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Blog #15: Team Prompts–

1. Identify the 10 toughest questions from the 14-page list, and
   answer them in advance of your presentations

1. Why should I care about this issue?

You don’t necessarily have to personally care about the issue of mental health. What you should care about is that there is a market for it. Culturally there is a shift towards mental health awareness and this is what our product supports. There is a market for it and thus it is an excellent opportunity for financial gain. 

2. Do your primary stakeholders consider this issue a real problem or priority?

Yes, workplace stress is something that is largely a “real world” issue. Majority of the adults in the US are in the workforce working long work weeks and suffering as a result of it. Societally this is an issue that is prevalent and pervasive. We aim to socially impact but we also aim to make money. This offers a full and comprehensive satisfaction to all stakeholders including the user, society, investors, and the companies that buy them. 

3. What is your core innovation? What sets you apart? What is fundamentally novel about your approach / solution?

Our core innovation is that we are solely focused on improving the wellbeing of our customers through the integration of plants in the office workspace. We are set apart by our commitment to creating something that will represent the phrase “set it and forget it” in which we allow our customers to seamlessly integrate nature into their work environment with ease. 

4. Are you catering to the mass market? A niche market? Segmented market? Diversified market?

We are catering to a niche market at launch (corporate office designers, employees, managers) because our product requires a significant amount of capital and manufacturing, so we need to enter a market with low barriers to entry in order to continue scaling. However, we plan to expand into multiple markets including educational institutions and healthcare facilities once we reach economies of scale and can create our product with lower cost and diversified features to serve each market’s consumer preferences and legal requirements.

5. What kind of risks will your initial customers be taking? How will you help them make the right decisions? How will you de-risk their engagement?

Our initial customers might experience lower success rates of self-regulation from the product, which would in turn require the customer to be involved in maintaining their systems when problems arise. We are mitigating this issue by creating a mobile and desktop application which includes a customer support line. We will be able to see exactly what is wrong with the system by viewing our live dashboard, and we can even control the system remotely to make adjustments. If we are unable to fix the problem remotely or if the problem is about our sensors malfunctioning, we can still address the issue  through the customer support feature of our app. We will establish a 2 way communication to promptly tell the user how to fix the problem, and if the problem persists, we will be able to send tech support to their location because we are launching our product locally.

6. What kind of place-based / indigenous knowledge do your customers have? How will it be leveraged in your project?

Our customers are mostly already familiar with the concept that being around plants and nature can be beneficial to the mind. This has been proven in various studies that support the claim that we are also trying to make. This will be leveraged into our project in proving to our customers that our mission is to make the office space environment more inviting and productive. 

7. How critical is customer education to the success of your venture?

–Prior knowledge about our EcoRealms are not a requirement for users of the product. The product is user-friendly and requires no prior knowledge, but customers are encouraged to educate themselves about the product’s purpose and benefits —especially in terms of health and productivity— to fully utilize its features. The product’s design enables it to blend into its environment and function without requiring much attention from the user.

8. How do you know that any of your statements are true? What evidence, expert insights, customer testimonials, examples from similar areas can you point to?

As part of our research that was needed to be done in order to prove that plants actually do increase mental health and help people cope with stress, the information that we gained through these surveys help in establishing the credibility of the statements that we make. In addition to this, we have met with several people who have expert insight into the product that we want to create. For example, we have spoken with interior designers and corporate office space layout designers who are responsible for creating an office space that is inviting for employees to come back into the office. For the more technical side of our product, we have gained expert insight from people proficient in implementing the engineering and technology side of our automation hydroponic system. 

9. Who will manufacture your product? Who will maintain it?

–Our new set of EcoRealms are set to be manufactured during the summer of 2023. However, our team lacks specific information regarding the individuals responsible for the manufacturing process. We intend to reach out to their mentor, Brian Slocum, to obtain more detailed information about the manufacturing process. Our team has been working on a beta prototype containing a self-maintaining hydroponic system, meaning that it requires minimal intervention to ensure the plants’ growth. We plan to incorporate this system into the final product. In other words, the final product will be designed to be self-maintaining, with regular checkups required approximately every 3-6 months.

