Royal’’s Software has set out to create Royal’’s Inventory Basic–, a scalable inventory product. Pursuit Solutions will sell the new product, which is expected to be available in May.
Pursuit Solutions will distribute Royal’’s Inventory Basic through over 1,100 Valued-Added Resellers. This is a $50 Million company hardware integration reseller. The product will sell for $2,499. Royal’’s Software will get $1,250 per unit. It is projected that Pursuit Solutions will sell 250 units by month six. Royal’’s Software is expected gross $313,000 after first year sales.
Support and product modifications will play a crucial role in software sales. Royal’, Software estimates that $63,200 will be spent on product modification within six months.
In addition, Royal’s Software has entered into a business agreement with Pursuit Solutions and Johnson and Roe (CPA firm) to create a MAS 90 portable data collection interface that will be sold to accounting firms. This software product is in development for the past ten month.
John Royal, Dan Whiteaker and other key players in the product development process. MAS 90 is not a product that is packaged. Instead, it comes with software customization services (2,000 to $3,000) which will be provided by Royal’. This software product is expected to sell for $2,500
Royal’’s Software will receive 1/3 the gross sales ($833). It is projected that Royal’s Software will gross $500,500 by May of next year from product sales and customization services.
The two co-owners of Royal’s Software, John Royal and Dan Whiteaker, will each invest $50,000. In addition, the company will obtain a $100,000 short-term loan.
1.1 Objectives
The objectives of Royal’s Software are as follows:
Assemble the company to be a leader of inventory software products.
Each year, increase sales 20%
Develop one new inventory product per year.
1.2 Mission
The mission of Royal’s Software is to create inexpensive inventory software that will be scalable, so customer modification can be easily added.
1.3 Keys to Success
The ability to produce products on time and on budget, that meet the user’s needs and specifications.
Cresta Testing, Inc. (“Cresta” or the “Company”) is an ambitious and innovative global professional services company with a world class track record in testing and quality assurance. Cresta reduces risk, cuts software development costs and dramatically improves the time to market of new systems.
With experienced management at the helm, Cresta intends to grow by more than forty percent (40%) per year through solid customer service, a great sales plan, proven competitive strategies and a group of people that bring dynamic energy to the Company and the sales and delivery process. Cresta’’s financials reflect reality and are conservative in comparison to the rest of the industry.
Professional services companies must stand out from the sea of low-cost service providers that are commodity-based and cheap. Cresta is unique because our services and capabilities all revolve around quality assurance technology (QA).
Customers are able to easily identify our identity. Customers understand and appreciate the value of, and enjoy doing business with “specialists.” Our service delivery team is comprised of experienced QA specialists, skilled in the leading state-of-the-art QA technologies and techniques. Cresta offers the right service at the right time.
Current job insecurity as well as financial scrutiny, regulatory and company compliance and global terror, require the adoption of aggressive risk management strategies and actions to ensure the success and sustainability of each business-driven technology solution.
Cresta’s contribution to mitigating risks is significant. Clients can be sure that critical business applications and the supporting technology infrastructure are functional, performant, and scalable. We educate our clients so they can be self-sufficient in these efforts, or we will execute QA activities for them, ensuring that service level and financial management objectives are achieved.
Cresta’s ‘#8220’ roots have grown within global financial services, which has our largest client base. They also provide reference-ability. This market is our main focus for the immediate future. It will streamline and control sales and delivery costs, and leverage our prior work.
Cresta hopes to be a trusted advisor for each client, and to have the opportunity to prove the importance of Cresta’s value-add.
1.1 Mission
Cresta’s mission is provide a specialized alternative to in-house resources. It can develop and implement world-class QA and testing protocols and infrastructures. As a true alternative to in-house resources, Cresta must offer a very high level of practical experience, know-how, business practice sophistication, and confidentiality. Clients must know that working with Cresta is a more professional, less risky way to develop and implement QA and testing strategies than working completely in-house with their own people.
Cresta must provide its clients with the most qualified IT solutions through QA and strategic testing services that minimize risk, improve time to market, optimize ROI and ensure the scalability and reliability of IT systems environments throughout the enterprise. Cresta must be financially sound, offer high-quality services at a fair price, and provide a greater value to its clients. Development of New York City’s financial services industry will be the initial focus. Services for European clients in America will also be provided.
1.2 Objectives
Maintaining profitability through efficient operations systems. A minimum gross margin (50%) and net profitability after tax (9%) must be achieved by year-end 2004. The subsequent yearly levels are equal to or better than the current leading public IT consulting firm.
To maximize growth, build a loyal customer base and reach a minimum yearly rate of forty percent (40%) in each of two (2) years. A minimum yearly rate of fifteen (15%) is required thereafter.
