Student marketplace, allowing students to apply to multiple universities in one digital college application

1. DegreeLinked
Investor Pitch Deck
Michael Herlache MBA
George Wang

2. Investor Pitch Deck Outline
1) Vision / Elevator Pitch
2) Traction
3) Market Opportunity
4) Problem & Current Solutions
5) Product / Service
6) Business Model
7) Market Approach & Strategy
8) Team
9) Competition
10) Investment
11) Exit Strategy
DegreeLinked
Investor Pitch Deck

3. Vision / Elevator Pitch
Student marketplace, allowing students to
apply to multiple universities in one digital
college application
DegreeLinked
Investor Pitch Deck

4. Traction
Finished accelerator program
DegreeLinked platform finished development
(MVP)
Building initial sales cycle with 10,000 US
universities database
470 users signed up
Initial SEO and PR push
DegreeLinked
Investor Pitch Deck

5. Market Opportunity
Market Definition: Student marketplace
Total Market Size: $25 billion
Customers:
UNIVERSITIES: We are initially targeting universities. 16,000
universities database
STUDENTS: We target students interested in applying to
university. By 2025 the number of students enrolled in higher
education will be 262 million, and $25 billion is spent on digital
advertising to them and $1 billion is spent in digital subscriptions
by them.
DegreeLinked
Investor Pitch Deck

6. The Problem
The college application process is inefficient, time consuming, costly, and fragmented. Today
the process of applying for college entails filling out a lengthy application, paying an
application fee, and then waiting to hear back. University websites are informational and have
red tape for the average student looking to apply to the given university. Currently, individuals
search for a university and are directed to various generic university websites requiring them
to make the first contact. Because of these barriers-to-entry, most students do not apply to the
schools that they should. Today, only 3 in 10 undergraduate students apply to a stretch
school. Less than 60% of students actually apply to multiple schools. A significant contributor
to this is due to lack of access to a standardized application form across universities.
Existing university applications. Most websites focus exclusively on
either a digital profile or hyperlinks to universities and provide a less-
appealing user experience. Competitors ignore a standardized
application process because it's a difficult market to penetrate:
universities are scattered. We believe that the lack of competition for a
standardized application process makes it the perfect opportunity.
Current Solutions
DegreeLinked
Investor Pitch Deck

7. Product / Service
We offer a digital college application platform that improves the
college application process. Essentially we enable a user
submit a single profile application to multiple universities at
once. Our service is free to use initially and only costs users a
small fee to apply and receive offers. Each of the 16,000
universities in our database has a profile page with a unique,
searchable URL. Students list their academic performance via
an easy-to-use marketplace and receive offers via our simple
listing match system.
DegreeLinked
Investor Pitch Deck

8. Revenue Model
DegreeLinked is free to use initially. We monetize via a fee
on memberships, paid by the student along with digital
advertising. Students represent a $25 billion revenue
opportunity for DegreeLinked. We also collect valuable user
data that can be monetized in additional ways. Future
expansion can include international markets, and other
opportunities.
DegreeLinked
Investor Pitch Deck

9. Marketing & Growth Strategy
We enter the market by providing universities a better
student markets presence for free. We provide users
with a better resource to find and execute on their
scholarships. We seed demand by creating and
curating great student listings, by enabling user-
generated student listings, by encouraging universities
to promote their page, and via SEO/SEM and social
media marketing.
DegreeLinked
Investor Pitch Deck

10. Team
DegreeLinked
Investor Pitch Deck
Founder: Michael Herlache
VP, M&A
● Originated over $5bn in M&A opportunities in the healthcare, recycling, internet, fire protection,
manufacturing, real estate, telecommunications industries
● Won engagements totaling over $475M in M&A
● Responsible for the entire M&A origination process including the initial email outreach, then a follow
up call, then an in person meeting, then aiding the company in signing the engagement letter
Associate, M&A
● Managed team of 7 analysts while leading operational and technological infrastructure development
initiatives
● Responsible for ensuring that analysts properly build financial statement models and valuations
along with the corresponding pitchbooks, management presentations, and CIMs
● Selected Transaction and Project Experience:
○ Coverage Banking Initiative – Ongoing
● Developed coverage banking initiative to focused on middle market companies with total enterprise
values ranging from $5M to $1bn

11. Team Continued
DegreeLinked
Investor Pitch Deck
Lead Developer/CIO: George Wang
Built website to support two million hits/second. Cybiko needed to host online games. Architected website and infrastructure. Moved server
hosting to new facility. Reduced costs 62%. Boosted capacity from 250 hits/second.
IT Business Value added. With 17+ years in a CIO/ Director position directing a global organization with successful experience leading the
technology group to support manufacturing and distribution, business turn around (the supplier of the mass retail stores) and experiences to
lead it group in a private company from 500M to 1B+ and went public through organic growth, transformation and acquisition activity, and
through working with customers, building strong relationships with senior management and key stakeholders to drive innovation and
differentiated IT strategy and improving the business value of IT.
Turned $50M loss into $150M profit. North Pole was in the red. Consolidated EU, Asia and US data centers in China. Established MPLS
network, reducing data costs 80%. Implemented Six‐Sigma and ISO 9001 projects. Led business process reengineering steps, increasing
productivity140% and reducing outsourcing costs 70%.
Spearheaded $150M growth for global tech startup. Recruited to lead IT and manufacturing for Cybiko. Collaborated with Russians to
develop game device interface design. Established cost‐effective manufacturing facility in China. Created full functional Web infrastructure.
Set up Internet marketing and US distribution channels.
Standardized global SAP system setting stage for IPO. Colfax needed to satisfy worldwide accounting and security issues for pending IPO.
Consolidated subsidiary SAP licenses. Implemented corporate SAP platforms. Facilitated timely completion of GAAP filing requirements.
Passed SOX 404. Enabled successful IPO.
Enabled 100% revenue growth to $25M in 12 months. Fiber‐Craft growth was impeded by legacy technology. Selected to lead corporate
growth team. Upgraded hardware and infrastructure. Integrated POS systems with J.D. Edwards in Wal‐Mart, Kmart,Target and other major
retailers. Generated significant increase in product sales.
Developed and implemented cost‐saving global private network. Colfax couldn’t effectively communicate with 34 facilities in four business
units in 12 countries. Established global MPLS network. Consolidated data centers. Increased shared information. Reduced internal
price/project competition. Realized immediate $2.28M savings.

12. Competition
Existing university applications. Most websites focus
exclusively on either a digital profile or hyperlinks to
universities and provide a less-appealing user experience.
Competitors ignore a standardized application process
because it's a difficult market to penetrate: universities are
scattered. We believe that the lack of competition for a
standardized application process makes it the perfect
opportunity.
DegreeLinked
Investor Pitch Deck

13. Investment
Ask: $500k
Transforms to Series Seed Preferred if
oversubscribed to $750k or more
Anticipated close: July 2016
Burn rate: $15k based on funding
Break-even: 15 months
Previous Investment: Friends & Family round
Use of Proceeds (as % of total raise)
• Founder salary – 25%
• Sales & Marketing – 25%
• Operational Hires – 30%
• Server – 20%
DegreeLinked
Investor Pitch Deck

14. Exit
The opportunity for return on investment is most likely
through acquisition or IPO. We know that we are
building something very big that can IPO.
Comparable exits:
Ellucian (acquired by TGP Capital and Leonard
Green & Partners for $3.5B)
Lynda (acquired by LinkedIn for $1.5B)
IPOs:
2U
Instructure
Chegg
ePals
Tarena
Source: https://www.cbinsights.com/blog/ed-tech-startup-exits-slow-2016/
DegreeLinked
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