Fund Music Ed’s 2014 deck positions the company as a vertical-specific crowdfunding platform, explicitly comparing itself to Kickstarter but for the music education niche. The deck identifies a critical pain point—a 50% decrease in school music programs over five years—and proposes a dual-revenue model: a 10% platform fee and margins from acting as a merchandise vendor for pledge rewards. With early traction showing $8,200 raised in a 4-week alpha pilot and a preregistration list representing $1.4M in potential budgets, the startup sought $1.1M in seed funding. While the deck excels at identi…
Key takeaways
- The company identifies a massive market gap, noting that school music programs have decreased by 50% in the last 5 years (Slide 3).
- Revenue is generated through a 10% platform fee and by acting as a 'turn-key' merchandise vendor for pledge rewards like t-shirts and mugs (Slide 7).
- Early traction included a 3-day marketing test where 146 schools preregistered to raise $1.4M in budgets with only $36 in spend (Slide 9).
- A 5-school alpha pilot in March 2014 successfully raised $8,200 for music education over four weeks (Slide 9).
- The product strategy focuses on peer-to-peer features where students have individual goals to motivate parent and community participation (Slide 11).
- The startup requested a seed investment of up to $1,100,000, with a stated minimum of $150,000 to scale operations (Slide 13).
- The deck omits a dedicated team slide, leaving the founder's background and the 'small management team' to be hired unspecified (Slide 13).
- The technology was built 'on a shoe string' between Dec 2013 and Feb 2014, claiming 90% of Kickstarter's features (Slide 9).
Executive Summary
Fund Music Ed’s pitch deck, dated May 19, 2014, is a classic example of a vertical-specific crowdfunding pitch. By narrowing the focus to a single, emotionally resonant category—music education—the company attempts to build a more tailored experience than generalist platforms like Kickstarter or GoFundMe. The deck relies heavily on early 'lean' validation and a clear revenue model that combines SaaS-like fees with e-commerce margins.
Slide 1: Title and Contact
The cover slide introduces the company name, Fund Music Ed , and explicitly defines the category: "Crowdfunding (i.e. KICKSTARTER) for Music Education." This use of a well-known analog immediately anchors the investor's understanding of the business model. The slide includes a contact name, Chris Purifoy, an email address, and a phone number. It is dated May 19, 2014, and contains a standard legal notice regarding the informational nature of the deck.
Slide 3: The Problem
The problem slide uses a stark visual of a map of the United States, half-filled with musical motifs and half-greyed out. The headline states that funding for the arts is the #1 problem facing music education today . The key metric provided is that school music programs have decreased by 50% in the last 5 years . This slide establishes the urgency and the scale of the market need without cluttering the page with secondary statistics.
Slide 5: The Solution
Slide 5 positions crowdfunding as a "proven solution" to this timely problem. The text argues that crowdfunding is superior to other online fundraising methods because it appeals to both altruism and self-interest . By offering tangible rewards for donations, the platform aims to engage the school's community more effectively than traditional donation-only models. The slide references "page 7" for growth data, though that specific growth chart is not among the provided images.
Slide 7: Business Model & Revenue Opportunities
This slide provides a clear breakdown of how the company generates income. There are two primary streams:
10% Platform Fee: Fund Music Ed keeps 10% of all funds raised. · Merchandise Vendor: The company provides "turn-key items for pledge rewards," such as the t-shirts, mugs, and phone cases pictured on the slide.
This dual-revenue approach is a significant differentiator from standard crowdfunding sites, as it allows the company to capture additional margin on the fulfillment side of the transaction.
Slide 9: Traction & Milestones
Slide 9 is the most data-dense slide in the deck, focusing on "Lean Tests" and early pilots. It lists three key achievements:
Preregistration: 146 schools preregistered to raise $1.4M in budgets during a 3-day Facebook test that cost only $36. An additional 132 schools preregistered at the NAfME National Conference. · Development: A functional portal was built between Dec 2013 and Feb 2014 with "90% of Kickstarter's features" and an admin dashboard. · Alpha Pilot: A 5-school pilot launched in March 2014 raised $8,200 in four weeks.
These metrics are designed to prove that there is both supply-side demand (schools wanting to raise money) and donor-side willingness to pay.
