Venture Pitch

Why Microlearning?

Microlearning is trending in education because it is great way for individuals to learn and retain information to achieve specific learning goals. It is an informal way that individuals can learn and stay up to date with the latest information they need in their jobs. The global microlearning market size is expected to grow from 1.5 billion USD in 2019 to 2.7 billion by 2024, at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 13.2% during the forecast period. This means that Microlearning is catching on and becoming more widespread.

Like many professionals, Educational Assistants' work is busy and challenging. It is difficult to keep up the latest trends, best practices, and standards. Microlearning can help EAs learn on the go to become confident and successful support workers.

Why Educational Assistants?

In most provinces of Canada, there are no clear standards for Educational Assistants. Some school districts require EAs to have a 2 year secondary program yet some only require a high school diploma. They are often times confused and overwhelmed with what the need to know to help assist their students. Many EAs are older and much of what they know is outdated and not in line with current practices recommended by professional services. Most EAs are also very busy and don't have the time (or funding) to go back to school to be retrained. Some school districts provide professional development but the information learned at these sessions is often times lacking and difficult to retain. Let's face it, many Educational Assistants are struggling and need help.

This is where Microlearning can step in and really help EAs stay current and up-to-date with the latest science based methods for working with special needs students. EA Assist has well over 100 Microlessons that cover all the recommended teaching strategies for the wide range of student learning challenges in schools today. This includes topics such as speech pathology, ABA therapy, life skills development, and academic achievement, etc.

The following Market Analysis provides some more details on how EA Assist can be a viable venture now and in the future.

Market Analysis

Analysis using the Cube Framework

Market Focus

The target for this venture is any Educational Assistant (EA) who works in the K-12 education system, public or private. This product is designed strictly for EAs to enhance their professional development. In the Halifax region there are approximately 1350 employed EAs and in all of Canada there are 98000 EAs working in K-12 schools. These numbers of EAs working in schools continues to increase. For example, in the province of Alberta, EA employment has increased by 48% over the past 15 years.

Type of Offerings

This venture offers a mobile application that is filled with e-learning content dedicated to Educational Assistants. It offers microlessons in a variety of topics that focus on what EAs need to know to successfully assist students with developmental challenges. Topics include speech therapy, behavior intervention, life skills, technology, and academics. This offering is a product and service, as content will be updated when new methods and standards are established over time.

Who is the Buyer?

The buyers for this venture are School Administrators and District School Boards who want to invest in their special needs programs and in particular their support staff. In Canada there are 300 school boards(or districts) representing approximately 15,500 K-12 schools. In the school district of Halifax alone, they have a estimated yearly budget of over 4 million dollars for professional development. This is a healthy budget. At $6 a user per month (for the premium plan) and with 1350 users, we are looking at a annual revenue of $97,000 just for the Halifax region alone. For all of Nova Scotia it would be approximately $360,000. For all of Canada, based off of 98000 users, it would be approximately $7.1 million per annum. (*this does not include deductions)

Global Target

This venture is based out of Halifax, NS and is currently focused on the Canadian market. Once there is a well established base in this market, EA Assist plans to grows globally and expand into other Anglophone countries like the United States, Untied Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa.

Market Status

Microlearning is becoming a very popular way to deliver online training. The market is expected to grow to 2.7 billion USD by 2024. Currently, there is no mobile training application dedicated to Educational Assistants on the market. Microlearning is the ideal way for EAs to learn and retrain to support students in today's classrooms.

Competition

This venture can be easily implemented into the education system. The app can be used on all devices and all content is stored on a cloud based platform. There is no current competition other than formal training such as secondary courses or college programs. EA Assist can establish itself as the leader in EA professional development and retraining.

Growth Plan

  • Phase 1: Continue to run product testing with a selected group of Educational Assistants within the Regional Center of Education in Halifax.

  • Phase 2: Gain backers to invest in the EA Assist App.

  • Phase 3: Continue to develop product to refine the application software, user experience, and cloud storage platform.

  • Phase 4: Market EA Assist and make contact with all K-12 schools within the Regional Center of Education in Halifax.

  • Phase 5: Build customer base in Halifax and expand to all Regional Centers of Education in Nova Scotia.

  • Phase 6: Expand customer base across the Atlantic Region and further across Canada, while continuing to attract investment and improving the customer experience.

  • Beyond: Expand into the US and other Anglophone countries.

Investment

We are asking for $50,000 CAD to invest into this product.


Note: This website was developed by Grant MacLeod as an assignment for the course ETEC 522 Ventures in Learning Technologies in the MET program at the University of British Columbia,Canada. November 2020.