Cresta’s constant growth and stability through the creation of an environment that is stable
Cresta Certified Consultants are Cresta certified in all major technologies in Cresta’s marketplace.
By the end 2002, Cresta’’s services and products were in need of a balanced consulting team.
1.3 Keys to Success
Leverage Cresta’s positive reputation, marquis client references and ability to close large, qualified deals.
Create industry specialization. This will allow you to have a distinct competitive advantage as well as service differentiation.
Maintain a pool of consultant resources that are Cresta certified in all the tools and major technologies used in Cresta’s target marketplace.
Supple Software Company (S Corporation) was founded by Ralph Smith and Mabel Smith. The company was established in 1993. There have been no outside investments. Supple currently sells three different products of software that have impressive market share. Ralph and Mabel would like to see the company grow by 2000.
Supple’s objectives are ambitious yet achievable. There were sales growth in 1999. The next year, they expect to double. They also forecast commensurate gross margin increases and net profit increases. Their goal is to hold personnel to one employee for every $250,000 in revenue. PC Data measured their 30% market share with Product X as their flagship product. The three keys to success are market power, customer happiness, and the right management.
The Market
Supple will be participating in a $3.8billion market with a 20% growth rate over three years. Supple will target four customer segments: professionals, academics, home offices and small offices. These markets are experiencing growth of 2%, 5% and 8% respectively. These markets each have potential customers of 22,000-15,000, 10,000 and 12,000 respectively. These numbers are for the USA market. International sales is the dominant trend in the market. The recent Internet boom has prompted a substantial increase in international PC sales. While the US market has seen 22% growth for the last three years, it is estimated that the international market will grow at 40%.
The Products
Supple Software currently has three products. Product X is the most popular Windows task X product and the quality leader. It offers a user-friendly interface with help and glossaries. Product Y can be used as a standalone task Y application on Windows. It is the best product for creating task Y. And it’s also the only product that allows you to manage the [omitted] function day-to-day. Their last product was Product Z, which is a creative business process application.
Strategy
Supple will follow four concise strategies to achieve the desired growth. They will design customized versions of standard products for customers who are looking for more value. They will create a solid marketing network. This will enable them to launch their products onto the market. Supple will remain focused on small to medium size companies, the segment that has been largely ignored by the competition. Lastly, Supple will focus on follow-up technology which is more appropriate for the masses, instead of leading technology which is best suited for experts.
Management Team
Mabel and Ralph have a wealth of experience as managers, capable of executing ambitious strategies. Arrog International brings Ralph 10 years of marketing and sales experience. Supple was founded by Ralph in 1993 as a distribution firm for software. Mabel will also be needed to grow the company. Mabel’s years of experience as a consultant will be tapped.
Supple Software was founded in 1993 as a small company. Since then, the company has grown into a $1 million business with increased revenue forecasts. This is all the more impressive when you consider that this was all done with investments from the owners, no outside capital was secured.
1.1 Objectives
To increase sales in 1999 and double sales again in 2000.
To increase gross profit margin and net margin in the appropriate manner.
For every $250K in income, 1 full-time worker must be employed.
Maintain at least 30% of the market share for Product X as measured by PC Data.
1.2 Keys to Success
Marketing power. It is important to ensure that your products are on the shelves in attractive packaging. This will allow you to retain a 30% market share as measured by PC Data.
Quality product and customer satisfaction. We guarantee everything we sell, so the product must live up to our promises.
For our survival, it is crucial to ensure that customers are satisfied for the long-term.
The right management team has solid foundations for marketing, management, finance and product development. Enough working capital to survive in the working-capital-intensive retail channel.
1.3 Mission
Supple Software creates, publishes and markets business tools as well as business knowledge in a single software product that includes documentation and software. It makes business methods accessible to millions, even to people who wouldn’t otherwise have the ability to use them. It generates profit and cash. It provides a stimulating work environment, fair pay to its employees, a fair return on its owners, and a fair royalties to its authors.
Curriculum Companion Suites (CSS), a medium-sized consulting and software development company, is focused on making education more efficient for K-12 schools. CCS software acts as a virtual assistant to the educational process. Students can follow along with curriculum electronically through a central computer terminal at the front of the classroom.
The Company
CCS’ key success factors are its commitment to market awareness as well future potential direction of education process. CCS also has relationships with a wide range of educational institutions.
Curriculum Companion suites is a start up company that consists of six executives with 76 employees. All functional areas of the company’s executives are represented, and each has 70 years combined experience in software development. Andrew Christiansen and David Fields hold 80% of the company. Other investors have a minority share. The company doesn’t plan to go public at this time, as most of the funding is raised internally. CSS was created in Oregon by two of its majority shareholders.