10. Do you have any defensible intellectual property?

Our nutrient solution might be defensible if we can prove that it is unique. Also, we might be able to get a design patent for the physical structure that holds our plant, but we will likely not qualify for any material patents. Also, the goal of our project is to make a lasting impact on human lives, so facing competition from copycats is an issue we eagerly anticipate.

 

      2. Write 3 elevator speeches about your project:

–  For a professor/advisor

EcoRealm is a project my team and I are working on through Lehigh’s impact fellowship program. The idea for EcoRealm developed during a trying time for a lot of us, Covid. My team and I found ourselves outside constantly, nurturing the relationship between us and mother nature. We realized that we wanted to bring this concept back with us into schools and office spaces. In order to do this, we developed a self-sustaining, hydroponic plant partition that can be placed anywhere, anytime. 

–  For an interviewer for a summer internship

This summer I worked on a research fellowship called EcoRealm. EcoRealm is a project my team and I are working on through Lehigh University’s impact fellowship program. The idea for the EcoRealm developed during a trying time for a lot of us, Covid. My team and I found ourselves outside constantly, nurturing the relationship between us and mother nature. Through this, we realized that we wanted to bring this concept back with us into schools and office spaces. In order to do this, we developed a self-sustaining, hydroponic plant partition that can be placed anywhere, anytime. During this project I worked on specifically the ________ part of the project developing ________ in order to support the team’s idea coming to fruition. I developed ______ skills and I can’t wait to bring them into my next experience. 

–  For a roommate asking about your project

Have you seen the plant partitions in FML? Those belong to the team project I am working on. We are developing an automated plant structure that will transform the partitions in FML into self-regulating plant systems. We’re doing this to bring nature indoors for people in potentially stressful environments. Plants are proven to provide benefits like increased concentration and reduced stress, and we are hopeful to turn our concept into a business and we plan to implement our product in places like corporate offices or coworking spaces.

Jack Sherman

1. Refine the income statement for your venture.

 

2. Refine the capital expenditure budget

 

 

3. Identify two SPECIFIC funding sources for the design phase of your project and two SPECIFIC funding sources for the dissemination (implementation / distribution / commercialization) phase​​ of your project. For each funding source, explain why this is a good fit for your project, and what SPECIFIC aspect of your project might the funding source support.

Design: 

1. American Society of Interior Designers. We applied for the Joel Polsky Academic Achievement Award which has the following description:

“The Joel Polsky Academic Achievement Award recognizes an outstanding interior design research project or thesis project conducted by an undergraduate or graduate student. This project or thesis should be related to wellness and design. Research papers or theses should address topics such as educational research, behavioral science, business practice, design process, theory, or other technical subjects. Entries will be judged on quality of content, breadth of material, comprehensive coverage of topic, innovative subject matter, bibliography, and references.”

This helps us in the design stage.

2. The Biophilic Cities Project: This project is a global initiative focused on promoting nature in urban environments. They offer grants for projects that promote biophilic design principles, which emphasize the importance of connecting people with nature in the built environment. We can use this funding to aid in customer outreach efforts and marketing to developers who are interested in incorporating more biophilic-oriented design concepts.

Implementation:

1. Keystone Innovation Zone (KIZ): During a meeting we conducted with Michael Lehman he recommended this incentive program that is designed to help young KIZ companies to transition through all stages of growth. It provides tax credits to for-profit companies that are less than eight years old operating. We would be able to partner with the KIZ targeted industry segment that is located in Pennsylvania to help grow our start up company. 

2. Lehigh’s SBDC: We can work with the SBDC to identify and apply for patents or other forms of intellectual property. They also serve as a gateway to funding from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania

4. Identify five specific partnerships that you need to forge to advance your project forward with the ultimate goal of positively impacting at least one million people. Describe exactly how that partnership might help you achieve scale and why that entity might be willing to work with you.

