NO, I would not invest in this venture -…
By rrto on September 28, 2015
NO, I would not invest in this venture – even though it does have the potential to make money – because I see this as an anti-learning app, something that would perpetuate the rude, self-serving, American tourist. Ryan Rogowski, co-founder and CEO, gives me nothing to dispel this image by yelling almost every word of his pitch. I prefer curious, conscientious tourists, American or otherwise, who engage with people and things they see when traveling, rather than effortlessly Americanizing or making something convenable to themselves by stripping away its real culture.
“By providing the pronunciation as well, Waygo is a helpful tool for travellers and learners mastering a new language” (Rogowski, 2014). I know, as a second language teacher, that instant translation is not good pedagogy. Especially when he talks about expanding his app to French and Spanish (languages with the same script as English), this app really just encourages laziness and avoidance of any real learning.
Rogowski also mentions that the patent is pending. While the “Instant” and wireless capabilities of this app do provide a solution to a pain point for a large number of travellers and expats, it would seem that if they don’t get their patent, this differentiation from other apps will disappear.
Reference
Rogowski, R. (2014). Featured Startup Pitch: Waygo’s translation app translates Chinese and Japanese to English via smartphone camera. Retrieved from: http://startupbeat.com/2014/07/08/featured-startup-pitch-waygo-id3882/
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NO, I would not invest in this venture….
By Dan on September 27, 2015
NO, I would not invest in this venture. I thought this was an excellent pitch, but there were a few flaws that left me with reservations that on balance I could not invest in this device. While providing real time navigation to cyclists in a city would be a great benefit, unfortunately this pitch did not show cyclists navigating in real traffic situations. The cyclists in the pitch rode their bikes on clear pathways. A real-world test would have been better. While this device may be a benefit to your average cyclist, I would like to see if it could stand up to the everyday riding through busy downtown streets done by bicycle couriers. The pitch also did not address how the device is charged. I have to assume that it needs to be plugged in. A better system would have had the SmartHalo continually recharged through pedal power. While the alarm feature is nice, I doubt that it is a replacement for a sturdy bike lock.
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NO, I would not invest in this venture….
By Dan on September 27, 2015
NO, I would not invest in this venture. Many schools, including all those in my district, have already invested in reading assessment systems such as Fountas & Pinnell, Developmental Reading Assessment (DRA), and PM Benchmark. The market is saturated with well-developed, well-researched, easy to use assessment systems that have a lot of credibility and reliability in education. These assessment systems are developed and published by well-established educational publishers who continue to support and develop their products and who also publish leveled reading books in a variety of topics to interest all readers. This app will not be able to compete in such a market. The pitch boasts that the app is easier than pencil and paper, but that’s only true if the teacher is not using one of the aforementioned systems and if the teacher is tech-savvy. Many teachers new to mobile technology would give up on this app at the first sign of difficulty. The challenge that this pitch did not address is the app’s reliability. What happens when the app crashes? Is student data lost? Is student data portable? Can it easily be transferred between devices? How frequently is the app updated? In the mobile world, apps need to be continually supported or they lose compatibility and reliability quickly.
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No, I would not invest in this venture….
By jormiston on September 27, 2015
No, I would not invest in this venture. Although the entrepreneurs have raised $11,132 US dollars towards the venture, this amount is mainly due to the financial backing of one anonymous contributor. There are many backers that have contributed small amounts toward the 11,132 dollars. Contributions in small amounts equate a lack of “faith” and willingness to allow only for low risk among the contributors so far involved in the venture. The present lack of willingness that is evident among the financial backers to “risk” financially in this venture suggests to me (as a EVA) that not enough people are interested in this venture. Although the elevator pitch has a lot of passion expressed by the entrepreneurs it is not enough to convince me as an investor. Additionally, the website that advertises this venture lacks details regarding financial compensation that an investor could expect to gain. Also, I don’t think there is a “pain point” in the market that hasn’t already been resolved by other ventures such as LinkedIn, coursera, and TEDTalks; which offer in abundance a pathway to expert knowledge. In my opinion as an educator and as an education venture analyst (EVA) I feel the elevator pitch is missing key components that are required to sufficiently convince me to recommend this venture financial worthwhile.
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No, I would not invest in this venture….
