This document outlines the business model canvas for a networking management platform called Contact Tree. It summarizes key elements like partners, activities, resources, value proposition, customer relationships, channels, customer segments, cost structure and revenue streams. Over several iterations, it identifies the main customer archetypes as job seekers, time-starved professionals, and event organizers. The value proposition evolves to focus on personalized, automated services like suggested interactions, prioritized sub-groups, and reminder features to reduce users' time and effort. Revenue streams include paid subscriptions and licensing fees from schools and partnerships.

1. Contact Tree
It’s your tree. See it. Grow it.
35
Interviews
56
Unique website visitors
11
Sign-ups

2. KP
Contact Aggregation:
• LinkedIn
• Facebook
• Google+
• Skype
Customer
Organizations:
Professional Schools
Select Companies
(ie. Companies who
benefit from employees
having a strong
network)
KA
Platform
Development
KR
Human (key staff)
Intellectual
Value Prop
Current need:
Networking is
important, but time
consuming and
currently not formally
managed.
Service: Formal
management of your
network through
contact aggregation,
visualization, analytics
and searchability. Use
of personal assistant to
reduce user’s time
burden.
Customer Relation
Automated web based
service
Acquisition: Free
service within
professional schools
Maintenance: value
added services
Growth: Word of
mouth, benefiting
companies
CH
Online (Web)
Customer Seg
Professionals
Students emerging
from professional
schools
Sales facing roles
Mass market
(personal use)
C$
Cost Driven business (automated service)
• Staff
• Business Development, Legal
R$
Subscription fee for advanced
service
Business Model Canvas
Day 1: 26 August 2013

3. What we have learned
Facts Extract
D1/
D2
Need
• Don’t need a simple aggregator of contacts (94% of interviewees)
• Need to be able to categorize their network (sub-groups) (75% wanted)
• Validated that a reminder or automated service was necessary (81% of our interviews)
• Search functionality in LinkedIn and Facebook does not meet standards, but wouldn’t use an
additional platform just for search
• Time saving is a value proposition – want automated services
Customer
• 100% of interviewees are on LinkedIn but not necessarily on Facebook
Revenue Model
• People are 84% don’t want to pay for the product, 16% said they would pay a minimal amount
• Focused our value prop by
discarding simple aggregation and
search function
• Discovered a new customer
archetype - career services, alumni
services, meetups
• Changed potential revenue model
D3 Need
• Prioritized list of people to network with
• Personalized yet automated is the winning combination and makes people want to join
Customer:
• Additional customer type – meet ups and career services
• Research on ‘curating’ your list of
contacts
• Hypothesis of customer
acquisition tipping point
D4 Competition Landscape
• Personal contact manager is a crowded market place with lots of players focus on different
feature set
Customer interviews:
• Personalization very important – smart algorithim to provide meaningful way to connect
Get strategy through partners
• Career service may not be a valid customer. However, we may consider event organizers with a
vested benefit in keeping contacts among attendee
• Crucial to differentia ourselves
from competitor
• Partners need to validated

4. Key Partners
Contact Aggregation:
• LinkedIn
• Facebook
• Google+
• Skype
Key Activities
Web service
Development
Key Resources
Human (key staff)
Intellectual
Value Proposition
• Current need:
• Networking is
important, but time
consuming and
currently not formally
manage
Service:
Reduced time and effort
 Virtual personal
assistant
 Easy search through
smart analytics
Strengthen the quality of
networks
 Frequency and
quality of
communication
Influencers
Strengthen alumni
network
Customer Relation
Automated web based
service
• Acquisition: Free
service within
professional schools
• Maintenance: value
added services
• Growth: Word of
mouth, benefiting
companies
Channels
Online (Web)
Customer Segments
• Professionals
• Students emerging
from professional
schools
• Sales facing roles
• Mass market
(personal use)
End Users:
• Alumni (1 – 5 years)
• MBA students
Influencers/Reccomen
ders:
• Alumni Relations
Directors,
Organizational
Professors, Career
Services Coach
Cost Structure
Cost Driven business (automated service)
• Staff
• Business Development, Legal
Revenue Streams
• Subscription fee for advanced service
• License fee charged to schools
• License fee charged to partnership websites
Business Model Canvas
Day 2: 27 August 2013

5. Customer Archetypes
Job seekers
• 24-32
• Male and female
• Top tier MBA or recent
graduates
• Active job seeker
• 1-3 targeted industry
• Working with Career
Services
• 300+ LinkedIn contacts
• Access to targeted industry
and exclusive groups
• Need super connectors
• 26-40
• Male and female
• Passive job seekers
• 500+ LinkedIn contacts
• Care about small
inner-circle of 30+
• Time-starved
• Need reminder to keep
contact
Time starved professionals
• Advocates of
professional networks
• Part of their VP is
teaching people how
to strengthen
networks
Career Services
End User End User Influencer

