Archive for December, 2008
December 26th, 2008 | Tags: Elevator Pitch, Enterprise Forum, Investment, Press
A couple of weeks ago, we gave an “elevator pitch” at an Enterprise Forum event in Pittsburgh. Check out the video that Pop City Media put together featuring the 11 companies that pitched.
This is not the first time for us. It actually started with an elevator pitch for the Skandalaris Center for Social Entrepreneurship in Saint Louis back in February 2007. For that one, I think we had two-minutes to work with. Back then, it was harder getting the message across, largely because the message was not as clear — our company and product had not yet undergone the growth that we have since. As it goes, we actually ended up getting our first bit of funding ($5,000) from Skandalaris. From there, it was off to Echoing Green where we gave a 90-second pitch supported by a prop (we used a lego building set). That one, we nailed — at least, we hit all of our marks and stayed under time though I’m not so sure we made the best case.
At the Enterprise Forum, I felt like an old pro — partly because we have been in competitions like this before but more because I’m making these pitches in one-form or another every day. There’s always someone asking “What is Skill-Life?” or “Why does it matter?” or “How are you going to do it?”. And they’re asking with little time to spare — so 60-seconds felt like a luxury. All in all, it was a great experience. My hope, as always, is that something tangible comes out of it, but any opportunity to tell the world about what we’re doing is certainly worth a minute or two.
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December 22nd, 2008 | Tags: Press, Radio
Skill-Life was featured on the radio show “The American Entrepreneur” hosted by legendary businessman Ron Morris. You can check out a podcast here.
Being on the show was like sitting in a coffee shop talking everything business — from the big idea to the day-to-day journey. We ended up going longer than expected — over an hour that included a few calls from listeners. Ron Morris is one of these guys who’s been there — as an entrepreneur and as an individual. He has a tremendous personal story and has started 11 companies.
We’ve already gotten a good response from having appeared on the show, including two serious inquiries. The goal now is to take the energy and opportunity to keep pushing ahead.
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December 8th, 2008 | Tags: Entrepreneurship, Financial Education, Financial Literacy, Press, Radio
Over the last two weeks, I have been on a couple of radio shows — talking Skill-Life and financial education. People are recognizing the tremendous progress we have made at Skill-Life and how important our work is in the midst of this financial crisis.
On November 24th, I was one of three guests on the Mark DeSantis Show on Pittsburgh Renaissance Radio (Money Talk 1360 WMNY). During the program, host Mark DeSantis took a look at entrepreneurs who have come to Pittsburgh to start their businesses. He talked with me as well as with D Raja, the President of TIE Pittsburgh (From India), and Nikolay Ivanov of Big Dog Coffee (From Bulgaria by way of Atlanta). A podcast of the show can be found here: http://recordings.talkshoe.com/TC-26344/TS-167335.mp3
Last week, I was featured in a segment entitled “Early Lessons on Financial Education” by Katherine Fink of WDUQ 90.5 for the program All Things Considered. The segment focused on financial education efforts directed at Pennsylvania high school students. A podcast can be found here: http://wduq.org/news/features/youngfinancialed12032008/youngfinancialed.mp3
This Saturday, I will again be on Pittsburgh Renaissance Radio as a guest on Ron Morris’s show The American Entrepreneur. “The American Entrepreneur is Western Pennsylvania’s only weekly radio talk show devoted entirely to the entrepreneurial experience. Each Saturday from 9 AM to 12:30 PM on Money Talk 1360 WMNY, Ron Morris puts over thirty years of entrepreneurial experience to work answering your business questions, solving your business problems, and bringing you all the latest information about everything that is happening on the entrepreneurial landscape.”
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December 2nd, 2008 | Tags: 360KID, Game Development
On yesterday, we began working with 360KID to develop a more comprehensive game design document for Skill-Life. This will be the third game design document we have created over the last two years, the previous two having been developed in collaboration with Sidehatch Studios and Semiotic Technologies. In each instance, the Skill-Life product has evolved considerably. We are deeply committed to developing the absolute most fun and dynamic financial education product out there. Working with 360 takes us one step closer and establishes a relationship with a developer with which we expect to continue working as we build our Beta.
We were originally connected with 360KID during our search for an executive producer. Emily Treat, a graduate of Carnegie Mellon’s Entertainment & Technology Center, presently works at 360 and will be involved with our project. Our product development guy, Todd Waits, will lead the process from Skill-Life’s end and ensure that all the pieces are in place to continue our movement forward.
For over 16 years, 360KID has been partnering with businesses and not-for-profit organizations to create award-winning products that educate as well as entertain. The company understands how kids learn and how they play, and brings experience in both the education and entertainment industries to each product developed. It has an established track record of success in both the education and entertainment arenas, including multiple awards—and three Emmy nominations! 360KIDhas previously worked with such organizations as LeapFrog, Hasbro, Simon & Schuster, the Princeton Review, National Public Radio, and the Girl Scouts of America.
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