daniel thomas

REVIEW: Hi Sarah, I enjoyed the approach you took in comparing how the methods of teaching in the past – having students as passive learners – is not relevant in the now and future. Learning to learn and becoming a knowledge creator is an interesting perspective. Teaching as a form of learning is grounded in research and proven to be effective. I think this has possibilities for future applications. When it comes to execution, how do you plan to control the quality? Meaning how do you filter out the good content uploaded from the not so great? The moderation team you discussed would ensure the content was safe for students to view but what of quality? Or what model of editing would you be using, i.e. peer review, editor? As an investor the question remaining for me is the ROI, how will I be able to recover my investment in the long run should I decide to come onboard. Thanks for sharing!

REVIEW: Hi Ying, I have to commend you on a well done venture pitch, not only did you capture a pain point (I literally had flashbacks of my struggles with textbooks and answer keys when I was in high school), but you also managed to showcase the solution in a simple yet easy to follow way. As an investor you really captured me with the purpose of the investment, the growth strategy and the return I will be receiving from that investment. The question for me remains in the content – how much content will you have and where will it come from. The others addressed any other items I would have considered like the QR code for recognition of the problem being worked on. Overall great venture pitch

REVIEW: Hi Abraham, good job on the venture pitch. The website was easy to navigate, told a clear and compelling story and has not only a business focus but a social one. The invest in BC helped me understand this was more than just another business, but one with a focus on supporting the local economy. The plan and phases helped me understand the direction you wanted to go with the organization. The information you provided was grounded in research on what is coming and the opportunities that it holds. Two areas I would have liked to have seen more of was the ROI strategy for the investor. How would I be benefiting from this venture based on my 250K investment. The second is you, as the champion of this venture I would like to have seen more of you beyond the picture to get a sense of who I am investing and partnering with. In business, there is still that human element of who will I be working with and can I invest in them, not just the venture itself. Overall, well done

REVIEW: Hi Vincent, the website was clean and looked very presentable. It was easy to navigate and told the story of what it is you are solving and offering. I was completely unaware of the market and its potential and you were able to not only make it apparent but entice me with the opportunity within that market. I am definitely interested in the opportunities but as this is outside my area of expertise and I would need more information on how I would be getting a return on my investment. Your venture pitch went over the minute mark and sounded robotic (I believe it was the program you were using). This caused me to disengage a few times and I had to catch myself. I would like to have seen more of you than a picture. As you are the champion of this organization and who I am investing in, that connection is important to me. Otherwise, well done

REVIEW: Hi Syndey, well done on your venture pitch, I found both the primer and presentation easy to follow. The disconnect between the experience students graduate with and what employers want is a real one and you have captured that struggle well. The overall concept and theme seem like they will fill a gap and it does have potential. The partnerships you also mentioned were a big selling point for me. As an investor there are two areas I would want you to address. While employers value the co-op experience, does the virtual co-op experience mean the same. Your partnerships with businesses in developing the scenarios is critical and with that partnership I would want more clear detail on whether or not employers will hire student whom have virtual experience versus real in-person experiences. Do employers value the experience the same? The second area is your presence, I am investing in you and the company, I would like to have seen more of you in the presentation as you are the champion of this. Overall well done.

I have personally followed the Girls who code story for some time now and Reshma's story still inspires me to this day. The pivot she did after what should have been a career set-back that later turned into Girls who code is a hallmark of what great leadership should resemble. Yet it is also important to call out, not only did she notice the gap when running for Congress, it left such a mark on her that she returned to do something about it. That is what makes a great leader a great entrepreneur, noticing and taking action.

No I would not invest in this product. The first reason is has to do with the functionality of the device. While as a concept, a little robot that accompanies a child, seems great, the execution is lacking. The robot does not seem interactive or engaging at all, rather dull and clunky. The mobility also comes to question, with a multitude of educational technology now mobile, having to transport this thing around seems like more of a hassle. The second reason is, what does it actually do? Meaning what is the gap it is hoping to close or how is it unique and needed. There isn't much to this robot other than it being a "neat" idea, as the AI is lacking. Possibly after a few software upgrades and cosmetic changes I may consider, but as of now, the pen stays down.

No, I would not invest in this platform. While the concept seems interesting I had a hard time understanding the pain point this was fixing. I found myself making my own assumptions as to what this could mean. I also didn't hear about the value this creates other than watching lessons. Did anyone learn anything? Did students perform better on tests. Then the added issue of being viewed by anyone if shared publicly, how do we know all these lessons are going to be worthwhile and educational. While we want to believe that because a teacher is posting it, it would be educational and great, not all teachers are created equal. Finally what are the financial implications, what does this cost? who pays? is there an opportunity to make a return on investment? Again while this has "cool" features, it sounds like another technology driven idea that has some ground to cover before becoming a worthwhile investment.

The research into neuroscience has continued to expand and glean more insights into how the brain works. What struck me with this was the statement "educators tend to take a single eye-catching or too-good-to-be true result from a research paper and run with it." Understanding the brain and how it functions as a whole is absolutely necessary in getting a true sense of how to influence or support it when it comes to learning and more. What forces those educators to omit the rest and what are the negative results we may have already realized as a society because of that careless enthusiasm?

Immersive experiences have enormous potential as highlighted by many of my peers below. While potentially full of positive ways to impact people I also believe they have the capability to be incredibly dangerous. New technology often excites and can blind us from the other side of the coin. As stated below, virtual trips to the space station, social awareness of wrongful imprisonment and recreating the experience of holding a heart, all have positive implications. However, what about the opposite? immersive torture, training of child soldiers and much worse. I bring this up, not to put a stop to immersive experiences but discuss how do we capture the vast opportunities we have for good, while prohibiting and monitoring the opportunities for wrong. Who or what governs what gets created and released, can laws catch up to this explosive technology?