A3: Kurzweil Firefly iPhone app

Review - The Kurzweil Firefly app seems like an interesting product. I like the idea of utilizing the Kurzweil platform for another area of educational technology. I think that the asking investment price is far too low for such a product as this. What with development costs, marketing, support, etc. I would be a little hesitant to invest in this venture from the information given as I don’t see a huge reason that this application is different from competitors in the same space. It would have been nice to see information about the development team and a future plan for updates and new features. The demographic information also seems a light.

FEEDBACK: Hi Sandy, I am curious and wanted to ask is this app targeted for K-12 only ? I ask because I think it has potential to tap into other markets as well such as ESL for adults and adult learning. I could see something like this being used in adult learning centers to help mature students catch up in their reading comprehension. Just something to think about ! I can tell that this something that you are passionate about, great work !

Hi Lane, Thanks for your feedback. i too have weighed this q of Kurzweils relevance with the new built in tools and GAFE. The Kurzweil format offers a wealth of curriculum text already scanned and at the ready for BC educators. It also converts PDFs and Word docs into a .kes format and scans the web, so I think it does have the upper hand with the content! rrto, yes there is an app for iPad and it is well used! The frustration with highschool learners not wanting to appear "different" and asking me as I work in schools why they cannot get their materials on their phones led me to this venture. You are right in that younger learners use the app and the web version on a laptop more often. Thanks!

I think the fact that your venture goes along with a well-established product like Kurzweil makes it very feasible but I have some apprehension about the idea of teaching reading on an iPhone. I don't really enjoy trying to read on a tiny screen, so I don't think a student who struggles with reading would either. IPads are used far more in education. Is there already an app for them? I also don't see many iPhones among my students until about the 6th or 7th grade, so I don't know how effective this would be for younger learners.

I had to dig into your venture site a bit to find out why I would want to invest in Kurzweil over GAFE's tools, especially Read and Write. I think that it is important to mention why your are creating this iOS app - the fact that Read and Write will only work for Android. I haven't seen Kurzweil in action for the last 5 years, and I wonder if it is becoming a relic of the past with free or nearly free dictation tools and auto-readers coming on the market. However, I can hear your passion to help children read and I will trust your judgment that Kurzweil is still relevant in the classroom.

Hi everyone, Thank you for the feedback. Kurzweil is a solid "real" company and the iphone app would make a huge difference to students. caleb, the android issue is already solved as Kurzweil text can be accessed with an android device using a flash friendly browser. The app would work for not only iphones but iPod touch, so hopefully that will help reduce the availability of device issue, thank you Michael. I look at a text reader and accessing information as a similar skill, I could have made that clearer. It was difficult for me to realistically create the market part of the venture and pitch, I realize that was a weakness, but I sure appreciate all of your suggestions and responses to date.

FEEDBACK: Hey Sandy, I really enjoyed your elevator and venture pitch. They were both exceedingly clear, especially your elevator pitch. The pain point and your app as the solution was communicated very effectively, as was the basic design/functionality of the app. I do have on constructive thing; the length of the pitch. It's 50% longer than it is supposed to be. While that does help communicate clearly, I do wonder if a potential investor would have 'walked off the elevator' before you were able to get so some more compelling points. And one question, why only iPhone. Apple devices work well, but are expensive and often not the practical first choice of schools. Do you have any ambitions of branching out to android or other platforms?

Hi Sandy – Anything that can help to increase literacy rates is sure to grab the attention of educators and, as such, potential investors. I really like your idea of extending the value of an existing literacy-related technology to fill a specific gap. Your infographic contrasting digital text vs. text on paper was a very effective means of conveying the anchoring facts around text-to-speech as a concept. One detail of your pitch that is very interesting, but does not come across in the early part of your materials is that your proposed app would represent the only means to-date, for iOS users to gain mobile access to the Kurzweil technology. I found this information really helpful to framing my understanding of your product, but didn’t stumble across it until the latter half of the pitch. You are clearly very knowledgeable about this product and its context, but I wondered if your venture might include other champions or team members and what their profiles might be. My two other key questions were: What are your marketing plans for the product (integrated into larger Kurzweil promotion perhaps?) - and - How do your revenue projections translate into return for investors? More information on these questions would help to support a confident decision to invest in this worthwhile product.

FEEDBACK: Hi, Sandy: I think you’ve done well creating a focused Elevator Pitch, and the Venture Pitch is direct and easy to navigate. I can appreciate the need for the product, as I’m actually in the opposite situation: I prefer learning about a topic by reading about it rather than hearing someone talk about it. Good work! My main suggestion is to clarify the need that the venture addresses. The Elevator Pitch mentions difficulty reading but it also mentions student difficulty in accessing information, which could suggest the app might help with research. Then the Venture Pitch mentions differences in learning styles. I think that clarifying the one need the app addresses will help to strengthen the pitch. Another issue with the pitch might be clarifying how schools will ensure consistent device availability in classrooms where not all students have smartphones or not all students bring smartphones to class.

FEEDBACK - Sandy, you have identified a real problem and recommended a well designed solution. You also make an effective presentation. My only reservation with this venture was that you have too much competition and I was looking for some arguments that would provide rationale for market differentiation and you to make a distinct value proposition. I found that this was the only aspect that you didn't address and for me it was a big one.