By jormiston on September 27, 2015
No, I would not invest in this venture. Why: as an education venture analyst with a focus in educational technology ventures I am unconvinced that there is an educational market for this venture. As an EVA with first-hand experience as an educator K – 12 I view the target audience for this product to be in the primary and elementary school grades. However, according to the FAQ on the website for this device it indicates that the 3doodler is not safe for ages 14 under. Therefore, its potential educational value of being implemented into the curriculum for grades one through seven is nonexistent and obsolete. The pitch highlights the “draw in the air” as an attractive feature of the 3doodler pen. This need to “draw in the air” is usually associated with primary grades in developmental skills regarding printing and math concepts. In higher grades there may be a creative value to enable the sharing and creating of ideas with peers but this value is limited as more sophisticated technologies continue to emerge as being more attractive for use in higher education. I would be interested to see how this venture pans out in the future. I think it has potential but the safety requirements and supervision required by the teacher with each individual student who is using the 3doodler in their lessons makes this product unattractive and a liability and as such impractical for use in educational settings. As an EVA I do not feel that it will resonate with ages 14 + and the age group that is targeted as the potential users will not be interested or attracted to this product given the fact that other emerging technologies such as VR and AR will provide 3D manipulation and 3D interaction for users. The venture according to the elevator pitch and further details on the website appears to focus on the general public and not educational applications; individuals who are interested in arts and crafts. It is my recommendation that the venture addresses and resolves the safety concerns the 3doodler pen potentially creates for a user; if the device touches the skin of the user it will cause a burn. If the safety issue is resolved then the 3doodler may have some educational value for implementation in classrooms with the target audience ages 14 and under.
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NO, I would not invest in this venture….
By jgourley on September 27, 2015
NO, I would not invest in this venture. I would keep an eye on it though simple for the big names involved and the fact that someone will eventually break through with this concept. I’m just not sure these are the people and this is the model.
To evaluate each pitch I have decided to provide a score out of 5 for each area below. Based on this metric I would only invest in a company if the pitch has scored above a 16, with no less than 3 in each area.
1 or 2 — I do not have confidence in what has been presented.
3 – I have some reservations, however, there is merit in this area of the pitch.
4 — I am fairly confident in what has been presented, and I am optimistic.
5 — I am fully on board and have complete confidence in this area of the presentation.
Clever U
CEO and Team (3)
Originally when the pitch starts it’s easy to write off any potential in this project. The person pitching it appears quite young and with the content of the pitch the enthusiasm doesn’t seem to match well with any experience component. However, as the pitch progresses there are a number of big names and organizations that are behind this project making it difficult to completely write them off. In addition, the content of their pitch is right on and it appears that their concept is feasible at first glance.
Venture Concept (3)
The concept here isn’t original, but the concept itself is sound. There are issues with how some current post-secondary programs are developed and delivered. Often there is not enough experience in programs for students to walk out immediately into the workforce. Granted that is not the stated purpose of most programs, but that isn’t the expectation of most people entering them. Someone will use the internet to create credible accelerated programs that produce employable graduates. Is it Clever U?
Marketability (4)
The market for this is huge, but it is crowded. There are a lot of companies looking to crack open a market that the current post-secondary systems are either unable or unwilling to enter. Given the big names and companies that seem to be behind this project, it’s hard not to give them a step up. They seem to be zeroing in on a large corner of the market that would be looking for their real product. The students that take their program.
Venture Plan (3)
Are they ready to go? Maybe it certainly seems like they are gearing up and have at least a few ducks in line. Why are they only asking for $100,000. Is that enough to launch this? The really big hole that I see is any evaluation, model. Until we see that, I can’t put any faith in this venture.
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No, I would not invest in this venture….
