Sarah

Hi Scott - I quite enjoyed your elevator pitch and could sense your enthusiasm into the product. I could see that as an attractive quality to ventures because it demonstrates that you truly believe in the product. You've also clearly identified the problem and have gave a creative and unique solution. Lastly, I also enjoyed reading your reflection and appreciate your honesty with it! I too, had the same struggles so you certainly are not alone! Well done.

Hi Henna, I really enjoyed your pitch and your product. While the elevator pitch was a bit lengthy, I really enjoyed the statistics and how clearly they identified the problem. Personally, I was quite shocked and immediately after had a "I need to invest in this" moment. Possibly due to the fact that I could relate as a female technologist but also due to your knowledge and clearly having done your research. I do agree with Molly that a bit more information on your differentiation from the competitors would add more value, but I thought your pitch was well done overall.

Hi Dustin - I really enjoyed learning about the product and it was very clear there is a high need. You also tied the risks of not conforming to a new auditing approach and the dollars lost. I quite enjoyed your authenticity and felt you had a very confident presence; however, I felt both the pitch and venture pitch were a bit too long. Similar to some comments below, I do agree with varying forms of multimedia or condensing the speaking points down slightly would be more impactful. Other than that though, both pitches were highly persuasive and I would see how investors would be eager to come on board! Well done.

Hi Molly - I thought you pitch was great. Your content was professionally done, and you had a warm, inviting tone which resonated with me as an educator. I also enjoyed how you defined the problem and the solution. One recommendation that I would have is to provide a bit more background on the market overall and how this may be a profitable investment. Overall, well done! I am also looking forward to exploring your app even more!

Hi Ryan, Thanks so much for your detailed feedback and constructive criticism. You make great points about the asynchronous communication and something we will definitely consider when making our revisions throughout the week! I can absolutely appreciate your comment about adult learning as my professional context falls into that space as well, and that will also be something we will consider. Appreciate your resource as well! All the best, Sarah

No - I would not invest in this venture (at this time). And, here's why. Before even engaging with the video, the length of it immediately made me skeptical as the duration seemed significantly longer than typical elevator pictures. Cautiously, I decided to jump into the video in its entirety. Below is a summary of my critiques as well as the strengths that were presented in this pitch. First the critiques - other than the aforementioned length of the pitch, I was slightly disappointed by the lack of passion and enthusiasm for the product. Both speakers did not convey much excitement for the product; therefore, I question how they would engage investors on that level as well. There was also a notable lack of market knowledge: what was the market share, what is the need they are trying to fulfill, and what is the competitive edge? Although, I did enjoy viewing the demo's of the AI/AR functionality (which will be further discussed below), I did not find the beginning of the video, where Earth was described as a hand-made creation, particularly useful in outlining the product features. Now, let's jump to the strengths of the pitch. Almost immediately, I felt there was evidence of CEO credibility. It was apparent that both speakers knew the product, and they knew it well. They also displayed a confident, and capable presence throughout the pitch. I was also hooked by the demonstration of the app, and thought the visuals used throughout were professional, engaging, and memorable. The demonstrations were helpful in showcasing the ease of use and the strength of the AI capability. Overall, I enjoyed the professional quality of the pitch; however, there was a significant amount of information lacking for me as an EVA. The limited market and competitor information makes me skeptical and have deterred me from investing in this venture. Perhaps with more information, this opinion may change, although I would like to understand the exit strategy and understand the direction of where Earth is navigating towards.

In my professional learning context, I work primarily with experienced, specialized professionals who have limited time to develop through a formalized, instructor-led learning program. Not only is time a restraint, but the expense and resources required for these traditional programs are becoming more and more limited, which I am sure is a challenge for most corporations. Micro-learning offers educators the ability to offer bite-sized piece of learning, on-demand, 24 hours a day. They ensure that information is accessible and relevant to a learners' needs at the time they need it. I believe this will be the way of the future for many learning organizations and corporations as expense tightening is prevalent and other methodologies of learning are becoming more necessary. Additionally, this modality of learning also ensures that learning is relevant and timely to a learner, versus waiting for traditional classroom methodologies or enrolling in programs that are not necessarily required for the particular learner.

Related to my earlier comment in the personalized learning discussion, I believe that adaptive software lends itself to creating a more engaged and learning-focused workforce. My context relates to corporate, adult learning; therefore, I have experienced higher retention of learning and more learning engagement when online environments and content was adaptive. I also think as a designer and developer, adaptive software helps derive data that is very helpful in understanding your learner landscape. For example, identifying certain regional differences, roles, or preferences is helpful in identifying learning strategies, gaps, and assessments. Furthermore, I find adaptive software and the concept of badging/rewards/recognition to be a prominent feature in the way of learning of the future. Learners are inundated with information almost every minute in a corporate context; therefore, reward and recognition features in adaptive learning can aid in development strategies and performance improvements as well.

Personalized learning, to me, has a huge impact on learner engagement and retention. In my own professional context, there are over 30,000 employees so our current learning programs are challenged with making learning personalized to each and every individual. However, I do think there is a large opportunity to gather intelligent data and identify themes or learning based on particular role, or perhaps interests and personalize it from different perspectives. Having experience as an elementary teacher as well, I think that personalized learning can assist in many different learning styles, and needs. Not only can it assist educators, but it can also increase engagement with primary students and allow for success for all students.

Hi Molly! Nice to meet a fellow 'Torontonian' although sounds like you have plans to leave the area in the near future! How exciting. I admire your tenacity in pursing an online venture and also learning a new language while taking these courses as well. Looking forward to learning more about you and perhaps our paths will cross in an project throughout the course!