[Note: This entry was written for the module, CS3216]

This is the follow-up post on the pitching session, and after spending more time thinking about what I’ve heard, I don’t think there are any explicit lessons that I learnt from the speakers (bar the 6Waves seminar). Instead, what I felt was the most important theme to pick up from this event is the idea of opportunity, and I thought the pitching session showcased the three ideas that I would like to share quite fairly, albeit in a subtle manner.

The opportunity that’s there – take it.
The pitching session was a fantastic chance to do a real world project beyond the scope of academia, and whether interesting or not, each presentation represents the golden opportunity to work on something more tangible than the theoretical projects one often is encumbered with in school. It was also a reaffirmation of the rising potential of social media, and an acknowledgement of the fact that knowing the APIs of Facebook (and Twitter, perhaps) is very much a relevant skill to possess in web development.

Furthermore, the companies that described what they wanted were upfront about their needs and problems, and what this highlights is the chance of making a real difference, and right now as well. As students, there aren’t many opportunities like these that come our way, and while it may be easy to dismiss them due to a lack of interest, I can’t help but wonder just exactly how much an opportunity cost is incurred with each fleeting chance.

The opportunity that’s somewhere – find it.
Interestingly, the firms that were invited to pitch come from different industries – Microsoft (Information Technology), iSYNDiCA (digital media), RedSports (sports), Module-Review (education), Ministry of National Development (the Government) as well as Explosive Barrel and 6Waves (games). I wonder if it was a result of sheer coincidence, but what this shows through extrapolation is that there are probably opportunities that exist in almost every industry.

Also, this reiterates the importance and relevance of social media, and that many industries will be able to benefit from utilising it as a platform for marketing, information and media sharing, as well as a digital bridge between consumers and businesses. Hence, I think one way of looking for an opportunity in this context would be to see how Facebook can improve the dynamics and relationship between the players in an industry, or by comparing how this platform is currently being adopted by other industries, and applying the concepts in a parallel way.

The opportunity that’s nowhere – create it.
This is mainly with respect to RedSports and Module-Review, who identified voids that needed to be filled, and went ahead and filled it. Of course, this takes a lot of effort and time, but mostly passion. The two speakers from the respective presentations believed in their ideas, and more importantly, saw it all the way through. While these opportunities can sometimes be easy to find, I think that more often than not, they’re more challenging to execute.

I believe that when looking for an idea, it’s always important to consider the context of the opportunity as it would serve to highlight the potential of the idea. But what I found a bigger takeaway from this pitching session is that opportunities abound, and for every one that presents itself, there are many more laying subtly and waiting to be discovered. It is, of course, up to us to take them.

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