erin howard

Ryan, Wow- this is a fantastic venture pitch! Open Allies could be a real game changer! You have articulated the pain points (nice infographic) and found a venture that administrators would drool over. Can you imagine the money saved on textbooks and software? From the viewpoint of an educator- we know that there are many open resources out there- but with all of the marking, prepping, coaching, and other obligations- looking for high quality open resources is very time consuming. Great idea to not only include curricular resources, but software too. I can see how this idea could evolve and streamline once you have a few clients- for example you may develop a "British Columbia STEM package" or "Alberta Social Studies package". I think that going as a non-profit was a good choice, and thinking about those who might want to crowdsource is some great foresight. You have also thought about those teachers who would not want to use the open sources 'as is' and could modify them for their own purposes. From an EVA perspective, I would definitely be interested in investing in Open Allies. From the administrator perspective- I would want to be onboard to save money in my budget, and the promise of having ongoing support would also be something that would sell it for me. As an educator- I'd be happy to have updated curricular-specific resources (curated and delivered) and new software with someone helping me learn how to use it. A well done pitch- very professional looking too. Erin

Ghassan, This is a really neat idea. I think that it could be really exciting for students to not only become involved in the school canteen, but also learn some business skills while they are at it. You have some great background for this- not only as an educator but as a chef and from working in hotels. You have really thought the shares through as well and the potential for profit. I feel as though you could extend these ideas even further than a business lesson- maybe the students could learn about planning healthy meals, or could benefit from some cooking lessons, or even learn about foods that are cooked in other countries around the world and learn how to make it! There are many avenues that you could go. One question I would pose- once the canteen is established, would there be an ongoing need for EDUCook? Maybe you could build in a social network aspect- with a recipe swap or a 'market challenge' to see whose stocks are the highest between schools? Good job on your venture! Erin

Scott, Great venture pitch. I think you've identified a very strong market. The fact that all Japanese junior high schools have the same curriculum and text provides you with a huge client base. Microlearning is a great platform for this as it would compliment the existing curriculum delivered in schools and would not compete with existing software. You have done a lot of groundwork to figure out how much you could profit from this venture- something that investors will be interested in. How much money do you think it will cost to develop your app? Where could students download it from? Could teachers recieve any information on the backend or is it only for the students to use? Well done! Erin

Ryan, This is a great venture pitch. It definitely addresses the pain point of people not 'tinkering' enough. I think that if I was in K-12 I would definitely subscribe to your service. I like that you have thought of ongoing support and instructions for educators- you're right, they likely would not know how to use some of those things themselves. The social aspect of your pitch is great as well- it would be great for students to see how others are using their boxes in creative ways. I like that this idea addresses social challenges, like in your water example. It would be really neat if students could also use the box to address issues within their school or community- like a bit of a community challenge! You have thought of some great marketing techniques. Once you had a few clients, you could put together a 'highlight reel' that you could take on the road and help you sell it to other schools. I can see this being applicable to a few curriculums- science and social studies come to mind first. A couple of additional questions (sorry if I missed the info)- how much do you estimate it may cost/box? It would also be neat to see some add/ons or expansion boxes in the future of your venture! Great venture pitch! Erin

Madeline, Good venture pitch. You have really done a lot of research into the 9 skills and how those 3 areas in the health sciences could use them. My favourite pages were the three profiles with the specially developed profiles for each. Your pain point was articulated- you would like to increase skill development in these areas with the Essenment experience. Your site is nice and clean looking too. Using my EVA perspective, questions I still have are- is this designed to be standalone education, or to complement someone who already is trained in these areas? How is the training delivered- is it online through an app? I'd like to know more about the virtual tools available. What would the investor role be? How much are you looking for to begin your venture? What would the price point be for users? Thank you Madeline for your pitch! Erin