By lanehardy on September 26, 2015
No, I would not invest in this venture. Analysing this particular pitch as an educational venture analyst in 2015 skews my analysis, as so much has changed since 2013 (when it was originally pitched). Thus, I feel the need to analyse it from my own perspective in 2013. First, little information is given about the founder of this company, except that she has over 21 years experience. What school did she graduate from? What companies/projects has she worked on? Although there was not as much LMS saturation as there is today, such an idea was not particularly original. What is unclear to me is how this product is “integrated” – I have to surmise they are referring to the sharing of data between administration and classroom. However, BC (where I teach) had already been using such as product in almost every school in the province before then. Claiming that they can somehow sign up 500 schools and make $120 000 seems over-estimated. That is $240 per school for a product whose function is somewhat murky. Extending that train of thought, there is no mention of what the plan would be past 1 year. Is this just a small money grab once they get those 500 schools? It seems too risky. For the voice-over work, it did not seem to me that this was Keisha Edwards, and so I did not hear any enthusiasm or passion for this project. I do wonder if this particular voice was chosen solely for the accent – sometimes a foreign/exotic accent can make a product sound more alluring. It makes me feel that another area of the world is already working with a product/idea of which I know nothing about, and so I need to ‘catch up’.
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No, I would not invest in this venture….
By daniel on September 26, 2015
No, I would not invest in this venture. I feel this is more along the lines of a toy rather than someone that can be put a genuinely useful purpose. The “3D revolution” seems to have come and gone. If I may borrow a catch-phrase, 3D had its 15 minutes of fame. Do you remember only a few years ago, 3D movies were all over the place? Every movie was coming out in 3D. The fallout from that trend was that we were supposed to have 3D TV’s, 3D textbooks, 3D projectors. And of course, when the first consumer-grade 3D printer came onto the market, it was supposed to change our lives. Well as it turns out, printing a 3D object is not as simple as typing it out on on a word processor and pressing print. You’ll need to design the object in a heavy duty program such as Autocad or Solidworks. Then you’ll need to use a program like Repetier to actually print the object. 3D has never caught steam and I fear that this 3Doodler pen will experience the same demise.
I feel this pitch itself is a visual elevator pitch. The audio was lackluster. But wthin 30 seconds of the start of the video, they grab your attention with some pretty impressive such as the pen drawing on the Z-plane of the paper.
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NO, I would not invest in this venture….
By laura hall on September 24, 2015
NO, I would not invest in this venture. CEO and founder, Christian Vögeli pitch discusses developments in the production of digital neurological technologies as produced by his company. Specifically looking at dyslexia, Vögeli focuses much of his pitch on the pain point (the inability for current ventures to successfully approach dyslexia) and not enough time highlighting the solution and function to his own product. Although Vögeli brings to attention the efficiency of the product through concrete percentages of students’ improvement when using the product, he neglects to show the user how it achieves this success.
At this point, I would not invest but I am intrigued and would like to see a longer venture pitch before committing to an investment. With success rates far outweighing competing therapies, Dybuster presents a refreshing breath of fresh air with increased improvement on students learning. It would also be interesting to view the how such technologies impact the average students’ learning. Vögeli’s pitch presents impressive current revenue, acquisition of grants and user buy, having a clear plan for success and future goals of expansion. I believe a product such as this could have incredible success in the education sector and I am eager to learn more about how it is applied.
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No, I would not invest in this venture,…
By rrto on September 24, 2015
No, I would not invest in this venture, though as a musician with a 4-year old child who uses a less appealing app called “MyNoteGames”, it initially sounded pretty good. I actually just went to the Apple app store, to possibly purchase it and try it out, only to find a different app with the same name. I liked the recording studio interface in the above video (similar to Pro Tools and other real recording software) and the fact that it could teach notes and melodies with cute, animated characters, but if they can’t even find an original name for their app, they obviously haven’t done their due diligence and aren’t differentiating themselves enough from the competition.
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No, I would not invest in this venture….
By Kamille on September 20, 2014
No, I would not invest in this venture. While I believe that there is scope for this business, the pitch did not sell me on the concept. I liked that the founder was doing the pitch, because having a face to the idea gave me more confidence in the proposal. However, while he seemed confident, the presentation felt too rehearsed. The other issue I had with the pitch was that it was not clear on how it does what it claims to do. I agree that students receiving individualiused attention by their teachers would solve a significant problem being faced in the classroom, however, the pitch did not give compelling evidence of how this would be done. The information given about competitors and presence in the market was useful as it showed knowledge of the business as well as some feasibility of the venture. I was also pleased with the originality of the concept. With that being said there were still too many unknowns for me to consider investing in the venture.
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No, I would not invest in this venture….
