We have locked in the final agenda and judges for this weekends Azure BizSpark Dev Camp. Its going to be a cracker of a 3 days and I can’t wait! This event is going to be an opportunity to not just get hands on technical training but with the added bonus of learning from Industry figureheads as they share their great business sessions, technical assistance for experts, and the chance to also network with representatives from Incubators, Investors, university, Government and Industry.
Will this be our biggest event yet?
Agenda
Time
Topic
Speaker
9:00 – 10:15
Getting started with Windows Azure
Steven Nagy
Readify
10:30 – 11:30
Using Windows Azure Storage
11:30 – 12:30
Lunch
12:30 – 1:30
Understanding SQL Azure
2:30 – 3:30
Securing, Connecting, and Scaling
3:30 – 4:30
Application Scenarios
4:30 – 5:00
Launching your app
Day 2
9:00 – 12:30
Day #2 Kickoff Development - Build your own app using the Windows Azure Platform
12:30 – 1:00
Lunch-
Business Session- Successful Pitching
Timothy Sheehan
QIS
4:00 – 7:00
Build your own app using the Windows Azure Platform
Day 3
Day #3 Kickoff Development - Build your own app using the Windows Azure Platform
Catherine Eibner
Microsoft
Business Session- Professional attitudes and behaviors
Chris Collect
4:00 – 4:15
Pre Judging
Business Session- Common Challenges for Start-Up’s
Colin Kinner
I-lab
4:15 – 6:00
Pitch to Judges
Sharon Schoenborn
Mark Fludder
IIB- QLD Gov
Chris Collet
6:00 – 6:30
Judges Adjudicate while Networking commences
6:30 – 7:30
Winners announced, prizes awarded and Networking continues.
Speakers
Senior Consultant- Readify
Steven joined Readify in 2008 and has been working in the IT industry since 1999. With a Bachelor in IT and a Masters in eCommerce, Steven has performed in a variety of IT roles before making the shift to development, a life-long held interest that was discovered at the age of 9.More recently Steven has become a technical specialist in the Windows Azure Platform. Steven began .Net development in Windows Forms and hand held devices before moving into ASP.NET and associated web technologies. He has worked as a Lead Developer twice before joining Readify and is passionate about people and processes. He is a Microsoft Certified Professional, a Certified Scrum Master, and in 2010 was awarded a Microsoft MVP in Windows Azure, one of only two in the southern hemisphere.
http://azure.snagy.name/blog/
Queensland University of Technology Innovation Space
In Tim’s own words:
“I have been lucky enough to have had many interesting jobs my limited lifetime, but nothing as exciting as my current position as the Managing Director of Vera Biotech. The company, which spun out of the Medical University of South Carolina, has a vibrant entrepreneurial spirit. I collaborate with the Queensland University of Technology Innovation Space where I help creative people develop influential pitches. Presenting is more than my work; it's my hobby. I present weekly to the Rotary Club and fortnightly to Toastmasters too. Opportunities are all around us and the right pitch is sure to open the right doors”
Tim will provide great insight into what it means to pitch as a start-up and how to capture the hearts and minds of potential investors and accelerators.
Director- Queensland University of Technology Innovation Space
Chris Collet is the Director of the QUT Innovation Space, set up to provide support to develop and progress initial concept ideas towards real-world products or services. QIS offers opportunities for people to expand their commercialisation and creative skills. Chris is also the Associate Professor of the Faculty of Science and Technology, CELS Portfolio (Chemical, Earth and Life Sciences) in Cell and Molecular Biosciences. Chris spent over 30 years researching the molecular biology of organisms as divergent as microalgae, bananas, marsupials, birds, fish and fruit fly. During his years as a research scientist, Chris saw many innovative discoveries progress no further than the laboratory bench. This prompted Chris to develop an entrepreneurship education program in biotechnology that targeted graduates to the commercialisation and technology transfer sector. In recognition, Chris has received two University and three national teaching awards including a prestigious Teaching Fellowship from the Australian Teaching and Learning Council. Aims of the ALTC Fellowship are to examine best practice examples of entrepreneurship education programs in non-business schools and to distil skills requirements in different innovation contexts. Chris provides an interesting view on innovation and entrepreneurship and the processes of which a Start-Up must go through in order to be successful.
www.qutinnovationspace.com
CEO- I-Lab
Colin is the CEO of I-labs, a technology incubator that helps new technology start-ups become successful businesses. Colin has over fifteen years’ experience in the formation, financing and growth of technology-based start-ups Australia and the UK. His experience includes strategy development, business planning, raising equity capital and providing training and mentoring to entrepreneurs.
