This project was done as part of Venture Studio class. The goal was to start with a blank slate, utilize the skills we acquired throughout MBA, identify a challange or problem statement, and prepare a business case for the concept. The deliverables included a fully hashed out business plan, a 10 minutes investor pitch deck and a 90 seconds elevator pitch deck.

 

My team chose to focus on the issue of community deficit prevalent among low-income inner city neighborhoods like Bayview / Hunters Point of San Francisco. 

 

Our concept, Oh Sparrow is a bold attempt to utilize technologies to help nonprofits and local businesses connect with their customers, and empower young adults to tap into what their community has to offer, and in doing so, reinvigorate the economic activities of the neighborhood.

 

Through 80 qualitative interviews, we identified three key stakeholders that can have the most socioeconomic impact on reinvigorating stalled local economies of low-income inner city neighborhoods. They are young adults (age: 18-29), non-profit organizations and local small businesses. 

Oh Sparrow addresses the following unmet needs of above identified three customer segments:  

 

Young adults who grew up during crack epidemic of 1980s, many of whom are now parents themselves, need mentorship and a safe way to connect with peers to collaborate on solutions to problems big and small. To fulfill this need, we provide a free geo-location based mobile app to find and locate resources, and engage in dynamic topical chat-rooms with other like-minded residents. 

 

Nonprofits who are trying to make a difference by providing services need customer insights and success metrics for their programs, and local businesses need a way to increase foot traffic and develop regular clientele. To fulfill these needs, we translate the data collected through the mobile app into visualized data analytics on our web-platform, providing a unique window into the pulse of the community. Nonprofits can utilize this data for success metrics and businesses can use our web-platform to sponsor local campaigns, engage with local customers and thereby increase foot traffic.