By Kamille on September 20, 2014
No, I would not invest in this venture. The most critical aspect of any presentation is engagement. In many ways this pitch lacked that key element. First of all, the presentation was done without a human face. This could have been overlooked if the presenter had not given the impression that she was just reading a script, instead of having intimate knowledge and passion for the concept being pitched. The slides were unimaginative and had too much information on some of them. The pitch did not clearly highlight the problem or how the software would solve it. It would have been useful if the presenter gave an example of a specific problem that the software addresses. In general, it was difficult to understand how this idea would be useful and therefore how it would be a successful venture. A pitch of this nature because of the limited time afforded needs to give salient information in an engaging manner to have any chance at success.
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No, I would not invest in this venture….
By sarahparker on September 20, 2014
No, I would not invest in this venture. Finance For Life addresses a gap in the current curriculum regarding student awareness of finances, business management and economics. However, the venture concept fails to address that there are already many curriculums just as Finance For Life describes. In British Columbia there is a course entitled Entrepreneurship and Leadership. This course has prescribed learning outcomes that address finance, business management and economics. However, many schools are not offering Entrepreneurship and Leadership because of low enrollment rates and lack of funding. Although, the CEO has an extensive background in education and business his idea is not original and lacks marketability in the current education system. Financial literacy is greatly important in education; however, Finance For Life needs to focus more upon where and how its curriculum fits into the current IRPs and PLOs.
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No, I would not invest in this venture….
By sarahparker on September 20, 2014
No, I would not invest in this venture.
Books That Grow would be a literacy program that I would want in my own grade one classroom; however, the venture concept fails to answer some crucial question that any literacy educator may have. First, during the assessment process, who listens to the child read or is this done electronically? Does a teacher need to be present during this process? Many students may have vowel confusion or mispronounce words, how does Books That Grow address this concern? There are more elements to a child’s literacy development than how many words per minute a student can read. Secondly, there is a great cost for each student to have his or her own electronic reader or iPad. Daniel Foutenberry did not address the cost for the devices, how much the app would be or the cost of the software upkeep. Foutenberry also failed to address whom Books That Grow are for? It is for emerging readers (kindergarten to grade three) or for students with higher reading capabilities. Finally, three simple questions at the end of a chapter cannot accurately address a student’s comprehension level. Student need to make connections from the text to their own lives and dialog with their peers and teachers for a deep literacy comprehension process to take place. A student’s literacy development is not an isolating process, but rather one that is filled oral communication, strong connections and reflective questioning.
Foutenberry was very passionate and confident in his venture concept. The concept is original, innovated and would be successful in the current market place. However, Books That Grow is still in its early stages of development. I would advice Foutenberry to spend time with current teachers in their classrooms discussing what is needed in a successful literacy program.
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No, I would not invest in this venture….
By Josh Ballem on September 19, 2014
No, I would not invest in this venture. I did not the CEO as being credible, as he seemed almost over confident making statements without backing it up. His updates service is original, but I’m not sure it is filling a need or is feasible. Most eTexts are developed for the instructor/teacher and most don’t have the ability to update them on their own. Most publishing companies are moving or have already moved towards products that are being updated yearly or even monthly. This is going to mean stiff competition from the companies who are actually developing the eTexts. With this question about competition, I really have to question the current market for this service. As long as the major publishers are producing most of the eTexts then I’m not sure there is much of a market. If the market moves to more open source products and the ability to update your own eTexts then this might be more viable. However, it has been a slow move from print to digital, so building your own eTexts could be just as slow a development. In the end, he does have a good idea as, but I’m not sure how far into the future it will be before something like this is viable, if ever.
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NO, I would not invest in this venture….
By Bass on September 17, 2014
NO, I would not invest in this venture. The presenter showed confidence in her presentation; however, she did not reveal more information about this limited market to accredit her authenticity. Another main issue in this project is the copyright risk. For these reasons, I am out!
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NO, I WOULD NOT INVEST IN THIS VENTURE -…
By John C on September 17, 2014
NO, I WOULD NOT INVEST IN THIS VENTURE — The leader is a child without any business experience, displays no capability to execute a business strategy, and inspires no confidence. One million dollars in profit by the end of middle school? The venture itself is somewhat original but far too few details are given about the game itself, how it works, how long it takes to play a round, and what are its specific educational merits. No details are provided about the market they are trying to compete in, their competitors, their costs, or their marketing plan. While I might be able to provide value in terms of helping them map out the practical realities of launching a product, I am more interested in other projects with a greater likelihood of success than this venture. Pass!
