Business Plan

SAFEGUARD DRIVING
APPLICATION
Created By: AMEKA
Team Members:
Eliza Albert, Alexis Costales, Kallisti St. John, Annie Wu, Melissa Zavez
Winchester High School Technovation
 Table of Contents
I. Executive Summary…………………………………………………..……..2
II. Company Description……………………………………………..…………3
III. Organization and Management……………………………………………...4
IV. Service and Product Line……………………………………………………5
V. Current Production/ App Prototype………………………………………….7
VI. Market Analysis……………………………………………………………..9
VII. Branding and Promotion…………………………………………………...10
VIII. Financial Projections…………………………………………………….…11
IX. Appendix…………………………………………………………………...12

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 I. Executive Summary
The Problem
Our app focuses on a significant problem that exists both in our community and in our society as
a whole. As high school girls, we are fully aware that what some of our classmates choose to do
on the weekends may put them in danger. Some of us have had the experience of riding in a car
in which the driver is impaired. Automobile crashes are the leading cause of death for teens, and
approximately one-quarter of those crashes involve underage drinking.1,2

In fact, teen alcohol use kills 4,700 people each year, more than all illegal drugs combined.
Drunk driving not only affects the driver and the passengers, it also affects families, pedestrians,
the school, and the community.
App Overview
The AMEKA team’s application, SafeGuard Driving, has been created with the hope of keeping
both automobile drivers and their passengers safe from the effects of impaired driving. The goal
of this app is to prevent accidents resulting from impaired driving by testing users’ reaction-time
and balance skills, which are vital to the ability to drive. If a user fails the test, he or she will
have options of alternate transportation including a link to Uber and taxi services in the area, as
well as an option to call an emergency contact to pick them up. The app will have a special
feature focused on parental control, so that a parent can enforce the use of the app prior to their
teenager driving home; once activated, the parent would receive a text to find out if their child
has passed or failed the test. In the future, the app has the potential to be connected to ignition
interlock technologies if partnered with an automobile company, through which the teen would
not be able to start the ignition in their car without passing the test. This feature could be turned
on and off, allowing a parent to activate it after their child goes out in the car. However, our
audience is not limited to parents and teenagers only. Anyone who questions their own ability to
drive due to their current impaired state could use the app as a suggestion guide.

1
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. “Traffic Safety Facts 2011: Overview”. Washington DC:
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 2013; National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. “Traffic
Safety Facts 2011: Young Drivers”. Washington DC: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 2013.

2
"Drunk Driving Statistics." Drunk Driving Statistics. The Hangover.org, 2011. Web. 20 April 2015.
<http://www.hangover.org/2012/11/drunk-driving-statistics/>.

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 II. Company Description
Our company, AMEKA, is comprised of a team of five: Melissa Zavez, Annie Wu, Kallisti St.
John, Alexis Costales, and Eliza Albert.
 Alexis focused on the artistic and advertising aspects of app development. She was in
charge of designing an appealing logo, as well as creating a script for the pitch video to
capture our audience.
 Kallisti worked on marketing and financial projections. She also helped with the design
aspects of the app, providing the wireframes for the app prototype.
 Eliza was the primary technology developer. She oversaw app development and
programming. She created and coded the screens of the app prototype.
 Annie and Melissa worked on the marketing and business aspects of app development.
Together they outlined the business plan. Annie focused on collecting background data
and conducting user surveys. In addition to helping with the business plan, Melissa was
in charge of editing the pitch video.

Although each girl took on different, specific responsibilities, our roles often overlapped. We all
worked closely together to write the business plan, create the app, and prepare the presentation
through our videos as well as the pitch night event.

AMEKA is situated in Winchester, Massachusetts. In addition to the members described above,

our team is also supported by many qualified mentors. Among our mentors is Dr. Alexandra
Geyer. Dr. Geyer possesses considerable expertise in the biological and cognitive neuroscience
fields. With Dr. Geyer’s help we were able to modify well-known tests for use in SafeGuard
Driving. We were also aided by Mr. David C. Petty, who has extensive knowledge in math and
technological areas. Mr. Petty teaches computer science, and guided us through the process of
brainstorming, conducting surveys, building the app, and analyzing our market. We also had the
assistance of Claire Varner, who works for the HSTRY Company in Boston. She helped us with
the business plan and gave us tips on how to properly propose our ideas. Although we are still in
high school, we have many exciting new ideas on how to further our business and make it an
integral part of the market. We believe that our app has enormous potential, and that we have
many bright prospects for the future.

