I know that it has been a hot minute since I graced your inbox, so here’s a…

Short little newsletter and update on this beautiful Wednesday evening!

It is almost the end of the spring semester (5 semesters down for my doctorate woohoo!) which means there is another opportunity for me to secure some funding from Venture Devils for the development of Èkodjayé in Benin.

I very much appreciated all of the feedback this little community provided the last time and am reaching out to see if you would be willing to help me out again!

Here is the Loom video.

Canva - 19 March 2023 - Watch Video

I also have included feedback from the judges of the first round. In general, I have a good idea of the direction I need to go, but at this point, I do not have a Venture Devils mentor so am looking to simply find my own!

Thank you all for your time!

Stay well and smile often 😀

Debra

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Feedback from judges

A judge:

Did the venture clearly describe the product or service?

Assess on a scale of 1 to 5; 1 being no clear identification, 5 being clearly understood with quality descriptions presented.

5 / 5

Did the venture clearly present an understanding of their customer segment/market opportunity (i.e. competitive advantage)?

5 / 5

Did the venture demonstrate a plan for a sustainable business model, and/or a plan to reach necessary milestones to grow and scale their enterprise?

5 / 5

Positive feedback for the pitch/presenters?

Great explanation of the problem. Love the story.

Suggestions to improve the pitch/presentation or other areas related to their venture?

How will you make money (what grants, how will you fundraise, who are you seeking donation from, and how will you obtain those donation). Add details on how you plan to continue to raise money to support the non-profit.

A judge:

Did the venture clearly describe the product or service?

Assess on a scale of 1 to 5; 1 being no clear identification, 5 being clearly understood with quality descriptions presented.

3 / 5

Did the venture clearly present an understanding of their customer segment/market opportunity (i.e. competitive advantage)?

3 / 5

Did the venture demonstrate a plan for a sustainable business model, and/or a plan to reach necessary milestones to grow and scale their enterprise?

3 / 5

Positive feedback for the pitch/presenters?

The plan aims for a better place for opportunities in such places where there simply are not enough resources to keep up with 4IR mentioned.

Suggestions to improve the pitch/presentation or other areas related to their venture?

providing additional implementation plans to stand out from competitors such as advertisements might be needed. What are the unit economics? What does the company do uniquely well and what is the cost structure of setting up these centers? What is the profitability?

Feedback

Great description of the problem statement but more detail would be great for how you plan to make this a profitable venture. Or consider non-profit models that will provide sustainability.

A judge:

Did the venture clearly describe the product or service?

Assess on a scale of 1 to 5; 1 being no clear identification, 5 being clearly understood with quality descriptions presented.

4 / 5

Did the venture clearly present an understanding of their customer segment/market opportunity (i.e. competitive advantage)?

4 / 5

Did the venture demonstrate a plan for a sustainable business model, and/or a plan to reach necessary milestones to grow and scale their enterprise?

5 / 5

Positive feedback for the pitch/presenters?

Incredibly interesting and well thought out presentation. The fact that you have real experience with the location and live there part of the year shows that you have complete buy in for a venture like this. The story at the beginning and the adage about learning to fish really helped to set the stage for your pitch.

Suggestions to improve the pitch/presentation or other areas related to their venture?

I am curious about the background of the name. It is defined on the first slide, but it may be worth sharing the meaning of the name in your intro since it is used so many times throughout the presentation. It will allow for the judges/audience to constantly make the connection to education being life. Additionally, in the executive summary, under management team, the first paragraph goes from speaking in 3rd person to speaking in 1st person. In order to keep it consistent with the others listed, third person may be best. Lastly, the first few slides have great graphics that help the listener follow along with what you are saying. The last few slides don't have the same graphics. The pictures that caught my attention the most were the real life photos that represented the community this business will be benefiting. I would encourage you to add more pictures of the community!

Feedback

I truly love this and I am very interested in what is to come for you!

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