Slide 11: Product Strategy and Peer-to-Peer Features
This slide explains the "Learnings" from the pilot, specifically the need to incentivize students to maintain momentum. The proposed solution is Peer-to-Peer Crowdfunding . The features listed include individual student goals, prizes for doubling or tripling goals, and a grand prize for the top fundraiser. The slide also mentions mobile apps that allow students to create promo videos and track their rankings, suggesting a gamified approach to fundraising to keep parents and students engaged.
Slide 13: The Ask
The investment round slide states that Fund Music Ed is seeking up to $1,100,000 to scale, with a minimum of $150,000 . The use of funds is categorized into four areas: finalizing state registrations, building mobile/incentive components, employing a small management team, and scaling the platform in the U.S. It also mentions a potential future Series A to scale the technology to school music programs worldwide.
Slide 15: Closing and Contact
The final slide mirrors the cover, restating the company’s mission and providing the contact information for Chris Purifoy again. It serves as a simple bookend to the presentation, maintaining the branding and the "Kickstarter for Music Education" analogy.
What Fund Music Ed Does Well
The deck is exceptionally clear about its value proposition . By using Kickstarter as a reference point, the founders avoid wasting time explaining the mechanics of crowdfunding and can instead focus on why a music-specific version is necessary. The traction slide is also a highlight; the fact that they spent only $36 to generate $1.4M in potential campaign volume is a powerful indicator of low customer acquisition costs (CAC) and high demand. Furthermore, the revenue model is more robust than many early-stage platforms by including the merchandise fulfillment component, which adds a layer of vertical integration.
What is Missing from the Deck
The most glaring omission is a Team Slide . While Chris Purifoy is listed as the contact, there is no information regarding his background, the technical team that built the platform "on a shoe string," or the advisors involved. Investors at the seed stage typically bet on the team as much as the idea. Additionally, there is no Competitive Landscape analysis. While they mention Kickstarter, they do not address other education-focused platforms like DonorsChoose or generic competitors like GoFundMe. Finally, the deck lacks Unit Economics ; while they mention a 10% fee, they do not provide data on the margins of the merchandise or the projected Lifetime Value (LTV) of a school partnership.
Lessons for Founders
Founders can learn two major lessons from this deck. First, niche-down to win . By focusing strictly on music education, Fund Music Ed can build specific features (like student prize tiers and instrument-specific rewards) that a general platform cannot. Second, validate early and cheaply . The "Lean Tests" mentioned on Slide 9 are a masterclass in proving demand without a large budget. However, founders should ensure they include a strong team slide to build credibility, especially when asking for a significant sum like $1.1M. Without knowing who is driving the bus, the traction metrics—no matter how impressive—carry less weight.
Frequently asked questions
- What is the primary problem Fund Music Ed is trying to solve?
- According to slide 3, the primary problem is the lack of funding for arts in schools. The deck states that school music programs have decreased by 50% in just five years, creating a massive need for alternative funding sources that traditional school budgets no longer provide.
- How does Fund Music Ed make money?
- The business model is two-fold as described on slide 7. First, the platform keeps 10% of all funds raised through the site. Second, the company acts as a merchandise vendor, providing 'turn-key' items like branded t-shirts, mugs, and phone cases used as rewards for donors, capturing the margin on those goods.
- What evidence of product-market fit does the deck provide?
- Slide 9 highlights several 'lean tests.' Most notably, a 3-day Facebook marketing test in November 2013 resulted in 146 schools preregistering with the intent to raise $1.4M. Additionally, a March 2014 alpha pilot with five schools raised $8,200 in four weeks, demonstrating that the platform could successfully facilitate transactions.
- What are the specific features of the Fund Music Ed platform?
- Slide 11 details a peer-to-peer crowdfunding model. Features include individual student goals, tiered prizes for reaching or doubling goals, a grand prize for the top fundraiser, and mobile apps that allow students to create promo videos and track their ranking against peers.
- How much capital was the company seeking and for what purpose?
- On slide 13, the company asks for up to $1.1M (minimum $150k). The funds were intended for finalizing state registrations, building mobile and student incentive components, hiring a small management team, and scaling the platform across the United States.
