6A Identifying Opportunities in Economic and Regulatory Trends

Opportunity #1: “Child-Welfare Activists Attack Facebook Over Encryption Plans”

a.  Where I found it: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/05/technology/facebook-encryption-child-exploitation.html

b.  What leads me to believe that this information suggests an opportunity might exist: An opportunity might exist for a way to catch child predators online, whether it be a third party company or software that can be used by Facebook.

c.  Who is most likely to be the customer:  The people benefitting from the software (kids on social media), as well as the parents of those kids.  Also, the social media platforms utilizing the service will benefit because they will get a better reputation.

d.  Is the opportunity relatively easy or relatively difficult to exploit, and why:  This opportunity is relatively difficult to exploit because creating the software necessary to catch child predators online would be very costly and it would take a lot of expertise.

e.  Why did I see the opportunity:  My parents were always very strict with me using the internet growing up, because they were scared that I would become a victim of a child predator.  If there was software to fix this problem then kids would be able to roam the internet more freely.

Opportunity #2: FDA crackdown on vaping flavors has blind spot: disposables

a.  Where I found it: https://www.chron.com/news/medical/article/FDA-crackdown-on-vaping-flavors-has-blind-spot-15035419.php

b.  What leads me to believe that this information suggests an opportunity might exist: There are loopholes in the vaping bans that allow certain companies to still sell flavored vapes.  There is an opportunity to create an evaluation system that monitors vape brands and can decide if they target kids or not, and decides whether or not they should be banned.

c.  Who is most likely to be the customer: Government entities, who are helping enact the vape ban, and loved ones of kids who are addicted to vaping.

d.  Is the opportunity relatively easy or relatively difficult to exploit, and why:  This opportunity is relatively easy, since the government would just have to put together a small committee of doctors and specialists that could identify the issues with vaping loopholes and create a new metric system.

e.  Why did I see the opportunity: Being a college student, I see people vaping everywhere I go.  It is a big problem because people are addicted and companies try to target young people to get them hooked.

Opportunity #3: Coronavirus Thwarts Business Travelers Who ‘Need to Be in the Room’

a.  Where I found it: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/01/business/coronavirus-business-travel.html

b.  What leads me to believe that this information suggests an opportunity might exist: Businesses with international ties to China are losing productivity due to the coronavirus, because executives have to cancel business trips.  There is an opportunity for “sterile spots” within cities that are safe to hold business meetings, and are vigorously sterilized for the safety of the travelers.

c.  Who is most likely to be the customer: The people attending the meetings, who would be shielded from the virus.

d.  Is the opportunity relatively easy or relatively difficult to exploit, and why:  This opportunity would be relatively difficult to exploit, because it is difficult to achieve logistically.  There is no way to 100% guarantee that the rooms are 100% sterile, and lawsuits could incur if one of the participants of the meetings gets sick.

e.  Why did I see the opportunity:  The coronavirus is terrorizing everybody in the world right now, and people everywhere are looking for solutions to remain healthy and safe.

Opportunity #4: Lyft Plans Job Cuts as Part of Restructuring

a.  Where I found it: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/29/technology/lyft-layoffs-restructuring.html

b.  What leads me to believe that this information suggests an opportunity might exist: An opportunity might exist for a new ride sharing company to take the place of Lyft, as more people move into cities and less people own cars.

c.  Who is most likely to be the customer:  Anyone that currently uses ride-share apps, but specifically people in urban areas that don’t have cars

d.  Is the opportunity relatively easy or relatively difficult to exploit, and why:  This would be difficult, because I would have to research the reasons that other ride sharing apps have failed, and try not to make those same mistakes in my company.

e.  Why did I see the opportunity:  As a college student, I frequently uber places and rely on it as a main form of transportation.  Without these apps, I don’t know how I would get to far places without a car.