Products
CCS offers educational software to support every grade level, starting in kindergarten and ending in 12th grade. These suites are developed in collaboration with major curriculum publishers with whom CCS has established strategic partnerships.
CCS provides support for all aspects of software installation and maintenance. These services are provided as part of each software package purchase.
The Market
There are only a few competitors in the learning information system vendors segment. These companies provide software products, installation and systems integration services for schools from kindergarten through 12th grade (K-12) in the United States. CCS competes mostly against more traditional methods for education, training, testing and such as pencil testing. CCS also competes against other educational software companies, including Mattel, Inc., Apple Computer, Inc., International Business Machines Corporation, and Mattel, Inc.
Educational institutions and school districts are not active in finding technical improvements to the education process. Rather, companies such as CCS have often utilized a more “push” type of marketing strategy. It has been necessary for the educational community to be “educated” about the potential of technical infrastructures being used to enhance learning.
CCS is the only market in which CCS has direct competition. CCS intends to gain market share and aims to achieve 10% market share within three years.
The target market for CCS is the urban/metropolitan educational market, as this market presents the highest level of opportunity in terms of revenues. Additionally, software installations and customizations in this market are much more feasible in terms of technical logistics and efficiencies. This market is more likely to be profitable.
A large number of schools districts and educational institutions across the U.S. have formed relationships with CCS. CCS has made substantial investments in research and understanding the specific needs and potential improvements to the current educational process.
Financial Considerations
CCS hopes to raise significant owner capital and borrow the same amount in a SBA 10-year guarantee loan. This provides the bulk of the current financing required.
CCS intends for CCS to produce large sales in its first years, with steady growth in the second year and third.
1.1 Mission
Curriculum Companion Suites aims to offer software curriculum suites to K-12 schools within the U.S. market. CCS will concentrate on providing solutions that improve schools’ educational capabilities.
1.2 Keys for Success
Here are some key CCS keys for success:
The company’s commitment to being keenly alert to the current educational environment and future potential direction of the educational process.
CCS has strong relationships with many educational institutions.
Despite the continuing slide in this industry, the US housing sector saw its record-breaking $550.14Billion gain last year. This sector is expected to continue its steady growth in the coming years. The segment’s top revenue-generating sector is single-family housing construction. It accounted for 67% of all residential construction in the US.
The business model of the industry has evolved over the years towards greater cost efficiency and lower entry barriers. The industry was characterized by low barriers to entry, aside from the need for state-based licensing and registration. But, the competition is mostly based on reputation and demonstrated performance. Many new competitors have difficulty establishing a foothold in this market.
Existing companies have many advantages over new entrants. They:
Get access to skilled subcontractors.
Keep in touch with your suppliers.
Establish ongoing agreements with financial institutions and property development companies.
Can display completed examples of their work in a local market and leverage off “word-of-mouth” referrals.
KnaelHaed ASPware – KnaelHaed is a provider Web based vertical market software applications. The DigitalSuspenders is an online software solution to be offered by KnaelHaed ASPware in support of the building construction process.
The Issue
In terms of R&D investment, the construction sector is behind other industries. R&D investment for mature US businesses is typically 3.5% of sales. In some industries like aerospace, that number could be as high at 7% to 14%. Construction only reinvests 0.5%. While the reasons for this low reinvestment can vary, they are often due to cost and complexity. Most construction firms employ less than 10 people and earn very low profits. Technology spending is often viewed as an expensive luxury.
The Solutions
DigitalSuspenders is a family of Web-based software programs that will support all phases of the building lifecycle, from conception to construction to management. This suite supports small contractors with online collaboration, digital takeoff and estimating as well as project and property management capabilities. It is easy to use and understand.
The Market Size
According to the latest Economic Census, 163,703 establishments are part of the home construction industry. They employ 796,880 people. According to the most recently completed Economic Census, this industry has grown to record 175,000 establishments. In contrast, 34,588 establishments are found in the US’ commercial and institutional construction industries. Construction accounts for around 8% US GDP.
Start-up cost
KnaelHaed ASPware anticipates initially requiring $120,000 to complete the beta prototype of the DigitalSuspenders, provide for legal and infrastructure expenses related to start up and to cultivate potential customers. We intend to seek capital from corporate partners as well as angel investors for the initial financing of our start-up.
Potential Payoff
KnaelHaed ASPware expects to break-even in two years. We expect royalty income from licensing our position sensing system and software technology. KnaelHaed ASPware hopes to have the company listed or sold within three to five year to drive further growth and provide liquidity to investors.
Management Team
Paul Peen, the current President & Chief Executive Officer, has over 20 years of experience in commercial software development, including stints at Microsoft and Expedia.com.
