Marshall Hacker

Hi Scott, Thanks for the information about the audio. I tried the audio on 3 computers at work and was able to get the sound to work.

Hi Shannon, The protection of digital student information and identification is a very important issue. I believe you have presented a fantastic solution to a problem I have personally encountered in my own classroom. Wanting to use games or applications while still making sure to follow all FOIPPA regulations can be a challenge and I agree that having students make their own can be very time consuming and unreliable. If a product like this were available, I believe I would increase my usage of cloud-based storage systems and be more open to putting more information online for students to access remotely. I like how your presentation has been structured and the information you have presented is strong. I believe that your pitch and presentation are visually appealing and I like the use of your transitions and graphics, however, I would suggest using images that are more clear in the videos because some were illegible such as the one at 2:10. Overall, I would be interested in investing into this platform and I do see a lot of value for the education community across Canada. Thank you for your contribution. Marshall

Hi Brian, I love how engaging you have made your presentation. Your video editing skills are quite impressive and I enjoyed your enthusiastic narration within videos. I would suggest slowing down when talking so users, such as myself, are able to follow more easily and have to rewind the video less often. This is a great idea and one I would personally be interested in investing in. STEAM is one of the largest libraries of video games for the PC platform and the educational potential you have outlined exciting. I have tried to used game based learning in the classroom and have had some minor successes. A game such as Civilization 5 would be great to modify and develop for educational purposes and I can see a real potential for many others. I do like the aspect of creators being rated to ensure quality and encourage production of content. I believe this is a great way for STEAM/Valve to grow or for a company to take advantage of these more engaging and affordable games. Great presentation overall and thank you for your contribution. Marshall

Cassy-- I am not aware that schools have a specific ventilation procedure in place yet for this technology. I am aware that schools that have a laser cutter or engraver within the class have filtration units attached to the machine but I have never seen or heard of one being used on a 3D printer. Often printers come with enclosures that contain built in filters that would filter out noxious gases when printing using resins or materials such as ABS plastic. If your printer does not come with one, an enclosure can be easily created using non flammable materials ( because the printing surface needs to stay warm/hot to improve adhesion and reduce warping). If your classroom has a window it may be possible to vent the printer outside using a light duty fan and some flexible piping. If you are concerned with the possibilities of noxious gases within the classroom, I would suggest looking at the MSDS or WHMIS procedures for the handling of the printing material and its associated health risks.

Hi Cassy, Most BC school districts, at least the ones I have spoken to, give specific amounts to each department for upgrades, materials, or tooling each year. Often schools will apply for additional funding from companies who are willing to sponsor them such as Chevron or Best Buy. Having a 3D printer in your classroom costs approximately $500 for a DIY kit where you build it but prices can go up from there. Some schools I have visited have multiple printers 4-6 and they have invested around $10000 in total over several years. Material costs of filament for FDM style printers range depending on brand and style but the typical filament is about $30 a for 1 spool (500g of material). Typically teachers will buy this using their class budget or will have students pay for prints by the number of grams of filament used in a print. 3D printers are quite reliable and are often run with minimal maintenance other than unclogging the nozzle and general cleaning. In my experience, uptime can be as much as 16+ hours a day but I do know some post secondary institutes who run 3D printers virtually 24/7.

Massimo Banzi is a great example of a successful entrepreneur. Arduino is a very useful tool/gadget that has virtually limitless applications. Students in high schools across Canada have been using Arduino in electronics classes for years which is a clear indicator of how successful this product has become. It has also been used frequently by people outside the education system in DIY areas. Users from sites such as instructables.com and github.com frequently use Arduinos in their projects or builds. It sounds like Massimo had a great team of developers behind him which aided his success. I believe he would be a great role model for any new or existing entrepreneur.

There is no question that Martin has had a positive impact on education in countries around the globe. He has personally made it possible for students such as myself to receive education in rural areas of BC. I believe he is a strong role model for entrepreneurs and educators around the world and the success of Moodle will only continue into the future. Online learning has been growing in popularity in school districts like SD27 in BC’s interior (Caribou/Chilcotin). It will soon be mandatory in this district for high school students to take a minimum of one course online in order to graduate . By turning down the offer for 20 million he has shown his passion for helping others and providing more equal opportunities to pursue education regardless of your location.

YES, I would invest in this venture. This pitch clearly identifies the pain point which is prosthetic limbs are too costly and not as user friendly as one the CEO is able to design and create. The CEO seems very driven and passionate about helping others and creating the best product on the market. The video clearly outlines how superior the product is when comparing it to its competition. The innovation in the product is growing by the day but is unique compared to the competitions prosthetic. The team behind the CEO seems to be very small because the company is based out of his garage and he said he has had a hand in every prosthetic he creates. The CEO is receiving help from engineers at Microsoft and various other companies to help this product which could lead to positive results in the near future. This is a very niche market which is only beneficial to those who are requiring a prosthetic, however, the technology could be used elsewhere in the robotics field. I believe that this venture will take time to become more profitable, however, I do think it will be successful soon due to the advancements in robotics and computer aided design. The destination for this product is very clear and focused. It is aimed at creating the best prosthetic on the market that will help those who require them at a much lower cost. I do believe this investment is a risky one because if a large-scale company had the will to target this small market, it would be able to invest more time and man power into this project. The CEO is a person I could see making a real difference in this market and I believe he has the will to do so. The CEO stated they are in need of investments to scale up production. I do believe the success of the company would be more likely if they were able to receive more funding.

Pitch Pool Review YES, I would invest in this venture. Advertising on a coffee cup is a fantastic idea for marketing especially when it is mutually beneficial for both the cup supplier and coffee distributer. The CEO of CupAd, Josh Light, comes across as extremely capable and confident in his product. Josh has a clear focus and a clear target audience for his product. He has been involved in many other business ventures and start-ups since 2010 (according to https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshuajameslight) . Based on this short video of this elevator pitch, it is unclear how large his team is or how experienced they are. This venture is a very original idea and is certainly one that may entice many small coffee shops across the USA. It appears to be marketable because the product is free for the small coffee stands who are willing to distribute the cups that advertise for other products or companies. Josh has tested this product with coffee stands in California and this venture appears to have the ability to expand. Furthermore, 80% of the businesses that used the cups signed exclusivity agreements for distributing the cups in the future. With only 700 coffee shops using this product across the United States, it has the potential to make $1,000,000 profit per month by selling 8,000,000 cups. In the United States, there are over 25,000 coffee stands which currently pay $15,000 per year on white coffee cups. This market has the ability to become much larger if it grows outside the United States. It does not have innovative advantage; however, it is one of the first ideas like this on the market. With the addition of 58 coffee stands carrying the CupAd cups per month (696 per year), this venture has the potential to become very successful very quickly. I personally believe in the CEO because of his personality and clear focus. I believe that his other start-ups are a good indicator of what I would be able to expect if I were to invest in this venture. The injection of money would be useful for this venture because it would allow them to hire more employees to spread this product to small coffee stands across the United states. I believe that this venture is a fairly low risk venture because there would be very few coffee chains interested in advertising for companies other than their own.

Interest in Robotics classes in high schools all over B.C. is growing. Students can see the value in learning how these technologies work and wish to improve or modify items of their own after taking a Robotics class. With the addition of Coding added to the new B.C. curriculum I believe the amount of intelligent things is going to grow within our schools. It is important for students as well as teachers to know how to use these new technologies in order to use them effectively.