6. Key Partners
Contact Aggregation:
• LinkedIn
• Facebook
• Google+
• Skype
Influencers/Reccomender
s:
• Alumni Relations
Directors,
Organizational
Professors, Career
Services Coach
Key Activities
Web service
Development
Key Resources
Human (key staff)
Intellectual
Value Proposition
• Current need:
• Networking is
important, but time
consuming and
currently not formally
manage
Service:
Customer Relation
Automated web based
service
• Acquisition: Free
service within
professional schools
• Maintenance: value
added services
• Growth: Word of
mouth, benefiting
companies
Channels
Online (Web)
Customer Segments
• Professionals
• Students emerging
from professional
schools
• Sales facing roles
• Mass market
(personal use)
• End Users:
• Alumni (1 – 5 years)
• MBA students
Cost Structure
Cost Driven business (automated service)
• Staff
• Business Development, Legal
Revenue Streams
• Subscription fee for advanced service
• License fee charged to schools
• License fee charged to partnership websites
Business Model Canvas
Day 3/4: 27/8 August 2013
Early MBA/Job
Seeker
Mid career MBA
Search
Reminder
Sub-group
Reminder
Broadcast with one
click
Paid
Free

7. Dashboard
(access to
multiple
social
network)
Reminder Subgroup/
prioritized
group
Network
Assessment
Visual
Display
Contact Tree
(Free/$
Contactually
($20/mo.)
Nimble
($15/mo.)
Rapportive
(Free)
Plaxo
($5/mo.)
Xobni
($8/mo.)
Competitive Landscape – Value Proposition

8. 90% male MBA
27% finance
45% professional services
NY, CA >> IN, NC, UK

9. Key Partners
Contact Aggregation:
• LinkedIn
• Facebook
• Google+
• Skype
Influencers/Reccomender
s:
• Career Services Coach
• Alumni Relations
Directors,
• Organizational
Professors
• Event organizer
Key Activities
Web service
Development
Key Resources
Human (key staff)
Intellectual
Value Proposition
• Current need:
• Networking is
important, but time
consuming and
currently not formally
manage
Service:
Customer Relation
Automated web based
service
• Acquisition: Free
service within
professional schools
• Maintenance: value
added services
• Growth: Word of
mouth, benefiting
companies
Channels
Online (Web)
Direct sales
Customer Segments
• Professionals
• Students emerging
from professional
schools
• Sales facing roles
• Mass market
(personal use)
• End Users:
• Alumni (1 – 5 years)
• MBA students
Cost Structure
Cost Driven business (automated service)
• Staff
• Business Development, Legal
Revenue Streams
• Subscription fee for advanced service
• License fee charged to schools
• License fee charged to partnership websites
Business Model Canvas
Day 5: 30 August 2013
Job Seekers
• 24 – 32, M/F, top
tier MBA or
recent
graduates, work
with career
services
Time starved
Professionals
Search
Reminder
Reduce time and
effort
Suggested
personalized
interactions
prioritization of
network Sub-group
Reminder service
Broadcast with one
click
Free Free Paid
Meet ups / Event
organizations
Drive repeat business
by increasing quality of
connections made

10. What we are going to do next
Today To-do
Customer
Segments
• Early-stage MBA/job seeker
• Mid career MBA
• Meetups / event organizer
• Test other industry professionals (ie. Lawyers)
• Adwords campaign to test sign up rate
• Test value proposition through customer interviews with
business development leads
Revenue
Stream
• Free for end user
• Event meet up
• Test pricing with meet up organizations (interviews)
• Test pricing with end users (current hypothesis testing in
progress through website, $4.99 – $19.99 per month)
Key Activities • Web service development • Validate algorithm to automate service

11. Backup

12. Market Size
Total;
G8 Top 20 Professional
Schools
Current: 2.5 M
Alumni: 12.5 M
Accessible Customers
Current: 1.9 M
Alumni: 9.4 M
Top 20
MBA
schools
MBA: 180K
30K
Current,
150K
alumni
Assumptions:
American Top 20 Professional Schools Columbia 25K X 20 schools X 5years X 5 countries (for G8 including size difference)
= 15 M
% of people able to access web based service – 75%
100%
75%
1%

13. Channels
Contact
Tree
Direct Sales
E-Commence
(Contacttree.wordpr
ess.com)
MBA Students
MBA Alumni
MBA Career Service
Partnership Social
Networks