Natalie Shearer

FEEDBACK: I can see how the Time Flow app would appeal to many students, educators, parents, and investors. Apps and programs geared toward organization and productivity have just as much to offer as content-specific apps used in the classroom today. It is clear that your personal experiences, as a mother and a teacher, have given you the insights necessary to develop such a great product. I think that many parents can relate to feelings of concern and the need to monitor their child’s daily screen time, as well as the desire to become more involved in their child’s learning. The Time Flow app achieves both of these objectives, among others which you have clearly outlined throughout your pitch. Great work!

REVIEW: I find myself highly motivated to invest in your venture, ReciPROcity, for a number of reasons. Beginning with your elevator pitch, it presented a lot of information in a short period of time. Although the words did seem to move pretty quickly, it encouraged me to give my full attention to the presentation, which was a positive in my case. In your venture pitch, you made great use of the Haiku Deck tool to ask the questions that post-secondary institutions would relate to. The “News and Publications” section brought to my attention just how prevalent the issue of faculty development in online learning is at the post-secondary level today. It is one thing to throw some of the statics out there yourself, but to include a handful of supporting publications from trusted sources, certainly adds an element of legitimacy and credibility to your pitch. Above all, the “For Investors” section provided an in-depth overview of what you expect out of investors at each stage in the game, and what they should expect to see in return for their money. You even went as far as to include separate timelines for each investment phase, which left me feeling more secure in my decision to invest.

REVIEW: I am absolutely willing to invest in your venture. You did a really good job of creating an engaging elevator pitch with minimal use of graphics and visuals, other than the text. I found myself really focusing on the words and the message you were trying to get across. It is great that you emphasize how valuable your app will be to teachers right out of the gate, on the home page of your venture pitch. Educators are having more demands placed on them then ever, and more and more students are in need of extra assistance. The salience of this trend and promise of your product to address it has me instantly captivated. The simple and easy-to-follow design of your pitch is great. While reading through, any questions the arose for me were addressed on subsequent pages. The assumption I have gathered from your pitch is that you are opening the floor to any investors that are passionate about inclusive learning and potentially willing to play an active role, which is a selling point for me. Your financials are presented in a manner that is clear and concise, and I especially liked that you provided a breakdown of where the money will be spent. Lastly, the current status update gave me that final push toward wanting to invest in your venture! It is clear that you and your team have already immersed yourself in this project, have garnered attention and endorsement at the provincial level, and will be extending beyond that through your upcoming presentation at the Exhibition of Educational and Learning Products Expo!

When I worked with a startup elearning company last year, our CEO and founder repeatedly brought the idea of developing a mental-health focused app to the table. Although I was excited about such a product, my colleagues and I were unsure of what direction to take with it or how to monetize it. I think you have succeeded tremendously in doing so! I actually really like the fact that you included a financial ask in your elevator pitch. I think it shows that you know exactly what you are looking for, and I feel as though many investors will respond to this up-front approach. Your team's credentials are highly impressive, and you made sure to emphasize that fact, and you did a great job of providing a comprehensive overview of your product.

FEEDBACK: I think you’ve done an eloquent job at shedding light on an issue that many of us are aware of, but not truly educated on. I was baffled by many of the statistics, and your pitch left me feeling hopeful about the future of education among Syrian children. One of my main concerns was with internet connectivity and access, which I see you have already addressed. You’ve come up with a great solution to utilize unstable connection to the best of its ability via content updates when possible. It’s clear that you and your team have given this venture a great deal of thought and commitment. I wish you the best of luck with this endeavour!

Feedback: This is an interesting idea! I think that many investors are beginning to recognize the value in ventures that promote social and environmental change, so you’ve chosen a great market. Not only could the data collected from your app be used to help scientists determine environmental conditions, but the fact that users are able to share their observations over social media may generate interest and provide their peers with information about certain conservation areas, etc. You may have strengthened your pitch even more by providing some examples of how the collected data could be used toward specific environmental initiatives. Lastly, your mention of the success of many fitness apps, which rely on data collection, was a great addition to your pitch. I think it will help investors recognize the potential for your product to thrive!

FEEDBACK: The fact that I was completely engaged while reading through the transcript of your powerpoint only leads me to believe that the actual live presentation would make your venture a hard one for investors to pass up. I have little knowledge with regards to television and radio broadcasting, outside of my own interactions with these medium, so I certainly learned a lot from your pitch and find myself wanting to continue to learn more. You've done a great job of expressing the need for a youth-targeted approach to knowledge and information sharing, in a format that promotes active participation and social connection to the content. As a few others have mentioned, I didn't come away from your pitch with a clear idea of what your product will look like or how it will function. However, your decision to garner feedback through focus groups, piloting, and virtual conferencing shows that you are committed to developing a program that your audience will not only relate to, but will be active participants in the development and ultimate success of. Great pitch!

FEEDBACK: Your elevator pitch definitely caught my interest. You have a knack for getting a lot of information out on camera in a short period of time, in a way that isn't overwhelming or hard to follow. I agree with the points that others have made, and wanted to comment on your transparency regarding venture weaknesses, as well as your inclusion of an exit strategy. It is clear that you have considered the potential for different possible scenarios within your product market, as well as the long-term goals for your product. I think that for these and many other reasons, an investor would have great deal of confidence in you and your venture, PrintPass.

FEEDBACK: Your venture addresses a highly prevalent issue in education today. The highly public nature of video-sharing websites such as Youtube presents a cause for concern among many educators, students, and in the case of younger grades, their parents. 3DCreatingSpace eradicates these concerns while allowing for continued creative expression through videos. Speaking of which, I really enjoyed the video footage you included. It emphasized the face that learners today are creators and innovators, and will surely see the value in this venture. I think that investors will as well!

Feedback: Your elevator pitch really grabbed my interest, despite my lack of general knowledge surrounding game based learning markets. I liked the sense of urgency you created for investors, as you put a lot of focus on how rapidly and vastly this market is expected to grow. With regards to your venture pitch, I definitely related to your point that you might've learned a lot more in history classes had they incorporated a program such as this. I think you would get a similar reaction out of many investors, as we can all agree that the often implemented textbook-focused approach to history education is far from engaging. I think you have a great product here, and the manner in which you chose to pitch it is highly creative and relevant!