Skip ahead to Chapter 4 and look at the “You Be the VC 4.1” feature, which focuses on SafetyWeb. How would you assess the likely demand for SafetyWeb’s service?

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YOU BE THE VC 4.1 Company: SafetyWeb Web: www.safetyweb.com Business Idea: Create a Web-based service that helps parents protect their children's online reputation, privacy, and safety. Pitch: Parents worry about their kids' online activity. Cyberbullying, sexual predators stalking children, and the exchange of offensive language and photos are just a few of the online hazards to which children today are commonly exposed. Parents are also aware that their kids can post something online, such as an inappropriate photo, which may hurt them in the future. An increasing number of potential employers, for example, search a job candidate's online activities before making a job offer. SafetyWeb is a subscription service that helps monitor kids' online activity. It doesn't invade their privacy or snoop in clever ways. Instead, it simply scans for and aggregates the information that a child or teenager has publicly placed online. It's the same information that parents could find themselves, if they had the time and expertise. SafetyWeb simply automates the search process by using its proprietary software and system. Here's how it works. At the SafetyWeb Web site, a parent can get a free sample report by entering a child's e-mail address. The sample report lists all social networking accounts associated with that address, and notes which are public accounts and which have been correctly configured as private. To get more in-depth information and enable real-time monitoring, a subscription must be purchased. The base rate is $100 per year or $10 per month. SafetyWeb tracks hundreds of different social