KnaelHaed ASPware combines interactivity, speed, and connectivity to create a first-of-its-kind software that offers both efficiency, and a cost-saving strategy, for builders and subcontractors. KnaelHaed offers competitive pricing on solutions by outsourcing. KnaelHaed ASPware is dedicated to the development of new ideas that are useful in achieving clients’ objectives. Together, the owners’ passion and accumulated field work has made KnaelHaed ASPware more than “just-another-outsourcing-hub”, but a catalyst for the next e-commerce re-invention.
1.1 Objectives
The mission of KnaelHaed ASPware is to provide a medium for custom builders, general contractors, design builders, engineer-contractors, joint-venture contractors, and turnkey contractors to outsource their works with greater cost saving efficiency.
This model will be a disruptive force to construction software companies who charge thousands for every copy. KnaelHaed ASPware’s model is to offer a subset of these capabilities for free. Utilizing the open-source business model, KnaelHaed ASPware’s ideal mission is to provide better solutions for all stakeholders.
1.2 Mission
Our target market is builders and subcontractors who want to profit from outsourcing. The industry today is supplied independently by software companies whose products are quite costly for small and medium sized users. Because the average home builder builds only around a dozen houses per year, only a handful of companies can be considered large enough to afford premium licensing for a software package.
According to our estimates, approximately 60% of US’s total market would fall under the small and medium builder criteria, which would mean that 118.980 buildings are possible. Our attention will be on establishments that place emphasis on cost efficiency, and produce precise results.
1.3 Keys for Success
We chose the construction market to be our target for several reasons. It is a $787 billion industry, both residential and commercial. This sector offers great growth potential. The annual unit growth of the number of establishments in the housing sector averaged 6.45% and commercial/institutional sector 0.46% last year.
Despite the low growth in the construction industry, it still remains a very fragmented market. Within the US alone there are over 200,000 establishments (both housing and commercial/institutional) on record.
These are the keys that will make us successful:
Building and maintaining strategic alliances with our software vendors and other industry related business partners
Adopting a customer-centric and market-focused sales/marketing paradigm
Managing the business by implementing, and consistently measuring and adjusting the fundamentals of a Balanced Scorecard:
Goals of Employee Learning and Growth Results
Financial Goals Vs. Results
Goals of the Internal Business Process Vs. The Results
AgaMatrix (a Boston-based venture in development) offers digital signal processing (DSP), technology that significantly improves the performance and functionality of biosensors. AgaMatrix’s core DSP algorithms solve a number of immediate problems in the medical devices market by significantly boosting the performance of biosensors without costly specialized hardware and additional chemicals. AgaMatrix initially will sell medical device manufacturers, specifically home glucose monitors and point-of-care blood analyzers. AgaMatrix plans to have positive cash flow for the third consecutive year. Future targets in healthcare include the large immunoassay sector and implantable sensor sectors.
Problem – Glucose Monitors Are Burdensome, Painful To Use
Patients with diabetes fail to use their home glucose monitors as directed because it is too difficult or painful. To insert the glucose biosensor, a patient must do this four to seven days per day. The average testing compliance rate for diabetes is less than 1.5 per day. This causes complications like blindness or stroke and can accelerate the progression of these conditions, including heart and kidney disease. Diabetes is the most common cause of blindness for people aged 20 to 74. Therefore, better glucose monitoring compliance could be the biggest step towards prevention. Device manufacturers have identified that non-compliance stems from the physical pain experienced when using their devices. Therefore, they are looking for ways to decrease the size of the samples required by their devices. AgaMatrix technology will enable less invasive drawing mechanisms to meet the overwhelming demand for less painful alternatives.
Problems in the hospital blood analyzer market are more related to the lack of the comprehensiveness and accuracy of the devices, which results in reduced adoption levels. AgaMatrix’’s value proposition is very clear to this market: devices that have higher accuracy and more sensitive will be more likely to be adopted.
A Software Solutions for a Hardware Issue
The biosensor device industry has tried to overcome issues such as accuracy, robustness, and sensitivity by improving the hardware (or chemical) aspects of its devices. For example, their chemical and biological design. By contrast, AgaMatrix is pioneering a software approach based on digital signal processing (DSP) algorithms that has a number of distinct practical advantages, including lower cost, easier/faster upgrade capability, and complementarity with respect to a wide variety of chemistry/hardware-based biosensor technologies.
AgaMatrix’#8217;s solution consists of a series of software modules. This allows for new functionality, and dramatically improves performance of biosensors. Performance improvements include the possibility to use increases in signal to noise ratio to reduce blood sampling requirements. AgaMatrix can be used to increase the accuracy and sensitivity for hospital point of care analyzers. This eliminates the major obstacle to widespread adoption of portable blood analyzers instead of traditional laboratory equipment.