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No, I would not invest in this venture….
By ashleybayles on June 4, 2014
No, I would not invest in this venture. I found myself bored during the one minute pitch, if they can´t keep my attention, how will their product be engaging for students? The pitch talks about what they will do, but not how they will do it. There is no evidence that they know exactly what an LMS or SMS do and how they will integrate the two of them together. There is no mention of a pain point and how this provides a solution. My main concern would be that there is much competition out there already, how can they differentiate themselves? The founder seems to have experience, but also we were never given a face to associate with the product for added confidence. As was mentioned in the readings, there is a psychological element to the pitch and a boring slideshow of just black text on a white background does not inspire confidence. There is no way for me to get me to get more information, and there is no explanation of how they know that it will make the revenue promised. Overall, this pitch does not do much to make me excited about the possibilities of the product offered.
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No, I would not invest in this venture….
By syousuf on June 1, 2014
No, I would not invest in this venture. My main reason is the lack of originality of the venture’s concept of online language education, since a plethora of internet-based language programs already exist. Also, I am not sure what the product is, since there is no mention on how the product works or looks. Is it instructor-led online courses? Is it self-directed eLearning modules, or another form of eLearning? Without any real description about the product the presenter fails to demonstrate the competitive edge of the product or its marketability.
In addition, while the presenter demonstrates confidence and passion in her pitch, her story based on “wanting to make a difference in the world” is not very compelling. She mentions the already well-known advantages of internet-based services in reaching greater audiences and the benefit of learning languages to foster understanding between cultures. However, when starting a pitch by mentioning the desire to bring change in the world I was expecting something inspiring and unique about the product, rather than a description of commonly known benefits of the internet or learning languages.
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No, I would not invest in this venture….
By syousuf on June 1, 2014
No, I would not invest in this venture. Firstly, I think the pitch does not clearly state a problem. It just states that it provides “on-the-go learning” and then immediately discusses the subjects of courses customers are purchasing. As a prospective investor, I would want to know clearly the market gap or problem and I cannot tell if there is one from this pitch. With mobile learning on the rise, I question how unique the “on-the-go learning app” concept really is and I wonder how many other providers of “on-the-go learning” already exist, which the pitch fails to discuss.
The pitch could have been stronger if it described its product. Instead, it focuses on the number of sales and its technological advantage, which is impressive, but as a potential investor, I need to know exactly what the product looks like, what is special about the product that makes them different from alternatives that gives them a competitive advantage. Without this information, I do not see any opportunities for investment.
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No, I would not invest in this venture….
By ana1 on June 1, 2014
No, I would not invest in this venture. The entire pitch is flawed and the components addressed are rather weak and unconvincing. The research is done poorly. The presenter speaks in a monotonous voice without any passion, and there are only a few good graphic slides. The rest are irrelevant. Also the pitcher lost me at their first step.
Although I know this is an elevator pitch, I will address all the points:
The pitcher somewhat addresses the pain point.
The pitcher states that Empowered Learning (EL) is a simple effective technology but after watching the pitch I didn’t feel that “effective side of it” was demonstrated. I know that EL is homework web-based software and when identifying how much time teachers spend on marking homework, the pitcher refers to all administrative tasks that take up 30% of teacher time and not how much time is actually spend on marking homework. This is either an oversight or a number manipulation. In either case, I would think that the pitcher is careless with his numbers and this should not be the case with a math teacher or someone who is asking for my money. He would lose me right here with his lack of credibility.
The solution:
Is Empowered Learning homework software that automatically corrects student work thus saves time to both teachers and parents. The pitcher offers a solution to parents via dashboard where qualitative, actionable, quantitative data is provided anytime and anywhere which doesn’t really convince me that this means anything. As a math teacher, I know that there are communication questions and different categories of math learning as well as processes that are taken into account when marking student work. I still have no idea how this would be addressed with this software. The students would end up getting 100% which doesn’t convince me that this is a “better way of teaching” and that any learning is actually taking place. How is this different than just flipping back to a step-by-step solution at the back of a textbook? The pitcher offers a seamless integration at school with “see it to believe it”. I haven’t seen anything to believe it. The pitcher is really undermining the audience.
