Periodic Reporting for period 1 - Kjuicer (Knowledge Juicer: Readers get Superpowers)
Reporting period: 2018-03-01 to 2018-08-31
Kjuicer is tackling the information overload, i.e. the ever growing amount of reading necessary to thrive, with a new and radical approach that brings collaboration to a completely new level.
Kjuicer exploits a basic skill, highlighting text, and makes it much more useful: the user/reader can prioritize content, and by doing so instantly create multiple versions of it.
- Users report that their understanding improves, and that they are significantly faster in processing complex content – even when compared with reading without highlighting.
- Readers that come after the first have almost a free lunch, since now the content is structured in abstracts, and it can be read or explored at will. Their feedback has been enthusiastic.
Documents that have been highlighted with Kjuicer become in fact curated, and offer:
- several reading alternatives to choose from, typically 4, i.e. a high profile abstract plus two more complete summaries, and the original, complete version;
- a reading interface that allows any meaningful or unclear detail to be clarified in two or three clicks.
Texts and contents exploded with the digital age, but our capacity to process them efficiently has progressed at a slower pace. The most valuable improvement has been search tools, which are great to point where you might find an answer, but unable to guide you in understanding it. By leveraging on a rather common skill, we could make texts 10 times more readable for everyone, while gathering data that could bring machine learning engines able to create KJ documents soon.
Reading time of kjuiced documents ranges from 40% to 5% of the time required to read the original; even less, when applied to particular sets of documents, like court files.
The objectives of the project were to find the least resistance path to bring Kjuicer to the market and make it a very profitable company. We feel that the project confirmed its validity, received significant feedbacks from stakeholders, and created a viable plan to make life easier to readers in Europe and elsewhere, while generating great value in the process.
Kjuicer exploits a basic skill, highlighting text, and makes it much more useful: the user/reader can prioritize content, and by doing so instantly create multiple versions of it.
- Users report that their understanding improves, and that they are significantly faster in processing complex content – even when compared with reading without highlighting.
- Readers that come after the first have almost a free lunch, since now the content is structured in abstracts, and it can be read or explored at will. Their feedback has been enthusiastic.
Documents that have been highlighted with Kjuicer become in fact curated, and offer:
- several reading alternatives to choose from, typically 4, i.e. a high profile abstract plus two more complete summaries, and the original, complete version;
- a reading interface that allows any meaningful or unclear detail to be clarified in two or three clicks.
Texts and contents exploded with the digital age, but our capacity to process them efficiently has progressed at a slower pace. The most valuable improvement has been search tools, which are great to point where you might find an answer, but unable to guide you in understanding it. By leveraging on a rather common skill, we could make texts 10 times more readable for everyone, while gathering data that could bring machine learning engines able to create KJ documents soon.
Reading time of kjuiced documents ranges from 40% to 5% of the time required to read the original; even less, when applied to particular sets of documents, like court files.
The objectives of the project were to find the least resistance path to bring Kjuicer to the market and make it a very profitable company. We feel that the project confirmed its validity, received significant feedbacks from stakeholders, and created a viable plan to make life easier to readers in Europe and elsewhere, while generating great value in the process.
Kjuicer started earlier than the actual beginning date of the project: by mid-January it engaged an experienced Business Developer, and in February it exploited participation to the Barcelona World Mobile Forum. It immediately started conversations with large corporations, both at the Italian and European level.
OBJ 1 – e-commerce
A detailed study has been performed which culminated in a specifications document. It was determined that it could be efficiently outsourced without risk to lose control on mission critical aspects. Kjuicer requested pricing to 5 different European software companies, identified and engaged a suitable partner which started collaborating on the project last July.
OBJ 2 – Verticals for Windows, Apple, Google. Improve UI and UX.
Results of the study:
- Components for the verticals could be outsourced, since they can be “wrapped” and implemented by the external resource.
- On UI and UX, a significant part of the job would be handled more efficiently internally since it would require intervention in core components. There is space for outsourcing in bug resolution and test building.
OBJ 3 – Move from the current MVP to a market ready product.
A major improvement to Kjuicer has been moved to a market ready product, i.e. the Editor. The project allowed the team to showcase it to top counter-parties, and get feedbacks and commitments.
OBJ 4 – Define a commercialization and dissemination plan and implement a minimal sales structure. Acquire at least 3 mid to large “early adopter” customers.
Kjuicer could engage a senior business developer, and invest in two international missions, in addition to its autonomous marketing. We could target and enter in contact with 77 prospect customers through the business developer, almost all very large corporate and PAs. Missions enabled us to contact 30 entities, several of them multinationals, receiving some precious manifestations of interest. Other initiatives enabled another 41 contacts.
As we write, Kjuicer received initial test orders from 3 corporate, each of which over 5BN€ in revenues, and confirmations of interest from two very large Public Administrations. A well recognized brand manifested the intention to explore the possible integration of Kjuicer’s tools inside its digital writing tool and suite of applications.
OBJ 5 – Commercialization agreements with key partners
Kjuicer identified several potential partners. Two brought us to meet their customers, one promised us to do so in this season, a fourth is testing the tool.
