August 15, 2015
This happens over and over again at AlligatorZone — startup founders who stand up to present stray into the pedagogy of entrepreneurship or the description of the problem they are addressing with a long winded story, losing precious time and attention, by not hastening to show their product. Kids love making and makers.
This happens at almost every session of AlligatorZone despite our 31 tips on how to present a startup to kids and families, our several introspective blog posts (linked towards the end of this picture-essay), video clips, a great blog post with tips by Vinit Patil of The Pricerie, our last-minute emailed reminders, and last-second whispers in the founders’ ears. We tell the startup founders, “Get to the point where you start showing your product at work, as soon as possible”. In yesterday’s AlligatorZone, one of the kids asked a question after 3 minutes of talk by a founder describing the problem being addressed, until interrupted by a question from a kid, to which the simplest answer was by actually showing the product.
Startup founders at AlligatorZone literally have only 5 minutes to show their product. Then they start a discussion with the young audience. The sooner the better. After that they’ll still have 25 minutes to weave their untold stories in response to the questions and suggestions that come from the kids. For startup founders, going through the AlligatorZone seems to invariably help them hone their skills for keeping a restless audience inspired and engaged before they lose interest. It’s like the sales person on a board walk trying to grab your attention as you are passing by. It’s like the opening improv act by a newcomer in front of an impatient audience, right before Jerry Seinfeld is scheduled to perform live.
Here’s another picture essay from the April 13, 2015 AlligatorZone held in Tampa Bay, Florida. The turnout was a contrast to the relatively big audience we pulled in last month, probably due to school tests and the tax filing deadline. Note to self: While having a regular 2nd Monday of the Month schedule is good for entering in the calendars of families, remember that the young audience of AlligatorZone has little influence over its own schedule and transportation arrangements. If the parents are busy or consider something else more important (because either they have paid to be in a team sport and can’t let the team down, or they have to get caught up on sleep or studies prior to a mandatory test at school, or a tax filing deadline is looming for the parents), then the kids simply can’t show up.
It took a while for us to figure out how to get the iphone to display at the right resolution on the big screen. This seems to be an issue in most libraries where we run an AlligatorZone. We need to find a simple solution for this, that will work regardless of the equipment in the library.
After a young member of the audience introduced Daniel Mall, the founder and CEO of Borrowd, the session began with questions and suggestions from the kids and even the parents.
However, the audience started drifting until Daniel started showing his product on the screen. Borrow’d’s COO helped scan a book and upload it to the app.
The kids were very busy with poking around with the app, while the grown ups were asking other questions and providing suggestions.
The kids had thought-provoking questions such as:
- “Do the lender and the borrower of the book have to meet face to face?”
- “How can you ensure their safety when they are exchanging books?”
- “Can they pay using Apple Pay?”
- “What if I search a foreign book using English language search and do not know that the entire book is in the foreign language” (each listing shows a picture of various parts of the book including inside).
It was time to introduce the second presenter, Rosanne Clementi, the developer of PadGoRound.
The kids waited patiently to lay their hands on the product.
Look at the 6th grader in yellow, with his hands crossed …. still waiting for a tactile experience of the product.
… and waiting …
until he gets it in his hands….
“This feels like it’s been made on a 3D printer”, he finally said.
In AlligatorZone, hands are raised for questions, opinions, suggestions, and sometimes in response to a raise-of-hands poll.
As Rosanne pulled out more accessories that would work with PadGoRound, a selfie stick caught the fancy of the young members of the audience.
They all got to pose for a selfie with the startup founder.
AlligatorZone is a celebration of local entrepreneurs in a community gathering. Business cards get exchanged between some of the parents and the passerby spectators who stopped to watch the proceedings in the library.
It gave us time to get a few words from the featured startups about their experience at AlligatorZone.
Here’s a video from Borrowd founder Daniel Mall: https://youtu.be/LvDohQXMxiI
Here’s a video from Rosanne Clementi, Developer of PadGoRound: https://youtu.be/lwW7R7vqEn4
The program ended as always on an upbeat note. This morning, we received an email forward to us by the librarian, from one of the parents in the audience. Here’s an extract: “I am writing to say “thank you” for letting us know about AlligatorZone. David and I really enjoyed our conversation with the presenters last night. What a nice group!“
Hope to see you soon at another session of AlligatorZone. Check out the running calendar at http://AlligatorZone.eventbrite.com.
Bookmark www.AlligatorZone.org, follow updates at http://www.twitter.com/alligatorzone and like us on www.facebook.com/AlligatorZone.org.
AlligatorZone is one of several impact-programs being designed at SiliconGlades. If you know of startups that would make for interesting presenters to an audience of kids, teens and families, please send your suggestion to events [at] siliconglades [dot] com, or direct-message at @siliconglades
This report was posted by a volunteer from SiliconGlades, an innovation firm that designs, among other things, hyperlocal social impact programs such as AlligatorZone. In other words, SiliconGlades designs programs that bring communities together for a common uplifting purpose, right in your neighborhood.
