
By Carla Pretorius on March 29, 2020
FEEDBACK: Thank you for creating Kiota, Carla. I appreciate the thought that went into the name and its congruency with the organization's admirable mission. Your elevator pitch video used effective imagery - especially the imagery of an expanding network - and I found the music to be anticipatory yet subtle. You positioned Kiota as a unique solution to an important issue and I can imagine investors seriously considering lending their support to the cause! I think the only component that wasn't clear for me was the "how" behind connecting the students with the scientists, But with additional technical details on this piece, I could certainly support Kiota! Great work.
FEEDBACK: Thank you for creating Kiota, Carla. I appreciate the thought that went into the name and its congruency with the organization's admirable mission. Your elevator pitch video used effective imagery - especially the imagery of an expanding network - and I found the music to be anticipatory yet subtle. You positioned Kiota as a unique solution to an important issue and I can imagine investors seriously considering lending their support to the cause! I think the only component that wasn't clear for me was the "how" behind connecting the students with the scientists, But with additional technical details on this piece, I could certainly support Kiota! Great work.
Feedback: Hi Carlo, I love the vision of Kiota--it is broad and very inspiring. You did a good job of backing up your information by some reliable statistics from credible sources. You also highlighted the pain pint, the solution well along with identifying the competitors and what Kiota does differently, i.e. provide facilitation. It would have been good to know more from a business strategy perspective how the vision would be implemented. Overall, as an EVA I would certainly make a contribution to your venture.
Feedback: Hi Carlo, I love the vision of Kiota--it is broad and very inspiring. You did a good job of backing up your information by some reliable statistics from credible sources. You also highlighted the pain pint, the solution well along with identifying the competitors and what Kiota does differently, i.e. provide facilitation. It would have been good to know more from a business strategy perspective how the vision would be implemented. Overall, as an EVA I would certainly make a contribution to your venture.
Dear Carla, What an inspiring project. I really hope you'll take the next step and start fundraising.This is a project I would invest in and also help with from the other end of Africa (Morocco)!. I think it's important that develop a sense of pride in African identity and also come up with local solutions to the many challenges that this continent is facing.
Dear Carla, What an inspiring project. I really hope you'll take the next step and start fundraising.This is a project I would invest in and also help with from the other end of Africa (Morocco)!. I think it's important that develop a sense of pride in African identity and also come up with local solutions to the many challenges that this continent is facing.
REVIEW: I thought this an excellent venture concept and pitch. The elevator pitch is very clear, refined. It presents the problem and solution in a very clear and succinct manner. I have a good idea of what this venture is all about from watching that. The pitch itself was very put together. There is a clear presentation of the problem. The statistics presented in the pitch shocked me greatly, and they definitely did a good job at communicating the problem and foster motivation and desire to change it. There is a clear target for this venture. The metaphor of the name behind the venture is great, and I am glad you took the time to emphasize it. It shows the thought and intention behind the venture, and I felt more connected with this venture for understanding the meaning of the name. I really like that time was allotted to explaining the meaning behind the name because it gives the company and venture more substance and presence. I think that having this is a great way to differentiate the venture and make it stand out. As an EVA, I would recommend investing in this venture. It seems well thought out and has the potential to solve the problem presented in the pitch and that this venture could change Africa and lead to advancements in STEM research which could potentially impact not only Africa but the rest of the world.
REVIEW: I thought this an excellent venture concept and pitch. The elevator pitch is very clear, refined. It presents the problem and solution in a very clear and succinct manner. I have a good idea of what this venture is all about from watching that. The pitch itself was very put together. There is a clear presentation of the problem. The statistics presented in the pitch shocked me greatly, and they definitely did a good job at communicating the problem and foster motivation and desire to change it. There is a clear target for this venture. The metaphor of the name behind the venture is great, and I am glad you took the time to emphasize it. It shows the thought and intention behind the venture, and I felt more connected with this venture for understanding the meaning of the name. I really like that time was allotted to explaining the meaning behind the name because it gives the company and venture more substance and presence. I think that having this is a great way to differentiate the venture and make it stand out. As an EVA, I would recommend investing in this venture. It seems well thought out and has the potential to solve the problem presented in the pitch and that this venture could change Africa and lead to advancements in STEM research which could potentially impact not only Africa but the rest of the world.