Agnieszka, Thank you for your venture pitch. I think that you have picked a really neat venture- it is high tech and combines a few types of technology (AR, VR, and online learning modules) and addressed them for a really specific pain point. Anything that can improve safety and has the promise of keeping people safe and alive on the road would likely get attention from investors. Also, having a product that is adaptable in 15 languages is a huge selling point. I thought it was neat that you included culture/sociological viewpoints of driving- something that is probably often overlooked by driving schools. Because your venture is high tech, it comes with a bit higher of a price point. I don't think it would be targeted to the individual users- but instead the bigger companies (as you have mentioned in your pitch). It would be neat to sell this idea to rental car companies around the world. In the future, perhaps there could be some sort of plug in for those vehicles that you mentioned that already have some of the elements of technology that you describe. Good job! One thing you mention is how many of those accidents take place at the beginning of a driver's journey in a new place- is there a way that you could roll out this app to give users access to the learning modules before they even visit the country? This would ensure you are being proactive and preparing them for their new driving experience. Erin

Eva, Great venture pitch! You have found a niche market- but a very important one with a lot of potential. I think that you've outlined the pain points really well and also how you could address them using the app. I think one of the key selling features would be that you consider the standards for clinical in a particular area (ex. BC) and then build those into the app. I feel like this would be a relief for clinical educators. As I went through your pitch- I realized that it is truly unique. Even if the clinical instructors have access to a LMS (which they do at my institution), it is simply not specialized enough to cater to this demographic. The clinical instructors need more specialized tools, which you have addressed. Your plan and implementation is laid out quite nicely. I think you have really thought out what it would take to create this app. You have also done a good job of analyzing the market. I had some questions after reading for your ask of $1,000,000. If it will cost $200,000 to develop the app, you may want to note where the additional funds will be spent. Great job, solid venture pitch! Erin

Mackenzie, Thank you for your presentation on LearnFold. I think that you are right to think that the online learning market place is one of great potential that could be a great place for innovation. Your idea combines existing rapid authoring tools with an app that could deliver them. I think you have done a good job of thinking about your plan and laying it out, as well as analyzing the market for opportunities. Your investor information is convincing and well thought out. Questions that arose for me- for those who already have access to a LMS or platform- would they still benefit from LearnFold? Or would they be able to already employ those tools (Articulate, for example) directly to their LMS? What about those who already use many of these apps (Quizlet, Khan Academy) that can quickly be embedded in almost any environment- would LearnFold be something they would still use to push out info via the web app? Good analysis! Thank you for your Venture Pitch- online learning an excellent market to target. Erin

Hi Shayla, I really enjoyed your presentation on WeGrade. I think that you have touched on two very important issues: communication between parents/teachers/students as well as environmental concerns. Your program would address that pain point very well and contribute to a more efficient workflow for teachers. Your implementation plan was very well thought out. You really broke it down in phases. As an EVA, I would feel confident in investing in your product as you are being cautious and intentional with your plan. The questions that arose for me when viewing your presentation: you chose Apple as your initial platform- you may want to provide some insight on this. Is it for ease of app development? Or do you feel that you will reach more users this way? Is there a platform that would be able to target the largest number of clientele? I also thought of your competition- there are many learning management systems that have this functionality already built in. For example, the one that I use has a built in system called "Speedgrader" that allows the instructor to grade and annotate digitally, without the need for paper. Those grades and feedback go directly back to the student, and there is a parent app as well. This makes me think that your product would be especially targeted to those teachers who do not have access to a LMS with these capabilities- as it is freestanding. Great job! Beautiful site! Erin

Charmalee, Great venture pitch- here are some things I really thought were great points: -An iPad is a great tool to use for personalized learning- not only could you deliver ESL content, but you could point them to apps that could assist them in daily interactions -You mentioned that you'd apply for grants- this is a great consideration! -Taking the time to assess each individual (in person) and then deliver the plan with regular check-ins would ensure that they feel supported -You have articulated your pain point very well- and had me convinced as an EVA that this would be something to invest in- there are no alternatives offering competition. Although these tools may already exist, you have captured something very key that your team would do- curate them and choose the right ones, then assist the learner in using them. This could save time and frustration compared to the clients finding them on their own. -A pilot is smart- it would put an investor at ease to know that there is a pilot and testing phase. The only question I still have (and perhaps I missed it, if so forgive me) but what cost would this be for the client? Finances may also be a barrier for someone new to the country. If so, would there be something in place to subsidize or assist them in being able to access your services? Well done! Erin