Based on the material covered in this chapter, what questions would you ask the firm’s founders before making your funding decision? What answers would  satisfy you?

Manufacture an efficient, quiet, and  sleek wind power turbine that both businesses and home  owners can use to harness the power of the wind to  produce electricity.

Pitch: Although wind power is clean and increasingly  cost-competitive, it is largely confined to large wind  farms in rural areas. The primary obstacle to building  windmills in more densely populated areas is the  “not-in-my-backyard” sentiment. This sentiment arises  from the large scale of most wind-powered devices, the  noise and shadows that are created, and the height of  traditional windmills, which normally exceed local zoning  requirements.

Wind spire’s mission is to make wind power available to  businesses and home owners by avoiding these complications.

The company has invented and is selling a low-cost, attractive, plug-n-produce wind power appliance  that can fit within the aesthetic schemes of many  business and residential environments. The appliance,  called the Wind spire, doesn’t look like a traditional  windmill or wind generator. It is 30 feet tall by 4 feet wide,  ultra quiet, and is distinguished by its sleek propeller-free  design. The sleek profile allows customers to easily scale  up the number of turbines to meet higher energy needs.

An individual unit is priced at $9,000 to $12,000 fully  installed. After tax credits, the cost can be as low as  $3,800, much lower than comparable wind turbines and
other alternative energy options.  

To make the Wind spire more palatable for business and  residential environments, it is manufactured with a  corrosion-resistant soft silver paint that can be repainted  in any color. At 30 feet (which is equivalent to a three story  building), it is below typical residential and urban  zoning requirements and its uniquely slender vertical axis  design allows it to operate with a low speed ratio, which
makes it quiet and more visible to birds. In a business  setting, several Wind spires clustered together can be  visually appealing and can display a company’s commitment  to environmental stewardship. Like other sources.