[REVIEW] Carla, thank you for this fantastic pair of pitches. You’ve presented a commendable non-profit venture that addresses what you’ve expressed to be a true need. Your videos are professional and engaging, and most importantly to me, your venture feels highly attainable. I love that you were able to include actual scientists as part of your website, as it adds a real legitimacy to what you are proposing. My main question that I’m left with after watching your longer venture pitch is: what will your online platform look like? I feel like that is the biggest aspect that is missing – I want to see how your platform would function. I know time is a constraint with these pitches, but the beginning of your venture pitch covers material that was already expressed in your elevator pitch, so cutting some redundancies could have made that possible perhaps. I also think that the language issue in Africa will end up requiring a lot of effort to address. You mentioned it briefly, but I think it will be a much bigger hurdle to overcome in order to see widespread acceptance of the platform. All in all though, I am highly supportive of this venture. Were you to commit time and energy to making this real, I would honestly consider putting real money (or time, as a volunteer) behind this venture.
[REVIEW] Carla, thank you for this fantastic pair of pitches. You’ve presented a commendable non-profit venture that addresses what you’ve expressed to be a true need. Your videos are professional and engaging, and most importantly to me, your venture feels highly attainable. I love that you were able to include actual scientists as part of your website, as it adds a real legitimacy to what you are proposing. My main question that I’m left with after watching your longer venture pitch is: what will your online platform look like? I feel like that is the biggest aspect that is missing – I want to see how your platform would function. I know time is a constraint with these pitches, but the beginning of your venture pitch covers material that was already expressed in your elevator pitch, so cutting some redundancies could have made that possible perhaps. I also think that the language issue in Africa will end up requiring a lot of effort to address. You mentioned it briefly, but I think it will be a much bigger hurdle to overcome in order to see widespread acceptance of the platform. All in all though, I am highly supportive of this venture. Were you to commit time and energy to making this real, I would honestly consider putting real money (or time, as a volunteer) behind this venture.
REVIEW: Hi Carla, your elevator pitch is excellent and convincing. I can see that you put effort into making a beautiful and well-thought out elevator pitch.The choice of name is fantastic, you also put thought into coming up with a good name that sells your idea nicely. The logo is also excellent and fits the venture perfectly. You clearly identified the problem and pain and a service that resolves the pain. You clearly differentiate yourself from any other similar venture by targeting Africa or your venture itself is differentiated as a venture unique to Africa and unique to your problem. You clearly identify the market as schools in Africa and I like that you also identify the risks inherent in the market; as an EVA that increases my confidence in your venture. I do identify one risk that I would highlight. You say that you are relying on local scientists to make the first connection with the schools. With respect to the language barrier you say that you will be relying on the local scientists to help address this problem therefore you are dependent on local scientists here again. Then again you are relying on local scientists to go out to “physical schools and hand out physical materials for marketing”. I see a problem with being so reliant on the good will of local scientists too much so as to be a burden on local scientists. I understand the venture is built around local scientists, however I feel that the people running the venture needs to be aware of this and think about this issue. For example, I would prefer the idea that the venture pays locals to do some marketing, even if this means paying the local scientists. I see the original social value of the venture and I would make a contribution. Since my individual contribution is a few dollars you would need to indeed reach out to organizations such as the Bill & Melinda Gates foundation. In the role of an EVA with a funding organization, I would invest in this venture.
