dan edwards

“REVIEW” Well, I was intrigued from the initial elevator pitch and one in which I wanted to explore fully. I do see this as a great learning tool for schools and the venture identifies an appropriate pain point as well as providing a suitable solution for educators. The company offers an effective breakdown as to how guides/partners will be identified, trained and supported. Let’s Go There further sets out how revenues will be attained through multiple sources and this should be well-received by potential investors. On the other hand, I believe that more information regarding the team leadership (beyond the founder & CEO) as well as the financial details (including how much is needed, what type of return on investment, how soon investors could reasonably expect to see a return, etc.) needs to put forward by the company before an investment decision could be considered. As much as we would be investing in a product or service, our investment decision is also dependent on the leadership team and their abilities to make those goals a reality. The founder & CEO presents well and is quite knowledgeable about his venture proposal. Overall, Let’s Go There is certainly on the right track. They have identified an excellent venture opportunity and one that could benefit both students and educators. While I may not be investing immediately with Let’s Go There, it is a venture that I would consider investing in with more information about the executive team and financial considerations.

“REVIEW” This is certainly an interesting new venture proposal. The venture pitch does a good job at identifying the pain point and how the wearable device works to solve that problem. While I was unaware of this potential problem (pain point) it is evident that wearables may indeed play a significant role in education. I was impressed with some of the aspects that the E-Bit is capable of, particularly the student safety and security aspects. The venture provides a solid base for the size of the market which would be enticing for potential investors. Capturing that market is difficult to ascertain. This market segment is still undetermined, meaning that the actual ability to get adoption will be difficult to predict. So, I believe that the venture is correct in suggesting that the E-Bit could become a niche market (particularly at the higher grades). I found the marketing strategy of the company to be well-designed and working with school personnel should increase its acceptance. I was unable to access the ‘Ask’ section, making it difficult for me to consider what type of investment and commitment that the company is looking for. The leadership team appears to offer the necessary skills and talents to take this company’s vision forward. While the wearables market is expected to explode it is still uncertain in which ways it will affect the educational realm. I am interested by the opportunities that products like the E-Bit offer students and educators. At this time, I am unable to make an investment decision as I do not know what type of investment and return that I can expect to receive. Once that issue is resolved I would be interested in investigating this opportunity further.

“REVIEW” First of all, I will admit that I am a current subscriber and proponent of Netflix. Considering the investment opportunity of Netflix’s new educational sector is an interesting proposition. Firstly, the pitch does a solid job at indicating the pain point, namely the accessibility and digital content available to educators. This is certainly significant and one that Netflix Education looks to solve. Aspects and features (such as discussion areas and teacher rating system) are likely to be a hit for educators and I can see a high adoption rate. However, some of the numbers identified in the pitch should be concerning, including the eroding of market share (from 57% in 2013 to 36% in 2014) and stock price (from $131 down to $88). Some might see this as an opportunity while others view it as a signal that the company may never reach those heights in the near future (with continued competition and other consumer options). From my perspective, I wonder if the price per educator option is the best way to encourage schools to purchase the service for its educators. For most schools this would likely be cost-prohibitive. A school that has 30 educators would cost the school (at $12 per educator) $360 per month (or over $4000 per year). This is a big cost for schools when considering the number of days/months that they are actually in session. From an educator standpoint, Netflix Education is clearly a service that I would utilize in my classroom. One of the major concerns that I would have from an investor perspective relates to the competitive nature. At this point, there are no major competitors in this market segment. However, an important consideration must be made regarding the belief that the educational component of Netflix will increase the market share and stock price of the company. Will that be enough to drive stock price and, with it, a return on my investment? I am not sure that will be the case. Thus, investing in Netflix Education could be a rather risky proposition for this conservative investor. At this point, I will be eagerly subscribing to the service but will continue to carefully watch the early progress (and returns) of this venture before jumping in with both feet as an investor myself.

“FEEDBACK” Hi. After watching your elevator pitch, I would like to offer you my feedback. Firstly, I think that you have provided an interesting venture that could be a worthwhile investment for investors. The video presentation was informative and appealing. The information included in the video is helpful and provides excellent insight into the pain point and a possible solution. However, I would have liked to have seen some more information as to what exactly GENgine does and how it does it. After exploring the venture page my questions were answered, so the elevator pitch was successful in creating enough interest to look beyond. Will everyone (particularly investors) take that step? I guess that would depend on the individual but it did so for me. Overall, as an investor, I could see how this would be a product worth consideration. Nice work!

