Brain Yogi : The Well-being App

Hi Anna, I love the app – I really need it! I like the idea that the app “forces” the user to stop what they are doing and if not “participate”, at least take a break. Your “team” looks very well suited to the task. I like Scott's idea of focusing on sales to parents, as they are most certainly going to want to install it on their children's devices. Perhaps a “mock-up” of the interface would have added to sales pitch.

Hi Ann, this is a very professional pitch you have put together. Well done for your attention to detail in the venture pitch and the attention grabbing elevator pitch. As you have identified in your challenges there are no shortage of competitions. A lot of the mindfulness apps out there are also backed by studies and their advantage is they are free to use. The pain point you have identified is definitely a niche market but I personally think that this market is too small. Mindfulness is one aspect of a student's well being but studies have shown that students are faced with a lot more challenges on the Internet than just the lack of excercise and movement away from the computer. Online bullying, pornography and other harmful behaviour on the internet can cause a range or psychological issues like depression and suicidal behaviour. A more well rounded focus on the overall well being of a student's experience online would have a much better success in this kind of venture. The source of revenue could be a challenge in this type of offerings as most likely this app will need to be offered either free or at a very low cost to attract any kind of sizable users. My suggestion would to be target this to schools or district instead of students. In this way at least schools can pay per student per year and require all students to have the app installed on their phone. With a bit of tweeking I can consider investing in this venture.

Gonna be honest, I think this is one of the better, if not best idea, of those I have reviewed. I know that there are lots of parents out there who are into the spiritual side of life and worry greatly about their kids and the amount of time spent on screens. This is definitely a type of program that I would love to have installed on my daughter's devices as she gets older. I liked your elevator pitch, it was one of the best yet, that held my attention to the end, I think it could have included a little more information for investors, like something about money! lol I think that your investment numbers are a little off, and that you have valued your company a little bit higher than a start-up of this type. That said, if those numbers were negotiable and a little more realistic, I would definitely be considering investing in this venture.

Hi Ann, I love all things that promote "well-being"! Great elevator pitch! Very good visuals with pleasing background music.  After watching the pitch it left me wanted more which is a good sign of a good pitch. I appreciated the natural tone of the video and liked your delivery.  Your topic was easy to follow and understand and it seemed to invite further conversation. Good blend of narration and background music. If anything, I picked up on the lower quality of voice audio and the slight echo it created. Your venture pitch was solid. The website had a good balance of graphics and text though I was looking for a bit more information on your global target, buyers, and market status. That said, rollout phases page was perfect as it gave a good snapshot of your intention. Overall a great job as I would be very interested in investing.

Hi Anne, What a great idea for an app! This definitely responds to a growing concern in all children - not just those participating in online learning. Your elevator pitch was very well done. Your video was very professional and engaging. Your venture pitch provided some great details about the app and was very appealing and well laid out but I think you needed a more detailed review of your competitors. I also think you need to explain what makes your idea competitively sustainable? Why is this an idea that won't be easily copied by competitors? Thanks for sharing!

Anna, what a wonderful website. Your pitch too was so calming and soothing to listen to. I enjoyed just going through your website, your kickstart information, and all the rest. I also think the idea behind this is so important. I love online classes but sometimes I forget that I have to get my blood flowing. There are a few thoughts that I had. Personally, I was not entirely convinced that this app was entirely different from other apps on the market. But competition is not an issue--just look at the multitude of competing apps on the market. How do I also make money? The asking price for a 5% stake seems quite high, and I am not sure if the return will be sufficient. I would have loved to have seen that fleshed out a bit more.

Hi Anne, Your website is wonderfully easy to navigate and very well designed. Your data is a great way to show the growth of online learning, but I think you should also look at health and wellness data for the age group you are pursuing. I would also take out the 2004-2005 data. I was really taken by the idea of students having a way to exit the onslaught that is first year university with an app like Brain Yogi that gives them a chance to be mindful. I think that this type of app is helpful for kids but even more helpful, in a big data sense, to universities and colleges. As an EVA, I recommend that you market it to universities and colleges as part of a freshman package. By taking the data and putting it in the hands of school counsellors, I think it is more possible for large schools like University of Toronto to identify potential ‘high-risk’ students or a select group that counsellors could keep a closer eye on as they move through the system. The team you have assembled is wonderful and I think they have the credentials to get you in the door at most of Canada’s big universities. This shift to selling to big schools changes who you are competing against which is important in a market like this that is so saturated. If you are able to secure a contract with a big university, I am happy to recommend this product to investors, based on the mental health and wellness problems it will solve. Great Job Anne!

Hello Anne, As an online learner, I think this is the right venture that we need to invest in. In my last school, we have created a mindfulness room for students and staff that can offer services to all the school. We were very popular among students and staff, some staff volunteered to teach also Yoga in their free time to students and faculty. Having said that I was very impressed with your venture and I can be a potential human investor and financial investor as well. My questions about this venture are how does it work in term of technological factors. Computers vs tablets or smart devices application. I am imagining that this application that if t is installed would force somehow the user to stand up every 10 minutes and do some movements etc. The market value and the market projections are not well explained too, and therefore, if we are looking at potential investors we need to show them the potential market especially schools vs higher edutain students. My other concern is where can we implement this venture in primary schools? investors believe in covering all potential markets as much as they can in order to maximize their profits. Great website, and venture. Good Luck. G.

REVIEW: This is an extremely creative pitch, and I love the fictional kickstarter campaign, team, and board of directors! My biggest issue as an EVA looking to invest in your venture is that your app doesn’t really seem to be differentiated from the countless other meditation apps out there, and I find it difficult to set your ideas apart from the competition. A platform like http://www.headspace.com has a HUGE market share, with free guided meditation recordings on their website and app, that are all applicable to youth. Many of these apps are also based on educational theory and the guided meditation format, unless specifically tailored to business/adult contexts, are easily consumed and used by students. Likewise, the ability to control the time and duration of computer-based activities exist in other apps, so the integration of this feature into your app doesn’t seem like a major selling point. With the intense competition of the app market, and the entrenched companies you will be facing off against, I feel reluctant to agree with the optimistic growth projections in your pitch. For these reasons, as an EVA I could not recommend investment into your venture.