Entrepreneurship - Ilinc Case Write-Up

Entrepreneurship – Case Write-Up #1 – Ilinc

23 February, 2012

Interactive Learning International (“ILinc”) is a new venture put forth by the management team of Dr. Jack Wilson, Mark Bernstein and Degerhan Usluel. ILinc focuses on the creation of interactive distance learning software for business training and development. Their first product, called “GlobaLinc”, is aimed primarily at the Fortune 1000 companies, and at other large US businesses. The idea behind GlobaLinc is to create a virtual classroom in which interactive learning can take place. This product will enable a company to save 50-75% on its training budget, as new employees can undergo that company’s specific training course program from their own homes via a regular PC. Essentially, employees can use their PC from anywhere around the world and link to the training session through a Local Area Network (LAN), Wide Area Network (WAN), and so on. This saves the company from incurring travel costs that are usually paid to fly-in new employees to partake in on-site training. In addition, companies will benefit from avoiding other soft costs, such as the time wasted while traveling to and from a training site.

Currently, the total US corporate training market is in excess of $45 billion. Out of this, ILinc is targeting an estimated $14 billion. “Corporate training” includes training employees in product offerings, business techniques, operations, customer service and support, maintenance procedures, and so on. The difference between GlobaLinc’s model of corporate training, versus the traditional model of training at a central location, is that it will emphasize a “just-in-time” technique – that is, training will be brought to the employee, as opposed to the employee going to receive the training. GlobaLinc will utilize interactive multimedia, application sharing, and multi-point desktop video conferencing to create a virtual classroom. The aim is to make this experience be comparable to, or possibly...