Software DSP solutions were crucial to the success and growth of other industries, where physical limitations might have hindered their growth. CD players, for example, relied on error-correction algorithms and oversampling in the 1980s to compensate low quality hardware filters. AgaMatrix algorithms provide similar solutions in biosensor space.
Business Model: Software Licensing from Device Makers and Royalty Fees
AgaMatrix initially will be a technology licensing firm, generating royalty revenue streams based upon device makers’ consumables sales (i.e. disposable test strips or cartridges used in devices). Revenues will be generated from the sales of the technology to blood glucose device makers at home, hospital point–of-care and implantable developers.
Therasense: An Illustration of How Disruptive the Glucose Industry Is
Only a few years back, the blood glucose market was dominated primarily by four players (numbers denote annual revenues from test strips).
27B), J & J (1.09B), Bayer (650M), Abbot (450M) These companies have existed since the 1980’s. They have grown their market capitalization to over $800million in less than 2 years after their product rollout. The bottom line is that this market is very open for new technology entrants, especially if they can lower pain for the user.
Competitive advantageThere is no direct competitor to our proprietary and highly innovative approach, which has been refined over the past seven year by our top-notch scientific team. AgaMatrix technology is complementary to indirect competition from major medical devices manufacturers’ in-house laboratories. The sustainable competitive advantages that AgaMatrix commands include:
Superior software paradigm, complementing chemical (hardware), advancements in biosensors.
The seven-year period of biosensor research was a time of great expertise.
Monopolization of the scientific group responsible for the original paradigm-innovation.
Development lead time of at least two years over potential competition.
Intellectual property strategy involving two core utility patents (filed) and three defensive utility patents.
Customer Transaction
Two manufacturers of hospital point-of care devices and a blood glucose monitor manufacturer have been approached as potential customers. There are 20 more potential target companies we haven’t reached yet. Below is a list of companies that we have made contact with.
Strong interest to partner from two blood glucose monitor companies (discussions with Presidents); details are confidential at this point, but we believe we will be able to close a deal by June 2002.
Strong interest from a top blood glucose monitor manufacturer (J & J – discussions avec Director-level employees) and the leading hospital point of care device maker (iSTAT – discussions mit Vice President und Director-level employees).
The Team
The current team is made up of:
The three top scientists in the field of digital signal processing have over 40 years combined experience in biosensor research and DSP.
Entrepreneurs that have started, built and operated a company offering enterprise-level software.
An expanding group of veteran advisors consisting of doctors with healthcare business experience.
Three additional technical staff members have committed to the company’s success after seed financing. They are engineers from MIT or Tufts with more than 25 years of combined commercial engineering experience.
Financing
Since its inception AgaMatrix is self-funded every year by its founders. Recently, the company raised $500K from a variety of angel investors in healthcare as well as IncTANK, an earlier stage venture capital fund. A Series A round of approximately 1 million is expected to take place in 4 to 5 months.
These rounds of funding aim to finish version 1.0 products and acquire at minimum one paying customer in a period not exceeding 13 months. Given the current state of customer traction and product development, we believe these milestones are reasonable. The company hopes to raise around $4 million through an institutional or other private round before the end of the first year to generate cash flow. Current valuation drivers include:
A scientific team of world-class scientists, including Dr. SridharIyengar (CTO), Justin Gooding and Dr. Ian Harding. The engineering team is supported by an aggressive business team, with management and start-up experience.
Technology that is useful in a variety other vertical markets. It is protected by an IP strategy.
External validation from existing relationships with potential customers and advancement to final rounds in a number of national business plan competitions.
1.1 Mission
AgaMatrix designs solutions that power next-generation chemical and biological sensor systems. AgaMatrix’s ability to significantly improve the accuracy, sensitivity and robustness of a variety of sensors is what makes it stand out in this market. This allows for more efficient medical diagnostic devices.
AgaMatrix’s technology enables the development of devices that will be essentially painless to patients and that will meet the demand for better accuracy in medical diagnostics. It is committed to developing software solutions for a critical problem in hardware that affects millions upon millions of hospital patients and diabetics worldwide.
1.2 Objectives
Design technology solutions that will increase adoption and compliance rates of diagnostic medical equipment by improving functionality and performance of biosensors.
In the third year, achieve positive cashflow.
To reach $50 million annual revenues in four years
Expand into industries that heavily rely in biosensors like industrial processing and military sectors.