“FEEDBACK” Hi Gary. Thanks for the opportunity of providing feedback to your elevator pitch. I do think that you provide an interesting venture and one that I would like to learn more about. I can imagine that this is a very real issue or pain point for many educators. Fortunately, as a primary teacher, it is not one that I have had to focus much effort on. But, for middle or high school teachers it can be a very real problem. Your pitch offers a real possible solution for educators. In fact, I would suspect that this would be quite easily done for schools that provide students with technology devices. This would appear to be an easy integration for such schools. I would have liked to have seen a bit more focus on the investor and why it should be a venture that would be of interest to myself. I wonder if a direct pitch to investors (such as “We are looking for investors to….”) would be appropriate here. As technology continues to play an ever-increasing role in our classrooms, apps like Sentinel are likely going to have the opportunity to play a role in providing solutions to schools and teachers. Nice effort, Gary!

“FEEDBACK” Nice pitch, Rob. Your elevator pitch successfully highlights exactly what your company does and who it is intended for. In fact, I think that you have been able to focus your efforts directly towards the educational venture investor. You have provided some exciting insight that I do want to learn more about Augmented Reality Learning, both as an educator and as an investor. Your video presentation is quite polished, effective and professional looking. I would have like to have seen more images of the company side. As an investor I want to see more about the company and people that I am considering getting involved in. But, I suspect that will likely be saved for the main venture pitch. One concern that may be raised will be with the length of the video. However, this was not a problem for myself as I found that the information kept me engaged and wanting to learn more. Overall, I liked the initial pitch and found it to be very effective since it would be one that would entail some further investigation. Great job!

“FEEDBACK” Hi Dan. You have created a very interesting and informative pitch. Your elevator pitch highlights a great deal of information and you successfully convey exactly what Reality Plus can do and who exactly it is targeted towards. This is difficult to do in just 1 minute but I feel that I have a pretty good understanding of what your product offers its users. In fact, you have a lot of information packed into 60 seconds! This could be a lot of information for some viewers/investors to take in. I also agree that virtual reality/augmented reality is going to greatly impact education and provides a good basis of why I may want to invest in your company. Further, you offer some of the membership costs associated with your product which gives some insight as to how I may be able to profit. Yet, as an investor I would still like to know a bit more how this is targeted (specifically) towards investors. As an educator, I would like to learn more about your product and how this could change my lessons. I would indeed spend the time to learn more about your product and whether it could be the right choice for me to invest. Great job!

“FEEDBACK” Hi Christine. Your venture pitch is certainly an intriguing one that offers a solution to a very real problem for educators. The strength of the elevator pitch is that your video appeals directly to teachers and highlights exactly what Science Labs Plus can do to address the pain point. As an educator myself, I would like to learn more about your product and would certainly investigate it further. After reviewing your elevator pitch I do have a few suggestions. I did find that your video was quite brief and I think that utilizing the full 1 minute may have allowed the opportunity to provide the audience with more of the specific features and capabilities that your product offers. Granted, this is information that is included in the main venture but I wonder if this could also have been included in the initial elevator pitch. Further, as an investor, I would have liked to have seen a more direct appeal to me and how Science Labs Plus would be a worthwhile and sound investment. Finally, I would have liked to have seen more information about you (or your team) within the video pitch to see who I am considering investing in since you are an integral part of the company. Overall, great work, a very exciting venture idea and one that I will be exploring further. Thanks!

“FEEDBACK” Good work, Aaron. There are a number of things that you have done to create excitement towards your app. Firstly, your product certainly does provide a solution for a very real pain point in education: homework! I like your personal approach as you are front and center describing the features of Framework. Your comfort in front of the camera creates credibility with the audience. Not only are we considering investing in your product but, by extension, we are evaluating whether we should be investing in you (and your team). Thus, I feel that your choice in presentation was a good choice for your product. One of the strengths of your initial pitch is indicating the lack of competitors but also why it would be wise for investors to consider Framework. After working through this activity (on my own pitch) and reviewing the work of our colleagues, your 1-minute video provides a suitable amount of information to want me to further explore your product. Yes, I would have liked to have seen a bit more of the features/functions in the elevator pitch to fully envision how your product works but I also recognize how difficult that is to do in just 1 minute. That would be one area that I think would have strengthened your pitch even more. Overall, you have highlighted most of the important points of your venture well enough to get potential investors to consider looking into your pitch further. Well done!

“FEEDBACK” Well done, Erin! This is a service that I would definitely be interested in from a personal perspective. In fact, I think that Reference Quest offers a solution to a very real pain point for many people, including students at all levels of education. In addition, I like how your elevator pitch highlights how Reference Quest is also useful for educators. This helps to broaden the scope and reach that your service offers to a variety of users. One aspect that I would have liked to see a bit of was a more specific “pitch” towards investors in the 1-minute clip. From a student/teacher perspective, you have successfully lured us in. I wonder if a quick appeal to the financial investor (i.e., “With Reference Quest, investors will be able to….” Or “Join us and find out how you can help take Reference Quest to the next level……”). Overall, after viewing your elevator pitch, as someone who has struggled with citing sources correctly in the past (and present) I do want to learn more about Reference Quest. Nice job!