Capption - Season 2 Idea Jam 4
- Matt Pacyga
- Jun 25
- 7 min read
Season 2 Idea Jam 4
Season 2 Recaps brought to you by our partners Hypercolor Digital and the University of St. Thomas - Schulze School of Entrepreneurship
Spotlight Business for June 2025 - Season 2 - Idea Jam 4
What Does Capption Do?
Capption is an assistive technology that helps exhibitors include low-sighted, aging, non-native speaking, learning-disabled, and socially-anxious visitors. By translating text into the precise format or language they need, Capption helps all visitors feel connected, avoid discouragement, and spark lasting curiosity. Everyone deserves to enjoy the wonder of art, science, and nature. Capption makes engagement with exhibit content equitable.
"Basically, Capption is a content delivery system for museums. And the point of it is to take whatever's on the wall or whatever the museum wants to tell you and put it on your phone."
Core Offerings
Accessibility Solutions
Visual Accessibility: Serves people who are "low vision or if you're no vision" by delivering content directly to smartphones where users can adjust font sizes and formats to their needs.
Language Translation: Provides content for people who "don't speak the language" with multi-language options.
Social Accessibility: Helps visitors who are "socially anxious and that being in a room full of people who are staring at you makes you super uncomfortable" by providing personal, private access to information.
Technology Infrastructure
NFC-Based Delivery: Instant content access through smartphone tapping
Smartphone Integration: Makes "exhibit content instantly accessible to museum, art gallery, park, zoo, and aquarium guests" through personal devices
Content Management: Transforms physical exhibit information into digital, accessible formats
Capption
Founder Profile
Connect with Sherman Bausch on LinkedIn
Founding Story
Personal Origin: Sherman, co-founder of Capption, was born with a visual condition in the 1970s. He had cataracts removed, leaving him with no depth perception and requiring extremely large phone fonts. For 48 years, he experienced less-than-amazing museum visits, typically starting exhibits enthusiastically but leaving frustrated and unable to engage with the content thoroughly.
The Catalyst Moment: The founding moment occurred at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts when Sherman told his wife in frustration: "damn it, why don't they just have something I hold my phone up to it, put it on my phone and I can make it myself." After standing there for five minutes in raw stress, worried about running into priceless bronzes, his wife took his hand and guided him away from the situation.
Evolution of the Idea: Sherman initially conceived Capption as a personal solution for his visual impairment. When he shared the idea with his business partner Dan, Dan suggested adding translation capabilities, recognizing that "it'd be really great if it also translated." This expanded the vision from personal accessibility to broader inclusion.
Company Vision
"The mission of Capption is straightforward. We would like to help cultural centers include everybody that they possibly can into the exhibit experience in a way that's dignified for that person and also sustainable for the business."
Core Belief: Capption aims to remove barriers that "take this experience that should be extraordinary and they ratchet it down, right? Your anxiety goes up, you miss some things, you get stressed out, the crowd around you makes you even more anxious."
“Every single institution that we've talked to from art galleries to museums to little places, they want to include everybody. But as you know from a business perspective that's not an easy thing to do. So that's what Capption is and that's what it does."
Clickable Chapters:
Event Pictures
Event Deck
Problem Statement
Capption, an accessibility technology company, faces the challenge of effectively communicating the value proposition of their smartphone-based museum guide to different stakeholders within cultural institutions. While Capption transforms visitors' smartphones into personal museum guides delivering content in preferred languages and formats, they need strategic messaging that positions accessibility as an opportunity rather than just a legal obligation. Additionally, with limited resources, Capption must identify the most effective messaging and outreach strategies to scale their impact across museums, galleries, parks, zoos, and aquariums.
Idea Jam Summary
During the Innovate MN Idea Jam, participants brainstormed solutions to help Capption address two key challenges:
1) Developing persona-specific messaging reframes accessibility as a valuable opportunity for different museum stakeholders.
2) Identifying resource-efficient strategies for scaling their outreach and impact.
The session focused on understanding how different museum personas—from curators and visitor experience managers to development and programming staff—could be motivated to champion accessibility initiatives. Participants generated ideas ranging from data-driven value propositions to partnership strategies and technology enhancements that would make Capption's solution more compelling across various stakeholder groups. For the scaling challenge, discussions centered on leveraging partnerships, content strategies, and targeted outreach approaches that could maximize impact while working within budget and team constraints.
Over 100+ sticky notes!
Come and be part of our upcoming jam!
Idea Jam Analysis
Topic 1: Persona Messaging - Reframing Accessibility as Opportunity: "What message should each persona receive to value accessibility as an opportunity, not just a legal obligation?"
Exhibits (Curator) Persona:
Visitor Intelligence Opportunity:
"How well do you know your visitors' data/bias" - positioning accessibility as market research
"Analytics on who/what/when" - data-driven insights about visitor behavior and preferences
"Value: segment visitors" - understanding diverse audience needs and preferences
Competitive Advantage Messaging:
"Value: SEO - most accessible museum" - becoming the go-to accessible destination
"Make it more accessible to the general public" - expanding potential visitor base beyond traditional demographics
Visitor/Guest Experience Persona:
Revenue and Satisfaction Opportunity:
"Better Sequence => More Visits => More Revenue" - direct business impact through improved experience
"Meet the customer where they are with less effort less friction" - visitor satisfaction as competitive advantage
"Inclusive Experience & Enriching" - enhancing overall guest experience quality
Events/Programs Persona:
Audience Expansion Opportunity:
"University Partnerships- college students Love interactive features" - new educational market segments
"School Field trips Accommodate" - expanding program offerings and revenue streams
"Target People w/ accessibility" - previously underserved audience becoming engaged participants
Development/PR Persona:
Funding and Brand Opportunity:
"Development opens up more founding funding ops" - accessibility unlocks new grant categories and funding sources
"Marketing - sell the story of accessibility & nurture brand champions" - powerful storytelling for donor engagement
"Use story Brand Method for Communicating your brand value" - authentic mission-driven narrative
Partnership Opportunities:
"Give discount in exchange for promotions" - cross-promotional partnerships with disability organizations
"Partnerships can bring more resources to bear" - collaborative funding and resource sharing
Key Message Pattern: The sticky notes consistently reframed accessibility from "compliance requirement" to "strategic advantage" by emphasizing:
Data and insights (for curators)
Visitor satisfaction and revenue (for guest experience)
New audiences and programs (for events/programs)
Funding opportunities and brand storytelling (for development/PR)
Each persona received messages that connected accessibility improvements directly to their core professional objectives and success metrics, rather than presenting it as an additional burden or legal checkbox.