Third Degree I.D. The company is a limited-liability LLC (LLC) with three founder partners. It’s located in Savannah Georgia. The company develops, markets and markets instructional products for the corporate, educational, government, healthcare, and e-learning industry. It is committed to instructional design excellence and educational media development. The company provides the core deliverables of courses, programs and learning objects in distance education, distributed and elearning markets.
The company uses an object-oriented approach to design that provides clients with rich, tailored solutions that can easily be replicated and maintained. It wants to have a balanced portfolio that includes clients from various industry sectors. In addition, it plans to reduce business fluctuations by adding a number of domestic, national, as well as international clients.
Third Degree I.D. Develops strategic relationships and grows its business based on returning customers.
Three founding partners founded Third Degree I.D. They will each invest $35,000 to the company and are seeking a $30,000 additional loan over two years to complete the start up funding. This initial funding will cover approximately $19,000 in start-up expenses and assets. The rest will be used as a cash base for the first year of operation, which will include Third Degree I.D. Influential clients will receive some at-cost work in exchange for a solid reputation. This reputation serves as the basis for sales and marketing strategies.
Our market research shows that our $360,000 goal in the first year for sales is conservative for an educational software start-up with our combined expertise. Based on comparable businesses within the same industry, growth estimates for years 2 and 3 will be different.
1.1 Objectives
For Third Degree I.D., the following are key objectives These are the main objectives for the Third Degree I.D.
You can start a legal company by obtaining the appropriate licensing
Complete business planning and look for funding sources such as bank loans or grants.
Establish a website presence and list products or services in relevant publications and websites.
Six to eight clients may contract for consulting, training, design, or development work in a suitable scope ($50,000 and more).
1.2 Mission
Third Degree I.D. designs, develops, and markets instructional products and services for the corporate, education, government, and healthcare e-learning industries. It provides companies and institutions with cost-effective, flexible, flexible, and well-supported solutions to their instructional design or e-learning operations. Its main goal is to satisfy clients and be a loyal business partner. It is a non-profit company that offers an inclusive and fair work environment for its owners and employees.
1.3 Keys To Success
Success is dependent on:
Be persistent in your client development efforts.
exceptional product and service quality
time-efficient and cost-effective development processes
Management with expertise and a knowledgeable staff
FoodFun Lifeskills Instructional Software (FoodFun LIS) is a start-up organization whose vision is to create the finest education/entertainment software for non-reading individuals with developmental disabilities. To meet the specific needs of this customer segment, the software product was designed and developed by a Ph.D. veteran in special education. It will teach life skills and be useful, while also being fun to use. FoodFun LIS began as an Illinois L.L.C. Sue Altamirankow (Ph.D.) is the founder and owner of FoodFun LIS. She will be based out of Chicago.
The Market
FoodFun identified four distinct market segments interested in the software. These are the most likely buyers of the software. These segments are:
Centers for Independent LivingThese centers were created to assist individuals with development disabilities in living independently. The curriculum often revolves around four essential life skills that each individual must have to be able to live independently.
School Districts All states must provide education for students with special learning needs until the age 21. FoodFun’s software is often offered by school districts until students turn 18. They are often the ones who provide education for students with special needs.
Proactive Parents– Parents who are taking an active role in the education of their children will be looking for aids that they can use at home to help with their child’s learning progress.
Agency Several states have created agencies to act as intermediaries between service providers and individuals. The agencies have generally been formed as a result of a settlement or payout from a lawsuit (including class action).
Parents should only purchase one copy, but other segments may purchase multiple copies/site licences. They will likely purchase upgrades to the next version.
The Product
Grocery shopping and socialization/leisure are two of the main lifeskills which individuals with developmental disabilities are taught. FoodFun has created a unique software product that helps to teach these valuable skills. The software’s first component is grocery shopping. This digital cookbook contains all the recipes. Each recipe can be represented by a picture. The student can choose the photo they want and then see a list that includes the ingredients and tools needed to create the dish. The student can then print the pictures and take them with him to the grocery to make their own purchases.
The second component is the socialization/leisure time module that provides the user with a choice of many different social events/parties for which they can prepare food. This module allows students to plan for a party (and we know EVERYONE loves to plan for parties) and incorporates music linked to each type of social event to provide entertainment for the user. Most people with developmental disabilities are happy to click on a social event and listen to the music.
Competitive Edge
There are many companies selling educational products that target this audience. FoodFun LIS will use entertainment to increase their market share. It is a way to bring joy and create interest in their software products. This interest and joy will increase the amount of time that the students use the software, thereby increasing the effectiveness of the program. FoodFun believes that students are more likely to enjoy the product than being forced to use it.