His career has included roles in big-four consulting firms, corporate finance/capital raising, and early stage investment as Head of Funds Management at Imperial College Innovations in London, where he managed a seed fund with a portfolio of 36 early stage investments.
Colin has also spent several years working with entrepreneurs in the local research sector, having held senior roles in companies that specialise in commercialisation at The University of Queensland and Queensland University of Technology. He has been a director of a number of successful technology-based start-up companies, including UK-based laser imaging company Holoscan Limited and Brisbane-based hydrogen storage company Hydrexia Pty Ltd.
Colin joined ilab as Chief Executive Officer in May 2010 and holds a BSc (Hons) and an MBA. He is a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors. Colin will provides unique insight into what an accelerator or potential investor is looking for in a Start-Up.
http://www.ilab.com.au/
Judges
Readify- Senior Consultant
Steven joined Readify in 2008 and has been working in the IT industry since 1999. With a Bachelor in IT and a Masters in eCommerce, Steven has performed in a variety of IT roles before making the shift to development, a life-long held interest that was discovered at the age of 9.More recently Steven has become a technical specialist in the Windows Azure Platform. Steven began .Net development in Windows Forms and hand held devices before moving into ASP.NET and associated web technologies. He has worked as a Lead Developer twice before joining Readify and is passionate about people and processes. He is a Microsoft Certified Professional, a Certfified Scrum Master, and in 2010 was awarded a Microsoft MVP in Windows Azure, one of only two in the southern hemisphere.
Microsoft- State Director for QLD, NT and Pacific Islands
As State Director, QLD/NT/Pacific Islands, Sharon Schoenborn is responsible for driving Microsoft’s overall business in the region. With a team of more than 70 staff based in Queensland and the Northern Territory, Sharon is responsible for meeting the needs of Microsoft’s customers, which include governments and businesses, as well as engagement with Microsoft partners developing leading edge technology solutions based on Microsoft’s platform. Prior to her State Director role, Sharon was the Enterprise Partner Director for Microsoft Australia, overseeing Microsoft’s engagement with global alliance and system integrator partners helping customers realise the value of their investment in solutions based on Microsoft technology. Ms Schoenborn joined Microsoft in April 2001 as an Organisational Consultant focused on leadership development, change management and corporate acquisitions. Prior to Microsoft, Sharon led the international leadership development program at Great Plains Software, based in the United States. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Management and a Master of Science Degree in Leadership Development from Minnesota State University. Sharon lives in Brisbane with her husband Robert.
ICT Business Advisor- Information Industries Bureau
Queensland Government
Mark Fludder has spent the last 7 years working for the Queensland Government’s Information Industries Bureau, as an ICT Business Advisor offering mentoring for start-up and emerging IT companies. With a Master Degrees in Marketing and Information System, Mark specialises in business and revenue modeling, development of marketing strategies, and brand development. Mark provides great insight into the industry, potential export opportunities, marketing and potential markets for Start-ups.
Colin is the CEO of I-labs, a technology incubator that helps new technology start-ups become successful businesses. Colin has over fifteen years’ experience in the formation, financing and growth of technology-based start-ups Australia and the UK. His experience includes strategy development, business planning, raising equity capital and providing training and mentoring to entrepreneurs. His career has included roles in big-four consulting firms, corporate finance/capital raising, and early stage investment as Head of Funds Management at Imperial College Innovations in London, where he managed a seed fund with a portfolio of 36 early stage investments.
