tina gordon

Hi TSLEARN (Troy).... Thank you for your review and pointing out a similar product, the "Sony Digital Paper". A review of that product can be found here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ASgPvi0y4ww While there are SOME similarities, where the big difference lies is in the interactivity. The Sony product is simply a write-on tablet surface. Mine is "interactive", sounding out letters and sounds, which greatly reinforces literacy skills. The Sony product is FAIRLY thin.... but again, not as thin as mine and not solar powered. You do bring up a good issue with regards to the noise factor. I neglected to cover this with the "bluetooth wireless headphone option". Excellent point!! As for your offer to use your imaginary money to fund my imaginary product... you're ON!! I know your great business sense... and we could really make this happen!! :) CHEERS! -T.

FEEDBACK: ePortfolios is a quickly growing industry and you did an excellent job of creating a product that would be competitive in that market. You have identified the problem and developed a very viable solution. In particular, I like how you address the privacy concerns as this is also a growing issue. Very well researched, developed, and presented. I would invest!

FEEDBACK: Your elevator pitch and pain point really spoke to me as this is a great description of an average in our district. I imagine the same problem exists everywhere. Your pitch itself is well done. You have VERY clearly identified the problem and a potential solution. You have also added the numbers to back it up and, on paper, it looks very appealing to potential investors. Now... from a teaching perspective, unfortunately I am not sure I would support purchasing this product. First, for a "minimum annual cost of $5 per student" that would mean that my school of 225 students would need to pay your company $1125 every year. This is WAY out of line with our budget... guaranteed. We already struggle to justify currently paying $75 x 4 ($300 / year) for an annual subscription to RAZ-Kids online reading program. Very few of our teachers use any textbooks (myself included). Instead, we are engaging our students in discussions, inquiry based project work, using hands on artifacts, and creation ideas to demonstrate understanding. All of these things already meet the diverse needs of learners... for free. So I'm sorry, but from an educational standpoint I appreciate where you are coming from but think I would have to pass.

FEEDBACK: Well done, Laurie! You have done an excellent job of identifying a real problem and providing a solution. I can see 3D CreatingSpace as a viable product in the future. You have hit on all areas of a successful venture pitch and did so with a nice blend of technology that captured my interest. Well done.

FEEDBACK: Your Elevator Pitch and the first half of the Venture Pitch certainly are captivating and I find myself excited about the potential of this product in the classroom. However, where it fell flat was when you were asking for investors but admitted to not having any developers. I am not certain if admitting this to potential investors is the best choice as it makes the investment much more risky. On one hand you are being honest. On the other hand, you need to convince the investors that you are ready to proceed. How much capital are you requesting? This is not clear in the presentation. However, overall, the product itself looks very promising.

FEEDBACK: Initially I was confused by your elevator pitch being audio, but then it all made sense. However, while the different voices made it interesting, I also found that they made it a bit difficult to follow. However, that could just be because it has been a long long day. When I jumped into your Venture Pitch it quickly becomes obvious that you have put a tremendous amount of thought, effort, and research into your pitch. You have excellent ideas for how NPR can transform and, hopefully, appeal more to the next generation. Well done and I hope it all goes well for you!

FEEDBACK: Your product idea is absolutely BRILLLIANT!! I agree that "Health Wearables" is a market that is expanding like crazy and the product you are proposing is very viable. You do a great job of identifying the problem and benefits of this app. With such a strong elevator pitch, I was surprised that you started your Venture Pitch by immediately identifying the goal of how much money you were trying to raise. My concern is that it might brush people away before you have a chance to "hook" them on your great product. However, you certainly make up for it as the pitch continues. WAY TO GO! I would order a BUNCH of these!

FEEDBACK: Hi Mary, I certainly like how your elevator pitch came from the point of view of the critter, I am assuming the wee green frog in the corner. This added the "cuteness" appeal. As I read through your Venture Pitch I understood the product I gained a pretty good understanding of what "Critters" is trying to develop. The idea certainly has merit and could add a lot to the world of science! My question is around validity of citizen input. While most people would be simply trying to help out, there are always a few characters out there who would try to test the limits of the app by adding incorrect information, such as sightings of unusual species etc. How would your company address this when it is all based on "honest input" from citizens and there is no funding to validate? Just curious. Overall, I really do think the idea has merit!

