tslearn

Hi jgourley. Your pitch did not indicate that you were going to license or purchase a platform so I assumed you were going to build the system from scratch. The $2 million I indicated would be for leading a software engineering team in the gathering of requirements, and the development and testing of a new system. The identifying of your specific target users and customers; as well as identifying the risks and barriers that may hinder the ventures chances for success and having some indication of a return on investment are important items to include when pitching or considering an investment opportunity. Thank you for your clarification. I am now ready to invest all of my imaginary money in your venture.

Hi Dave, It is interesting that you chose to pitch a product that already exists. I like the idea of you championing this cause and trying to breathe new life into this project. The problem is that I do not even know how to invest. It may have been better to do this as a sales pitch or as an interested buyer looking for support to carry on where the last development team left off; so that a new venture can capitalize on the foundation the team has developed and the original investors can receive some benefit for their efforts. There is really no plan here, and although there may not be apps for the Oculus, there are likely indirect competitors (like desktop or mobile apps) that serve the same market. Good idea, but the business was not defined in a way that makes it a viable investment opportunity.

Hi Cathy. Good presentation. You identified a potential need, and proposed a solution that seems to fulfill the need. You identified many competitors in the market and nicely identified how you are different. Good job. Your project plan identifies that you can make $1.36 million with a reoccurring revenue stream of $1.2M with only one province wide adoption of the tool, which will appeal to investors looking for a return on their investment. Your start-up capital is probably good but it would be nice to see an indication of where the money is being spent (development team, overhead cost, marketing, etc). It would also be nice to see someone with a software development background in your leadership group. One major omission in this plan is the barriers of entry and risks. I would expect that a province purchasing a portfolio tool for $1.2M dollars might be low on their list of priorities and that some teachers may have already adopted their own tools and methods in producing learner portfolios, using a combination of free or low cost alternatives. How are you going to increase stakeholder awareness of the improved usability and importance of your tool to overcome these barriers and convince them to purchase your product?

Hi rskukas, Good job on this presentation; I appreciate your idea. The fact that you are targeting students, teacher, and parents is a good value proposition; otherwise you need to compete with those apps that are more for business use that you mentioned. The design of the app specifically for children’s productivity (considering their unique needs and tasks) is your differentiator. Normally I would be looking form more of a “to market” strategy, but you clearly identified you were looking for partner investors that can manage the rollout of the product. Your timeline seems a little tight, but if you get on it early, I think it is doable. I would recommend maintaining focus on your target user base instead of dividing your attention by including corporations, where there are already a number of tools being used. You may want to look a little closer at your competitive landscape, as there are many monitoring and parent control apps that have the ability that you describe. They may not be direct competitors in your market segment, but need to be considered when doing your competitive analysis that describes how you are different.

Hi Laura. I like your idea. It is an on line learning community for collaborating on and delivering French specific learning. This is likely a good “niche”. I like the combination of private and government funding, but I think you may need to re-evaluate your marketing strategy. I would expect getting all regional stakeholders on board to adopt a nationwide tool by 2017 would be extremely difficult. A better strategy might be to get the funding you need to build your product, a combination of government investment and philanthropy, target a region (say Quebec or New Brunswick) and then grow your network over time. I think this could likely be done on a shoestring budget by customizing an open source platform like Moodle, rather than re-inventing the wheel. You could benefit from having a software analyst on your team to help with the technology architecture. All in all, good job.

Hi Emily, I really like your idea. It has farther reaching applicability than what you indicate in your pitch, which is a good thing, because that makes greedy investors like me think of ways to exploit your socially conscious idea and make millions of dollars. I think your cost for this app would be around 100K, which is pretty much what you described over two years. Good job. I think you have the right strategy, to partner and employ local talent that have the expertise to create a professional looking and functioning product, and you provide project management and vision. I think you should consider adding marketing to your cost, as it would be good to have an internet wide launch of your product with a strong social marketing campaign (not just to your community). You need to look at your pricing model though. Perhaps having a free version, with ads, and a $1.99 payed version without would provide a better two teared income than trying to charge both the advertiser and the end user in the same offering. After all, you are targeting price conscious consumers. One note about the pitch delivery, using terms like “We Believe” leaves room in the investors mind for doubt. Always use positive and assertive language when pitching products to investors. I would like to invest $200,000 of my imaginary money for 51% of your company as I expect your profits will be much higher than what you predicted.

Hi jgourley. Good pitch, but i'm not sure of the viability of the solution. Are there regulations or regulatory bodies that would need to be consulted? For instance, certified training; for workers in industries like telecommunications or manufacturing; or is there a limit to the type of training or industries that this product is designed for? Is there a government requirement to pay employees for initial training? Perhaps the model should be, the hiring company pays us, and we pay the person being recruited (for a profit). I would also like to see a software engineer added to your team to show you have the capability to do what you claim. I don't think $250,000 is enough money to get you started. It is probably more in the $2,000,000 range, and I am not sure how much money I could make. I am on the fence as far as investing now, but if these items are addressed, I would definitely consider investing my imaginary money and consulting services in the future.

Hi Tina, Good pitch. The only recommendation I would make would be to do a better search of your competitors. Sony has a product that seems to do what you describe at a different price point. So your competitive advantage is on price and the quality of the material you are using, not features. I also wonder how 24 of these devices will sound when they are all acting in unison in a class of 24 students. Might drive some teachers mad, or perhaps there is headphone support. All and all, a really a good job. I would like to buy the 49% of your imaginary shares with an imaginary $1,000,000 and contribute an imaginary line of credit of another 2 million; as well as provide consulting, free of charge, on product development and product management strategies.

Hi Dan, I liked your elevator pitch. Your imaginary product is interesting (performance support system for teachers) and arguably fulfills a need. The description of the technical aspects of your product and how it will work is good, but your venture pitch is lacking some key elements. You should indicate in some way how you are going to build this product by showing the leadership group and their value to the venture, and some idea of the team and the process that would be involved in bringing the product to market, how long it would take, and what resources you would need. There needs to be an indication of direct and indirect competitors and the barriers and risks for a new venture in the marketplace. For instance, the adoption of google glass as a consumer product failed. Why? You need to show that you have addressed the issues that plagued that products release before you can successfully launch a similar product of your own. And you forgot the most important part. What is the "Ask"? The pitch needs to end with a prompt for the investor to take action. From your pitch, I wouldn't know what it is you need from me to help make you successful.

Good job Christopher. Your elevator pitch may be a little flat on the product description since I wasn't sure what you were making until I got into your venture pitch. I would look at your competition again as there may be some products out there that you didn't consider. Is it a Learning Content Management System? I used one in the past that does most of what you describe. Good job at identifying your product, market and approach. I like it and will give you all the imaginary money you need.