• Urban Outfitters

Will purchase product to be incorporated in retail settings or office spaces to increase awareness to potential consumers

• Work Bistro

We have partnered with the organization Work Bistro which is a

 coworking space company, in the past where we have acquired a recommendation letter that was utilized for the past the grant that we applied for. We can leverage this relationship to put our product in their coworking spaces, which are seen as progressive and can aid in establishing our brands image and awareness.

• Astellas Pharma Global Development with Maureen Swartz: 

An interior designer for bio corporate office spaces. We gained her contact information during the exposition we did for admitted students. She explained to us that as an interior designer for the company’s office space she was trying to make t

he office space more inviting to bring people back to the office. She expressed intensive interest in implementing something like the EcoRealm into these office spaces. 

• The International WELL Building Institute: 

Helps in marketing efforts by communicating the importance of biophilia to potential customers and finding locations of high demand.

• Sway

Same founder as Work Bistro, similar purpose except focuses more on hospitality which might allow us to branch between industries.

1. 2. Develop a detailed income statement for your venture for two

   years (at six month intervals). Explicitly state the assumptions

   that underlie your financial model.

   

2. 3. Develop a budget that captures all the non-recurring (one-time)

   expenses to get your venture up and running.

   

Jack Sherman

Jack Sherman

1. From the social enterprises we reviewed today, or others you have studied, identify ten extremely specific strategies that you can leverage for your project. The strategies can be about the technology, the business model, access to capital, customer education, messaging, thought leadership, etc. 

 

• Figuring out how to implement a loss leader into our revenue model. Give a first EcoRealm for free and expect employees to ask for more
• Hire kids to maintain the plants, local schools near the offices with our products can do field trips for community service by trimming and curing our plants? → Task shifting
• Make the app containing our live dashboard interactable. Give end-user access to the app so they can report issues, post photos, etc.
• Implementing a “razor cartridge” model, sell products for low, offer maintenance subscription at high price, Ecorealm requires constant systems monitoring and an addition of nutrient solution into the tanks every sixth month. This can be packaged as the “cartrid
  ge” and we can sell the ecorealm structure at cost. 
• Implementing a Subscription service model. Ecorealm requires constant monitoring so a system for pricing that we could implement could be where we rent out the ecorealm to ensure that it is cared for and managed and it is nicer for the customer because the customer has lower maintenance costs and can be sure we will regulate the system.
• Offer to buy the cubicles from the company whose office we want to renovate, then resell at a discount… to who?
• Allow buyer to choose from a selection of plant species to personalize their environment → empowerment
• Implementing a pay if you can policy- this could be used when we grow in size and make our product more accessible than to just rich corporations. Would also help our business with tax write offs.
• Implementing a “buy one give one” to a user in need. Similar to toms yet we are not taking jobs away from locals. This way corporations can feel good about their purchase and know that it is being implemented in a school/library/mental facility. This also allows our business to do a tax write-off. 
• Eventually implementing the product to be “multi-use” Using it to be applied in the context of a home. Recycling the idea to broader markets in order to scale. 

 

2. Create a first draft of your business model using the business model canvas. Please be as specific as possible and explain why you picked those specific approaches for each of the building blocks. 

3. Create a set of 2-4 slides to articulate your business model in a presentation. Come prepared to describe your business model in the next class.

Jack Sherman

Blog #9: Team Prompts:

1. What are the common personal goals within the members of your team, and how can you leverage those goals to build collaboration

For starters, I would say that the common personal goals within the members of our team add up together to form a much larger goal that we all have. Jashlyn’s personal goals are to successfully find testing kits for the bacteria that we currently have growing in our system along with testing different NFT variables. For the design aspect of the team, Sofia is currently working on developing a couple versions of designs that the EcoRealms could potentially have. Then Bella is working on utilizing those designs to speak with interior designers, architects, and people in corporate office spaces to determine which design we should pursue. For the more financial aspect of our project, Jack’s personal goals for the project revolve around applying for funding so that we could develop a prototype. 