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III. Organization and Management
AMEKA consists of several teams divided by design, technological, market analysis and sales,
and service and product lines. The teams will collaborate with one another to cover the full
picture and find a balance between the various aspects of the app to make it more engaging and
purposeful for our audience.
Design
The design team will design the app using wire frame diagrams, keeping in mind both the goals
and the purpose of the application. They will also work with the sales and service teams to
ensure that the design is pleasing to the public eye.
Technological
The technological team will create the app. Currently, we have begun developing our prototype
using MIT App Inventor software. However, as the product progresses, we would like to use
more advanced software such as HTML or Java to further develop our ideas. There would be a
great deal of collaboration between the tech and design teams to work out the details of
implementation and decide between the ideal product and what it is possible to accomplish.
Marketing and Sales
The market analysis and sales team will evaluate the market size and assess the needs of the
public in order to ensure that our app is meeting or surpassing the expectations of its intended
audience. The team will conduct surveys of the public, initially focusing on parents of teenage
drivers, and will create advertisements to help expand our business.
Service and Product
The service and product line team will assess our competition, helping the company to decide
how to proceed to maximize our potential. They will ensure that our app remains effective and
relevant to the lives of consumers. The service team will work with the sales team to determine
future advances that can embellish our product.
All of our teams will work collaboratively to provide both a strong foundation and a bright future
for our app.

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IV. Service and Product Line
SafeGuard Driving is an application that should greatly impact our own community, with
potential to expand well beyond. After conducting a brief survey (see Appendix A), our team
discovered our town’s interest in public safety. With the input of our community, we were able
to adhere to their needs. After receiving the results of the survey, we modified our app so that it
would apply to many different age groups and be used for different types of impairment. This
adjustment will allow us to better meet our consumer’s needs.

SafeGuard Driving has the potential to differentiate itself from all of its competitors. SafeGuard
Driving’s biggest advantage over these competitors is its ability to evaluate a range of
impairment situations, including sobriety and sleepiness. Also, unlike the apps “Alcohoot” and
“Breathometer”, SafeGuard Driving does not require the purchase of breathalyzers or any other
equipment. Our app is able to give accurate results with a small, one-time fee of $0.99.3

While the competitors listed in the table below are the most similar to our app, there are other
apps in the market that resemble our app’s purpose. For example, “Alcohol Test! Can I still
drive?” is an app offered in the Apple store that allows drivers to test their blood alcohol
concentration (BAC) levels. The main issue with this app is that although the estimates are
claimed to be fairly accurate, the app does not give users any “post-test” options.

There are also a number of apps in our category of interest that were developed for entertainment
purposes. “Am I drunk”, “Alcocheck”, and “MID - May I drive” are all examples of apps that are
intended solely as informational or entertainment applications.4

Currently, our app compares favorably with the best of our competitors. Our app features many
key items not addressed by others in our category. In the future we hope to expand our service
with ignition interlock features, as previously mentioned. Having these features would allow our
company to gain sponsors and partnerships with important automobile companies. With ignition
interlock technology we believe our app would overtake and rise above our current competition.

3
"Three Apps Curbing Drunk Driving." Three Apps Curbing Drunk Driving. N.p., n.d. Web.
<http%253A%252F%252Fwww.psfk.com%252F2015%252F02%252Fendui-breathometer-alcohoot-apps-drunk-
drinking.html>.
4
Available on the Apple App Store.

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 SafeGuard ENDUI Breathometer Alcohoot
Driving

Is used for a range

of impairment
situations (sobriety ✓
testing and
sleepiness)

Tests one’s ability ✓ ✓ Partial Partial

to drive under the credit (determines credit (determines
influence user’s BAC) user’s BAC)

Does not require a ✓ ✓

breathalyzer or any
other device

Warns the user of ✓ ✓

the dangers of
driving impaired

Provides user with ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓

options if the test is
failed (taxi, Uber, (taxi, (hotels and (taxi, Uber,
emergency call a restaurants) restaurants)
contact) friend)

Emergency contact
is notified if a
failure occurs ✓
(offers parental
control)

Cost $0.99 $0.00 $0.00 + $99 for $0.00 + $99.99 for

device (needs device device (needs device
to function) to function)

It is important to note that all the competitors above focus on a broad audience, never specifying
the immediate purpose of the app. They designed their app to determine whether a user is drunk
or not. Our app takes this a step further to provide parents the ability to ensure their child’s
safety. Because our app does not calculate the exact blood alcohol concentration level, it can be
extended to use in other impairment situations, including drowsiness.