Differentiation: is not addressed. It makes me think of poor research.
Marketing is done poorly. It only answers where: US, other US market segments (which are?) and globally but not how buyers/users will be reached. It only states that educational technology market is on the rise with a $175 M number attached to it.
Championship: There is no mention of any other leaders or advisers but him. He is not a developer (for example) and his credentials only are not convincing me that he will be able to carry the entire project on his own.
Competition: is not addressed. This is an automatic fail according to Dave Shore (Perfecting Your Pitch Video).
The Ask and Return: The pitcher asks for $250,000 but offers no financial overview and breakdown, with a 3-year or a 5-year projection. A big NO, NO according to Dave Shore again. I wouldn’t trust him with my money as he is not thinking of my side of the coin.
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No, I would not invest in this venture….
By courtneyoc on June 1, 2014
No, I would not invest in this venture. I found this video to be more of an interview with a reporter than a pitch to potential investors as there is a real lack of information and detail in this short clip.
The idea of sharing photos without advertising is enticing, but it becomes very difficult to market when there is a yearly subscription involved. There are many services for free that offer potentially the same services.
What makes their photos better than any other place on the web? Who is the targeted audience for Smugmug? Who are the majority of their customers? Professionals? Amateurs? Teenagers? Adults? How are they able to keep their membership growing when there are free services available?
Additionally The comment “turns out we were right” is a disappointing claim that offers no real concrete information or proof of profitability. What would be the return for investors? How much do they charge for a yearly subscription?
I’m left with more questions than answers after watching this pitch. I don’t find it worth my time to continue to search for this information.
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No, I would not invest in this venture….
By courtneyoc on June 1, 2014
No, I would not invest in this venture. While I agree that there is potential in a learning management system, I found that there was not enough specific information in this pitch that stood out to make me want to find out more.
The company speaks about their ability to tread new ground but do not give enough specific detail as to how they would do that or what will make them stand out and be better than their competition. I also find the comment that CloudConnect designers have “years of experience” to be an empty promise. Additionally while they highlighted the potential earnings, there was no mention of purchase cost or marketability.
While the elevator pitch is designed to be quick, I found that the speaker was not very engaging and was too rushed in getting their information out that I had to watch the video numerous times to catch everything they were saying. The speaker had lots to talk about – but I found what was included in the video was not the right focus or what I consider to be the most important information.
I did appreciate the catchy slogan at the end and the enticing claim that “we want to offer you a chance to be part of the solution” but I did find it a bit cliché.
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No, I would Not invest in this venture….
By jennypapadakis on May 31, 2014
No, I would Not invest in this venture.
Although the “Mentoring Me” concept is an interesting one, and would be a valuable tool for new teachers, the way in which this new venture was pitched was not engaging, or convincing to potential investors. The CEO did not exude confidence, or the experience necessary to achieve success in this market.
The research and information necessary to understand the need for this type of online network was also missing from the pitch. The presenter compared the “Mentoring Me” concept to an online dating website – which, is not necessarily representative of the goals for this venture. Although the pilot project that has kick started the “Mentoring Me” venture, the market size, feasibility, and market readiness of this product were not discussed.
The pitched was missing an emphasis on innovation. What makes this social networking opportunity unique? Why would educators want to use this product? These questions were not answered in the elevator pitch. Another critical piece that was missing for me was how this product would be marketed to the “older” teaching market. In the pitch, the CEO mentioned that older, more experienced teachers are hesitant to use new technologies and this tool would help older teachers learn about technology. It would be interested in learning more about how “Mentoring Me” would encourage older teachers to use this product in the first place.
Overall, an interesting idea – but without the “innovative” or “original” factor, it could get lost in the midst of many other social networking products.
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NO, I would not invest in this venture….