Topic 2: Scaling Smarter - Expanding Impact with Limited Resources: "How should Capption focus its messaging and outreach to expand its impact most effectively given limited time, budget, and team capacities?"
High-Leverage Partnership Strategies:
Educational Institution Leverage:
"University Partnerships- college students Love interactive features" - tap into engaged, tech-savvy audiences
"School Field trips Accommodate" - reach multiple visitors through single institutional relationship
"Conference > museum curators > disability advocacy > Service" - target decision-makers at industry events
Cross-Sector Expansion:
"Government buildings as a group who could use this location" - apply same solution to new market segments
"Target Non-Profits Foundations" - mission-aligned organizations with accessibility mandates
Content and Communication Efficiency:
Storytelling for Maximum Impact:
"Fold in origin story from Sherman info pitch meetings" - authentic founder story as marketing asset
"Publicity Star Trb. etc." - leverage media coverage for broad reach
"Partner w/ Content creators (Video, etc.) & Sales Strategy" - outsource content creation to extend reach
Low-Cost Media Channels:
"Radio/PR ADVERTISEMENT & Use a medium" - traditional media for broad awareness
"Social media" and "Patreon - Names of Donations" - digital-first, cost-effective outreach
Resource Optimization Approaches:
Technology as Differentiator:
"Do you already have an app? Yes -> We make yours better, No -> We expand your audience" - adaptive positioning based on the client's current state
"Crowdsource content entry (Wikipedia-esque)" - reduce content creation burden through community contribution
Targeted Market Penetration:
"Target People w/ accessibility" - direct to end-user advocacy for institutional pressure
"Bundle with ethnic or handicap group, Pros & offer Coupons" - partner with advocacy organizations for credibility and reach
Audience Expansion Strategy:
Celebrity and Influencer Leverage:
"Celebrity Partnership" - single high-profile endorsement for broad visibility
"Community event weekend" - local events for concentrated engagement
Key Strategic Pattern: The responses consistently focused on multiplier effects - strategies that could reach many people through single relationships or investments, rather than one-to-one outreach. The emphasis was on:
Institutional partnerships over individual sales
Storytelling and media overpaid advertising
Community-driven content over internal production
Cross-sector application over a museum-only focus
End-user advocacy to create institutional demand
Innovative Ideas, What Stands Out, Insights
Innovative Ideas:
Gamification Integration: "Gamify it. Have AI map out your route, Suggest pieces to See" and "I spy kids game - find all kids in this picture" creating engaging experiences
AI-Powered Personalization: Using AI to suggest routes and content based on visitor preferences and behavior patterns
Crowdsourced Content Model: "Crowdsource content entry (Wikipedia-esque)" reducing content creation costs while maintaining quality
Multi-Sensory Accessibility: "Text to Voice App option" and "Facial/emotional Recognition Technology" expanding accessibility beyond visual impairments
Revenue Generation Integration: "Link to gift shop for specific items related to your interest" creating additional revenue streams
What Stands Out (Patterns):
Data as Value Driver: Strong emphasis on analytics and visitor insights as key selling points to museum administrators
Partnership-Centric Growth: Multiple suggestions for strategic partnerships rather than direct sales approaches
Universal Design Appeal: Focus on benefits that serve all visitors, not just those with disabilities
Technology Enhancement: Continuous suggestions for feature additions that increase platform stickiness
Educational Market Focus: Repeated emphasis on schools, universities, and educational programming as key growth areas
Implementation Ideas:
Persona-Specific Value Messaging:
Develop curator-focused materials emphasizing visitor analytics and exhibit performance data
Create development-focused content highlighting grant opportunities and accessibility compliance
Design visitor experience materials showcasing engagement metrics and satisfaction improvements
Partnership Development Strategy:
Establish relationships with disability advocacy organizations for credibility and outreach
Create university partnership program for student engagement and content development
Develop conference presentation strategy targeting museum professional associations
Technology Platform Enhancements:
Implement AI-powered route suggestion and personalization features
Add gamification elements to increase visitor engagement and return visits
Develop analytics dashboard specifically for museum administrators
Content Strategy Framework:
Create crowdsourced content contribution system to reduce content creation burden
Develop storytelling approach that emphasizes universal benefits rather than disability-specific features
Build case study library demonstrating ROI and visitor satisfaction improvements
Key Challenges and Considerations:
Resource Allocation: Balancing feature development with limited team capacity while maintaining quality
Market Education: Overcoming perception of accessibility as compliance burden rather than opportunity
Technology Integration: Ensuring seamless integration with existing museum systems and workflows
Content Quality Control: Maintaining high-quality, accurate content while enabling crowdsourced contributions
Competitive Differentiation: Distinguishing from existing audio guide and museum app solutions
Scalability vs. Customization: Balancing standardized platform benefits with institution-specific customization needs
Way to go, you made it!