A3 – GroupWork App

Review - Groupwork 2.0 seems like a very natural and updated use of the Google Apps platform. Excellent job presenting the demographic information and the problem in which you are trying to solve. I would have like to have known how difficult development of this platform is going to be and what technology is going to be involved. Google obviously has many resources to provide these services and it seems like a small startup could have troubles competing against them in this space. I think you are probably right on with your investment request. Most others in this program have been asking for 5-figures but your number seems much more realistic if not even a little conservative. Overall, good job. As a big fan of Google Apps, I think your product would be well received.

Feedback: I agree from personal experience, it can be extremely difficult to manage all of the groupwork spaces available and used throughout a project. This becomes even more relevant when you have multiple projects on the go. Your graphics representations in your elevator pitch were engaging, however I had difficulty hearing your audio track, due to feedback. Adding an example of the programs and how they connect would help to follow the pitch proposal. You have a large potential market audience for your venture. I am wondering if students have as much difficulty managing multiple programs as our generation?

FEEDBACK: I really like your idea about streamlining Google group of apps. I think almost everyone can relate to the challenges of group work so anything that can make it easier is a worthwhile venture that any investor would most likely take interest in. I really liked the animation and the graphics in your elevator pitch however I feel that the elevator pitch just jumped into telling about the app and its features. In order to pass the "so what ?" test from an investor I think including your pain point in the beginning of your elevator pitch about the challenges students face with group projects and the inconvenience of switching between apps before talking about your app and what it does would help a potential investor make a connection between an existing problem and how your app can be a solution in order to gain their interest to click on your detailed venture link.

FEEDBACK: As a venture analyst, I recognize the need for a more fluid and interactive environment between GAFE and K-12 group work. Your product addresses the need to simplify the movement back and forth between the various Google Apps with both synchronous and asynchronous capabilities in a manner that produces a seamless work flow for students. I am unconvinced that students are concerned about the visibility of each other’s searches through Google Plus or visibility issues with Circles, but educators and school boards certainly must make this a strong consideration. Your marketing plan is solid but I know nothing about you or your team. My biggest concern is what happens when Google turns its attention to the pain point that you have outlined. A quick fix on their part to lock down some of the social and privacy features of their existing Apps for educational settings may render your service redundant very quickly, unless you have some other functionality which they do not address. My other concern would be buy-in. Inertial with apps that people are familiar with is difficult to shift. How could teachers ensure that students are using GroupWork2.0 versus simply navigating between existing apps.

By the way love the use of infographics :)

Review of GroupWork 2.0 The pain point is clearly identified and the target market of grade 8 and up is clearly identified. Although many numbers are presented for the e-learning market, I am not sure how the specific market of out-of-class learning community is doing and how GroupWork 2.0 is answering to that particular market. The product is well described and the model of the product gave extra clarity. The asking investment of 500 000 was very clear; it could also have been helpful to know if that amount is going directly into production, marketing or salaries. I am still unclear in regards to the cost of the product for the user; the revenue model could have helped to support the claim of 10% leads to 15 million dollars in revenue. As an investor I also would like to know how GroupWork 2.0 hopes to gain 10% of the e-learning market. I am still unsure of the value of the product over the currently free educational suite offered by Google. Although the team is not introduced, the presenter comes across as professional and knowledgeable. As an investor, I would be very leery in a product that hopes to make money off of Google, as Google could come up with its own version quite easily.

Hi Catherine - I'm in agreement with you that group work, particularly in completely online learning environments, can be extremely challenging and effective tools that facilitate this type of collaboration are certainly needed. That said, I struggled to glean a compelling value proposition emerging from your pitch. Some of the newer learning management systems, which allow for effective integration of Google Apps for education, would seem to meet some of the gaps that you have identified. I also wondered whether Google itself would take issue with this adoption if its suite as it wasn't clear from the pitch how a login to Group Work 2.0 would grant seamless access to the Google Apps, without requiring a secondary login directly to a Google Account. In the end, I like your concept of optimizing the features of an existing technology, but I'm left with questions around the functionality of the concept.

I think it is important if we are going to support constructivist learning in a distributed online space to have strong reliable collaborative work spaces. Our own experiences in this course show that. The low audio quality was distracting from your message. I have tried recording audio separately with Audacity and it seems to work fine. But you can do that in the future when you actually take this to an investor! I was not convinced that this offered anything more than Google Docs already did. In many group projects, I have successfully used the Google Docs, Hangout, and Calendar (which converts timezones of users and integrates with Hangout). Google Docs seems secure enough to me. Have I missed something?

Pitch Review: GroupWork 2.0 is a program that facilitates collaboration in learning. The pitch did not identify a problem in the current market place that it would fill. There are numerous application currently in place that address this issue. Is another really needed? The solution (GroupWorks 2.0) is described as providing synergy (spelling error in pitch) between existing programs. This appears to be a reworking of existing Google programs with different packaging. A side by side comparison of how GroupWorks is different would be useful. The market for the product is described in very general terms however the actual target market is not identified. Is it aiming for a province, Canada, North America? Is Google itself the target? Who are the actual customers? What market share is being sought? There is no marketing strategy outlined so we are in the dark about how customers will be acquired. As a result the possible revenue for this product can not be reliably estimated, though there is some information about possible ways the product will be marketed in terms of subscription, in-app purchases. A development plan for the app is not included so a timeline for completion is not apparent. The person or team (if there is one) behind the venture are not introduced so we have no idea who they are or what their qualifications are. We do not know if they have invested any of their own money in this venture. No exit strategy is given. The ask for $500,000 is significant but we are not given any information on a return for our investment. A plan of what the money will go towards is also lacking. From an investment point of view there are gaps in this pitch that need addressing (originality, customers, target market, team, marketing strategy). This seems like a very risky venture based on the information presented in the pitch.

FEEDBACK: I can certainly relate to the topic as a big user of Google Apps. I like the simplicity and concise nature of the elevator pitch and website. I also appreciate the graphic nature of the website rather than facing a "wall of text". I understand what you are trying to pitch but I feel that Google has already done that, group collaboration within a classroom environment. I'm not sure if you are aware of their new product "Google Classroom" which does pretty much what you are proposing. Google Classroom is part of their Google Apps for Education suite of tools.