This is a really ‘revolutionary’ type…

This is a really ‘revolutionary’ type of product. You’re looking at amalgamating an enormous number of existing services and bringing them together (sometimes direct competitors!) to collaborate on one goal: getting people meaningful work. I think that the gap you identified exists, in that sense this pitch is a success, because we know that learners and workers want to shift direction, and that they need support. Your platform really offers a holistic opportunity for learners to gain that support.

The issue I see is that there is little impetus for the collaborators mentioned to participate. Why would EdX want to work with Coursera in direct competition? Why would LinkedIn want to work with Elance? Why would employers spend the time seeking people with unofficial credentials when my experience of hiring has been that we frequently have far too many qualified (on paper, with excess formalized education) already applying. I think that this product would have hooked me more meaningfully if you had directed the audience more specifically: perhaps services to the unemployed or underemployed, and working with a provincial or federal department for formalized retraining. I think a service like this would work best when there is incentive for employers to hire people trained in this manner. As an EVA, these concerns are large enough that I would not choose to invest in this venture.

Leave a Reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.