Management
FoodFun was established by Sue Altamirankow. Sue is a graduate of the University of Michigan with a Masters and Ph.D. degree in special education. She has taught in university settings for eight years. Her thesis, “Implications of Lifeskill Training for Individuals With Autism”, was published in a groundbreaking paper. It carefully examined all aspects of lifeskills. This thesis was the basis of her idea to create a software company. She realized that she could develop a study aid that would be fun and effective. It would be fun because the students would enjoy using it, it would be effective because it taught important necessary lifeskills
individuals with developmental disabilities that allow them to live more independently. FoodFun has forecasted revenues of $400,397 and $490,000 for years two and three.
1.1 Mission
To create fun and easy-to-use educational software to assist non-readers with developmental disabilities. Our software will provide lifeskills training that empowers the individuals and make them more independent. We exist to produce products that the market wants and to have a positive effect on society.
1.2 Keys to Success
Create educational software that is fun and constructive. It will likely not be used if the program is not enjoyable.
You should run a strong campaign to spread awareness about the software among all the schools, brokerages, training centres, and parents.
For your organization, establish strict financial controls.
1.3 Objectives
For the first two consecutive years, triple your sales.
By year four, you can achieve 20% market penetration
PT. Rekayasa Tambang Indonesia (RTI) meets the needs of clients – private and government-owned mining companies – in virtually every sphere of geological interpretation and modeling, mine design and engineering, and mining productivity improvement activities. RTI is a subsidiary of Mining Engineering Software Development and Technical Assistance, a U.S. software company that provides software for full-service mine design and interpretation. It also offers the managerial and technical resources necessary to solve complex geological interpretation and modeling as well as mine design, mining optimization and mine scheduling.
The Products
RTI will offer five different products and services. The first product is geological modeling and interpretation software systems. This product and service provides the most comprehensive geological database, innovative interpretation tools, advanced modeling techniques and resource reporting for most types of deposits ranging from simple vein, stratiform, and massive deposits, to complex and highly deformed ore bodies. Mine design and engineering software systems will also be offered in addition to mining optimization and scheduling software systems. Lastly, dump design and rehabilitation will perform analysis regarding environmental impact, designing mine waste dump, designing acid drainage, designing ground water drainage, and environmental rehabilitation.
The Market
Over the past five years, the average market value of open-pit, underground and quarried mining software technologies has increased at a rate of 22%. Indonesia has no local software manufacturer for engineering software. Therefore, 100% of the open pit, underground and mine mining engineering and geological technology in Indonesian mining industries is imported. The total imports of mining technology technologies amounted to $75 million in 2013, 23.7% more than the previous year’s $60.6 million levels, which were 26.3% higher than the $48 million imports.
Competitive Advantages
RTI can create and sustain competitive advantages by having access to intangible cash (leadership, talent entrepreneurs, intellectual and property, brand), and advanced technology. These two advantages are interrelated. Intangible capital is the intellectual capital that an organization has captured. RTI has worked hard to create systems that capture the human capital developed by its members. This is a significant advantage as it captures the knowledge of employees, even if they leave to start new jobs. This intellectual capital then fuels the advanced technologies.
RTI, a dynamic company, combines innovative technology in the form software and consulting services to the mining industry. RTI projects strong revenue for year 1, with steady growth in year five. With gross margins at a high percentage of sales, net profits will improve each year.
1.1 Mission
RTI has the mission to create a strong presence and implement all provisions in the MINER DELTA Mission Statement. The specific mission is to be the top mining and geoology software and consulting service provider in Indonesia. By facilitating efficient and optimized operations using the most advanced techniques for image analysis, RTI will add value to customers. Also, as the commercial arm of the MINER DELTA, RTI will establish a reputation in the mining industry for exceeding customer expectations through exemplary consultative service.
1.2 Objectives
Here are the financial and marketing goals of RTI.
A healthy year for sales and steady growth through the fifth.
Average gross margin percent of sales revenue for top drawers is the highest.
Net income consistently improving each year.
The financial objectives are converted into marketing objectives. The company must have a high average profit margin in order to meet its sales and gross margin targets.
To meet these goals, the company needs to be proactive in approaching potential candidates. They will also need to team-up with other technology suppliers (hardware manufacturers, platform developers), partner with trusted local and regional mining contractors.
This could be the marketing objective.
For the next five year, target sales revenue.
Ensure that customers are aware of the plan throughout the planning period.
Partnering with reliable local and regional miners and equipment suppliers will reduce competition and lower risk.
1.3 Keys for Success
RTI is able to gain a competitive advantage by accessing intangible capital, such as leadership, talent and entrepreneurs, advanced technology and the ability to personalize its location.
