22a. Aaaaand we're back

Reflecting time

Most comments I got back on my previous pitch video were positive, the only main redress was my speaking speed. I took several attempts at maintaining my vocal speed, but some parts get a little winded and I don't want to lose time so it may still have some bursts. One comment that was very illuminating that Zahra mentioned about the use by criminals, and while I can never condone criminal activity, the protection of privacy writ large is more valuable to me than the marginal return of security for surveillance.

Changes?

Nothing besides pitch and some word changes, otherwise some fresh jokes at the end. I got more comfortable with explaining the product as I tried explaining it to friends throughout the week to see if I can communicate what I was trying to pitch.

21a. If you teach a man to fish he'll eat for his life. Teach a fish to man, and he'll question his purpose.

for reference to the title of this post

"Makers: The new Industrial Revolution" by Chris Anderson

What's it about?

This book by Anderson, a former editor of WIRED magazine, which is one of my favorite publications,  goes over the process of how he himself took on the world of manufacturing by being centered around open ideas through reducing copyright protections and making things open source, working with the speed and adaptability of 3D printing to be able to alter and change one's product whether to market demands or design periods and so much more.  

How does the book tie in?

With the case of "Makers," Anderson talks about the bootstrapping and financing process, how entrepreneurs miscalculate their costs and prices to fit the market but then lose profits when trying to scale, how online and collaborative tools can be used to foster creativity among different projects. This lines up with What Dr. Pryor has mentioned before about thinking of pricing and business models whether they are single person small business or even if you are looking to build up and get more attention and funding for your idea.

What would I design?

If I had to integrate a lesson from the book into an assignment for the class, I would have students research freelance work sites that may offer services like design, 3D CAD modeling or other semi-complex processes to get an estimate of what their project may entail. If that isn't possible, I would have students research and join online forum pages related to their business interest and get in touch with the community and become involved with discussions and have themselves be held accountable by doing a similar blogging project to the assignments for this class on the forum where people who are genuinely interested want to follow up and interact with you.

The "Aha" moment

The biggest thing that surprised me was the open nature Anderson had about patent and copyright issues, as the US has a very rigid and historic past with lawsuits and company culture around security and cooptation of information behind clandestine walls, and taking all that and flipping it on its head by allowing others to be a part of bettering a product but you provide the convenience of production to still maintain profit and name recognition is something that totally took me by surprise to get my head around but afterwards really enjoy and appreciate the model of business.

20a. I'll leave out the obvious Karl Marx reference to Capital here

With the old adage "It's not what you know, it's who you know," it would make sense to find people in the industry who may be of some help to make this whole project into a well oiled machine.

A Domain Expert

The domain expert I've met isn't someone who is in the business of privacy, but does work on clarifying the issues over privacy technology and advocating for it. I had met him on Twitter, as he was interested in some of the field that I was as well when it came to certain privacy technologies. I messaged him in his DM's and being still relatively young, he and I had some fun talking about and sharing memes with each other. when talked about physical hardware for privacy he was not the most knowledgeable but knew many people in the field he works in that would be interested. Considering he is a well known advocate for privacy technology in a field where it and operational security are taken very seriously, any means of possibly having him bring exposure or marketing to my product may be a major boost to my brand name.

The Market Expert

The market research expert I met also doesn't directly sell to my consumer audience, but is a Product Development manager for a news media corporation and does constant demographics research for his own company. I had met this individual at an alumni panel where UF graduates came back to talk to students about the field and give advice and mentorship. I started to talk with him about journalism in general, and soon after we talked about general product development and he explained some things I could use to further understand target demographics and how to help further research.

Industry Supplier

An old friend of mine from back home is a wholesaler who deals with electronics parts and small scale electric boards. We knew each other from being in the neighborhood and consistently seeing each other and talking when picking up our mail at around the same time. I approached him by text about sourcing materials, and he was kind enough to point me to some online resources that can connect me with manufacturers who may be able to produce what I envision for my product. Having them as an advisor for trying to find my first manufacturer or supplier can be a great help in not getting caught with too many options.

Networking

I dislike the term networking. I personally dislike the taking of social gatherings and 'optimizing' them for productive means for our own goals. I have had success with networking events before, but i made networking secondary to my initial goal of simply meeting interesting people that I could have a conversation with. This wasn't super different from other times I have met and gotten to know people, but it did open me up to new people and perspectives.

19. I blew into this napkin, do you see anything?

Diddy getting ready for the feast

Who am I?

My name is Daniel Gamboa, I'm a second year Journalism and Innovation student at UF, researching and exploring the world of technology and the future of society as it is impacted with the varying changes to our world.

I personally aspire to become a major part of keeping tech companies and the sciences accountable to their impacts of their production processes. Business-wise, I hope for this company and product to be able to provide a new avenue to counteract the status quo of technological intrusion and hopefully help bring a world with respect to privacy.

What is being offered?

The Guard™ is my first model in privacy technology meant to fight against the nonconsensual surveillance and collection of our selves through recording and photography by security cameras. Its design, meant to be a low profile attachment for headgear, allows for discrete use and protects against surveillance from a vast majority of current security cameras by emitting a high concentration of infrared light from several LED lights. 