REVIEW: Hi Carla, your elevator pitch is excellent and convincing. I can see that you put effort into making a beautiful and well-thought out elevator pitch.The choice of name is fantastic, you also put thought into coming up with a good name that sells your idea nicely. The logo is also excellent and fits the venture perfectly. You clearly identified the problem and pain and a service that resolves the pain. You clearly differentiate yourself from any other similar venture by targeting Africa or your venture itself is differentiated as a venture unique to Africa and unique to your problem. You clearly identify the market as schools in Africa and I like that you also identify the risks inherent in the market; as an EVA that increases my confidence in your venture. I do identify one risk that I would highlight. You say that you are relying on local scientists to make the first connection with the schools. With respect to the language barrier you say that you will be relying on the local scientists to help address this problem therefore you are dependent on local scientists here again. Then again you are relying on local scientists to go out to “physical schools and hand out physical materials for marketing”. I see a problem with being so reliant on the good will of local scientists too much so as to be a burden on local scientists. I understand the venture is built around local scientists, however I feel that the people running the venture needs to be aware of this and think about this issue. For example, I would prefer the idea that the venture pays locals to do some marketing, even if this means paying the local scientists. I see the original social value of the venture and I would make a contribution. Since my individual contribution is a few dollars you would need to indeed reach out to organizations such as the Bill & Melinda Gates foundation. In the role of an EVA with a funding organization, I would invest in this venture.
REVIEW: Thank you for this engaging, inspiring pitch that aims to bring scientists and young children together. I absolutely love the thoughtfulness and passion you have put into this project and the connections you have already made to get the ball rolling. I have questions regarding how you will facilitate the connections between scientists and students using technology - you mention issues in language and technology infrastructures, but will you be building an App or online portal? Will the connections be made over SMS, as it's not data intensive, or over existing social media? For my A1 I looked into nonprofit Girl Effect and how they collaborate with different communications enterprises (Facebook Free Basics, Blackberry Messenger and Vodafone) to provide their users with free access with no data charges. Something to consider. Thank you again!
REVIEW: Thank you for this engaging, inspiring pitch that aims to bring scientists and young children together. I absolutely love the thoughtfulness and passion you have put into this project and the connections you have already made to get the ball rolling. I have questions regarding how you will facilitate the connections between scientists and students using technology - you mention issues in language and technology infrastructures, but will you be building an App or online portal? Will the connections be made over SMS, as it's not data intensive, or over existing social media? For my A1 I looked into nonprofit Girl Effect and how they collaborate with different communications enterprises (Facebook Free Basics, Blackberry Messenger and Vodafone) to provide their users with free access with no data charges. Something to consider. Thank you again!
(Review) Hi Carla, thank you for taking a risk with offering a non-profit enterprise and that is addressing a real need. Love the name and graphic you chose. The focus on STEM education is a good one, I would just want to know more about how these scientists would inspire the schools. To what extent could the scientists offer assistance in simulations or tasks that might lead to a meaningful dialogue with some goals in mind possibly even assessment. As an investor I would want to know more about the phases of growth you predict and what partners you would desire to work with. The financial picture is not clear both in terms of investment needed and scale of services and offerings. I am very interested in this project actually happening and moving forward.
(Review) Hi Carla, thank you for taking a risk with offering a non-profit enterprise and that is addressing a real need. Love the name and graphic you chose. The focus on STEM education is a good one, I would just want to know more about how these scientists would inspire the schools. To what extent could the scientists offer assistance in simulations or tasks that might lead to a meaningful dialogue with some goals in mind possibly even assessment. As an investor I would want to know more about the phases of growth you predict and what partners you would desire to work with. The financial picture is not clear both in terms of investment needed and scale of services and offerings. I am very interested in this project actually happening and moving forward.
FEEDBACK: wow, the elevator pitch video is really well made. The footage is stunning and the music is perfect fit. The graphics are beautiful. Very well made!! I don't have a great grasp on the business end, but I read you comment about it being a non-profit, so that helps it to make more sense. Sounds like a great idea!
FEEDBACK: wow, the elevator pitch video is really well made. The footage is stunning and the music is perfect fit. The graphics are beautiful. Very well made!! I don't have a great grasp on the business end, but I read you comment about it being a non-profit, so that helps it to make more sense. Sounds like a great idea!
