EduBreath

[Feedback] Vivien, thank you for your pitch. I think that your venture addresses a real need that isn’t usually at the forefront of my mind – that of equitable access to post-secondary education – but only based on my position of privilege. It is a real need, and I think it’s commendable to start a venture that addresses that issue. My main pieces of criticism with the pitch itself are that it was lacking in information (I know the venture pitch would likely include all that, but I need more to draw me in, especially with how massive this venture appears to be) and it was lacking in visuals. That said, you have a very friendly and open demeanor, and your presentation skills alone are quite strong.

REVIEW: I’m inspired by the vision of this venture, and appreciate how it is seeking to bring equality to education. I can recognize the gap between countries and how this makes it challenging for students to transfer from one educational institution for another. It’s unfortunate because it’s limiting for students and potential talent that could be of great benefit to our world. I agree that the value this venture could contribute, and the impact and change it could have on the educational landscape is significant. The problem is clear, but the solution and exactly how this platform would work is something I am still wondering about. I would have like to see the platform in action or some evidence of how it would work. There is mention of what sets this platform apart from other platforms, in that EduBreath is completely online, so it gives some consideration to differentiation. I feel like this pitch has great potential but needs a bit more work and to be made a little more real and engaging. The market is definitely growing and there is much opportunity for ventures in learning technology and companies, especially with the ramifications of COVID-19 but I still wonder about who the competitors are to EduBreath and how it will position itself to be and remain competitive? It would have been nice to have a timeline or some idea of what the strategy was for developing and implementing the venture. Also, the ask and return were not clear to me so I was not exactly sure how much I was being asked for and what would be the prospects for returns. I think that the message and the intention behind this venture are great! I would like to support it, but as an EVA I would not invest in it right now, until I had a better idea of what the project looked like, how it was going to work, what are its plans for development and implementation.

Hi Vivien, well done, I appreciate your effort to make a video for your elevator pitch. I really appreciate that you made a video of yourself speaking to the audience in your elevator pitch. This is a sincere effort to make a real venture pitch and I congratulate you for doing it. I understand the problem you are addressing and I have a good guess on what your proposed solution is. You are tackling a big problem and worthwhile cause. It is a neat idea, at least what I have in mind you meant for a venture concept. I am guessing your venture concept is to offer IB programmes online. You said your venture is “an online platform I created to disseminate learning materials”; I am hoping you can understand how this causes confusion about your venture in the minds of your viewers and reviewers. I am puzzled about the name of your venture; does the name mean something? The reason is that it would help if the venture has a catchy name and I believe with some thought one could come up with a name that gets attention.

Hi Vivian, your venture at its heart has a very noble cause and I congratulate you for taking it on and starting up this venture. I truly hope that you will get to take the venture further as causes like these are much needed in the world to help address the equity imbalance in education. I really liked the personal touch of you speaking to the audience in your elevator pitch and missed that same element in your venture pitch. Further to that, I was expecting a little bit more info in your venture pitch. I can see the problem EduBreath aims to address but I am not entirely sure who your exact market is- you showed a map at one point that highlighted Africa as one area in which there are very few IB schools (thus a perfect target for EduBreath) but the issue you haven't addressed is that of access to the online platform you intend to use with the venture in an area like that. If countries in Africa are targeted for instance, then broadcast technologies might be better utilized to reach more students. As an example, during the lockdown period we are going through now, TV and radio broadcasts are being utilized to help students keep up to date with their school lessons as internet access just isn't that reliable and available to all. EduBreath might want to consider these technology options going forward. I would say you have a very good idea but it needs refinement to break down the elements of the venture that need to be in place before going forward and seeking funding. I wish you the best with EduBreath!

Vivien - I appreciate you putting this together. Truthfully, I'm unsure what your venture is or what pain point it aims to solve. I would respectfully argue that education is actually becoming less knowledge based and more competency based, at least in Canada, as evidenced by BC's curriculum for example. There are some tall claims you have made in this pitch (ie- The problem of education section for example), but I can't seem to find any references or citations for where they came from. I'm wondering why you chose not to include an EVA analysis as well. Moreover, the design aspects of the venture pitch platform seem unfinished. I'd be interested to hear where the name EduBreath come from? Is it at all reflective of the goals you wish to achieve?

FEEDBACK: Hi Vivien, Thank you for your pitch! After reviewing it I can certainly understand the need for getting an education that leads to and is accepted by post-secondary institutions. My question though is how is EduBreath different than attending an online school that does provide a High School education that is accepted by post-secondary institutions world wide as there are jurisdictions where this is currently the case.