2. What are the common project goals within the members of your team, and how can you leverage those goals to make progress?

For one, the team aims to improve our EcoRealm partitions to make them more visually appealing and enhance the vision of being immersed in an environmental space. To achieve this goal, we are redesigning our current prototype and contacting interior designers for guidance, feedback, and insights to improve our partition further. We also strive to create a self-maintaining partition. Reducing the need for regular upkeep will make the partitions more convenient and cost-effective for users. This coincides with the improvement of our NFT systems, in which we plan to observe how the plants react to certain test variables.The team also recognizes the importance of clear communication and accountability in achieving our goals. Communicating with one another ensures that everyone is on the same page, working towards the same objectives, and making progress within our project. 

3. What are some biases that might become a barrier to your project goals?

From time to time, we experience each of the biases in the article. Primarily, we need to overcome the bandwagon effect and confirmation bias. As new members on a team that has already existed for 2 years, it can be easy for us to defer to the tenured members and agree with whatever input/advice/recommendations they make in regards to our action plan. We can avoid this bias by ensuring that everyone understands the scientific facts relevant to our project and make decisions based on factual evidence. The blind spot bias is another important factor in our work because we all specialize in different components of the project and have different priorities in regards to which courses of action to take. We encountered projection bias this week. Two members of our team had conflicting views of our business model, and we disagreed on whether or not a subscription model works well with a wholesaler. We seemed to be speaking past each other because we made different assumptions about our supplier relationships. The last bias that we need to overcome the functional fixedness bias. Our team members have identifiable roles, which makes some sense because we are far along in our product development and need to fill many responsibilities. However, we succumb to the bias by delegating work that specifically fits our role, instead of adjusting our roles to handle the work. For example, the design of our product is a huge priority that needs to be completed before we can make further progress in our business model, technical development, etc. Since  this is a relevant bias for us, we are working to overcome it by holding a design retreat in which all team members can contribute to the product design.

4. What type of decision-making system will you use and why?

We do a lot of differences with experts in this group. We are all incredibly specialized in our knowledge sets so it is easy to just let the person who specializes in the specific discipline to make the call. This allows everyone to contribute to the group in a meaningful way and have a voice with a specific topic. If there are general ideas to discuss, we go with the majority based on reasonable conclusions garnered from group discussion. 

Jack Sherman

1. Identify FIVE specific things in your slides that you could have done differently

• In one of the questions we received from the judges he was confused on whether our project was actually a hydroponic system or whether it was grown in soil. I think that since this was unclear we could have created a slide that was fully dedicated to explaining how our product is a hydroponic system and why we chose this. 
• Also, since we had technical difficulties with our slides we can ensure next time that this won’t happen by having it downloaded and making sure that it would work with the conductor of the presentations before it came time for us to present. Since we didn’t realize that half of the presentation slides were missing and it was hard for our speakers to keep presenting without showing the slides that we created.
• I think it would have been beneficial to include even more visuals of pictures that we have taken. Certain slides like the microbe research slide, I think would have been made better by adding a few visuals.  Perhaps there was a picture or some visual related to the microbe to research. 
• I did notice that when we were speaking about biophilia and the meaning behind it we didn’t have a slide that actually had the definition of it on it. We kind of just supported it through the pictures we included of ourselves in nature. I think that next time we could have utilized a slide specifically for that in order to really establish that idea. My professor utilizes the saying “one thought per slide” and I think there was room for improvement in enforcing that. 
• Additionally, it would have been beneficial to add a slide that explains how we are utilizing the data we are collecting from the sensors and applying it to continue learning about our project and how we can further implement into establishing our prototype of what we want our project to actually look like.

