Iranian-American Youth Entrepreneurship

The Iranian American Youth Entrepreneurship Foundation is a place where youth can turn their ideas into reality. A forum for future entrepreneurs to connect and make their own businesses, to create a whole generation of Iranian American leaders. It seeks to prepare youth to be responsible individuals and entrepreneurial thinkers by immersing them with others who have already been successful and created their own businesses. We started this foundation because of our own business ventures. My two sons (Aidan/Daniel) had an idea called, “Immigrant Challenge,” to reflect the ongoing immigration crisis in America and all across the world. Our business came about when they were simply watching CNN and turned what they saw on TV to an app and board game.

After everything we went through, we would like to help other youth do the same and bring their ideas to life. We will share the steps we took and we will invite successful Iranian American entrepreneurs to teach youth how to develop their own businesses.

These are the steps we took to create a board game and mobile app designed by kids for kids:

1) Aidan over the years saw how his mother came up with multiple ideas and brought them to life with her startup. She created a community calendar software called ePulli and a collaboration writing tool called Colabwrite. They learned by example.

2) Aidan, a 9 year old at the time, came up with an idea. He learned from his mom that when you have an idea, it doesn't need to stay as an idea and can be manifested into a product; he decided to create a board game prototype.

3) Aidan’s first prototype was made with cardboard and paper. He collaborated with his brother, Daniel a 14 year old, to create the rules of the game, cards, etc. This step helped them to learn team work and collaboration. They called the game “Immigrant’s Nightmare”

4) Aidan’s board game was rejected by his elementary school. He experienced what any entrepreneur faces one way or another.

5) Their mother thought Aidan’s invention was an excellent idea addressing a 21st century crisis about immigrants. She became the seed funder

6) We, Aidan, Daniel and their mother, created a real version of the board game using Photoshop. We professionally printed and laminated the board game. We also printed the cards and the rules.

7) The name of the game was not used by any website and we were able to purchase it.

8) We created the website content

9) Created our business cards and logo

10) We found that printing cost of the board game was too high, so we changed direction based on cost analysis and we decided to make a Mobile App.

11) We also realized a Mobile App is more widespread

12) We hired a company to write a 5-year business plan based on our story and did a feasibility study. We decided the unit price for the board game to be $20 and for the App to be 1$.

13) We searched for companies to do our game development. We found an American company to make our first Android and IOS App with low cost.
14) Daniel converted the board game rules to App rules, and sent them to the programmers

15) We got involved in testing each revision of the App and we provided feedback, reported the bugs and made new rules. We added the “Immigrant Nightmare” game to Google Play store and IOS App store. We will add "Immigrant Challenge" to mobile App store by 12/16/16

16) In order to raise money we decided to do crowd funding through GoFundMe

17) We wrote the film script for our GoFundMe video

18) We hired a film maker

19) We provided animation ideas to the video maker

20) It took us many days to finish the raw video

21) We viewed and edited the movie many times, almost 30 hours

22) We created our GoFundMe page and wrote our story, added our pictures there and our campaign goals

23) We hired a marketing company, and created Facebook and twitter pages

24) We learned how to read contracts between our company and all other companies that we hired (video, marketing, developers)

25) Hired a lawyer to Trade Mark the name of our game

26) Created Media/Press release explaining our story and mission

27) Sent press release to all famous Medias such as National Public Radio, CNN, Buzzfeed, Voice of America, etc.

28) Tried to find personal contacts to introduce our game

29) Hired a publicist and Public Relations person

30) Found Buzzfeed as first media outlet and collaborated with them for a shorter video featured on their website 2 days before the election

31) Answered to people’s positive and negative comments on Facebook and twitter

32) As part of debating with people, we came with a new solution for illegal immigrants; rather than building a wall, that can be bypassed by other means, we can use the money and build schools on the border to educate future immigrants. This will give them the ability to come to the US legally by a work visa.

33) Created flyer, created story board with color pictures

34) Searched for conferences. Found IAWF, and iBridges and got a table to have a show case to public.

35) Practiced pitching with kids to explain the products to the visitors of our table.

36) Contacted CIT and try to get funding from state pf Virginia

37) Changed the game in such way to be able to change the center country to any country to be story telling platform

38) Trying to find investor, co-founder in AngelList site

39) Attended Connectpreneur conference in Maryland and had a speech and show case in front of 350 people [both the patent for parallel timeline and the game]

40) Created powerpoint presentation with Daniel and Aidan but this time with more sophistication for formal presentation, rehearsed it 10 times with them

41) Presented the "Story telling Platform" in 1776.org incubator company along with Daniel and Aidan in front of 75 investors and business owners

42) Presented the "Story telling Platform" in Piranha Tank (Similar to Shark tank), children only and were accepted in audition in front of 4 judges [investors]

43) Had meeting with a director of a school that is using nothing but physical board games for improving the game and make it fun

44) Had meeting with a game publisher for possibility of the physical board game be published by them and get royalty for it

45) Presented the "Story telling Platform" in Kanoon community in front of 50 people

46) Had meeting with "Very Serious Game" community in George Mason university for possibility of hiring university students as programmers

47) Will attend Piranha tank live episode in June

58) ...