Colin joined ilab as Chief Executive Officer in May 2010 and holds a BSc(Hons) and an MBA. He is a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors. Colin will provides unique insight into what an accelerator or potential investor is looking for in a Start-Up.
Chris Collet is the Director of the QUT Innovation Space, set up to provide support to develop and progress initial concept ideas towards real-world products or services. QIS offers opportunities for people to expand their commercialisation and creative skills. Chris is also the Associate Professor Faculty of Science and Technology, CELS Portfolio (Chemical, Earth and Life Sciences) in Cell and Molecular Biosciences. Chris spent over 30 years researching the molecular biology of organisms as divergent as microalgae, bananas, marsupials, birds, fish and fruit fly. During his years as a research scientist, Chris saw many innovative discoveries progress no further than the laboratory bench. This prompted Chris to develop an entrepreneurship education program in biotechnology that targeted graduates to the commercialisation and technology transfer sector. In recognition, Chris has received two University and three national teaching awards including a prestigious Teaching Fellowship from the Australian Teaching and Learning Council. Aims of the ALTC Fellowship are to examine best practice examples of entrepreneurship education programs in non-business schools and to distil skills requirements in different innovation contexts. Chris provides an interesting view on innovation and entrepreneurship and the processes of which a Start-Up must go through in order to be successful.
http://www.qutinnovationspace.com/
There has been much focus on the application development over the last few days so I guess I have been overly quiet on the blog posts but the good news is that things are going well.
We have once again completely redesigned out back end and now have locked down the design for our back end accessible data points and have updated versions of the iPhone/iPad app & Windows 7 app working! Whoohoo!! We are just finalising the testing loop now. I expect that this will be finished in the next few days.
In the interim we have also been working on an updated PR piece that is way way way too long (who knew we had so much we could reference around our app that made for interesting stories – such as the projected increase in Childhood obesity, the increase in instances of Adult depression, the stats from the Cancer Council proving that (some) active time outside is actually really really good for you! ). We are now looking at consolidating that into an aggressive PR kit to use once the application is available on the iTunes & Zune marketplaces.
I also today attended a seminar held by Marcus Tarrant of http://www.businessplanninghq.com/ where we learnt about the value of a formal business plan and followed a surprisingly simple “wizard” that to be honest allowed me to create a much more professional and comprehensive Business Plan in the sessions than I did in the hours and hours I spent with my initial plan that was overly vague and missing massive chunks. I’d love to share the document with you – but I don’t think Marcus would overly appreciate that – so here is a snapshot of the sample document he provides to show what you get at the end… Well worth setting aside the time to do.
Beside the benefit of meeting other early stage companies and sharing the ideas, questions, businesses with each other (I cannot iterate enough HOW IMPORTANT THIS IS!) I picked up a few great tips for my app around adding a geocaching feature, creating a targeted app for golf courses and an introduction to someone looking to help with PR. Another valuable tip came from one of the attendees who shared during the lunch discussions a tip he was given which was that: “A good photo in your press kit can mean the difference between a page 43 listing & a page 3 listing! “. I am now thinking off all the interesting photos I can add to the press kit!
We have a finite timeline to work towards now with the upcoming Anthill Awards – so am not going to add too much more tonight – as we make our next milestone… you will hear about it!
I also want to say a special thanks to Gary Twomey of IMC for our recent Guest Post on the key Government programs for Startups! Check it out here: http://blogs.msdn.com/b/bizspark_au/archive/2011/11/16/launching-a-startup-mobile-app-in-australia-guest-blogger-gary-twomey-outlines-the-key-government-funding-programs-for-start-ups.aspx
Gary & the team at IMC have sponsored the last two Startup Weekend Events and are a fantastic support to our many startups in BizSpark. Gary has kindly put together the below advice on the Funding support available to Startups in Australia.
Innovation Management Consultants Pty Ltd (IMC) is a professional services firm with extensive experience in providing high quality management consulting services. They assist their clients to grow by accessing government assistance programs to help them plan, research, develop and commercialise their technology. A summary of the key government assistance programs that they assist clients to access are listed below. Further information is available upon request.
