even state and provincial school boards. I think the market is also more crowded then identified in the pitch. The produce would have to be different enough from dominant players like Evernote to even make a dent in the market. I would only invest in this venture if I was somehow able to contribute to the leadership. I think that there is merit, but there would have to be a very aggressive marketing and sales campaign to compete with existing solutions

Brittany you have identified an area that many people are willing to pay for extra assistance. I believe that the market of both schools and students is appropriate as either one would invest in this, as well as the possibility of both if the student found the method to be very successful for them. I also think that your elevator pitch could have used some of the great graphics that you created for your website. I also liked the free version with an option to upgrade, this would increase the number of people exposed to your product. Finally, I would have liked to see some examples of how your product would be superior to your competitors, even if you had to use literal sticky notes to do it.

FEEDBACK: At this time, my investment team recommends additional research is needed before we made a decision on an investment in StickyNotes. Teachers and the public in general are very brand specific. For better or worse, Microsoft Word seems to be the product of choice for most teachers followed by possibly Office 365 and Google Docs. We feel that very similar features already exist in these very familiar platform for teachers. All three of the above products have the ability to add notes, comments. Microsoft Word gives you the ability to colour code them although at this time they can't be dragged around like StickyNotes. In order to proceed with StickyNotes, our team needs to see more evidence on how this will overcome these two challenges: brand-specific loyalty and duplication.

Feedback. Great Job Brittany. Love the playful graphics. I believe you do have a genuine niche or market gap that is differentiated enough to stir interest in the educational sector. As some of my peers have already noted in their comments though, this market is quite crowded including everything from apps to dedicated programs that share similar functions. However a colleague of mine who is in the IT app development sector mentioned that every app you can imagine has likely been invented in some shape or form, but the true potential of an app is whether it has substance or addresses a real need and how well it does it's job. It other words sharing similar features is often unavoidable, but the real question is does your product address a real need or niche. After looking through your venture, I feel your product does do this. Your focus on using it as an essay writing tool is smart, because it is a skill set that is directly related to educational sector revenue (ie in order to get into post secondary I need to know how to write well). However I believe you will need a stronger push to convince educational user's to buy into the app because of the free alternatives out there both technologically and human related (ie apps + tutors/teachers). Perhaps a better revenue model / target market could be publishers of e-textbooks that could integrate it into their books/files (ie viewers/players). This way all parties benefit, publishers promote the sale of e-textbooks and add value to their product, while you license the app to every book sold. I would invest with modifications to revenue model and direct target. Awesome job. Ps. The Elevator pitch was good, I felt it said enough to get me interested in looking more at your proposal which is the whole purpose of it. Could have benefited from all the great graphics you had though in the longer venture.