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 V. Current Production / App Prototype
Our tech team has currently created a prototype of our app. The mock app first leads users to a
welcome page. Users are then be directed to an emergency contact page where they are required
to enter a phone number (for parental control purposes). Then, they will complete a sequence of
five tests in three formats:

 The first test format is the Stroop Test5, which assesses mind reaction. In this test, the
name of a color will appear on the screen. The font color in which the name is written
may or may not be the same color as the color name. For example, the word “red” might
be written in blue text font. The color name will remain on the screen for one
second. On the next screen, the user will be asked to identify the color in which the text
was displayed. Four choices will be given. For the example above, the correct answer
would be blue. The driver must touch the correct answer. This test will appear two
times.
 The second test is a modified version of the Flanker Arrow Test6 assessing perception. In
this test, nine arrows appear on the screen. Eight of the arrows point in the same
direction, while the ninth points in the opposite direction. The user is asked to identify
which arrow is different from the others. He or she has three seconds to make a choice.
The driver must touch the correct arrow. This test will appear two times.
 The third test is a Balance Test. A black line runs down the center of a white screen. A
red ball is beside the line. The driver must move the ball to the line by tilting the screen,
and must then keep the ball on the black line for five seconds. This test will appear one
time.

The test results are cumulated on a point system; each of the five tests that is passed earns the
user one point. No points will be deducted if the user fails a test. The user passes the test if four
or five points are earned, and fails if he or she earns fewer than four points.

Our prototype app includes examples of the tests above and is able to demonstrate the different
pass/fail scenarios, proving there is sufficient technology to develop our basic idea. It does not
yet sum a user’s total score. Given more time and better resources, our team will also add the
emergency contact information and more parental regulatory options so that a text message can
be sent to a pre-specified contact after the test is taken and the test results given.

5
Chudler, Eric H. "Neuroscience for Kids." Stroop Effect. N.p., 1998-2015. Web. 23 April 2015.
<https://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/words.html>.
6
"Eriksen Flanker Task TASK." Cognitive Atlas. Squishymedia, n.d. Web. 23 April 2015.
<http://www.cognitiveatlas.org/term/Eriksen_flanker_task>.

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Future Direction

We believe that our app has great potential to connect with other businesses and industries to
expand in the future. AMEKA would like to work with automobile companies to create an
interlock ignition aspect to our app. The interlock ignition feature is already available in the
market. It would greatly enhance our app to have this feature, because a greater number of
accidents would be prevented if a user is prohibited from driving after failing the test. We also
plan to share our app with insurance companies which would benefit by offering our app to their
customers. By partnering with insurance and automobile companies, we hope to decrease the
number of accidents each year due to impaired driving.

We would also like to extend our marketing audience beyond teenagers and their parents to the
general population by providing different options for other age groups, including college
students, the elderly, and other adults.

Furthermore, we could eventually make our app available in the IOS market in addition to the
Android market.

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VI. Market Analysis
By marketing this app to parents, we hope to create a new target audience that prior apps have
not considered. Our main consumers will be families, specifically parents of teens who have a
license to drive. Unlike our competitors, SafeGuard Driving allows parents to feel more
comfortable when giving their teens the enormous responsibility of driving. We are giving
parents the power to help their teens stay safe on the roads and with friends. In the future, we
hope to expand our market to college students, adults, and the elderly. Driving under the
influence is a problem for almost all age groups, but we believe that teenage impaired driving is
one of the largest problems that we have, especially in our community.

Our projected market size for our first year will be based on the number of students at each
public school in the Middlesex area. There are 12 schools in our district, and we plan to approach
one school each month of the year. We have collected data on the number of students enrolled in
each school. During our second year, we plan to expand to all of the high schools in
Massachusetts. There are 692 high schools in Massachusetts, with an average of 874 students per
school. We conducted a survey of parents of students at Winchester High School, and found that
approximately 90% of parents would be interested in using our app for their children. We
conservatively believe that we will be able to get at least 60% of the families in each high school
to purchase our app.

For parents and teens who are concerned with the safety of their family members and friends and
with how impaired driving can impact their lives, SafeGuard Driving is both an accurate and
accessible app that has the potential to save millions of drivers. Our app will sell for $0.99, as we
feel this in appropriate amount for the service we provide. Our team is hoping to speak with one
school per month in our first year to introduce the app to the Middlesex area. By the end of our
second year, we hope to have spread the word to most of the towns in Massachusetts, which
means approximately 350 towns.

