Northern Nutrition

FEEDBACK.. This is a hard one. I think it is very worthy and should have due consideration. A not-for-profit model might suit this best, which would then allow the government(s) to get behind it. There has been a fair amount of coverage recently (in Canada) of the high prices of food in the North. This would be a great time to get things going.

Feedback: Hi Emily, your venture introduced me to a new world that I haven't think about. It seems to be very expensive to buy food in your region. I liked your idea but I don't know if it is feasible. I didn't know how much you asked for your venture or even if you asked. And I read that you assumed that your government will invest in your venture, is that a policy in your country to support initiatives? Anyway, your venture is good but needs more details to be a real one.

FEEDBACK: Emily, I am also from a rural town that faces similar issues, and I really appreciate the impulse, but I don’t think this is the way that change happens. It is likely not simply a case of not enough info. And even if it were, it is hard to get and send good and reliable info that people will trust. I can imagine that a smart billboard inside the grocery store displaying the nutritional value per dollar of food might be useful. At least the info would be at the right place at the right time. But I’ve actually never seen a formula like that. Can you make a dollar-driven nutritional plan? Are you familiar with soylent? (If not, google it.) Maybe vegetables are actually not cost effective? I think on a deeper level though, food is deeply social (soylent aside), and to change nutrition, you need to build community and foster cooperative education and the caring. I don’t mean to be discouraging. I am deeply in your corner here, but pushing in a somewhat different direction.

FEEDBACK: This was a hard one for me. I really think this is a worthy and important cause. However, it pains me to put on the "greedy-financial-view hat", as I'm not sure how profitable it would be, as the population of the northern territories is quite small. So no matter how much I value the intent, I wouldn't be able to invest. However, this pitch might work for the Federal/Territorial governments - they wouldn't make any profit of it, but it should be their duty to make it happen. Kudos to you for thinking of their basic needs.

Emily, I too live in a northern rural community that struggles with nutrition and healthy living choices. I appreciate that your pitch combined the societal value and the revenue value of your app. My only concern is that your current projected market may be too small for large food producers to invest much into your in-app advertising campaign. I would recommend extending your market reach to make it more appealing to these companies. Also, I agree with my colleagues that a free version may attract more users. Perhaps, in addition to in-app advertising, you could also offer in-app purchasing options, like a platform that a) tracks consumer habits over time, b) provides better alternatives to selected food products, and c) helps families develop a weekly menu.

Hi Emily, I really like your idea. It has farther reaching applicability than what you indicate in your pitch, which is a good thing, because that makes greedy investors like me think of ways to exploit your socially conscious idea and make millions of dollars. I think your cost for this app would be around 100K, which is pretty much what you described over two years. Good job. I think you have the right strategy, to partner and employ local talent that have the expertise to create a professional looking and functioning product, and you provide project management and vision. I think you should consider adding marketing to your cost, as it would be good to have an internet wide launch of your product with a strong social marketing campaign (not just to your community). You need to look at your pricing model though. Perhaps having a free version, with ads, and a $1.99 payed version without would provide a better two teared income than trying to charge both the advertiser and the end user in the same offering. After all, you are targeting price conscious consumers. One note about the pitch delivery, using terms like “We Believe” leaves room in the investors mind for doubt. Always use positive and assertive language when pitching products to investors. I would like to invest $200,000 of my imaginary money for 51% of your company as I expect your profits will be much higher than what you predicted.

Feedback: Emily, I thought your topic is very relevant to today’s families, not only in the North, but across North America. Eating nutritionally balanced meals is essential to healthy living and it is challenging to meet budget restrictions when nutritional choices are more expensive than less nutritional ones. Your idea fosters both eating better and balancing the books. Your idea of using an app to determine prices which foods have the highest nutritional value per dollar is an excellent idea. I do see some challenges in the execution. Fresh produce changes in price depending on the season and how far North you go. I live in Northern BC and we pay much for items such as lettuce in the winter versus the summer. As you go further North, I assume that the prices fluctuate as well depending on the availability. If the app adjusted for these fluctuations in supply/demand and seasonal variations, I would definitely use such an application.

REVIEW: Emily, this is a great application that brings with it awareness to nutritional needs for families living in poverty. I very much appreciate your framing of the problem through your venture pitch; those values were astounding! While I understand your framing that targets your own community, this application could impact impoverished families across Canada, and has a potential to grow far beyond that. “Applying Nutritional Value” per dollar is a great slogan that has the potential to reach consumers. I loved the personal touch of your on-camera video, showing your caring motivation behind this product. Your inclusion of quantitative values was impressive, including the consideration of government subsidization. I wonder if the price of the app should be free, as I would guess that families who are impoverished are less likely to spend money on an app, and that revenue should be generated from ads or upgraded features. All in all, great work!

It is great that you are looking at the specific needs of the community you live in, and the very real dilemma people in the North face every day. I like how having access to a hunter is incorporated into the equation; living in the far south I never would have considered that. I appreciate the work you have done on trying to price out the cost of developing an app as I found this challenging as well. Years ago, I owned a small business (not EdTech) and I benefited from free small business consulting advice from the Business Development Bank of Canada where experienced retired or semi-retired business people advised you on such things. Perhaps a resource? Yours is a tough one to finance, since the residents in the North may be struggling with finances to put food on the table so paying for a software subscription might not be affordable, and depending on the government to pay $150,000 to support this might also be a challenge. I did like the idea of having the food companies pay, as they seem to profit the most from bad food choices, so perhaps this might encourage them to stock healthier foods. Good luck with this! I love giving back to our communities and helping those who need our skills the most.

I totally got your idea right away. I lived in a northern First Nation town and know exactly what it is like to get your food from the grocery store in a northern community. All of the food was shipped in and it cost a fortune to get fresh veggies and fruit. My family would do a large shop at the Save on Foods 350kms away and buy like $1000 worth of food to last us a month. A lot of the locals would buy the cheapest meals for the family, which was processed fast food like fries and chicken "nuggets". The grocer that operated the store would just stock up on the fast food and the veggies that they had were not fresh or affordable. When we bought veggies at the store it was on a must need basis.