2. Identify FIVE specific ways in which you could have delivered your presentation is better.

• In my portion of the presentation, I could have delivered the presentation better by having more confidence behind my words. This could have minimized the stuttering and sound more convincing to the judges. 
• I could have given more clarification and an in depth explanation of each slide. I feel as though I touched each slide on a surface-based level. I could have elaborated more on the hydroponic bacteria we were researching and explained our NFT system a little more clearly in a way so that the judges could understand the workings of it.  
• During the majority of the presentation, I kept on looking back at the presentation board rather than the audience. In this case, I lost a lot of that connection with the audience. If I am not engaged with the audience, then they won’t be engaged in what we have to say either. So in other, I should maintain eye contact with the audience in order to keep them engaged.
• Similarly to the last point, for next time, I should reduce the amount of times I look back at the presentation for guidance. This may lead judges to think that I do not know enough about the project or that I was not well prepared.
• In delivering the presentation, I should take more pauses between my sentences in order to gain more time in thinking what to say. If I attempt to go through the presentation quickly, I tend to mess up. So to reduce such mistakes, I should take pauses, not only to prevent stuttering and mistakes to happen, but so that the audience can follow along at a generous pace. 

 

3. Identify FIVE specific ways you could have built your credibility further.

 

• Our first scores to create an IRB approved to psych study. We want to specifically show that our product has the desired effects. This will help us sell our product to the judges and hopefully one day I actually sell our product to a market.
• In my presentation portion, are used a lot of statistical facts. I definitely could’ve done a better job making sure that I showed the credibility of where they’re from.
• I also think throughout the process the more time we have interviews and new opportunities to speak with judges, we will be better equipped to answer questions that we are tackling. Our new team is taking on challenges that go above and beyond development. This is a fun and exciting time but it’s also a lot of work to answer all these questions. The more we have a team work hard and develop answers the better credibility we will gain. 
• When we actually have customer interviews, we will be able to list people we have spoken with and companies we have reached out to. This will help a show the depth of industries we have spoken with about this product, and it will further guarantee that there is a market for it.
• Developing an actual prototype that is fully automated, and self sustaining will be probably one of the most impressive things we need to accomplish. Once this is actually been done, we will actually have something to show and definitively say that the system can work. 

4. Identify FIVE specific questions that you could have answered better. What was the question, how did you respond, how should you have responded?

 

• We could have answered the question about our target audience better. Our answer was too limiting and we should have explained why corporate markets are a more viable option than healthcare or schools.
• Related to the first question, I think we could have done a better job responding to the panelist’s comment on putting this in elementary and middle schools, and explaining how the cost of production in the beginning stages of our product development would cause high prices that might eliminate this sector as a potential market.
• We were asked if our plant selection is customizable. We responded by saying yes, although I think it would have been better if we said that we plan for customization once we have tested enough plant species to be confident that our nutrient system can successfully regulate a larger variety of plants.
• We were asked about how we control the hazards of soil indoors- even though our plants use hydroponics so there is no soil involved. I think we could have better explained the core concept of our engineering design to avoid this question altogether.
• We were asked if we could put EcoRealms in more spaces on campus. I gave too lengthy of a response, the better answer would have been a simple, “Yes, absolutely”.

Jack Sherman

Identify three different primary stakeholders on your project, and come up with a list of 10 distinct questions you would ask each of them. Remember the aspirational / emotional /functional categories of needs and desires and try to find a balance of questions that might give you information in each of those areas.

End Users- Corporate Employees

• How do you envision a successful combination of greenery and office work space? 
• Have you noticed a difference in employee happiness in the office?
• In the past have you tried to incorporate greenery in the office space?
• Do you have any feedback on how we could improve our product?
• Could you describe the process of trying to get employees back in the office?
• How can we work on improving our product to benefit you better? 
• Does the noise our automation system produces affect your employees in any way?
• What are specific examples of how you feel our product improves your emotional wellbeing?
• We have conducted a psychological study previously proving that our product can improve the office work environment, do you feel that our product has this effect?

