VRICS

FEEDBACK:I have little knowledge about the k-12 market and the new BC curriculum, but I think there is potential here. As previously mentioned, I believe it is a few years off, but VR is on the horizon. No, you can't learn to ride a horse (ours are shuddering at the thought), but I think VR could be a good introduction to the real world which students don't get a lot of anymore. Is there any budget for field trips these days? I would need to know more to invest, but there is certainly interest.

FEEDBACK: I definitely like the idea of having resources to support teachers in BC with the new curriculum rolling out next year. It would be place I would check out except that I was't given any examples of its use so I was unsure of what exactly it would provide or how I could access it. Could I simply access it from my computer at my school? as VR technology hasn't expanded to my school yet. I did find it hard to read all the information you had typed out for each slide in the given amount of time. Perhaps, having a voice over would help to address this situation and allow you to include all the important components that you think are pertinent.

I like your ideas of creating resources that are easier for teachers to access and easier for students to understand and immerse themselves in. But, as one other said, I also believe that the pitch could have moved a little quicker to really intrigue and capture the audience. How can this product be individualized for students? Could this turn into a venture like Teachers Pay Teachers, where teachers can upload lessons or materials that have worked in their classroom? Also, how will this be adapted to meet the standards of other provinces and territories? Will it be put more into subjects and topics or grade levels? I like the concept of being a one-spot-shop for teachers, but there are a lot of questions that I have before I could move forward with it.

I appreciate that you are trying to find a product that would mesh well with BC's new curriculum - I would, as many of my apprehensive colleagues, would value new ways to teach it. However, I think that if that is the focus, you are not addressing the needs of the rest of the country/continent. I doubt that you would, but there is some focus on BC, so perhaps the elevator pitch could be a bit more general. I like the idea that your service provides VR curricular resources, and I agree that the education market lacks VR resources, but I'm not sure if any educator needs it... yet. That's not to say that you cannot get a start on creating resources and be the first company ready-to-go. I think VR is at least five years off, so perhaps change the focus to continual development so you are market ready immediately if these devices proliferate.

FEEDBACK: Julie, aside from other bits that others have mentioned, I think it is hard to sell a service that is built on a product that is still finding its legs. With that in mind, you might have better luck offering a service that , right here and now, helps teachers connect with the best of what is out there in terms of VR. But your challenge, for me, would be to convince me that there was anything that was accessible and useful, beyond just being a novelty. I can’t imagine that one can learn to ride a horse or play violin through VR. That isn’t your fault. But to succeed, you are going to need to find some common ground with your investor.

FEEDBACK: Great venture Julie! I know that teachers around Vancouver (and I can only imagine that this would echo out throughout BC) are feeling challenged by the new curriculum and resources that help to support it. Often curriculums are designed before resources are created and as such, teachers are often found spending numerous hours creating their own resources from scratch. Although this is a reflective and interesting process, a way to make learning and resources more accessible to teachers and students is essential in the twenty-first century market place. I felt that the venture pitch could have moved more quickly – that being said, there was something going on with the video that will not load properly so that could have played a part in my feedback. Great start – wish I could have watched more but as I mentioned the video would not stream properly (tried on a few different devices). Thanks!

Feedback: You have addressed a coming need for teachers in BC with the curriculum changes that are happening. Having a site for teachers to go to in which they can access ready-made resources in the area of virtual reality has merit. I would have liked to have been given an example of a virtual reality resource that might be available on such a site. It is challenging to invest in an idea rather than a product without a concrete example. I only watched the elevator pitch however, so you may have given examples on the longer version of the pitch. Great idea!

HI Julie, From your elevator pitch I am not sure what the product is. The Elevator pitch needed to be 1 minute and the presentation no more than 8 minutes. I struggled with these issues as well but being concise was part of the challenge. What device will teachers use to access the VR content, you are assuming that schools will have VR technology. My school doesn't even have a student-use computer in every classroom, never mind a device for Virtual Reality. Cardboard needs a device with specific specs to work effectively, I've tried it and only some devices work well enough to make it worthwhile. We would have to purchase the right device for each cardboard unit. I am all for VR resources, I think it is the direction technology is heading. Will teachers be able to create their own resources or request the resources? How will your resources provided individualized learning? How will you predict what the needs of my class will be? I love the idea of a database of VR resources but I agree with the others that $100,000 would not get this project off the ground.

Hi jormiston, I am not sure that your pitch demonstrates how you are going to compete against Google in providing a pay for use service supplying vr experiences on a budget of $100,000 (if that is intact what you are doing). I would expect that to compete, it would require many millions of dollars and business strategy and a depth of expertise that you did not illustrate in your presentation. I can not invest in your company.

FEEDBACK: Hi jormiston, thanks for your pitches on VRICS. The obvious pain points that the new curriculum in BC presents will undoubtedly become widespread as curricula across the nation begins to shift. After watching your elevator pitch twice, I understood what your company would like to offer (VR across educational settings), but couldn’t grasp exactly what it was that you were targeting regarding subject area or curricular content. Who are the end users of your product? What features will make it competitive in the edtech market and will distinguish it from competitors? Why would someone invest if they didn’t know about the strong links to the curriculum and how it would impact the work of school districts? This could have been achieved using less text on the PowToon slides (which, at times, I couldn’t even finish reading before it moved), providing more visuals, even if they were rough mock-ups, and establishing your own entrepreneurial presence in the video rather than relying on text alone. Additionally, your narration probably would have helped to keep it under the 1 minute limit, too. After watching your venture pitch, I could see what you were trying to achieve, but more details need to be present in your elevator pitch for prospective investors, who won’t necessarily spend the time it takes to watch a full venture pitch.