By Chris on May 30, 2014
NO, I would not invest in this venture. The CEO appears very credible and I would assume she has a credible team. The concept she is pitching is not an original one but secondary schools are in need of a product of this nature as at the moment most of the SMS systems in use are cumbersome and do not integrate with an LMS at all, therefore the product would address a potential need. Addressing this potential unmet need would mean a huge market for this potential product but unfortunately I not do see a competitive edge as we do not see the product. I am also completely unsure of the Venture Plan being proposed, they seem to have a clear purpose and idea but I have absolutely no idea on how they plan on arriving at the end goal. I’m also unsure of whether or not they have begun developing this product or do they just have a concept? While I understand the need for this product and could foresee a large market I felt the pitch was incredibly poor. The choice of speaking over a slideshow was a poor decision as we see nothing of the potential product. As a potential investor and someone who works with both LMS and SMS on a daily basis I would need to see some sort of actual product prior to investing in this. A much better pitch would have had me invest but without seeing any potential product this was not enough for me to want to invest in this venture.
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NO, I would not invest in this venture….
By Nick on May 30, 2014
NO, I would not invest in this venture. Although the pain point of “transcend[ing] time and geographical boundaries” is relevant, the exit strategy is unclear. Why is sharing veteran teachers’ experience “better” than average district mentorship programs? There is a distinct differentiation between an internet-based mentorship program and programs facilitated by school districts, but this pitch does not adequately convey why the former is more effective in practice than the latter. Furthermore, the “ask” is not addressed because the pitch does not apply a value to the saved costs of time and transportation expenses. The pitch also offers investors little confidence to invest because there is no evident marketing strategy or direction for a team to innovate within the learning technologies market. It is also unclear how market-ready MentoringMe is because the pitch does not explain how customers would use the Internet to enable “synchronous and asynchronous opportunities to collaborate.” The pitch should convey some ideas about the necessary tools for this venture to succeed before appealing to investors. As an investor, I have no business investing in a risky project that compels me to use my imagination to make a profit.
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No, I would not invest in this venture….
By maxim on May 29, 2014
No, I would not invest in this venture. In terms of pitch deconstruction, the presentation is overall quite good. The CEO at the onset presents the market gap and how this system will address it. At a high level the concept is easy to understand and appears to be generating some revenue. What make’s me nervous, as an investor, is the a clear separation between this solution and others: what’s the difference between A and B? Projected growth is also a challenge as this pitch seeks a fairly modest amount. Its not clear if the funding is for growth or for sustaining current operations. What this pitch lacked was an ‘inspirational vision’ that would help the investor feel justified in risking money. An interesting problem with this pitch is how there appears to be no market analysis; even a few words would help better understand the place of this company vs its competitors. It is explained that this market is currently ‘unserved’, however, it would be better to add more specifics on how unique this offering is compared to anything else out there.
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No, I would not invest in this venture….
By cwc1 on May 29, 2014
No, I would not invest in this venture. To begin with, there is no ‘human face’ to the pitch, and as an EVA the likelihood of putting my time and efforts into a learning technologies venture that lacks a human identity is somewhere between slim and none. In addition, the presenter’s voice seems monotone and uninterested, and I am unlikely to be swayed by an entrepreneur that can’t demonstrate enthusiasm for the product or service that he or she is promoting. The presenter has identified a pain point (the need for mobile learning solutions), a solution (a range of mobile learning apps), what differentiates them from the rest of the market (patent pending technology), and some statistics that show that the business is profitable, but what is the company’s vision for the future? To me, it seems like Real Simple Edu is taking a scattershot approach (and therefore leaving itself open to competition on multiple fronts) while not focusing on a specific market advantage in one or two areas, and as a result I could see the company losing whatever competitive advantage it possesses very quickly.
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No, I would not invest in this venture….
By kgill on May 28, 2014
No, I would not invest in this venture. The CEO speaks with confidence but I did not believe his claims. The concept is practicable but it lacks originality. There are many photo sharing services, and unlike Smugmug, they are available for free. I do like how there are no advertisements, but is that really worth the yearly subscription fee? Also, how are the pictures “better than anywhere else on the web?” I felt like the CEO made several claims without justifying them appropriately. I think this proposition is very risky, especially since I do not like the CEO and the plan of this venture.
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No, I would not invest in this venture….
By kgill on May 28, 2014
No, I would not invest in this venture. The CEO conveys confidence and competency. The concept is practicable, but it does not have a large opportunity space. Evernote makes it easier to store information in one space, from multiple devices and versions (Windows, Mac) which can be very handy. However, there are other, more reliable ventures in this field like Google Keep and Microsoft’s OneNote. I am curious as to how much space is available for the free subscription on Evernote and how much space is given to users for the $5 subscription. Overall, I think it’s a good concept but I personally would not invest just because there are bigger players in this arena.
