For years, exam preparation techniques have been dominated by traditional study guides and flash cards. Former university roommates Elsbeth Vaino and Bobbi Jaimet believe that this lucrative market - worth one billion dollars a year in the US alone - has long needed an injection of fresh ideas. With this in mind, they created B.E. Innovative Group Inc., a company which helps students preparing for exams by using lively interactive games that complement traditional study methods.
They invented their first board game when Bobbi was studying for the LSAT, the standardised law school entrance exam. Elsbeth recalls, "She was saying how boring preparing for the test was. We put our heads together and within five minutes, we came up with the idea for an interactive board game that would make the process fun!"
Engage, encourage, educate
Two years ago, the two friends decided to adapt the game - originally called Test Prep U: SAT Game - for the 1.5 million US high school students who study for the SAT test every year. They were surprised to discover how few fun exam preparation methods there were out there. "When we looked at the idea seriously, we realised that SAT students would be by far the largest target market," explains Elsbeth. "Animated group study has been proven to be more effective than studying alone, so it made total sense!"
The board game is designed to be played by up to eight people - family, friends or classmates. "Teenagers want to get their parents and friends involved," explains Elsbeth. "What's more, a game is a great way to open up communication, have fun and learn from each other."
In August 2007, after producing a test run of 500 games, Elsbeth and Bobbi entered into a licensing agreement with Wiley Publishing, creator of the For Dummies series of guides. "We produced the test version using our own money and that of investors, and once they saw it, Wiley got back to us within an hour," Elsbeth recalls.
The game was redesigned and relaunched under its new name, the "SAT Game For Dummies", at New York's Toy Fair in February 2008. The deal has given B.E. Innovative Group Inc. the reach of an established, nationally recognised brand. The game is now sold online on the company's website, www.satgamefordummies.com, as well as Amazon.com, and in eight different retail outlets. It is selling well as a classroom aid for schools and Elsbeth believes that this is just the beginning.
Everything to play for...
In the future, Elsbeth envisages producing a range of innovative learning products including online games: "We could adapt this game for up to 11 university exams in the US, and we have also discovered that India uses a similar university entry system."
B.E. Innovative Group Inc. is looking to attract more investors to ensure that it can develop and market its products to their full potential. On being selected as a finalist, she says, "It's a great endorsement for us as women entrepreneurs. We hope the experience will help us to keep our ideas on track and learn how to communicate them more effectively to potential investors."
Since the competition, Elsbeth has experienced some difficulties due to the financial crisis and to conflicts in the management team. The credit crunch led her and her partner to losing their deal with Borders for an order of 5000 games.
However, the initial 1000 units have been sold out and the production of another 1000 games has been ordered. Also, Elsbeth is in the process of signing a partnership with the Algonquin College of Ottawa to develop a software version of the game. In addition to paying the development, this contract would give them access to an interesting marketing partner as the game is a college entrance product.