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VII. Branding and Promotion
SafeGuard Driving is an app whose mission is to prevent automobile accidents caused by either
drowsiness or driving under the influence. After testing the user, our program judges whether the
subject passes or fails the test. However, all results are only given as warnings. We will remind
users that although our app is created to provide safer roads, they should still be well aware that
the legal drinking age is 21. Despite this, we are aware as a team that it is inevitable that teens
will drive despite the law.

Our idea is supported by many adults, many of whom are also excited by our ideas for the future.
For instance, former NBA Boston Celtics team member Chris Herren is a former drug addict
who now travels to schools to talk about alcohol and drug abuse. He visited our high school and
we were inspired by him. We sent him an email telling him about our idea and seeing if he had
any thoughts. In his response he made a point to tell us that we would be making a significant
difference. He told us to stress the fact that we are not telling teens that it is okay to drink and
abuse drugs, but we are helping them have some sort of safety net in case they ever make a bad
decision.

As a gentle reminder and allusion to the law, our logo features a standard traffic light. The traffic
light is to remind users that the law does require an age of 21 to drink. However, we also chose
this symbol because it is known universally. We chose our background to be blue because blue is
considered the most loved color.

Our app name, SafeGuard Driving, was the first name that came to us and it stuck. The team
name AMEKA is an acronym for the five team members (Annie, Melissa, Eliza, Kallisti, and
Alexis).

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VIII. Financial Projections
*See Appendix B for more information*

To find the projected revenue for the first year after completion of the SafeGuard Driving app,
we first determined that we would visit one high school in the Middlesex area each month. We
then summed the populations of the high schools in each of twelve neighboring towns. With our
prediction that 60% of users will buy the app, we projected that the total revenue for our first
year would be approximately $8,851 if the app is sold for $0.99.

For our second year, we hope to expand to all the schools in Massachusetts, targeting an average
of 874 students at each school. This will give us a projected revenue of $359,256 for our second
year.

As a high school company, we do not require any specific amount of money to kick off. We will
eventually need support and sponsorship. During our idea development process, we were
contacted by our community’s Winchester Coalition for a Safer Community. They were
interested in our app, and have already provided us an opportunity to put our app to use once it is
fully developed. Seeing Winchester as a typical town, we have reason to believe other
communities will have similar interest.

In the larger scale, SafeGuard Driving has the potential to save money for the United States
government. Each year, the United States spends $49.8 billion as a result of accidents caused by
alcohol-impaired driving.7,8

7
"Alcohol And Driving." The British Medical Journal 1.5478 (1966): 3-4. Web. 23 April 2015.
8
"Drunk Driving Statistics & Facts." Drunk Driving Statistics & Facts. Loyola University Health System, 21
February 2001. Web. 23 April 2015.
<http://www.stritch.luc.edu/depts/injprev/transprt/tran1-06.htm>.

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IX. Appendices

Appendix A: Parent Survey – Driving Impairment Survey

Survey Results:

 In our survey, 77.1% of parents said that they were concerned about their teens driving
under the influence. In order to determine whether the majority of parents experience
this concern, we tested the null hypothesis that 50% of parents are concerned using a one-
sample test of proportions. The significance level was set at 0.05. Based on our sample,
we reject this null hypothesis with a p value <0.0001, and conclude that more than 50%
of parents are concerned about teens driving under the influence.

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  Using this information for the second step of our survey, we found that 89.6% of families
expressed interest in buying our app. In order to evaluate whether the majority of parents
would be willing, we tested the null hypothesis that 50% of parents would buy the app
using a one-sample test of proportions. Based on our sample, we reject this null
hypothesis with a p value <0.0001, and conclude that more than 50% of parents would be
willing to purchase our app.

Our suggestion box was also very helpful. From the comments recorded, we learned that many
parents were worried about their children driving home with impairment due to sleep
deprivation. This idea motivated us to extend the focus of our app.

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Appendix B: Financial Projections

We plan to sell our app for $0.99 in the app store. Through our survey results, we determined
that 90% of our audience would be willing to buy such an app. To be conservative, we assumed a
60% uptake.

In our first year, we plan to target twelve schools in the Middlesex area. We assumed that the
parents of 60% of students at each school would be our customers to come up with a projected
total of $8,851 for the first year.

In our second year, we plan to expand to all the towns in Massachusetts. Taking 60% of students
in 692 high schools, with an average of 874 students in each school, we calculated a total
revenue of $359,256.

* The table below depicts our market and sale size*

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AMEKA 15