OBJ 6 – Quantification of revenues and costs
We could fine tune our financial forecasts and assumptions. Our commercial effort allowed us to assess and estimate customer acquisition costs, that range between 2,5 and 20K, and its potential, from 50K to 1.5M per year. Scaling should absorb from 500K to 1M€.
OBJ 1 – e-commerce
A detailed study has been performed which culminated in a specifications document. It was determined that it could be efficiently outsourced without risk to lose control on mission critical aspects. Kjuicer requested pricing to 5 different European software companies, identified and engaged a suitable partner which started collaborating on the project last July.
OBJ 2 – Verticals for Windows, Apple, Google. Improve UI and UX.
Results of the study:
- Components for the verticals could be outsourced, since they can be “wrapped” and implemented by the external resource.
- On UI and UX, a significant part of the job would be handled more efficiently internally since it would require intervention in core components. There is space for outsourcing in bug resolution and test building.
OBJ 3 – Move from the current MVP to a market ready product.
A major improvement to Kjuicer has been moved to a market ready product, i.e. the Editor. The project allowed the team to showcase it to top counter-parties, and get feedbacks and commitments.
OBJ 4 – Define a commercialization and dissemination plan and implement a minimal sales structure. Acquire at least 3 mid to large “early adopter” customers.
Kjuicer could engage a senior business developer, and invest in two international missions, in addition to its autonomous marketing. We could target and enter in contact with 77 prospect customers through the business developer, almost all very large corporate and PAs. Missions enabled us to contact 30 entities, several of them multinationals, receiving some precious manifestations of interest. Other initiatives enabled another 41 contacts.
As we write, Kjuicer received initial test orders from 3 corporate, each of which over 5BN€ in revenues, and confirmations of interest from two very large Public Administrations. A well recognized brand manifested the intention to explore the possible integration of Kjuicer’s tools inside its digital writing tool and suite of applications.
OBJ 5 – Commercialization agreements with key partners
Kjuicer identified several potential partners. Two brought us to meet their customers, one promised us to do so in this season, a fourth is testing the tool.
OBJ 6 – Quantification of revenues and costs
We could fine tune our financial forecasts and assumptions. Our commercial effort allowed us to assess and estimate customer acquisition costs, that range between 2,5 and 20K, and its potential, from 50K to 1.5M per year. Scaling should absorb from 500K to 1M€.
Kjuicer, in many respects, represents a major leap forward for digital texts. It impacts them at their core, giving any reader the ability to:
- understand better and faster,
- retain and access every concept in the content, also long term, and
to readers and authors alike, the opportunity to:
- simplify and speed up access for others, by multiples up to 20x or faster, at the cost of simply highlighting the content.
Furthermore, by leveraging the latest standards, it grants its user full cloud benefits.
Documents:
- are stored online,
- can be accessible to any browser-equipped device,
- respond and adapt swiftly to different screen sizes,
- can be published on any website or inside applications,
- can be read by anyone (including non users) without downloading files or installing a reader, yet they
- can be permissioned or encrypted for additional security.
Kjuicer also significantly tilts the balance of the online VS printing battle. The material advantage of screen fruition offered by this paradigm is unbridgeable: you can either mark texts and gain precious short and long term advantages, or choose from ready made, multiple alternatives, and explore the content at will.
The above means that Kjuicer can aspire to become a new, vastly improved document standard.
The project enabled the team to expand significantly the range of feedbacks and stakeholders. Some forward thinkers in the space of large institutions are showing to be ready to move on board. The advantages of speeding up our readings are so compelling, in terms of productivity but also ease, that large scale adoption through peer pressure could be rapid.
The project offers also the opportunity of improved inclusion, since one of the most important results of juicing is simplification of knowledge and information. This issue was raised and noticed mostly at the Public Administration level, but it will benefit education and the larger population as well.
- understand better and faster,
- retain and access every concept in the content, also long term, and
to readers and authors alike, the opportunity to:
- simplify and speed up access for others, by multiples up to 20x or faster, at the cost of simply highlighting the content.
Furthermore, by leveraging the latest standards, it grants its user full cloud benefits.
Documents:
- are stored online,
- can be accessible to any browser-equipped device,
- respond and adapt swiftly to different screen sizes,
- can be published on any website or inside applications,
- can be read by anyone (including non users) without downloading files or installing a reader, yet they
- can be permissioned or encrypted for additional security.
Kjuicer also significantly tilts the balance of the online VS printing battle. The material advantage of screen fruition offered by this paradigm is unbridgeable: you can either mark texts and gain precious short and long term advantages, or choose from ready made, multiple alternatives, and explore the content at will.
The above means that Kjuicer can aspire to become a new, vastly improved document standard.
The project enabled the team to expand significantly the range of feedbacks and stakeholders. Some forward thinkers in the space of large institutions are showing to be ready to move on board. The advantages of speeding up our readings are so compelling, in terms of productivity but also ease, that large scale adoption through peer pressure could be rapid.
The project offers also the opportunity of improved inclusion, since one of the most important results of juicing is simplification of knowledge and information. This issue was raised and noticed mostly at the Public Administration level, but it will benefit education and the larger population as well.