IMMIGRANT CHALLENGE Mobile Game (as an Example of Youth Entrepreneurship)

Immigration is a global issue. No one knows how to create an effective solution to the ongoing crisis. We hope that through our board game and accompanying mobile APP, we can help bring greater awareness to the complexity of this global issue impacting us all. Below Please find our 4 minutes video:

BOARD GAME & APP

This is our story... It began when my son, Aidan, had to design a board game for his 4th grade school project. With the ongoing presidential election and media reaction, all he could think about was immigrants and a HUGE wall.

By 8:00 PM that evening, Aidan showed me the very first sketch of his game and surprised me.



By 9:30 PM that evening, my two sons Aidan and Daniel, put their minds together and created a prototype board game.



...and by 12:30 AM it looked like this...



Different countries represent players, positioned on the corners of the board. In this prototype, the United States is at the center. The goal is for each player to get inside the wall. The first one to arrive is the winner.

Each player in his/her path goes through the ups and downs, back and forth to get a degree and collect the appropriate assets and credentials required to travel into the U.S. and pass the wall … and some who can’t afford the education nor acquire the skillsets may come illegally through a tunnel. This reflects the reality of this global challenge.

Aidan turned in his project to school the next day but unfortunately it was rejected and portrayed as a racist game and he ended up in principal’s office. Both my sons and I were shocked by this reaction.

As a mother, who came to the United States many years ago and who is now an U.S. Citizen, I was saddened by the rejection of the project. I felt that my children were innocently interpreting  what was being presented in the media.

As a family, we realized how important this topic is and decided to make a real version from the original prototype. We began creating the laminated board game, print cards, and website:
http://www.immigrantchallenge.com Within a few days of launching the board game, we realized that having an actual Android and iPhone APP would allow us to reach a larger audience and spread awareness of the global immigrant crisis.

We hired a technology company to build our first mobile APP prototype. It is a 4 player interactive game that allows players to select the bordering countries; complete with vitrual asset cards, instructions, rewards and much more.

WHAT DO THE BOARD GAME & APP ADDRESS?

They bring awareness about the struggle of immigrants,  and how building a wall won’t solve the root cause.

They hightlight and educate the players on all the ways to enter a country legally while  shedding light on the insurmountable challenges of trying to do so.

They address the positive aspects of the immigrants desire to bring their assets and knowledge and contribute positively to the host country.

WHAT IS OUR HOPE?

The board game and APP were designed with a mission in mind. We want to bring awareness to young kids and young adults. We want ensure they understand the real struggles of immigrants and their importance and contributions to our society.

Our want to create ways which will allow more dialogue on this topic, foster understanding, and unite us as a society rather than divide us due to misunderstandings, biases and fear.

WHY DO WE NEED YOUR HELP?

Our board game and APP are prototypes. They are great starting points to get our mission launched. Up to now, we have self funded and invested thousands of dollars in creating these products but we now need your help!

We look to you as donors and investors that can help us develop and manufacture the game and APP so they can be made available to consumers, families and children as fun teaching tools.

The funds you donate will go toward:

• Market Research, Product Position & Strategy
• Product Branding & Packaging Design
• Product Development, Packaging and Distribution
• Web Design, Email Marketing, Content Marketing, Social Media, SEO, Public Relations
• Legal Fees: Patents, Trademarks, Copyrights, etc.
• 1st Year Administrative Support, Office Supplies, etc.

As we continue fine tuning both the board game and APP, we are reminded of the issues that the games are addressing. They brings awareness to the huge immigration crisis in America and around the world. Building a HUGE wall won’t stop it.

We also address what would have happened if immigrants like Steve Jobs’ father, a Syrian, would have never come to the US.  Imagine a world without all these current gadgets around: iPhones, iPads, iMacs. They wouldn’t have existed if Steve’s father hadn’t come here. Immigrants are not the source of all the issues a nation faces. As a matter of fact, all of America’s Science Nobel Prize winners this year were won U.S. citizens who were once immigrants.

As a mother who once was an immigrant, I tried to expose my children to science and music and help them follow the foot steps of game changers of the world.  In other words I am trying to add value to my host country, which has now become my home after 24 years.


As our founding fathers ...


We think a bowl of various fruits is better than a bowl with only one type of fruit in it. As such, we feel that a place where people of all different cultures live together is better than a place where everyone looks and believes the same.

RACISM is ugly, but DIVERSITY is beautiful.

Let us build bridges instead of spending $8 Billion to build a wall. For example we could build 800 to1200 vocational schools on the US-Mexican border to teach skills to future immigrants and they can apply to enter to the US legally and add value.
 
 
 
 Version 1.0 Beta: The Immigrant Challenge’s first edition will tell the story of immigrants coming to America (Currently called “Immigrant Nightmare” in Mobile stores);  
 
 Version 2.0: Will show immigrant challenges traveling to and from a larger array of countries (Will be in mobiles APP stores by 12/15/16 named “Immigrant Challenge”)  
 
 Version 3.0: As a story telling platform, it will cover future historical events across the globe and in different time periods throughout century. This will be accomplished by:  
 
     a) A new user interface for entering the text of the moving cards to reflect historical event and the time  
 
     b) The center country can be changed to any country, and considering corner countries can be changed too, we will have a platform that will offer a more universal narrative for immigrants as the journey across the world.  
 
 Version 4.0: Incorporate “virtual reality” of The Immigrant travelers from different countries to allow users to experience the hardship and back story of each The Immigrant.  
 

MEET OUR TEAM:

• Aidan, who is 10 years old, creator and the designer of the game and tester
• Daniel, 14 years old, business analyst and tester
• Sarah