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No, I would not invest in this venture….
By Anne Winch on May 27, 2014
No, I would not invest in this venture. The presenter demonstrates no enthusiasm for his product with his voice or with the visuals. There is no expression used in the pitch making it difficult to focus on what the presenter is saying. The slides have only static text, which is read by the presenter. There is no picture of the presenter, so it is a disembodied voice making it difficult to connect to the presenter and therefore the product. The presenter launches directly into what the customers are purchasing but he is not clear as to what Real Simple Edu does for the customer. What exactly is the product he is pitching? What is the customer paying for? On the go learning is what is being presented and there is a large variety of mobile devices that are compatible with the product. Do they adapt the apps to make them compatible with the different mobile devices? I have too many questions for this to be a successful pitch.
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NO, I would not invest in this venture….
By ttseng on May 26, 2014
NO, I would not invest in this venture.
1. CEO & Team: The CEO in this pitch seems very confident. However, there is no mentioning of a management team or the CEO’s prior experiences/training in this rea.
2. Venture concept: This venture concept is not original. There are already different photo sharing services available (ex. Dropbox). The fact that Smugmug does not have any ads is very attractive to customers. However, the most important issues around sharing photos are privacy and security – these two concerns are not addressed at all in this pitch.
3. Marketability: I think the marketability for photo sharing is not a huge one. First of all, many people are already sharing photos for free on social media (ex. Facebook). Personally, I find free programs like Dropbox is sufficient for me to share pictures with my friends and family. There might be a market for sharing photos for business purposes – and perhaps it’s an area where Smugmug can target? I am not sure if Smugmug offers any innovative strategies asides from the fact that it does not have any ads.
4. Venture Plan: The proposed plan has a long path to success. First, this service is not free. Therefore, Smugmug has to convince the customers why it’s worth the their money to use this service. Second of all, this venture needs more details/explanations on its technical aspects. I would like to know why the pictures’ look better’ in Smugmug – do they have better resolution? Is the photo-sharing process secure? Is the program easy to use? This proposition is risky because the CEO seems over-optimistic. He claims his company is growing fast without providing any concrete figures.
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No, I would not invest in this venture….
By ttseng on May 26, 2014
No, I would not invest in this venture.
1. CEO & Team: The person in this elevator pitch does not convey confidence. She often looks sideways during the pitch (perhaps reading a script?) There is no mention of a management team or what kind of resources will be used.
2. Venture concept: This venture concept is not original. There are already many online language programs out in the market, promoting learning languages ‘anytime’, anywhere’. Most people already understand the benefit of learning languages online.
3. Marketability: The market size and market share of the this product is big. In a successfully online language program, you are able to reach students as long as they have access to a computer and internet. The potential is great. However, this pitch does not mention any innovative advantages. For example, does it offer a different learning approach than the existing online language programs? How do students practice their oral/listening skills most effectively in an online environment?
4. Venture Plan: The proposed plan has a long path to success. In some countries, online education is still in early stages of development, and it will take time and great endeavor in order for people all over the world to embrace the idea of learning a language online. In addition to the ‘anytime, anywhere’ learning environment, there needs to be a greater emphasis on how learning a language is better than a face-to-face classroom, so customers are willing to give it a try. The exit strategy is very unclear in this pitch, and there doesn’t seem to be a specific goal that this pitch is trying to reach. As an EVA, I would say that this proposition is very risky. The CEO doesn’t seem very confident and there needs to be more of a ‘wow’ factor in the language program that it is trying to deliver.
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No, I would not invest in this venture….
By karalea on May 26, 2014
No, I would not invest in this venture. I am unclear what pitch this is even trying to suggest. The numbers are thrown out there but the powerpoint itself is bland and plain and the presenters voice is very monotone. I understand he is trying to speak clearly and concisely however he has no enthusiasm or passion in his voice. It is only 1 minute long which is challenging for him to get his point across effectively, and he doesn’t start out with anything that makes me want to listen. I am unsure of what the product is specifically but he does explain the different areas and the numbers of people intended to reach. Overall, this pitch is very bland and unclear. I would recommend the presenter change their tone of voice and demonstrate more passion.
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