Program
Source
Purpose
Overview
GRANTS FOR PROOF OF CONCEPT & EARLY COMMERCIALISATION ACTIVITIES
Skills and Knowledge &
Experienced Executives
Commercialisation Australia
Grants up to access specialist advice and services. Also can engage an experienced CEO or other executives
Ø Up to $50,000 for the specialist advice and services.
Ø Up to $200,000 for experienced CEO or other executives
Proof of Concept Grants
Grants are to assist with testing the technical and/or commercial viability of the business model or idea for a product, process or service
Ø The program provides grants of up $250,000 for each project
Early Stage Commercialisation Grants
Grants to undertake activities focusing on enabling a new product, process or service to be developed to the stage where it can be taken to market
Ø The program provides grants of between $250,000 and $2 million for each project
TAX INCENTIVES FOR R&D ACTIVITIES
R&D Tax Incentive
Commonwealth Government
1. AusIndustry &
2. Australian Taxation Office
R&D activities must meet certain criteria to be eligible and are categorised as either Core R&D activities or Supporting R&D activities.
Ø Core R&D Activities are experimental activities: whose outcome cannot be known or determined in advance on but can only be determined by applying a systematic progression of work
Ø Supporting R&D activities: An activity is eligible as a supporting R&D activity where it is directly related to a core R&D activity or for certain activities, it has been undertaken for the dominant purpose of supporting core R&D activities.
To be eligible the R&D expenditure must be greater than $20K.
After this threshold the R&D Tax Incentive has two core components:
Ø Entities with an aggregate annual turnover of less than $20M- are eligible for a 45% refundable tax offset (equivalent to a 150% deduction), provided they are not controlled by income tax exempt entities.
Example:
o A company which is in profit will receive a reduction in tax of $150,000 for every $1M of eligible R&D;
o A company which is in tax loss will receive a cash payment of $450,000 for every $1M of eligible R&D.
Ø Entities with an aggregate annual turnover of greater than $20M- are eligible for a non-refundable 40% tax offset (equivalent to 133% deduction). Unused non-refundable offset amounts may be able to be carried forward to future income years.
MARKETING & COMMERCIALISATION GRANTS
Export Market Development Grant (EMDG)
To assist firms to undertake market development and promotion of products and services in overseas markets excluding NZ.
Ø Grant up to 50% of the expenses incurred up to a maximum of $150K p.a.
Ø reimburses promotion expenses above $10,000 provided that the total expenses are at least $20,000.
Ø Eligible applicants must have commenced export activities during the year with turnover less than $50M p.a.
Ø Can access this for 7 years.
Abstract On December 2nd- 4th we are holding an Azure Bizspark Start-up Camp in our Brisbane office in the lead up to the launch of our Innovation Centre. This unique opportunity will showcase the potential when Government, Incubators, Universities and Microsoft come together to help Startups.
Microsoft's Windows Azure Dev Camps will allow you to learn about the Windows Azure Platform and the foundation concepts through comprehensive presentations, hands-on labs, and supported development time.
The first day will cover training in depth thanks to Azure MVP Steve Nagy and the second two days will be an opportunity for you to work in groups to build your own projects with the support of business & technical experts. The event culminates in a pitch to a panel of judges & investors who will decide on the overall winner. Prizes include xBox Kinect Packs.
Note that hands on Labs will be available if you do not have a business idea you would like to build but still want to test out your new knowledge.
Things to bring Here are some personal items you might want to bring to the Windows Azure Dev Camp.
· Notebook computer
· Notepad
· Identification
Register Today!
Dates 2nd – 4th December 2011
Location
Microsoft Brisbane
Level 28,
400 George St BRISBANE
Time Friday: 9:00am -5:00pm
Sat/Sun: 9:00am – 7:00pm
This is a unique opportunity and places are limited – please register immediately.
If you have any questions, please contact Catherine Eibner at caeibner@microsoft.com.
The event is specifically targeted to BizSpark companies, however developers that are not part of the BizSpark program are more than welcome to attend to gain access to this valuable training event.
