ASSESSMENT CRITERIA
In your New Venture Promotional Video and Angel Investor Pitch, you must demonstrate the following assessed learning outcomes:
• Knowledge and understanding of key strategic marketing theories.
• Knowledge and understanding of conducting in–depth analysis of customer behaviour and
competitive environments.
• Intellectual, Practical, Affective and Transferable Skills; this can be achieved by demonstrating entrepreneurial skills within a practical context, by developing a new business venture. The assignment will be marked with reference to the below criteria, a summarised in Table 1, based on ARU Level 7 generic grading criteria, Table 2.
In your New Venture Promotional Video and Boardroom Angel Investor Pitch, you should:
• Identify the problem and outline the commercial opportunity to solve it.
• Assess the business opportunity. (This is where you undertake a feasibility analysis)
• Identify and explain the commercial model/strategy, based on the assessment of the
business opportunity.
Your New Venture Promotional Video and Angel Investor Pitch may be structured around all
three elements above, or you can devise an individual approach.
Suggested structure: NB. This is a proposed structure – you should be aware that you will
NOT have the time in your presentation to cover every element of each point (1–6) in–depth.
However, you MUST refer to some parts of sections 1–6.
Your investor pitch should include:
1. The new venture opportunity (10 marks)
• Create or identify an opportunity
• Discover the business idea
• Outline the problem, the idea and the solution
• Evaluate the ‘problem’ and discuss the new venture opportunity that may address
it, showing an understanding of the specific market and the potential customers
• Outline and evaluate new venture typologies
• Nurture creativity, ideation, and innovation
2. New venture opportunity assessment (10 marks)
• Understand the sector and the market
• This is your feasibility analysis. In this section, assess the feasibility of the business idea in
relation to the following: sector/market, product/service, and the organisation and its
management
• Identify the market/sector
• Market/industry lifecycle, concentration, geographic extent
• Estimate market size
• Identify competitors SWOT/TOWS analysis
• Outline and evaluate key trends: technology, regulatory, societal, economic,
environmental
• Outline and evaluate future scenarios
3. Business model/strategy (10 marks)
• Market segments and value proposition
• Structure of the business model. Based on your assessment of the business opportunity,
explain the business model/strategy that you will use to realise the opportunity
• What are the key factors in determining if your idea is a viable business opportunity? Is
this just an idea, or a real business opportunity? Has the new product, or service commercial potential?
• Characteristics of a good business model
• The new venture creation model
• The business model canvas
• Support with appropriate business models: generic strategy, competitive advantage
critical success factors.
• Niche and Internet models
4. What would be the strategic marketing approach? (30 marks)
• Include a detailed breakdown of the marketing strategy
• This should include Brand, USP, and marketing mix
• Include: market research, website, social media
• Emphasis on creativity
• Creating your value proposition and brand/communicating your value proposition
• Find the first customers/target customers
• Develop sales skills
• Communications media and social media
• Create awareness
• Advertising Price and buyer decisions
• Value proposition: Link features and benefits with the marketing mix
• Identify and assess distribution channels
• Understand customer and consumer benefits
• Outline prices: costs, volume, margins
• Differentiation through branding
• Branding your values
• Building the brand
• The customer journey
• Developing a communication campaign
5. Financial resources (20 marks)
• What financial investment is required and where might these early–stage funds be
sourced?
• Selecting the right sort of finance
• What banks/investors/VCTs/business angels look for
• The funding ladder
• Angel and venture capital finance
• Crowdfunding FinTech. What tax breaks are available for the start–up business?
6. An effective introduction to a new venture concept (20 marks)
• Pitch presentation – content, style, professionalism, creativity
• The ability of performance in Q and A follow–up session