The discrete nature protects the consumers from immediate suspicion, while the fact that it is an attachment allows for interoperability with different headgear. The first design is premised on a standard baseball cap, but other designs in the pipeline include small independent clips and possible wire guards for customers who for either cultural or aesthetic reasons do not wear headgear.

Who is the main market?

The biggest market for this is people in the information industry, mainly relegated to journalists and other jobs that have high risks for identity abuse and targeting by malicious actors. These customers will already be privacy conscious, technologically savvy and live in mainly urban areas where surveillance and security technology will be most prevalent, estimates of customers average age around 25-43 years old.

Why this product?

With the Guard™, operational security is a major part of design thinking in that this product is naturally subversive to a surveillance environment. By protecting identity and allowing for operational security weaknesses in dedicated headgear or clothing products, there is a reduction in analysis and security malfeasance. The slim nature and minimalist design added on to secondary products for non-headgear focused products will make the Guard™ series easier to integrate into one's life and routine and provide a level of security with the least amount of friction in mental awareness and drain of memorizing a security process.

What do I bring to the table?

I have personal experience in design thinking and 3D modeling, allowing me to have a clear vision in what I want this product to be and how to accomplish some of the things it is trying to live up to, mainly the discretion and slim design for low noticeability. I have some minor exposure to website design and can create a functional site for the product that may be able to immediately take in customers. My personal involvement in the market and seeing how this product could be of help for my own industry and for others where identity is a very lucrative commodity, being able to draw directly from those to further understand my consumer gives me a minor edge.

How well do I work?

My business idea has been in the mental stew for quite some time, so I have worked out a lot of the personal and business foundations for why, how, and what the product is as it is. The only thing I feel is out of place would be the fact that online shopping, where I expect almost all my purchases to come from, is itself privacy encroaching. I would love for my product to leave as little as possible behind to who the customer is as to not steal data and become a target myself of data breaches.

Feedback memo

One main piece of feedback that I got was the distinction between being a business student doing this sort of project and being a journalism student in this process. Not being entrepreneurial by nature of business, but entrepreneurial in nature of curiosity and stories, I think the ability for getting feedback and interviewing has helped me refine my thought process and provided a different background from which to tackle this project. The other point of feedback I saw was about execution. While I would love to create this product myself, there is only so much time I have to be able to dedicate to modeling and design work while still in school, so I may need to look into avenues of research or design work assistance to get this product idea to come together.

A Baseball team would not pick up this pitcher for sure

Look at my chubby cheeks getting a pitch done!

Reflecting

In reality as my associates may know I did not actually complete a pitch previous to this one. I have done product pitches in other classes before though, and while never the cleanest I feel I presented the idea with the clarity it needed.

What Changed?

Well what mostly changed was the actual idea behind the project itself, with the interviews I gained a lot of insight as to how I can go about making this the perfect product that can meet a specific goal and still have the splash to impact lives elsewhere.

16a. What's the Sauce?

the GIF game will keep coming at you!

What is it that makes up the sauce that is moi?

First, my thoughts

In the case of what give me my human capital, there are a lot of avenues that I feel could be beneficial to my success. My first mark of being different is my immediate environment and family. My father is an entrepreneur himself, and does not shy away from money making ideas as well as striking down those he feels may not be well fleshed out until I have provided enough evidence for him to rationally come to the table and talk. My other secret ingredient is my wide range of friends. From friends in different fields to those with completely different tastes and fundamental agreements to how things may work (not in a conspiracy way but like a politics and society way), they can provide a treasure trove of knowledge bout what I should think about for a sector of the word I may not have considered. Another source of human capital is my experience with research. High school exposed me to a multitude of ideas, and through speech and debate I dedicated myself to a critical thinking process that greatly benefits me in an entrepreneurial way as I have practiced looking for distinct connections or patterns that may provide an opportunity. Another point of human capital I have is my ability to accept changes in the course of a project. I do not let the original vision hinder the possibility that something new comes up and changes the circumstances or numbers, and requires a new direction should that be the ultimate decision. The last bit I will bring up about my human capital is my easy going nature. I don't like the pressure to be mounted up and would want that even less for those who answer to me.

Now, everyone else gets their say

https://soundcloud.com/user-334162460-571491445/sets/ent3003-interviews/s-VmDTo

all the descriptions are in the descriptions of the interviews themselves

Reflection

One thing I did not realize right away is my charisma which others pick up on. I myself feel more awkward and not as super outgoing, but others do see me as someone who is approachable and easy to talk to. There is an agreement between me and Nathaniel in how I am open to knowing a lot about whatever I put my energy into, so it's good to hear that it comes across and is appreciated. Soha surprised me the most with her comments on creativity, as I do not see much of my activity as not creative at all but maybe others can appreciate what I don't see.

I do feel my interviewees catch me well, but like with anybody it's not easy to get every aspect of a person. Going back I wouldn't change my list, but I do know that I have more to me that gives me a good vantage point.