REVIEW: Excellent pitches, Victoria! As an EVA I was looking in particular that you covered certain components and your venture pitch met and even surpassed my expectations. Your product description was very thorough and used great visuals to which a potential investor might make connections (Google, Discovery Ed., IXL...) and you also connected it to social media, a market that is bursting at the seams. By addressing the problem of older devices with a "Master Password" option, you have also added to the appeal of your product. The "Market" that you have identified started out with education but then you managed to connect to all areas of society, from home use and business all the way to tourism, restaurants, and medical uses. This is fantastic as it really means a huge potential population demanding your app which is money in the pocket for investors. In your "Ask / Return / General" section you clearly outlined exactly how much money you are seeking and you described how that money would be spent. This reflects a strong business model and that you have done your research. You identified "Venture Weaknesses", which initially had me worried. However, you used this as a platform to show how your company would address these weaknesses. Finally, you identified an exit strategy. I can honestly say that your venture pitch was very powerful, thorough, and believable. QUESTIONS/ THOUGHTS: In the beginning you introduced yourself as the CEO. However, you did not identify any of your credientials until near the end when you mentioned being a classroom teacher and technology coach. To gain trust right away, perhaps these should go near the beginning of the pitch? You did address the issue, so this really is merely a technical suggestion. Again, this is really a technical question butI am also a bit unclear about how the classroom subscription works. You outlined how there would be 2 "free" fingerprints for demo purposes and then it would be available to classrooms on a per student basis, with a price reduction with growing numbers of students. So, once the app is installed on the devices, linked to the cloud, once the student swipes his / her fingerprint then they are automatically logged in, correct? What if that student had his / her fingerprint saved by more than one user? For example, home use and also in more than one class at high school? Could they download the app at home and use their school account on their personal devices? Finally, how would you address concerns people have about data mining their fingerprints? The security of the cloud saving this info? I really think you have an excellent product here so these are legitimate questions. :) RECOMMENDATIONS: 100% fund this venture! I am confident that this type of app will become available sooner rather than later so it would be great to be on the ground floor! This is going to be HUGE! Ka-CHING!!

REVIEW: Very well done! In both your elevator pitch and in your venture pitch presentation you use powerful visuals to identify not only the current problem of Syrian children lacking education, but also the future manifestations of that problem, including living in poverty. You also make an excellent point that the cost of educating the children is less than the cost of reconstruction. This is the most powerful, key component to your pitch and you need to continue focusing on this single selling feature. Your CEO credibility is well established and it sounds like you have a very knowledgeable, powerful team with personal interest in the Syrian refugee crisis. By bringing your personal connection into it potential investors also know that you have the heart to do whatever it takes to make this venture a success. From the beginning you clearly identify that this is "not for profit". Many investors will be looking for a venture that makes them money. By identifying this right away and reinforcing it throughout, I strongly feel that you do a good job of weeding out the wrong people and focus on captivating the "right" people, people who are benefactors. Your venture concept, market, "the Ask" and "Road Map" are all very well laid out. You have obviously done a lot of work looking into making this venture a reality. QUESTIONS and THOUGHTS: In your "Venture concept" you mention "looking for credibility of these exams at host countries." Whose curriculum will you be using? What language(s) will be used? I am assuming lessons will be in Syrian, which means that the content needs to be developed by Syrian speaking teachers. Is it possible to partner these Syrian teachers with others from different countries to collaborate on lesson development? Also, you state "We need to provide specific tablets". In your "Ask" you have $120,000 allocated for 1000 devices. This breaks down to $120 / device, not including the cost of any shipping, taxes, etc. You also have $15,000 for hardware maintenance / training. Is this enough capital to cover these costs? I am just concerned that this number might be a bit under budget. I do like your "Road Map" as it clearly outlines further expansion goals. RECOMMENDATION: In your pitch you identify Pearson's "Save the Children" initiative and how it might be looking into mobile learning. Pearson is a massive company with a lot of funding to back it. I love your idea and recommend that you pitch it to Pearson, ask them to become a partner in this most excellent endeavor. With your backgrounds, expertise, passion, and idea combined with Pearson's already available educational resources and financing, this could really be a smashing success. GOOD LUCK!!!!