Baljeet Gill

Gary, I love the idea of Sentinel and see it flourishing in the classroom. There were a few reservations that I had about the functionality of the program. Specifically, how does the student turn off the service? I am sure you considered this, but I didn't see it anywhere in the pitch. For example, if a student wanted to use their device in class, would they need to launch Sentinel and then I, as the educator, could see it and limit access? I think this is an important item to address for parents, teachers, administrators and investors - privacy is such a hot topic and any bad press could sink a great idea. I liked how you opted to use a subscription model as this not only continues to generate revenue for you, it gives the user ease of mind as the cost is kept relatively low (easier for budgeting) and I think the product is priced right. Great work!

Hi Christine, I really liked your focus on the high school students and creating a mobile app to help students with the scientific method. I think there is a great opportunity in bringing the mobile devices into the science class and this may be one of those bridges. After watching both the pitch and browsing the website, I wondered if teachers would be a little bit reluctant to utilize this tool as it walks students through the entire process (I think it’s great – if the tool is available, why do we need to have students memorize stuff). I would be interested in investing in Science Labs Plus but just want to know a little bit more about the launch of the product and what that would entail (where my investment is going). Great product and pitch!

Aaron, both your elevator pitch and venture pitch were very well crafted and bring a lot confidence in your product. I am a huge fan of multi-modal methods of demonstrating knowledge so from a teacher's point of view, I love it. As an investor, I appreciated the detailed descriptions of the launch phases (Phase 1 and Phase 2). The question that I have is as most secondary teachers have multiple classes, does a license need to be purchased for each student in each class or does the licence get purchased once, and that flows through from teacher to teacher. As an investor, I would absolutely consider investing!

Hi Stephen, I like your idea of a wearable technology in the classroom. You do a great job of laying out the benefits of your product and showing how it is differentiated from the competition. I did have some reservations though and much of them had to do with the quantity of features you are planning for the product. You mentioned that you could make calls, have three cameras, a built in microphone, a heart-rate monitor etc - many of these feature are available in the Apple Watch (or other watches of the sort) and so it seems like as this tech becomes more affordable, an app developer might be able to offer your company's features through this platform. I absolutely believe you are on to something but because of the risk involved am hesitant to invest in a company that wants to manufacture hardware.

Michael, as a business education teacher, I am very interested in your venture. Your venture pitch was very detailed and left me with little questions in regards to Simu-Career. I do have reservations though and it involves getting this technology into the hands of students. You mentioned that many teachers would like to get VR into their classrooms and, as a teacher myself, I agree – but what would be the cost for a class set? I also don’t remember you mentioning what the yearly premium would be. Finally, if the aim is to create accurate simulations of careers, how does Simu-career plan to bridge the gap between an accurate representation and the lack of skills and knowledge students will inevitably have? If these hurdles can be addressed, as an EVA I would look very closely at Simu-Career as I think it has a bright future.

Laurie, I just saw your response below to a similar question about QR codes and the two-way communication with beacon technology. Thanks!

Hi Laurie, I learned a lot from your venture pitch about beacon technology. I didn't realize there was a physical piece of hardware required in order to have the technology work. When I saw this, I was a little bit reluctant as it seems like it increases the cost and also limits the availability of the product. I know you mentioned you want to pitch to BCIT but it seems like diverse content delivery would be cumbersome as a beacon would need to be physically installed. I'm sure you considered this, but I am wondering why you wouldn't use GPS (already built into phones) to virtually plant beacons - in my opinion, this would not only allow you to expand your product to a wider market (at least physically) by adding beacons without having to travel to different locations and worry about batteries, vandalism etc. I love the idea, and would definitely use the product, but don't think I would invest.

Hi Heather, I liked your elevator pitch and the idea is great! It seems the product you are pitching has had great success with the Rotary Club in Ontario. I loved the elevator pitch as it gave me a great overview of the product you were pitching. The venture pitch was difficult to follow for me until I visited the website and because more familiar with the product. It seems that the target market for your product is specifically organizations that are geared towards helping children learn to read and further those that are not comfortable or familiar with Facebook marketing (please correct me if I am wrong or misunderstood this)? You have obviously impacted many learners through this model and that is commendable. I was left with a similar question that a few others have already mentioned. What is the actual cost (is it $2000?) to the organization that is sponsoring?

As a teacher who employs project based learning in my classroom, I see a market for this specialized product. It is an ambitious task tackling programs such as Edmodo but I think the fact that you are specifically targeting the PBL market could lead your product to success. Further, planning a true PBL unit is a daunting task for many educators so if this interface is user friendly, word could spread quickly within the education community about the resource. I think your product is addressing the recent changes to the BC curriculum and as schools transition, your product could be situated perfectly if marketed well. I am always more inclined to try a product that seems to be catered to my specific needs. In order for me to invest, I would love to see field testing and a detailed idea of your revenue and cost stream. Great product with a lot of potential! Baljeet

HI Sarah, I am very interested in your idea of identifying learning disabilities early. As a secondary school teacher, it is alarming how many students enter my class grossly underprepared for the content because they were not identified earlier as to having an LD. As mentioned in previous reviews, I was immediately skeptical when I heard the word "fixing the disability" - I know it is a fictional work, but it seemed to discredit the presentation for me a bit. That aside, as an EVA I would look closely at your venture and consider investing. From my experience, I have seen many parents reluctant to have their child tested for a learning disability, this may just be the demographics of the school system I work in, but is this something you have considered (although parents want the best for their child, some don't want to hear what you have to say). As this is a fictional piece, I will also accept the science behind what you were presenting - more proven field testing would ultimately be the tipping point for me to invest. Great presentation! Baljeet