Stephen Tod

As someone who'd enjoy using this (let alone my students), I feel this is an excellent individual to share and introduce. So often people focus anything but hands-on applications, which we can see with the severe lack of students entering the trades. Something such as Arduino changes that and puts learning back into students' hands. I think of similar products I have seen that do similar things, such as Lego robotics and Makey Makey, and Arduino is no different (but different enough) in that it brings something that is not like the competition and gets students engaged in inquiry-based learning. Mr. Banzi is also knowledgable in what he is involved with which brings credibility to the product and what it has to offer. I'm going to look this up and get it into my students' hands. Thank you!

A non-profit venturer who's also knowledgable in her field is something everyone should look up to. I've always enjoyed learning about those who are passionate for change without the desire to make money, and I'm glad I learnt had the opportunity to read about Ms. Howard. From what I see, she has pushed for apps that are easy to use and get people to go out and explore. As I have learnt in my own educational experiences, inquiry-based learning is the best kind of learning, which is where Mrs. Howard's approaches seem to be. The recognition of the journey of butterflies is important for conservation purposes which is sorely needed in the next generation of students. From what I see, I'll be recommending this to my staff. Thank you!

Using Weebly quite a bit throughout this program, I feel Mr. Rusenko has made webpage creation easier and better. I think back to when I began learning HTML and how difficult it was. I only wished that there could be an easier way in which I could create a site by simply dragging-and-dropping and quickly making edits. I didn't need 100% customization, but something where if I could start with a template and work around with it, it could become mine. As a role model of entrepreneurs, I feel is it a great example of someone who has an idea and makes it work. It certainly isn't lost that Mr. Rusenko's project is now used by 30 million people as most don't want to take the time to learn coding or pay someone to build a website from scratch. Comparing Weebly to Wordpress, based on simplicity and time, I'd take Weebly any day. The business model used is fantastic because when creating sites I enjoy the basic features but every now and then get hit with a "premium" message. If I wasn't so cheap and needed a site for something more than just this program, I'd pay the extra costs.

From what I see here, I would not invest. There is just too little information shared. Who is this guy? What is his role? What does the company do? Why are they doing what they're doing? It just doesn't tell me anything. Maybe once upon a time something like this would be all there is when bringing an elevator pitch, but in this case I don't see this as a true elevator pitch. My problem with this who video lies in the fact he's asking for a second round, so whatever legwork that was made at the beginning now need to continue. Is there a website where I can get more information? I would be willing to go and see for myself what this is all about because that's the activity, but if I'm someone who's looking at hundreds of ventures a day for investment purposes, then I'd easily skip this one over. I will say that the presenter is professional and obviously is prepared, but for the sake of a 40-50 second clip, he obviously wants the viewer to look for more. The question is... am I willing to put in that time and effort?

In reviewing the pitch, I feel I would want to invest for the sole fact that it is such a noble venture, despite the slight boringness of the inventor/pitchman. I believe he really knows his stuff, but he is also a bit vague when discussing the piece about people who've offered him devices (ie: Microsoft and people contributing their own time). I wonder if these people have invested. Because Neil Degrasse Tyson is shown, is he also an investor/promoter? I'm not sure. I feel another thing missing from this pitch is the reaction from those using it. I see a couple scene with children smiling and using the prosthesis limitedly, but what can they say about it as they are the ones using it, not Mr. LaChapelle. From what I see, Mr. Lachepelle is very much still at the beginning of his journey as there is limited financial information shared and who else he is working with other than the vague mentions as shared above. Has he sold any devices or are any in use for long-term evaluation? We don't know because we see little-to-none of it in the video. It doesn't take long for me to go online and find other (much larger) companies working on these "bionic" devices as well. Mr. LaChapelle doesn't do a great job in sharing what sets him apart from others and what he bring what they don't. He knows what he's talking about but I wonder if maybe he'd be better off selling his technology to a larger company. Now that I think about it, I wonder if this venture is for the sole purpose of building up his market value to do such a thing... All in all, not bad, but I don't believe it's 100% ready yet either.

Something that scans and organizes, where has it been all my life! I agree with Robert that there are some similar products available in the greater sphere, but I feel that this app features options that are well-geared to the everyday teacher who wants flexibility and better organization. One question I have that is not shared is security. Would you product offer hosting on your own servers or will it be on third party? As well, for freemium members, how will their data be used? In some cases, I could see some people worried about security while at the same time not wanting to pay (some teachers are cheap). As well, if students were to use it, would it conform to privacy standards, or is there a recommended minimum age for it? Thanks, and great work.

Hi Casey, I’d be doing a cartwheel after meeting Elon Musk as well! I think you have something really original here with Wonderville – something that creates those “aha” moments that really open insight and exploration for students and observers. What I think sets your platform apart from others is the ability to do STEM and do it well in a way that is engaging. What I like is something that few companies seem to be doing today – build the resources and have teachers earn from them. I have used TeacherPayTeachers in the past to submit work that I have created and feel what you offer is the next step. The difficulty with education is two things: keeping up to date while juggling schedules and timelines and willingness to share. You offer a resource that seems to offer a balance to both. One thing that I’m wondering about and that I didn’t see in your presentation is how teachers will earn back their money once the payments begin. Will there be a threshold required before payment occurs? The reasoning behind this is because transaction fees could prove to be expensive which would affect long-term profits. Overall, awesome work! Stephen

Like the website and the concept, but I feel your elevator pitch was a bit too long. Much of what was shared in the video was then posted on the site. I feel a better approach would be to keep the pitch shorter, plant the seeds of interest, and then focus on the larger picture and specific details by having me move through the webpage. For navigation simplicity, perhaps a "next" button could be posted at the bottom of the pages to allow for better flow rather than having to return to the top of the page every time. Perhaps I missed it, but is there a specific type of investor you're looking for in this project as I'm not sure everyone would be aware of some of the more target-specific language you used. Thanks for sharing!

Feedback - Derek, I feel your venture is sound and while focused at BC, it has many applications that could be brought to Ontario as well as there is an increasing shortfall of trades-related opportunities. In reading your venture, I feel you have presented the problem and solution quite well, but one part I had difficulty with, and some may not have the patience to do what I did, was to read the chart presented with Investment Level 2. I feel the chart could be made larger to that those on smaller screens (ie: my MS Surface) could see it more clearly. I don't feel it distracts too much from your overall piece, however. I felt the elevator pitch was sound and if it were targeted towards real investors the "Powtoon" watermark would be removed. One last suggestion would help with the flow. If I were to click on "Venture Pitch" or "Team" without knowing to press the plus symbol, much like Jess I would have difficulty navigating the page. Perhaps have the first page for each section appear when clicking on the link and then connect to the next ones which could also be accessed using the plus symbol. Overall, a great experience reading your site. Great work.

Awesome work and excellent concept! Coming from a family of police officers, I can say that something like this is needed. Your are correct in that learning on the fly isn't the best way to learn (nor is it the safest), so something like this would certainly be a game changer. The scenarios listed on the page are all ones that one could see in an emergency responder scenario and how you compare the program to those offered by colleges is great in terms of experience and dollars. I apologize if I missed it, but what is the price for the program? Is it a site license or based on individual? I ask because depending on the size of a police force (say, OPP vs. North Bay City Police), it could be make or break based on what budget the service has available. As well, if I am a police force wishing to invest, I'd like to know what it will cost not only for startup, but as well if I wish to use this product moving forward. Thanks, Stephen