Customers- HR Department 

• Has your company previously enforced any similar products that improve mental health?
• What is your HR Department currently doing to improve the emotional wellbeing of consumers? 
• How can working in a cubicle environment feel taxing at times?
• Do you believe that changing the environment you work in to a more positive manner can increase work productivity?
• How does your company’s HR department compare to others?
• In what way do you feel our product can relate to the movement of enforcing self care and emotional well being in the employees?
• What gap is your HR Department currently trying to fulfill?
• Are you supportive of how our product can positively impact your HR department?

Grants/Investors

• We often struggle with defining what niche our product would be best to find grants, would you recommend gearing towards mental health or interior design?
• If investing in our company, what do you expect to receive after investing in our company?
• What would be the outcome of the grant? Do you expect to relieve something in return?
• After receiving a grant would we have to undergo a specific process to retrieve the money?
• Does the money received from grants or investments need to be recorded on taxes?
• Could we do something to better attract the types of investestors and grants we seek to obtain?

Identify all of the key customers for your product/service/creation/solution. List specific ways that you will ensure that your product will meet their aspirational, emotional, and functional needs and desires.

• Corporate Employees
  • We will network with corporate offices near the Lehigh Valley in order to start off with our product close to home. Our team member currently specializing in marketing right now is posing our product to the HR Department of many companies.
  • We want to make sure we attract these corporate employees by emphasizing how our product will change the work place environment. 
  • We will also explain the technological side of our product  to the people who are in charge of the technological department so they can ensure that our product will be functional.
• B2B Plant scapers 
  • Since our product is dealing with incorporating nature into the environment another customer that we hope to seek out are B2B Plant scapers. 
  • Through our marketing research we have found that a common key audience for starting business is a solid business to business marketing strategy.
  • We are aiming to develop an official prototype soon and once this is done we will be able to implement our product in lehigh offices and we will utilize this avenue of proving that our product is functional when attracting B2B Plant scapers. 
  • Our product aims to be almost entirely self-sustaining, with the only human involvement required being the occasional trimming of plants. This means that plant scapers can leverage our product to pick up customers who might require less frequent maintenance.
• Interior Designers
  • We are currently looking for grants that deal with interior design and architectural design. In the future, we are planning on working with the interior designers of companies.
  • By continuing to pitch our product as something that will improve the physical qualities of a corporate office space we will attract interior designers currently already working with the corporate office spaces we plan to employ.

Articulate your value propositions for each of your customer segments (using the format presented in class).

Corporate Employees – The value for this group would be in their enjoyment of the office space. We are here to provide them with a product that causes them to want to come to work and to be productive when they are present. 

B2B Plant scapers – The value we bring to the plant scapers is that we are able to give them a hands-off product that they can offer to customers, still make money off of, but not have to use as much manual labor. We also offer them ways to incorporate plants into the interior design of offices in a low-maintenance and modular way. 

HR – HR is looking to increase productivity and lower stress in their employees using the benefits of plants. Their job is to maintain good employees and ensure that they are pleased with their working conditions. This would help HR to prove to their employees that they care about them and for the company to prove to the stakeholders that their employees are happy and well-treated in the organization. 

Interior Designers- Unique and easy way to incorporate low-maintenance greenery into a design space. A great alternative to messy potted plants and expensive walls. Adds a unique opportunity for them to suggest these structures. 

Jack Sherman

Individual Prompts–

1. Give three examples of something very interesting you learned
from a friend that was a completely alien concept to you.

1. Blockchains (DAOs): My friend Mish told me about Decentralized Autonomous Organizations, which are basically businesses that run themselves with no human interference. The only human directions are expressed in the initial code which outlines the purpose, procedures, and performances of the DAO, and then the computer works to follow these directions for as long as it still has something to do.
2. Guitar Half-Steps: To be fair, this wasn’t exactly an alien concept to me. I was already familiar with basic music theory from my year in the Men’s A Capella choir at my high school. However, I didn’t realize that guitar players can change the whole style of their sound by playing either a half step down or a half step up until my friend Mock explained this to me. He told me how Jimi Hendrix played a half step down his entire career, which is one of the reasons he has such a distinct blues sound. 
3. Wim Hof Method: My cousins Charlie and Michael first showed me how to practice the Wim Hof breathing technique, as well as the cold exposure practices he popularized. I didn’t believe that his method was legitimate until we did the breathing exercises and I was able to hold my breath empty for 5 minutes without any discomfort. Crazy.

