TaskSquad
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The document describes a unique start-up incubator programme run by Sidekick Studios that helps charities design sustainable spin-off digital businesses. The programme uses a lean start-up approach over 3 months to test, build, learn, and iterate digital products and services. It is funded by Nominet Trust and provides support from various teams within the organisation. One such project incubated was Task Squad, a platform that connects young job seekers with clients through vInspired's API. It has been tested with clients and young people, and launched its minimum viable product that can support 20 clients.
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TaskSquad
- 3. Government funding Corporate relations Individual & events fundraising Trusts & foundations Sustainable trading income
- 4. Unique start-up incubator programme Run by Sidekick Studios Help charities design sustainable spin-out digital businesses Funded by Nominet Trust - £150k per charity of in kind £20k cost to each charity + staff time Looking for 2013/14 participants!
- 5. Lean start-up approach – 3 month test & build Agile & rapid digital & service development Aimed to be distruptive – and take from other successful models Build, test, learn, iterate – fail fast learn fast approach
- 6. Led and managed by Knowledge & Innovation team Fundraising team support to identify new funders and partners Digital team support both at design and test/deploy phase Senior Management Team – brought in regularly as part of big decisions Cross team collaboration = hugely important!
- 8. How it works
- 9. Product built on vInspired’s unique API Evidence based – research from clients/users Tested with 3 clients and 20 young people Offline and online testing of idea Minimum Viable Product – will hold 20 clients & 100 young people Taking popular Task Rabbit model from US Opened to any registered users on vinspired.com Mobile responsive & SMS functionality
- 11. The story so far for 2013 January Sidekick Schools begins February Task Squad agreed as an ‘Employment Business’ to sit within vInspired trading arm March Tested with Old Spital Fields Market & vInspired April Minimum Viable Product launched – can hold 20 clients The Young Foundation Accelerator Programme begins May New clients – Which? Mint Good Agency June Google Impact Award £100,000 July Business plan launched at Young Foundation Demo Day
- 12. Social Impact [CELLREF] [CELLREF] [CELLREF] - 100,000 200,000 300,000 400,000 500,000 600,000 700,000 800,000 Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 £s for Young People Young people employed Young people employed Young people employed
- 13. Financial Impact - 50,000 100,000 150,000 200,000 250,000 300,000 350,000 400,000 450,000 Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 Costs Revenue Investment
- 14. Curating a young person’s micro-work force Quality and proven young people Creating strong futures for young people Flexible to employers needs Creating sustainable income for vInspired
Editor's Notes
- vInspired are dedicated to helping young people realise their ambition – have worked with 100,000s young people since 2006However the context has changed for us all, and young people are disproportionately affected – 1 in 4 are unemployed and this sadly has huge long term consequencesAlongside this, we’ve seen a change in the profile, skills and aptitudes of young people in the UK. They are in beta mode – trying, testing, failing and learning
- We conducted research in January this year about this new set of young people – the Beta Generation. They are responding to the economic conditions around them and constantly learning, and more open to riskThis is coupled with digital technology advances – young people are often early adopters and are using technology to their advantageThe Beta Generation are considering unconventional careers and more opportunity for entrepreneurship – for example Jamal Edwards started his own YouTube channel – at 22 years he is worth £6m- Young people have not lost hope!
- Still a fairly new charity which has until recently been almost entirely government fundedGovernment funding significantly decreasingFighting for our place in this new fundraising landscapeNeed for more unrestricted income = interest in trading income in the longer term – how can we commercialise?
- - We were invited to apply to Sidekick School run by Sidekick Studios, a unique start up incubator to help charities design sustainable spin out digital businesses.- This was a real opportunity for us to use the startup methodology to test a product that would help prepare young people for work, whilst giving them a taster of the world of work AND be a sustainable income generating business for the charity
- There was a leanstart up approach both to digital build and service development – just 3 months build and test timeVery different to usual product development in voluntary sector – required new thinking and a leap of faithAimed to be disruptive and take from other similar models of collaborative consumption and micro work in the USIt centred around a minimum viable product not finished product which would prove the business case – ready to get further funding
- Damien
- In response to this, we developed Task Squad, a micro-work platformA mobile responsive platform that connects employers looking to get stuff done with our community of young people who are eager to get into the paid job marketIt is connected to vInspired.com – where we have a community of over 100,000 young volunteers who are high quality, trusted and incredibly motivated
- Damien
- It is our aim to establish Task Squad as an employment business to sit alongside vInspired as a separate entityWe take a cut of £4 for every hour worked which covers our costs Within a three year period we will make a profit which will be invested back into vInspired to support more young people to do good things
- - In 6 months we’ve come a long way in both product, service and business development- We have an MVP capable of holding 20 clients/100 YP at once- A robust business plan- Our first £100k of funding (from Google!) with more in the pipeline and interest from social investors- 10 clients with more on the way- Next steps – to commence phase one of development on the platform, significant sales activity and to be ready to spin out into vInspired’s trading arm by June 2014.
- - Our conservativeestimate – 13,000 yp on tasks over three years- £750,000 back into the hand of YP- Economically active and moving into longer term employment
- By year three we aim be generating over £350k – enough to cover costs and reinvest almost £100k back into vInspired’s work as unrestricted incomeOver Year 1 & “ we are looking for grant funding and social investment to cover the set up – but the road is pointing towards total sustainability
- - Our aim is to create a stand-alone business that could provide long term sustainable income generation, whilst still aligning with our organisational objective of providing young people with opportunities to fulfil their potential.- The key things that have helped us get there are – Lean & agile development is key to any new technology projectCross team collaborationCommercialisation of operations is not only sensible it is required in current funding market