The Opportunity:
Over the last decade, the number of Americans who professed that they believed that cable news got the "facts straight" has declined, falling from 55 to 37 percent, with criticism from students across the nation focusing on the fact that many sources that exist online regarding legislative discussion tend to hold political bias. In recent years, research has uncovered how a growing population of young voters has become more active, finding that more have registered to vote and be active within the political process. These demographic change and growing interest within the political process has led to a broad opportunity window, as students aged 18-30 across the nation seek objective sources that can discuss legislation from viewpoints clearly labelled from the side of the political spectrum that they come from. This issue exists primary for young people involved in model government programs, majoring in political science or pre-law tracks, or even political junkies who crave objective sources for information regarding legislative issues. While there are forums that exist on the internet, including but not limited to the likes of Reddit, Quora Digest, and Google results, many of these forums simply aren't geared for this specific type of research, or are non-objective, creating a clear window of opportunity that can be focused on.
The Innovation:
Having analyzed this problem from a variety of different angles, my proposed solution exists in the form of PoliPeer, an app that for a small fee every month, will allow for verified contributors who identify from various angles of the political spectrum to post about legislative info and perspectives that speak either for or against proposed legislation. The fee for the app itself will be small, about $5 a month, and will be inconsequential for someone who spends time doing legislative research for a specific program they might be involved in. Results from this app can be displayed in different ways, mainly laying out the objective wording of legislation, and allowing readers to flip to sections that have been contributed to. The verification of said contributors can be done through either requiring proof of a degree relevant to the topic one has chosen to contribute to, and a display of one's political affiliation in order to keep the site organized, clearly written, and unbiased so as to not confuse readers. Within the United States, additionally, where senior citizens are the most prolific voters, this app will also be adapted and designed to be friendly for older users in order to allow them to also contribute or use it to educate themselves on certain issues, thereby solving a broad issue by aiming to educate large swathes of the electorate. The small subscription fee will also be partially subsidized by allowing for app advertisements, which in themselves can bring in a large amount of revenue that can go towards improving the user experience and keeping costs low, this way fostering an accessible educational model that can generate revenue.
The Venture Concept:
Among the interviews I conducted, many of my specific demographic reported the large amount of difficulty when it came to finding unbiased sources that were easy to digest and also were clearly labelled as holding a bias. This app can solve all of those issues via providing a brand new platform to share ideas that has no competitor that successfully meets the needs of such a broad audience, as sites such as Reddit and Quora Digest have already proved themselves to be fragmented and difficult to navigate when it comes to debate over legislative issues, while also being fraught with virtual "echo-chambers" with my site containing the necessary infrastructure that encourages such discussion. My price point is small enough to be rationalized, as my target demographic might already pay hundreds of dollars a year for the use of streaming services, many of which individually may already be more expensive than my product. One benefit of having an app such as this would be the fact that many might choose to volunteer themselves to be moderators, with only some maintenance being required in order to keep the site up and running, thereby encouraging a small team size that keeps operational costs low. This product can be successful due to the fact that it's designed specifically around a customer issue, with many of its users already having been left dissatisfied from existing forums on the internet, thereby ensuring its success.
The Three Minor Elements:
I feel like having researched this opportunity, the greatest resource I have is my social network, with experience when it comes to mentoring students and aiding them in the development of their own legal writing and legislative research skills, I've already developed a broad test audience that might be receptive to my product that is composed of both adults and younger audiences. Another large factor within my social network is the broad list of educators and professionals who work in these fields and can work to give suggestions and provide feedback on my product. These connections have been built over years, and are difficult to replicate without investing time, giving me a clear advantage over my competitors.
When it comes to thinking forward, I feel that many other opportunities for similar styles of forums exist out there. I feel that monitoring current forums might lead to indicators of other forums that can similarly be tackled by my model, with debates over legal policies currently in place across the United States being another issue that might be cornered, catering to attorneys who might desire a solution in that regard, or debate about international policy, which could also be another market niche that might be cornered.
Additionally, I firmly believe that the success of this app can be measured by the decline of other forums. By monitoring activity on already existing forums, a measurable growth in my app revenue versus a decline in other forums indicates a broader market share, something that as an entrepreneur, indicates the success of my product while also ensuring that my personal goal of educating people is achieved.
Feedback:
Having posted an initial version of my Venture Concept, I received no feedback at all, and as a result, simply revised it. Looking through, a lot of the language was revised to be more professional, as I felt that it was crude in certain areas. Additionally, I added another reason for why customers might value my product, as existing solutions tend to create virtual "echo-chamber" effects for communities that don't allow for true debate. I additionally expanded the section on having the app be designed to work with older users to make it more detailed. Language across the venture concept was also revised to be made a lot more concise for those reading.