2. List ten things that make you feel human.

1. Exercise
2. Music
3. Family deaths
4. My dog, Calvin
5. Injuries
6. Really hard exams
7. Cold showers
8. Visiting my elementary school
9. National Parks
10.  Learning

3. Articulate your philosophy of engagement as it pertains to your work with the Impact Fellowship. Specifically discuss:

• Why should I engage? 

• • • I should engage in my work because I genuinely believe that the average American work environment is improperly structured. I do not want to work in a monotonous workspace that ignores all of my needs except for the need to be productive. At the most basic level, I should engage because I am a stakeholder of the problem I’m trying to solve. Beyond that, I should engage because I have the creative and technical capabilities to influence work environments for a huge subset of the world’s population. I am someone who gets tremendous satisfaction from making others lives’ better, so I should strive to improve the standard of living for as many people as I can, to the greatest extent possible.

• How must I engage?

• • • I must engage by leveraging my strengths and relationships to build a project which has ever-lasting effects. I need to communicate honestly with my team, and share as many of my opinions as possible while actively considering theirs to ensure that our product is both authentic and resilient. I must do market research to guarantee that our actions align with our intentions. I need to pinpoint the true position of our various stakeholders in relation to mental wellness and work, which will then allow me to develop a business model that reflects these stakeholders’ needs.

• With whom must I engage?

• • • Stakeholders! My teammates, advisors, study participants, competitors, locals. Potential customers and their employees, suppliers, investors, etc. I should also engage with researchers and organizations interested in mental wellness, biophilia, workplace standards, among others.

• What kinds of challenges, opportunities, and approaches should I care about?

• • • Considering a company called Naava just launched their “plant wall” innovation, I should care a lot about my product’s unique value proposition. I need to balance differentiation with serving a single, pre-defined purpose. I should look for opportunities by observing competitors- seeing what problems they don’t have an adequate solution for, as well as analyzing trends to predict where future problems might arise. I should understand many different approaches to solving problems, but only undertake those which don’t undermine my core values. I identify my key values as authenticity, openness to experience, appreciation, lightheartedness, and optimism

• What might my epitaph read?

• • No idea, but my three favorite quotes are about the end of life, so I’ll list those instead. They come from a motivational speech by Fearless Motivation called “One Day It Will Be Over”, and the first quote was taken from Oscar Wilde

• “To live is the rarest thing in the world. Most people exist, that is all”
• “Live each day as if it may be your last on Earth. It may be”
• “One day It will all be over. There will be two dates either side of a dash. Make sure that dash is not empty”

Team Prompts–

4. What are the technological, social, economic, and political trends that will impact (help or hurt) your ventures?

One trend that is significant for our project is the cultural shift (specifically in the US) towards mental health awareness specifically in the workplace. As a society, we have started to have conversations about the role of the workplace in mental health. After COVID, people realized that they no longer had to sacrifice mental health and time doing things with loved ones or paying attention to self care in order to have a productive work day. Offices are making a conscious effort to attract people back into the office and thus looking for solutions to prove to their employees that they both care about their mental health and that office conditions will be improved upon their return. Our partitions help with both of those things. 

An additional trend that we may benefit from is the new-found appreciation for nature. During Covid, many people turned towards outdoor activities as a means to be entertained. This new fascination with the benefits the natural world brings us is now more intuitively seen. While we still require research, the intrinsic value of nature will be more intuitively grasped and we will spend less time explaining the actual value of the plants in the office and more time on logistics when presenting.