Day 1
Lunch (Business Session)
Pre Judging Business Session
BUSINESS-PLAN-IN-1-DAY (Sydney): Create your own 40-page, Investor Grade business plan in one day. Need to raise capital, get a grant, get a loan or just work out where you are going?! Get it done in one-day at this incredible, dynamic event! (76 business builders can’t be wrong!) http://www.antmart.com.au/?p=3569
I am registering for this! Although I already created a business Plan for Picknic App – over the last few weeks the goals have changed & adapted – and I want to revise the business plan. For $295 this is incredible value!
The first thing I want to point out here about the upcoming posts is that although I am going to mention some of the toolkits & great helpers I have used for the development of the WP7 app I do not consider myself a professional developer anymore so this is NOT a how to build a Windows Phone App Tutorial. I am not going to waste your time by talking about the details of building the actual app as that isn't one of the goals of this series either. There are more than enough already in existence (that I have reused code samples from!). There are some upcoming in person events & webinars that you should tune into if you want to learn more about Windows Phone development: http://blogs.msdn.com/b/bizspark_au/archive/2011/11/04/windows-phone-training-workshops-webcasts-and-application-clinics.aspx
I am busily focusing on building the application at the moment so there isn’t too much new to report except that we are looking for a few more iPhone users who would like to test the beta version.
I expect to have the Phone 7 version ready for beta testing late next week (as I am disappearing offline on leave from Sun – Wed).
In the development so far I have used the following very helpful resources & Tips that you may also find useful:
Get Started with Bing Maps development:
Step 1:
To get started with Bing Maps, you’ll need a Maps Developer Account.
Get an account | View tutorial
Step 2:
Get started with the SDKs for Windows Phone 7, Android, iOS, and use the REST APIs
Step 3:
To keep up-to-date with the latest Bing Maps news, read the Bing Maps Developer Blog. For help from the Bing Maps community, use the Bing Maps Community Forums.
Pasted from <http://www.microsoft.com/maps/developers/mobile.aspx>
The Windows Azure Toolkit for Windows Phone really saved me a lot of time. I have mentioned it before but I want to re-iterate the value once again. The set up wizard put all the connections, and architecture in place so all I needed to do was define the functionality specific to my application. http://watwp.codeplex.com/
There is a great video here on setting up Phone 7 (and other apps) to utilise oData from SQLAzure: http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/showcase/details.aspx?uuid=083d55f4-c0d4-4309-8996-49d63ce14c60
The oData Client for WP7 is here: http://odata.codeplex.com/releases/view/54698#DownloadId=161862
I also ran into some trouble where my application suddenly stopped working when I was working on it in the office. It turns out that we have a pretty thorough firewall setup in the office so the ports I needed access to to access SQLAzure where locked down. Check out the ports you need open (such as TCP port 1433) to work with Azure / SQL Azure before you spend a day debugging an application that isn’t broken :/ http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ff394108.aspx
While I was away I got this very exciting news in my inbox I am now planning a trip down to Melbourne to attend the awards! I think its a fantastic example of why you should take the time to nominate your company for awards – as the extra visibility will be invaluable!
I now also have the below lovely looking Media release to include in my launch plan – which also provides more value to the story I am putting together and hopefully increases the uptake of the idea.
In other options to get more (free) publicity – I suggest you subscribe to alerts from a great site called Source Bottle. SourceBottle is an online service that connects journalists, writers and bloggers with 'sources'. For example today, the great team at Shoe String Launch magazine listed a request for Startups that have just launched or that are just about to launch to contribute to an upcoming publication. http://www.thesourcebottle.com/query.asp?iid=30&qid=11174 Did I respond to this request?? Of course I did! You should too!
Media Release
November 08, 2011
Picknic has scored a place among Anthill’s Top 50 in its 2011 Annual Cool Company Awards, a national program developed in 2006 to recognise Australian companies that are doing things differently to bring about positive change.
