Innovative Solution for Customer Needs: A Comprehensive Market Analysis

1. Product/Service Name: Team Leader: Faculty / Research Alliance: Email: Mobile Tel:

2. Customer & Need Identification • Who is or are the potential customer(s) • There may be more than one type of customer - please identify as many as you are targeting • Be as specific as possible, give examples • What is the important customer need • Customer’s problem / want / need • Why is it important? • How does this change with different types or sets of customers?

3. Customer Value • Customer Value Proposition • Why customer will be compelled to buy from you • What is the sense of customer urgency? Why now? • Quantify the value • Customer benefits per cost • Equalize the value / price equation • Quantification CVP examples: • Cost efficiency – how much costs are reduced • Faster – how much faster than alternatives • Better – quality improvement over other options

4. Market Analysis • How big is the market (units, sales, revenue) • How many potential customers? • Market size - in volume: units, sales or revenue • What is the geography you will serve: Malaysia, SE Asia, other • Market trends • Is the market stable, growing or shrinking?

5. Product/Service Description • Key features & capabilities • How does this address the customer’s needs? • Product/Invention status (how developed is your product?) • Proof of concept • Prototype or model - lab scale • Prototype or pilot – in customer operation • Commercial production plant, industrial model

6. Market Competition • What is the competition today • What alternatives are used by customers today? • Market approach • New market, penetration of existing market or replacement of competitors? • Why will a customer buy from you instead of a competitor? • Competitive Comparison • Do internet search • Talk with potential partners or customers • Develop a matrix comparing 3-4 alternatives to your product/ service

7. Competitive Strategies • Sustainable competitive advantage • Shelf life of the product/service ? • Over time how will you protect & grow business, i.e. cost differentiation, niche strategy, product differentiation (continued development), other • IP Protection: • Do you have one or more patents on your idea? • Please describe them briefly • What is the patent strength ?

8. Technology Plan • Sustainable technology road map being proposed for the product • What new features & capabilities will be developed • When will new capabilities be available

9. Management Plan • Team • Who are the current key team members? [provide some background] • Who are your current business/industry advisors? • What are the key holes, roles you need to fill? • Team’s activities & motivation to commercialise the invention

10. Business Model • How does the business get money, generate revenue? For example: • License to partners • Produce product/service to sell through partners • Produce product/service to sell direct

11. Financial Plan • Expense Forecast (Operations) • Start-up costs • Staffing needs & costs • Facilities • Revenue Forecast (Income, sales) • Sales per year • Revenue per year (if different from sales) • Cost of Goods Sold • Expected cost to produce one “unit” (parts, labor, supplies, etc.) [Provide quarterly forecast for years 1 & 2 and annual forecast for years 3 & 4]

12. Funding Plan • Current Funding • How have you been funded so far? Amount & sources • Funding Requirements • Show the amount required NOW • How funding will be used (what will you do with the money - activities, purpose, outcome?) • What timeframe is needed to achieve these results (how long will this take) • Further Funding Required • What future funding requirements do you expect? • How many more rounds of financing? • For what type of activities/purpose/outcome?

13. Risks & Risk Mitigation • What are the top 2-3 risks that you face • Technology development (i.e. scalability) • Competition (i.e. time to market, duplication, protection) • Customer acceptance (i.e. buyer) • Approval, certification requirements • Other? • And how do you plan to address these risks?

14. Why invest in me • Besides good ROI, demonstrate your: • Passion • Belief • Confidence • Commitment

15. Summary • What’s the important customer need you are addressing? • Why is your solution (product/service) better than the competition? • Action Plan/Way Forward for this Project: • Pursue for commercialization i.e. Find partners, develop pilot plant, need private funding or Venture Capital • Need for innovation value add i.e. Business Plan, Prototype Development, Product testing/validation, Packaging • Need further research i.e. Collect more data, time to complete the research is > 6 months • Request for: follow up meeting/permission to send more information /arrange for demo/visitation to site, etc • Acknowledge/thank for input