Venture Concept No. 1

To begin, a short description of my idea: ProgramPlanner2.0 is a search tools that will allow RAs to search for previously successful programs that others have hosted based on qualifications such as planning time, program time, program type, type of residents, program cost, and the option to connect links to outside resources and upload documents.

Opportunity
The forces that allow ProgramPlanner2.0 to be an opportunity is the constant demand  for RAs to host programs and the lack of current resources to help plan these programs. Of just the RAs at UF, we are required to host a minimum of six per year and many have trouble coming up with creative, fun, and easily implemented ideas. This market is pretty uniquely defined: RAs. But also it would include the RAs supervisors as well as students that serve in the area government that also hosts programs for the area. As of now, I have narrowed my market to UF RAs, but if this is successful it would be cool to introduce it at other campuses.
Right now many RAs use Pinterest or ask other RAs for program ideas. The problem is that Pinterest provides ideas for mostly creative and crafty programs that not all residents are interested in. And asking the other RAs on their staff tends to result in the same programs being hosted over and over again. Most are pretty loyal, but everyone I have talked to attempts to use other resources as well.
I would say this is kind of a small opportunity. My current target market is small, could be expanded, but even then wouldn't be large. As far as how long the opportunity is open, I would say until someone comes up with my same idea to implement for UF Housing--but because of the high turnover rate with the RA job, it isn't likely that others would invest in this idea unless I took it to a higher up myself.

Innovation
So this is definitely just incrementally innovative. It's a search tool. Search tools are nothing new, I am just using it differently. It's being used to search for programs that meet the qualifications of each individual RA. It will be a website that is collaborated with the current website we use to submit activity assessments. We are already required to submit a summary of our program, so I will just implement another page on this assessment that allows RAs to check boxes that appropriately describe their program. Then from there, other RAs can search based on that criteria.
As far as making money...this is where I will have trouble. I started this idea just to help the community of RAs, I didn't have the idea of making money in mind. So I guess I will offer this to UF for free and then, based on the success, offer it to other universities with a fee for implementation and subsequent fees for updates, additions, changes, etc.

Venture Concept
So my idea fits this opportunity because it will make the jobs of RAs a lot easier! RAs will have a much easier time planning programs, and might actually just creative ones if they are already provided with the resources. Other universities would spend money on this to help make on campus living more attractive. If they don't currently have a system that is used university wide, it will be easy to get them to switch. If they do, then I would have to offer lower prices, higher level of service, or extra features to get them to switch.
A top competitor is Pinterest. It's free and is widely used. But, it hasn't targeted this particular market like ProgramPlanner2.0 could do.
Customer support, pricing, and aligning my search tool with current programs that each university uses are the most important parts of this venture. Right now UF doesn't pay for a service like this, they expect their RAs to be creative and use outside resources.
I don't need too many people. To start, I would just need two. Myself with the idea and talking with customers and a tech person that could actually create this simple search tool and align it with the current software we use.

Other
My top competitive advantage is my connection to UF housing, which includes my experience planning programs, the knowledge of our system, and the relationships I have with other RAs and supervisors.
What's next is expanding it to other universities.
I would want to sell this. After leaving UF, I won't be very connected to the RA life. I would take the experience I have gotten and do something else that relates to the next stage in my life-accounting.