Hello Carla :) I currently study in UBC's Adult Learning and Global Change program and recently finished a course called Work and Learning where we explored the changing relationship between labour and education due to globalization and other vast technological changes in our modern society. We focused particularly on Canadian, Swedish and South African national contexts as this is where students from our partnering universities are collaborating from. We read an article recently called "Steering South Africa’s knowledge economy" (https://mg.co.za/article/2017-12-15-00-steering-south-africas-knowledge-economy/) and other academic articles regarding trajectories of SA economy and labour market. It mentions in this particular article that the Science Forum of South Africa "is a forum working to advance pan-African co-operation in science and technology to advance regional integration, peace, social cohesion, inclusive development and global partnership ... that will move the youth of [the African] continent to exploit opportunities that exist in scientific careers”. This was just an introduction to basically say that, I can see the current market gap you are trying to address by joining in on the effort to promote Africa's growth and development in STEM fields. Kiota aims to "inspire and assist" in the development of passion and mindset for STEM in young learners. I agree that this is a key step in the movement, but perhaps it can even be further separated from the "mentorship" phase. I'm just thinking in terms of the fundamental differences between the ways children and adults learn and how older, more mature learners might benefit more from direct mentorship. However, I do see potential for Kiota to encourage a social movement and possibly even influence the reform of STEM curriculum for elementary aged children, I'd just like to know more about the types of resources that would be available to these schools. Are these mentors only requested by schools on an as-needed-basis? Are the scientist mentors volunteers? One barrier I noticed that you did not mention was how Kiota may overcome inequality as mentioned by Ashman (2018): “Today in South Africa, as elsewhere, education is embedded in hierarchies of power and implicated in reproducing those hierarchies of power... and that the education system fails the poor, primarily” (p. 101) due to lack of investment in education for the majority. Lastly, you mentioned some organizations that you will approach for funding, and I feel that this is a more suitable direction rather than approaching private investors as it is very difficult to visualize a ROI for this venture. Nonetheless, I really enjoyed your work, great job!!
Hello Carla :) I currently study in UBC's Adult Learning and Global Change program and recently finished a course called Work and Learning where we explored the changing relationship between labour and education due to globalization and other vast technological changes in our modern society. We focused particularly on Canadian, Swedish and South African national contexts as this is where students from our partnering universities are collaborating from. We read an article recently called "Steering South Africa’s knowledge economy" (https://mg.co.za/article/2017-12-15-00-steering-south-africas-knowledge-economy/) and other academic articles regarding trajectories of SA economy and labour market. It mentions in this particular article that the Science Forum of South Africa "is a forum working to advance pan-African co-operation in science and technology to advance regional integration, peace, social cohesion, inclusive development and global partnership ... that will move the youth of [the African] continent to exploit opportunities that exist in scientific careers”. This was just an introduction to basically say that, I can see the current market gap you are trying to address by joining in on the effort to promote Africa's growth and development in STEM fields. Kiota aims to "inspire and assist" in the development of passion and mindset for STEM in young learners. I agree that this is a key step in the movement, but perhaps it can even be further separated from the "mentorship" phase. I'm just thinking in terms of the fundamental differences between the ways children and adults learn and how older, more mature learners might benefit more from direct mentorship. However, I do see potential for Kiota to encourage a social movement and possibly even influence the reform of STEM curriculum for elementary aged children, I'd just like to know more about the types of resources that would be available to these schools. Are these mentors only requested by schools on an as-needed-basis? Are the scientist mentors volunteers? One barrier I noticed that you did not mention was how Kiota may overcome inequality as mentioned by Ashman (2018): “Today in South Africa, as elsewhere, education is embedded in hierarchies of power and implicated in reproducing those hierarchies of power... and that the education system fails the poor, primarily” (p. 101) due to lack of investment in education for the majority. Lastly, you mentioned some organizations that you will approach for funding, and I feel that this is a more suitable direction rather than approaching private investors as it is very difficult to visualize a ROI for this venture. Nonetheless, I really enjoyed your work, great job!!