Henna Patel

Incredible, Heewon! This idea is just awesome and it's so easy to see how learning can invigorated by Vreakout. I could use it for aspects of learning in the professional world, to be honest, Both your pitch products were strong and on point with respect to collaboration, problem solving critical thinking and combined pedagogies. I really appreciate the attention you've given to the funding allocation and can see how that would provide potential investors with enough information to want to get in touch for more. It's interesting that you're focus will be higher education and I like the AI direction. I would love to learn more about how the escape rooms will scale in difficulty, subject matter and whether the rooms themselves 'learn' from the human interaction. The addition of a contact form shows you are committed and proactive to interested parties. If I were an investor, I would certain be in touch with you, to learn more about you and your team. Bravissimo!

Hi Bryn, I really like the customizable features of the Slingbit LMS. And the fact that it can embed into a third party site, I imagine would be very useful for market adoption. It is interesting to see how Slingbit can help teachers better understand both student's personal pain points and the for the class as a whole. As you outline in the reflection, understanding how to break into the market that has a notable list of big players would be a challenge. But perhaps there is a Canadian curriculum and home-grown venture angle there? Overall, I like how you've broken down into bits as it lends to a gamification aspect that could be valuable. One thing I didn't see or hear any mention of funding, or why you might not be interested in funding at this time. Thanks for introducing me to Slingbit!

Lori, you've actually inspired me to want to build a PC with my kid. And I'm not even a gamer (yet)! I have build my own machine however, and you've identified and addressed many of the frustrations, rudimentary scavenging and time consuming things that get in the way of actually building. Your elevator pitch and venture pitch combine to make an in-depth and really interesting dive into how you would optimize, re-focus and direct an existing in-market offering. Contrary to your reflection, I find that you've combined the right analysis and market stats to educate and excite even someone who is new to this market. Although, I can appreciate what a challenge it must have been to edit down the amount of information presented. The offering you've described is comprehensive, I can easily see how this would be great for schools, budding computer techs, and even hobbyists. The use of AI user analytics to scaffold learning, is brilliant. And introducing a storefront brings the venture full circle to understanding the path to profitability. Notably, your funding portion is the strongest I've seen yet. The fact that you show how and in which percentage you will allocate the $5mil investment is especially interesting. Finally, your personality really shines in the pitch materials, but it would be great to know a bit more about you, what brought you to this venture opportunity. I think you should do it. :)

I became pretty excited by the idea of rethinking the existing school lunch programs. Thanks Katie! I like how Lunch Kit Chef blends experiencial learning with food literacy and a bit of financial literacy. I also think this could bring a lot understanding about different diets. My family is vegetarian and I am extra conscious about sharing values about eating well, local produce when possible, and supporting small producers. To this end, it would be great if Lunch Kit Chef could partner with small grocers and organic delivery services. One concern I would have is major chains logging data points from kids making food choices. Provided that issues is thought through, You've done a nice job of explaining how food literacy can be fun, engaging and rewarding.

Hi Victoria, Your focus on literacy for those with learning disabiliites is admirable and needed in many communities around the world. Your pitch materials were clear and comprehensive. Since Beyond Reading is in market, it would be exciting to see a demo of someone using it. An investor might appreciate that emotional value in something that has been market tested. Since Canada is your initial primary market, as an investor I might also want to see your plan for Canadian expansion. Finally in exchange for the $1.5 million investment, I would want to see your path to profitability; number of target # school boards over the course of the next few years, would be a key metric. Thanks!

A very thoughtful idea, Aggie -- thanks for bringing it to our attention. Writing was so fundamental to my early schooling that I can't imagine struggling with it. That would be very unsettling from a learning and remembering perspective. I liked how your elevator pitch captured how interwoven a concept this is -- merging mixed reality with a very human need and linking it to a pedagogical need. Your venture pitch provided in depth insight into market, technology, and reasons that Scribe Right is needed. I think the information could be a bit better organized to bring your company to the forefront. Also the funding link did not work for me, so I hope you are able to fix that issue. I'll check back! In the meantime, I think your idea is great and could even be used to help non-native learners in any language, bring another dimension to their learning.

Your idea and pitch are inspiring, Ryan! Both from the perspective of serving an underserved demographic with a need an appetite for learning technology, and because I too (like others) have been on many tech support calls with parents and extended family. Both your elevator and venture pitch captured the idea, market and company vision well. It's really good to see a diverse team behind you, including a woman. A few questions that came to mind are around how the current revenue model contributes to your bottom line and how it will scale up in the years to come. How you plan to reach $1-mil by next year. And where the $500,000 investment would be allocated. I hope your quest for government and private funding becomes a Canadian success story!

Exciting area for a venture! I often think kids will have no idea about the tangible characteristics of money. It is easier to spend from an unseen account than from your own wallet for example. And that could contribute to financial obliviousness. So I'm for an app and education program in this area. A main differentiator for In the Bank is the accreditation, if I’m not mistaken. For pitch and and venture presentation purposes, perhaps bringing that forward in the narrative would help it stand out. It would be great to see a program like this in place across Canada. Knowing a bit more about you and your team within the materials, as they are referred to a few times, would also be great. Thanks Evan!

Hi Reg! Nice. The AAIR elevator pitch was well supported, clear and concise. I respond to numbers so your market statistics made an impression on me. They gave me very good sense of need and potential for growth across sectors and geographies. Overall the venture sounds compelling, certainly in a robust growth area of tech and edtech. The exciting parts were the view into how learning and training across sectors can be transformed into immersive experiences. The prospective investor package was also packed with useful, forward looking market and forecast information. I appreciate your noting the certain aspects of your video and the format of the investor package that you may improve on. I had noted both as benefiting from a bit more creativity given the area of the venture. But having read your reflection I get where you’re coming from.

This is one of those technologies that gives me a lot to think about with respect to my value system. Does it place the parent in the role of outside observer and student in the role of the one being watched by so many, at all times? Do students truly learn compassion, emotional intelligence, social responsibility and accountability? Or are they motivated mostly by trying to get their photos and videos taken by the teacher? I'm certainly not saying it doesn't sound compelling. Any tool that is is a positive way for teachers to manage a classroom and increase transparency with parents probably results in more quality in actual learning experiences. What I do like is the ground-up research that was done in the creation of ClassDojo. And for a company of 30 employees, it appears to boast some impressive user numbers. Thanks for the profile, Aggie!