RTI is able to provide intangible capital as well as technological advantages through its advanced mining design, scheduling and geological interpretation programs. The software’s ability to calculate and produce visibility plots is a measure of its performance. RTI excels in other qualitative measures such as ease-of-use and flexibility. RTI will concentrate on improving and refining its system in future software releases to ensure a sustainable competitive advantage. RTI will continue its research on image analysis.
RTI’s combination of advanced technology and human resources allows it to be a customer-driven company. Each system will be individually designed and installed by trained personnel. This personalized service onlyavailable through RTI. Its ability operate in a “:turn key” fashion is highly prized in its target markets. RTI relies on close customer relationships to fulfill its mission, which is to i>exceed customer expectations through exceptional consultative support.
RTI’’s Jakarta-based location makes it easy to reach the target market. Further, RTI’s product and services distribution is aided by the locations in the major mining provinces in Indonesia (East Kalimantan, South Kalimantan, South Sumatra, Central Sulawesi). Sales demonstrations, installation and design, service, and maintenance will all be subject to a lower travel cost. The distribution cost benefits will become tangible cost competitive advantages as unit sales rise. Many intangible benefits will result from being close to our customers. This will assist in consulting efforts and in our quest towards being customer and market driven.
A typical mine’s primary activity is operations. It allows for more product to be produced at a lower cost. RTI delivers value to its customers by focusing on this activity within its customer’s value chain. RTI creates systems for its clients that provide quality assurance activities and guide its customers in improving their operational performance.
Insurance Solutions LLC (ISL) will become the premier provider of Web-based property and contents valuation software to consumers, insurance companies and their affiliated organizations/partners, mortgage and small business lenders and their customers. ISL offers two products
IV Software. Our Web-based “Insurance Valuer” (IV) software will provide insurers with the ability to far more accurately assess risks they are insuring, allowing them to price those risks accordingly and provide enhanced services and solutions to their customers. In addition, our mortgage and small business lending clients will be able to ensure that the collateral they are using to secure their loans is properly valued and insured to minimize their financial risk should the collateral property be damaged, lost or stolen. The IV software can be used to provide a direct-to customer valuation and link to replacement property websites and insurance agencies for an immediate response.
Documents Plus. Provides consumers with electronic storage and retrieval of vital insurance, legal and financial documents and other information, accessible online from anywhere in the world. Our solutions will provide consumers with the peace of mind that the value of their property and contents insurance are fully covered and that their vital insurance, legal and financial documents and information is up-to-date and is safely stored and fully accessible.
The IV software was successfully implemented by a number major Australian insurance companies, giving the ISL the opportunity to demonstrate its proven capabilities and operations.
Management Team
ISL’’s management is a combination of operational and consulting experience, which has allowed them to be successful in their business. ISL Limited Liability Corporation is privately owned. Its three principal officers, as well an advisor Michael Bartlett, who founded ISL’s Australian affiliate International Cost Research (ICR), are jointly owners. Hugh Lloyd-Thomas, Mark Purowitz, Mark Metcalf and Mark Lloyd-Thomas are the President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Chief Operating Officers (COO) and Chief Information & Technical Officers (CIO). A minority share is reserved for investors who are able to contribute an additional $92,500 towards our start-up costs.
The Chance
Talks with potential customers revealed that they are dissatisfied with the products of competitors and are interested in our solutions. According to industry estimates, extensive research, and potential customer interest, our projections show that we will achieve a strong first-year net profit. These projections are conservative and reflect the ability of our products to help the insurance industry increase their premium revenues by $4.7 billion annually.
The Investment Offering
According to conservative projections, the founders plan to purchase this investment of $92,500 in the start-up for approximately $750,000 in the third year.
1.1 Keys To Success
Our unique and complementary online data collection systems, which fill a huge gap in the insurance industry today, will be key to our continued success. We will utilize our state of the art technology to:
Meet the individual needs of each customer.
Clearly differentiate our solutions from competitors;
Provide superior service
ISL will create high product visibility and consumer awareness of our solutions by a consistent and carefully targeted marketing strategy. To increase credibility and promote growth, we will create a brand identity.
1.2 Objectives
Market our contents and property value software, and other solutions to insurance agencies and consumers profitably and successfully.
Clients of insurance companies can achieve sales of $3.0 Million by Year 3 thanks to solutions.
Web-based consumer solutions for $1.5 million in sales, also by Year 3.
1.3 Mission
ISL will:
Allow insurers to accurately assess risks. This allows them to provide better services and solutions for their customers and to price these risks accordingly.
The ability to lend small business and mortgage loans to customers
They need to make sure that collateral used to secure loans is properly insured to reduce their risk of losing collateral.
Deliver peace of mind to consumers, with the assurance that the value of their property and contents insurance is fully covered and that their vital insurance, legal and financial documents and information are up-to-date, safely stored and fully accessible.