A3 – Time Flow

FEEDBACK: I can certainly see the benefits of the app, Like Osayma, though, I wonder why it is iOS exclusive.I think BYOD is only going to increase in these days of tight educational budgets. With any app I would deploy it across all markets...I just read this morning that windows phones are on the increase. It is hard to guess where things will go next.

FEEDBACK: I can see how the Time Flow app would appeal to many students, educators, parents, and investors. Apps and programs geared toward organization and productivity have just as much to offer as content-specific apps used in the classroom today. It is clear that your personal experiences, as a mother and a teacher, have given you the insights necessary to develop such a great product. I think that many parents can relate to feelings of concern and the need to monitor their child’s daily screen time, as well as the desire to become more involved in their child’s learning. The Time Flow app achieves both of these objectives, among others which you have clearly outlined throughout your pitch. Great work!

Feedback: although it is a good solution for a current problem, but as an EVA, I found that you are presenting a product to sell rather than a product to invest. I didn't find the ask, return, competition elements. In the "about" section, you asked the clients to send you specific needs to customize a solution. Your product is great, but I didn't know why it is an exclusive iOS product. It will execute a wide segment of mobile users.

Hi rskukas, Good job on this presentation; I appreciate your idea. The fact that you are targeting students, teacher, and parents is a good value proposition; otherwise you need to compete with those apps that are more for business use that you mentioned. The design of the app specifically for children’s productivity (considering their unique needs and tasks) is your differentiator. Normally I would be looking form more of a “to market” strategy, but you clearly identified you were looking for partner investors that can manage the rollout of the product. Your timeline seems a little tight, but if you get on it early, I think it is doable. I would recommend maintaining focus on your target user base instead of dividing your attention by including corporations, where there are already a number of tools being used. You may want to look a little closer at your competitive landscape, as there are many monitoring and parent control apps that have the ability that you describe. They may not be direct competitors in your market segment, but need to be considered when doing your competitive analysis that describes how you are different.

FEEDBACK: I like the concept and it almost made my top 3 for sure. I do wonder if it is that necessary for education (as your primary focus). I felt that your secondary markets might be more profitable - especially for parents. I did appreciate that your elevator was succinct enough that I was still able to get the point of the venture. Good job!

Building on our colleagues’ comments, I think that your idea is innovative and that it solves a very real problem teachers and parents are facing as students become more engaged in technology. The description of your product is clear and concise. I appreciate that you have included a mini-bio of your team members and that you have specified the investment that you are seeking and how you intend on using the money. The revenue models for apps are evolving. I’m curious to know how you intend on selling your product and profiting from it. Do you anticipate using a subscription model? in-app advertising? in-app purchasing? We did the Opportunity Forecast for Apps a few weeks ago and one of the things that was really emphasized by app developers was the need to have a clear revenue model as you design the app. Overall, fabulous job… I’d definitely be interested in purchasing your product!

REVIEW: Rebecca, I feel your pain point! I have actually searched for this app online and was totally surprised to realize that nothing like this exists. I wonder, though, if this means that it would somehow be more technically challenging than a non-programmer would think.
As your investor and adviser, I'm actually going to suggest that you narrow your focus. Worry about corporations later. For now, let's crack the kid market. Schools and Parents. And I don’t think we want annoying pop-up reminders. There is another app for that anyway. And the idea of giving you a word-count or some other mark of progress rings false to me. Let’s just do one thing and do it well.
Just for iPad is fine, because those users are our demographic (slightly richer and better educated.)
This is one of those deep background apps. Like the clock. Essential, not sexy in an in-your-face way, but so sexy in a high design, subtle way, like a beautiful watch, that does what you need it to do, and is embedded with values, but is confident enough to take a back seat.
I’m envisioning brilliant visual depictions of time-use that you can take in in an instant, and that doesn’t presume to pass judgement. Maybe our model here is a weather app actually.
The biggest challenge, I think, beyond the technical part, is this issue of tone. There is a Big Brother aspect for sure. My own inclination would be to avoid that road and present it as the starting place for a daily conversation with our kids about app use. With a tagline like, “Be a part of the conversation, know what your kid does everyday, online.”
How can I wire you the money?

FEEDBACK: Hi Rebecca! Thanks for your product overview - I’m sorry to hear about your voice. This could be a useful product in elementary settings especially, as students begin learning about time management skills. It could also potentially be applied to several other markets that prize productivity. The challenge that an app like Time Flow would face would be to integrate the desired goals of the user over multiple applications that they may be using. Another challenge lies in the fact that this app is restricted to iPad devices; I don’t see why it couldn’t also be utilized as a web app (in the form of a Chrome extension or App, or a Mac App, for example) or an Android or Windows app as well. Overall, I liked the idea of this application and was glad that you included investment and development strategies within your venture pitch as well as the inclusion visuals for what the app can provide to users. Great work!

FEEDBACK: Hi Rebecca! I think you have an excellent idea here. The pitch was well done and I think very viable for an investment if the target audience was using apps exclusively. I know in many learning environments there are users on a number of different platforms so then this may not be easy to monitor with your product, but it is a very good idea for a one platform user!

REVIEW: I think this is also a wonderful idea as it directly relates to your experience with parents being unwilling to support technology due to the possibility of too much screen time. This will not only help the student monitor their time on task but provide tangible evidence to the parents that you are aware of the issue and have taken steps to monitor it. I did like your reflective piece (and understand that these would be removed if showed to an actual investor) as it showed you had insight into the strengths and weaknesses of the venture. Perhaps the ability to program a timeframe to monitor usage (8:00 - 3:00pm) so that you are not infringing on "Big Brother" eavesdropping during private time. Nice slick video. Pricing and investment structure is always a challenge. Perhaps we could have learned more about this in the course. One small note, your name seems to be missing a letter (A) on the pitch video intro? Thanks and good luck!