Over 700 aspiring ‘cool companies’ were nominated for the 2011 awards, making ‘The Cools’ one of Australia’s largest business awards programs. The winners will be announced at an award’s function on Thursday 24 November 2011 and published on AnthillOnline.com.
“The Cool Company Awards are extremely egalitarian,” said James Tuckerman, Editor-In-Chief, Anthill Magazine. “Previous winners have included two-person start-ups, not-for-profit social enterprises, large private companies and publicly-listed corporations.”
“Judging takes into account far more than mere business variables, such as revenue and wealth. The criteria is geared to consider other qualities, from the disruptive nature of the product or service to the culture of the organisation.”
“Applicants either nominated themselves or were nominated by peers, work colleagues, family, friends and other ‘admirers’. A field of hundreds was examined (and cross-examined) before our judges were able to isolate three Finalists for each of our seven categories.”
The Cool Company Awards was launched in 2006 as a way for Anthill Magazine to publicly acknowledge and celebrate Australian organisations that are doing things differently to bring about positive change. In its sixth year, the awards attracted nominations from over 700 organisations, making it among the largest business award programs in Australia.
AnthillOnline.com is a digital business magazine that celebrates creativity, inspiration and commercial ingenuity, providing a fresh, exciting and practical perspective on Australian business in a global world. It is among the Top 50 Business & Finance websites in Australia, as ranked by Nielsen Online Ratings, and is home to the Cool Company Awards, the 30under30 and the Smart 100. It’s where ideas and business meet.
For further information:
Catherine Eibner, picknic@live.com.au
This workshop is presentation style and will dive deep in to creating amazing user experiences with Expression Blend for Windows Phone, tips and tricks for managing application lifecycle, engaging end users with smart Live Tiles, optimising app performance and working with structured data.
We'd also like to hear from you what topics you'd like covered, so please make a note of your topic suggestions in the comment section when you register.
Register for Sydney Deep Dive - Tue Nov 22nd, 9:30am to 4:30pm, Nokia Nokia, Lvl 21, 1 Market Street
Want to discuss your application projects and issues in more detail then the app clinic is for you, so register and bring along your developer laptop/app and discuss.
Register for Sydney App Clinic: Tue Nov 22nd, 5:30pm to 7:30pm, Nokia Nokia, Lvl 21, 1 Market Street
For those who can't make the weekday Deep Dive Workshop then this series of webcasts will run over 3 evenings at 8pm EDT on Nov 17, 21 and 23 running for 30 to 45 minutes covering a compressed version of the workshop content.
So tune in to learn how to create amazing user experiences with Expression Blend for Windows Phone, tips and tricks for managing application lifecycle, engaging end users with smart Live Tiles, optimising app performance and working with structured data.
The online events will be run over USTREAM, Live Meeting or similar technology, to be confirmed closer to the date by email.
· Register for Expression Blend Webcast: Thurs Nov 17, 8pm to 8:45pm EDT
· Register for Application Lifecycle Webcast: Mon Nov 21, 8pm to 8:45pm EDT
· Register for Live Tiles and Performance "tips and tricks" Webcast: Wed Nov 23, 8pm to 8:45pm EDT
· Windows Phone Developer Community Registration
· Get started with Windows Phone Development
· Join "The List"
· Feel free to forward this email to others you think maybe interested
Events across the country
Windows Phone Developer Deep Dive Workshops
This presentation style workshop will dive deep into Expression Blend, application lifecycle, Live Tiles, performance tips and tricks and working with structured data.
· Register for Brisbane Deep Dive, Wed Nov 16th 9:30am to 4:30pm, Microsoft Brisbane Lvl 28, 400 George St
· Register for Sydney Deep Dive - Tue Nov 22nd, 9:30am to 4:30pm, Nokia Nokia, Lvl 21, 1 Market Street
· Register for Melbourne Deep Dive - Thurs Nov 24th 10am to 5pm, Microsoft Melbourne Lvl 5, 4 Freshwater Place, Southbank
Windows Phone Developer App Clinics
Want to discuss your application projects and issues in more detail then the app clinic is for you.
· Register for Brisbane App Clinic: Wed Nov 16th 5:30pm till 7:30pm, Microsoft Brisbane Lvl 28, 400 George St
· Register for Sydney App Clinic: Tue Nov 22nd, 5:30pm to 7:30pm, Nokia Nokia, Lvl 21, 1 Market Street
· Register for Melbourne App Clinic: Thurs Nov 24th 6pm to 8pm, Microsoft Melbourne Lvl 5, 4 Freshwater Place, Southbank
As I mentioned I have had a bit of time off work (and this project) while recovering from a little accident I had last Tuesday. I got back into things again today and so have a few things to report on today. My biggest concern at the moment is that my week off has meant that the Phone 7 version is way behind the delivery of the iPhone/iPad version which is currently in testing stages and about ready for Beta launch. I have to make the decision very shortly if I launch with just that version or wait until I finish my “hacking” on the Phone 7 version. Still to be decided!
I have been reading a great book recommended to me by James Tuckerman founder & editor in Chief of Anthill called “Made to Stick”. Having time off (and the handiness of my Kindle!) gave me the chance to read a great deal of this and reframe and refine some of my thoughts around the goal of the application into a single, simple Commanders Intent: To enable parents of young children to discover, rate and share information on local parks. Having this simple goal has made so many decisions much clearer. It also gives some great tips around framing a marketing message so that its memorable and “sticks”.
While I had time off I also spent time thinking about and refining our Marketing strategy. Based on the book above combined with some great advice from one of our Network Partners, Founder of Technology venture firm Blue Chilli, Sebastien Eckersley-Mason, I have been able to focus on locking down our PR story lines.
“Firstly, like everyone else, Journalists like it when you do their job for them - so write a press release like it was an article. Good press releases use facts and are relevant to current themes and issues. Best way to get facts is to write your own survey (surveymonkey), get 100 people to fill it out and include a few crazy questions to tease out some remarkable facts. Also look into infographics. “
Taking this advice on board I started to do some research. I had already had a great response to my SurveyMonkey survey – which has allowed me to get not just information about the features of the application, but about the habits of the target market – parents of young children.
The biggest “lead” that seems to tie to current topical issues is the lack of physical activity of children.
I have reached out to some contacts who work with children in health services to get some “qualified” statements to support this idea.
I also went on the hunt for “quantified” research. I didn’t have to look far.
Looking at this graph released by NSW health, even just locally, the NSW government is concerned about this issue. The current projection is that approx 35% of boys and girls will be obese by 2016. Now that’s a scary projection!
They released a plan in 2009 to address the concerns around increasing Childhood obesity.
The current plan of attack to address this problem includes driving awareness of the problem, encouraging healthy and activity lifestyles and resulting in changing behaviours.
Two behaviour changes that stood out to me were the decrease of sedentary small screen behaviour - which I believe has become an even bigger problem since 2009 with the increase in consumerisation of IT, the prolific adoption of smart phones and tablet/iPad style devices. The second factor of interest is the increase in moderate to vigorous activity – so getting out & about!
Both of these factors appeal to my target market and are certainly aligned to the goals of the application. It also aligns to the results of our market research which showed distinctly that parents would take their children to more & a greater range of parks if an application like the one we are building existed.
When we finish the Press Release in the coming days I look forward to getting feedback from you all on it!
Domenic Carosa is Executive Chairman of Internet investment firm Future Capital.
Learn how to raise money for your internet business and find out how Future Capital can invest into you.
Domenic has personally raised over $50 million over the last 10 years and has been involved in over 60 acquisitions and divestments
This webinar is being run in conjunction with Microsoft BizSpark.
Title:
Capital Raising for your business Webinar by Domenic Carosa from Future Capital
Date:
Monday, November 14, 2011
Time:
12:30 PM - 1:15 PM AEDT
After registering you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the Webinar.
System Requirements PC-based attendees Required: Windows® 7, Vista, XP or 2003 Server
Macintosh®-based attendees Required: Mac OS® X 10.5 or newer
Space is limited. Reserve your Webinar seat now at: https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/732648000